Tales from the Homestead
Escape From The Chopping Block
We were down to just two ducks in the flock after the raccoons and the eagles got done helping themselves. And of course, as luck would have it, they left us with two hens that hadn't laid a single egg in the past four months. And in creep those pesky moral decisions...
Fall on the Farm
We're not entirely sure what happened to summer, but fall here on the farm is definitely in full bloom....and it is nothing short of spectacular. The goat kids are growing up, the pigs are getting huge, the chickens are molting and the leaves are starting to change...
Adventures in Goat Milking
You can do all the research you want about milking a goat. Watch all the YouTube videos you can find. Talk to all the wonderful neighbors and acquaintances about their experiences with this century old skill. Let me tell you from experience though, you'll never really...
Predators On The Farm
In our four years of poultry raising in an urban backyard in Montana, we lost a total of three birds to predators. And two of those were by the mouths of domesticated dogs. In our first seven months here at the farm, we've already seen five birds succumb to the jaws...
More Goat Kids Born on the Farm!
We're so excited to introduce the new goat kids on the farm! About a week ago, Razzy had a smooth labor and delivery that resulted in Greta, a beautiful little red and white doe. Razzy, much to our delight, timed her delivery for after work hours, allowing Mark to...
Plowing With Pigs: A One Month Review
In a little over three weeks, the pigs tilled almost every square inch of their first paddock. They left the burdock and some of the grass, but almost all the buttercup and nettle is gone. And with rain on the horizon this coming week, I've tossed out some wheat, flax...
Goat Baby Photo Blast
Wow - these little ones are almost too cute to handle. They are all growing steadily, exploring the big world around them and climbing on everything they can get their little hooves on. Favorite mountains right now include their mother and our front porch. We couldn't...
Finally! The Goat Stork Has Arrived!
Lacy finally gave birth yesterday afternoon around 4 pm. Although I was sitting there next to her, reading a book, I literally had no idea she was in labor. She had been acting odd for days and even I was tired of hearing myself say, "Maybe NOW she's in labor"! At...
Still Waiting For Babies….Goat Babies
Well, we're STILL waiting. Lacy, our 5 year old Nigerian Dwarf doe, had her due date come....and go last week. (These photos are of Bella, Lacy's daughter, born 2 years ago. Could she be any cuter?) We could have sworn Lacy went into labor on Saturday afternoon. She...
Video Of Our New Goat Kids…..Still In The Womb!
These kiddos seem just as anxious to get out into this world as we are to greet them! I took this video yesterday morning and, as you can see, the kids are doing their best impersonation of the scorpion thing in the movie Alien. We think there are at...
Pregnant Goat Countdown….Any Day Now
We are counting down the days when Lacy, our five year old Nigerian Dwarf, is due to pop out three (perhaps four judging by her size) little baby goats. We've been preparing the kidding pen and amassing the various medicinal goos, gels, and liquids that might come in...
Swine Time
We have problems here on the farm. And when it comes time to remedy those problems, our land ethic guides us in the direction of biological and low input mechanical solutions. You could call us hippies, Luddites or just old-timey curmudgeons, and...