Happy New Year to everyone! It’s been so busy for us over the past couple of weeks, and I have to imagine that’s been true for most everyone. The holidays and winding down the end of the year is generally a crazy time, but this was also our first December with livestock. Their needs don’t change, so even with a more packed personal schedule, we still have to insure their care. Hence the reason we were out at 8:00 p.m. Saturday night cleaning out the chicken coop. Shew!

Needless to say, my work here on our website went to the wayside – it’s a case of something’s gotta give. But I am back on track, and boy did I miss this! I’ve been working a lot on other folks websites, and realizing that I can’t take any more clients on with all that we have in store for the farm. But that’s ultimately what I want to be doing, anyway – focusing on the farm, and our own website. 2011 is bringing exciting additions to Serenity Acres Now!

Remember our adventures back in November with the goat buck, Arsehole? Well, that guy may have been kind of a jerk at first, but he sure did his duty! (As an aside, he has really mellowed out since losing his eye. It’s sad that he lost it, but I’m looking forward to bringing him some animal crackers the next time we visit him.)Our Awesome Vet brought over an ultrasound machine last Wednesday, and we have verified that the five does we were hoping had gotten pregnant are, in fact, going to be giving birth in April! Whoo hoo! Additionally, we may have one for the record books: we aren’t sure, but it is possible that Maryman, our polled intersex doe, is pregnant. Because she is so shaggy (typical of bucks, and part of her being intersexed) it was difficult to get a good ultrasound reading, but it did appear that there could be fluid indicative of a pregnancy. Couple that with the fact that she has a tiny udder developing, and it gets really interesting. Awesome Vet said she wouldn’t stake her reputation on it, but that we should not be shocked if Maryman gives birth come April. We’ll be documenting it all in case she does, because polled intersex does are not supposed to be able to get pregnant; typically they do not have a complete uterus. So we are watching this development with great interest. Probably she won’t, but won’t it be amazing if she does?

We joined a food co-op, allowing us to purchase high-quality, nutrient-rich foods in a buying group, and therefore, getting it all at a better price. We are thrilled to be able to stock our pantry and refrigerator with foods that have been produced in a sustainable manner. Everyone at the co-op has been very friendly and knowledgeable, and we look forward to getting to know them more. We are honored that many members have chosen to purchase eggs from us, as well!

In fact, those orders, combined with our existing regular customers, have made us realize that we need to increase our flock. Currently, we have about 60 laying hens in our flock (and too many roosters – but that’s another story for another day) and we are getting between 42-47 eggs a day on average. Since mid-December, we have not been able to keep any eggs in stock! That’s a great compliment to us, and really, to our birds, who are laying lovely eggs that everyone seems to enjoy. But we recognize that the demand has grown, and we are ready to bring in more birds. We have 30 hens on order, due to arrive from the hatchery at the end of the month: 10 Black Australorps, 10 Black Jersey Giants, and 10 Polish Crested (I call them Phyllis Diller birds because of their hairdos.) We are also considering adding some more Easter Eggers in the future, depending on demand. We’re going to be building a very large fenced pasture for the chickens – as delightful as it is to see them all over our property, it is difficult to maintain their safety with all of the predators around here. We’ve lost several chickens to hawk attacks, ground-based predators, and even the neighbor’s bird dog. So, they will still have lots of room to free-range on pasture, but we will be able to keep them safely contained and protected. Also, we will have a chicken poo-free front porch. That in and of itself is a worthwhile reason to do this, ha!

Our spring is going to be jam-packed with new arrivals beyond those 30 hens, too. At the end of March, two dozen Khaki Campbell ducklings will arrive – these are laying ducks, and the breed is known to be amongst the most prolific layers. We have a duck sanctuary already mapped out for them – large enough that they will free-range on their own pasture, but also, an enclosed area to ensure their safety. So we will start offering duck eggs for sale around August. Duck eggs can be used just like chicken eggs, and are known for having a richer flavor. Folks who do a lot of baking appreciate the eggs for bringing that richer flavor and fluffier texture to baked goods. Many people who are allergic to chicken eggs tolerate duck eggs without any issues. We’re looking forward to being able to offer these to you. Not to mention, eating them ourselves!

The first two weeks of April is when we can start expecting goat kids to arrive. We are looking toward this with excitement and some trepidation, being that it is our first time doing this. We’ll be documenting all of our “newbie” experiences and questions as they arise, and all of that information will be used to create a beginner’s guide to breeding goats – a project we are conspiring with Awesome Vet on, and I’ll keep you informed when it is ready for prime time. We can’t wait for those babies to be bouncing around, and for that fresh goat’s milk. I’m doing a lot of reading about cheese making and building an on-site creamery.

The end of April, our two dozen Narragansett turkey poults will be shipped from the hatchery, and we will begin raising them – we will be using portable “tractors” to move them around on pasture so that they can have the benefits of free-ranging, while still having predator protection. Bird tractors are portable screened in structures that you move around on pasture to give them new grazing areas each day. We will also provide them a high-quality grain ration in the evenings, as we do with the chickens. We will be taking them in for processing a few days prior to Thanksgiving, and will start taking reservation orders on those soon. Since the Narragansett breed is still capable of breeding naturally (unlike the breeds produced for the supermarket) and the hens are said to make excellent mothers, we plan to keep a breeding pair here on the farm to try and hatch out our own eggs next year. I’m about to read a book about raising heritage breed turkey which will undoubtedly  be helpful in that regard.

Amongst my Christmas gifts from my Handsome Husband were five books about farming that I’ve had on my wish list for some time. Right now, I’m reading, and am just about finished, with Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From The Local Food Front by Joel Salatin. Joel is a personal inspiration for me – he considers sustainable, regenerative polyculture farming to be his ministry, and I am in awe of what he and his family have accomplished. It’s our goal to do similar things here on our farm that they are doing at Polyface Farms. Two of the other books I received are also penned by him, so we are not without inspiration and guidance!

So, we have many goals, plans, and hopes in place for 2011! I look forward to sharing our experiences with you here, and hearing from you in the comments or in person. If you’d ever like to visit the farm, get in touch! We’d love to show you around, especially in the springtime, when we will have bouncing baby goats, ducklings, and baby turkeys “cute-ing” the place up!

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