Meet Sunshine...

My Brothers New Puppy... 

He just got her Wednesday, my brother lives with us... so shes our new dog too. Shes around 6 weeks old, she German shepherd mixed with ? shes playful, smart & Ooo so cute.

Down On The Farm Summer Camp

 Last week we had 4 extra family/friends kids come down to stay with us on Our Little Farm... it really wasnt planned it just sorta happened.  So we had about a week of summer camp... they did chores, helped in the kitchen, picked the garden, helped pop beans, went fishing, went swimming at the lake, stayed up late, camped out, ate smores, played with the animals down in the barnyard, made wood crafts, saw kittens be born, tried new garden foods... got tricked into drinkin goats milk & they didnt even know it. I think we started something wonderful... I see this happening every year now, lol.  City kids meet farm life. Heres our week in pics.  Enjoy...

Pickin snow peas

Helping with the wood crafts

Enjoyin some yummy pancakes

Takin alittle rest with Hank

Cleanin off snow peas

Buttering the bread

I swear the fish was THIS big!

Gone Fishin

Cleanin some fish

Playin with the barnyard animals

Popping Green Beans

The day the kittens were born... I need to post about it soon. 

~ Oooo what a week! We all had a great time ~

Veggie Basket

Isnt this veggie basket so cute...

My honey made it for me yesterday evening.

 A friend had shared it with me after she seen it on Pinterest. It was simple to make.

I think it would make a cute decoration to any room also. Just think of the things you could put in here... I think I've got to have him make me more, lol. I'd like a smaller one to hold my eggs.

Garden Goodies...

I love that the garden is doin so GREAT this year!  I've been out pickin a lot this week, getting my free garden workouts in.  I just love eatin & feeding my family all these homegrown fresh foods :)

So far go 12 quarts of green beans for winter :)

(5 are being processed right now)

If your on fb heres my album Garden Season 2012

Happy Pickin

Ringo & Peanut's Bachelor Pad...

 Ringo was 5 months old on June 3 and Peanut was 3 months old on June 10 so I really wanted to get them away from my big girls & my lil doeling.  I really dont want any unplanned pregnancies if I can help it.  I know accidents happen but I'm gonna try my best to not let any happen.  I want to plan when my girls get bred. Anyways...  We finally got the boys pen done or atleast done good enough to move em in yesterday. Heres some pics of the boys exploring their new pen & housing.  We are gonna fix the housing up better for them so they have a nice warm dry place to sleep & to get out of the weather... if you have any suggestions feel free to share them with me. I love sharing & hearing ideas :)

 Looks like Peanut is saying... "and you think we're not gonna break out of here first change we get?!?!", lol We'll see how this is gonna work...

Saying Goodbye to 4 of the 2012 kids...

This week was the big week... the 4 kids that were sold left for their new homes & families.  It helps that I'm friends with both the families that bought kids from me this year, makes is alittle easier to say goodbye.  I  love that I can go visit them from time to time & see how their doin, watch them grow on facebook.

So I took Dolly, Toby & June to their new home/family on Wed. 6/13 and I got to visit Princess Porkchop, but thats another post for later this week, so make sure you check back. I'll also be posting about the 2 kids that are stayin here on Our Little Farm :)

 Bye sweet babies... I'll visit ya soon :)

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Then Knuckles went to his new family yesterday 6/14

See ya soon too Knuckles :)

Weaning Kids by weight...

OOooo it was a wonderful morning here today... got alitte natural sprinkling goin on for the garden. All 6 kids were still in the kid pen when I went out to milk & feed... yay! I fixed their break out spot last night. They werent happy but hey atleast they couldnt break out and drink all the milk before I got out there, lol. I milked 2 quarts (4 lbs) from the girls.  I've been reading the Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats (a friend let me borrow it, I've got to get my own copy soon), very good book, I'm learning so much more about goat.  I want to be the best goat owner I can be... so I take advice here & there then do what works for me & my herd.  I've learned its good to wean your kids by weight instead of age, heres what the book says... "Wean by Weight Kids can be weaned by age or by weight. While it's possible to wean kids as young as 4 weeks old, 8 weeks is considered optimal.  Later weaning costs more in milk and labor, and it retards rumen development. But weaning by weight is better because it prevents unhealthy or undernourished kids from being weaned too early and can reduce weaning stress.  Studies suggest that weaning at a total body weight that is 2.5 times the birth weight produces good results.  This is usually about 19 to 22 pounds." So I weighed all the kids yesterday & they have all atleast doubled their birth weight.  They are all doin so great, that makes me happy and proud.  The 4 that are leaving Our Little Farm to go to their hopefully forever homes will be leaving us this week.  I will be checking on them since they are goin to friends farms, I love that too.  I can go visit them from time to time, this is exciting.  Boots & Cocoa are stayin here.

 Tulip & Star waiting for me to let their kids out for the day...

 "We Want Out, We Want Out"...

 Hurry up lady... we want some milk!

 & there off...... feedin frenzy. (Star with her kids Toby, June, Boots & Tulips kid tryin to steal some milk... Knuckles, lol)

 I love it... (Tulip, Knuckles & Cocoa)

 Good Mornin boys (Ringo, Peanut, Dolly, Star, Boots & June)

 Strong healthy kids... (Boots, Toby & June)

Milk face ;)

 (Rachel @ Wilmoth Farms heres your June this morning sipping some milk from momma)

Birth Weight (BW), Now Weight (NW)

Tulips kids... (the 8th they were 4 weeks old)

Dolly (leaving soon, doeling) BW 5lbs. NW 17.2 lbs

Cocoa (staying, doeling) BW 5.6, NW 15.8

Knuckles (leaving soon as a buckling) BW 7.4, NW 20.4

Stars Kids... (the 12th they will be 4 weeks old)

June (leaving soon, doeling) BW 5.2, NW 13.8

Boots (staying, wether) BW 6.7, NW 17.4

Toby (leaving, wether) BW 7, NW 17.6

* I love that these kids are so beautiful, strong and healthy.


** Linkin up to Homestead Revivial: Barn Hop # 65