Chilly temps mean all the animals are spending the nights tucked into their cozy beds. The calves have a makeshift shelter to ward off the wind and snow. The goats have the Goat House with a heat lamp for extra warmth. And the chickens have …a rotisserie. The coop continues to be one of the most epic things we’ve managed …
Billy Goats Go to Auction
Today, our six billy goats went back to the auction barn. Seeing them go was pretty bittersweet to be honest. They’ve been awesome brush chompers through the late Fall and have really turned the Goat Trails into a pretty cool part of the farm. However, they stink. The very first thing we learned about all of the billies we acquired …
Where the Pasture Meets the Goat Trails
There’s this crazy little spot as you drive toward the back pasture where the fence around the Goat Trails creeps up on your left. Then, you notice the fence for the pasture on your right. And, every once in a while, the goats and the cows meet here for a chat. I begged Aaron to leave the easy path down …
Moving the Bottle Calves to the Pasture
Living on a farm, we all-too-often have to “work with what we’ve got.” We run into way too many moments where “if we just had a ____” can quickly lead to a 1-hour trip to the farm store partnered with an expensive bill to solve the issue. Sometimes, that’s really the best way to get things done. Over the past …
Mommy-Isai Chore Day
As the temps get colder, it becomes harder and harder to make sure all of the animals have access to water every day. Typically, Aaron takes over the chore of breaking ice and distributing fresh water to everyone. But – since I have a short break for the holiday, Isai is home and Aaron needed to show homes – Isai and I …
Penny 2cents – Our First Fainting Goat
In a stroke of complete Santa-style genius, Aaron brought our very first fainting goat to the farm for Christmas. Penny 2cents is our second Penny (the first passed a few months ago shortly after we got her from an auction). The second is a stunning little lady that – when too scared – falls over. It’s quite possibly the meanest and most …
The Cows are Free to Roam – Kind of
This week, Aaron has been working his butt off to get the cows out of the corral and onto the pasture. While we’ve planned a more permanent fence for the front pasture in the near future, he is making the most of his time with a temporary electric fence to give the cows some freedom now. With the new temporary …
Getting Ready for Goat Babies
“Any day now” is the general story behind when we’ll finally see our goat babies arrive. Brian has given us a more insightful “few weeks” to work with – but I’m sticking with the excitement that we could literally have new babes at any possible minute. Apparently, the promise of goat babies comes with quite a bit of butt checking. Aaron …
Feeding the Bottle Babies
On the occasional chilly morning, I get to go out and feed the bottle babies. The morning chores with the animals typically fall into Aaron’s hands while I wrangle our human beast through morning routines in the house. Today, though, the pretty sunrise creeping through the farm was all mine. Benning, as usual, came to join in. As did the …
Archie Goes Back to the Sale Barn
After the chaos of chasing Archie across the neighboring fields a couple of weeks ago, we decided it was time for him to head back to the sale barn. Today was the day. We’ve had Archie on the farm for about a month. When he arrived, we intended for him to join our goats on the Goat Trails. But he …