Sunday, September 16, 2007
Meet Midget,
Midget is a standard size goat, though she is not the biggest Saanen, however she is a lot bigger than my Nigerian Dwarfs.
I didn't know that standard size goats are that agile, but Midget has been all over the stuff I have in the goat pen for them to climb on. I woke up this morning to a lot of thudding, and it took me a while to realize that the goats were jumping all over the two plastic crates before the sun came up. On this picture she was on the smaller crate, then eye-balled the spool and jumped on it.
Midget meets Buffy and Mira.
Moqui sunning herself on top of the crate.
Midget is our newest addition, we really need more milk and she is a Saanen goat, probably not purebred, but looks like a Saanen, her daddy is a purebred Saanen buck. She is a very sweet girl and we are happy to have her. Thanks Ann and Bill for letting us have Midget.
Midget is a standard size goat, though she is not the biggest Saanen, however she is a lot bigger than my Nigerian Dwarfs.
I didn't know that standard size goats are that agile, but Midget has been all over the stuff I have in the goat pen for them to climb on. I woke up this morning to a lot of thudding, and it took me a while to realize that the goats were jumping all over the two plastic crates before the sun came up. On this picture she was on the smaller crate, then eye-balled the spool and jumped on it.
Midget meets Buffy and Mira.
Moqui sunning herself on top of the crate.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
A new resident of the chicken coop,
When I first found this toad in my chicken coop I rounded it up quickly and stuck it into a dog crate, I wasn't quite sure what I was dealing with. Once the toad was locked up, I searched my book to find out what I had and when I found out that it is a harmless toad that actually eats lots of insects, I took it back to the chicken coop and released it. Don't kow where it would lay its eggs or find a mate, I don't have any ponds or other bodies of water on my property.
Our new resident is a Great Plains Toad they get 2 to 4 1/2 inches long. Now I do not know how this is measured, but this one was about 4 1/2 inches from nose to the butt and almost as wide as long. They are nocturnal and that's when I found it out in my chicken coop. Almost stepped on it, at first I thought it was a pile of dog poop. I had no idea with have large toads like that in the middle of the desert.
If this isn't a beauty than what is?
When I first found this toad in my chicken coop I rounded it up quickly and stuck it into a dog crate, I wasn't quite sure what I was dealing with. Once the toad was locked up, I searched my book to find out what I had and when I found out that it is a harmless toad that actually eats lots of insects, I took it back to the chicken coop and released it. Don't kow where it would lay its eggs or find a mate, I don't have any ponds or other bodies of water on my property.
Our new resident is a Great Plains Toad they get 2 to 4 1/2 inches long. Now I do not know how this is measured, but this one was about 4 1/2 inches from nose to the butt and almost as wide as long. They are nocturnal and that's when I found it out in my chicken coop. Almost stepped on it, at first I thought it was a pile of dog poop. I had no idea with have large toads like that in the middle of the desert.
If this isn't a beauty than what is? Monday, September 03, 2007
Life on the "farm"
we had some really pretty "fluffy" clouds today
this is our new milk stand, I got it from the lady who sold me my goats, her neighbor actually made it for her, it will be put to good use
Here I am milking Maya, I started last Monday initially only in the evenings, since Sunday I am milking her twice daily and today I got 2/3 of a cup each time.
When I let her out of the pen she runs straight for the milk stand and hops up on it, and starts munching her treats. I am really starting to get the hang of the milking technique. Her milk is really creamy, it tastes more like cream than milk. I am sure there is a trick to separate some of the butterfat from the milk and safe for my coffee. When I get my straining filter I will start using her milk for my coffee instead of the half and half. I am currently also making Kefir, it is so simple, thanks to Ann in Amargosa who got some Kefir fungus from a nice lady in Idaho, I have the fungus, I drop it into some raw milk in the afternoon and let it sit on the counter, in about 18 hours it has the consistency I like and I put it in the refrigerator. Later in the evening I fish out the fungus grains, stir everything and enjoy.
this is me and my favorite chicken Lucy
Me and Lucy again, she loves to fly up to me and eat her treats without competition from the other hens who always peck at her
we had some really pretty "fluffy" clouds today
this is our new milk stand, I got it from the lady who sold me my goats, her neighbor actually made it for her, it will be put to good use
Here I am milking Maya, I started last Monday initially only in the evenings, since Sunday I am milking her twice daily and today I got 2/3 of a cup each time.
When I let her out of the pen she runs straight for the milk stand and hops up on it, and starts munching her treats. I am really starting to get the hang of the milking technique. Her milk is really creamy, it tastes more like cream than milk. I am sure there is a trick to separate some of the butterfat from the milk and safe for my coffee. When I get my straining filter I will start using her milk for my coffee instead of the half and half. I am currently also making Kefir, it is so simple, thanks to Ann in Amargosa who got some Kefir fungus from a nice lady in Idaho, I have the fungus, I drop it into some raw milk in the afternoon and let it sit on the counter, in about 18 hours it has the consistency I like and I put it in the refrigerator. Later in the evening I fish out the fungus grains, stir everything and enjoy.
this is me and my favorite chicken Lucy
Me and Lucy again, she loves to fly up to me and eat her treats without competition from the other hens who always peck at her 