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 :)

***********************************************************

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

Kiss A Goat

Life Is Beautiful. Life Is Short. Live Every Day As If It Were Your Last.  No Regrets. Paint The Sky Your Favorite Color &............

Kiss A Goat From Time To Time, lol

Kids at play...

At first they didnt even know I was there takin pictures...

They are so cute & fun to watch

Both set are almost 1 month old & doin great.

*** Lets Talk Collard Greens ***

"First of the Month" Tulip

1st of the month and its time to link up with 

Murrieta 365: First of the Month - Round Two:

Subject: My Kinder Dairy Doe, Tulip

As most of you know Tulip had her babies... May 8.  She had 2 doelings & 1 buckling.  Then on May 12 Star had her babies, 1 doeling & 2 bucklings... they are all 3 weeks old now.  I love them all, they bring me much joy & many smiles when I go to the barnyard to visit, which is everyday. All 6 are healthy & spunky.  They drink their mommas milk, drink water from the buckets, nibble on hay & grass... not sure about grain yet... but to me grain is not important.  Mommas milk, water, hay & grass is important to make strong, healthy kids. Atleast thats how it is on my farm ;)

I've found homes for 4 of the kids.  Three of the kids, 1 of Tulips doelings, Stars doeling & 1 of her bucklings which I just got wethered the other day are goin to my friend Rachel, then another friend is buying Tulips bucking as a buck.  I'm keeping Tulips other doeling (Cocoa) & as of right now the other bucking of Stars will stay with us, I got him wethered the other day too. 

 Tulips doelings

 Tulips buckling

 The 3 doelings

...Sweet Faces...

 5 of the 6 kids (the other is hiding under the chicken coop :)