We moved Winnie in with one batch of pregnant ewes today. This’ll allow us to move Becky in with the rams. All of the ewes were concerned about the new dog. This ewe, Desert Weyr Annwyl, was obviously the one chosen to go up and check the dog out. Winnie passed her inspection, and they’re… Continue reading
These pictures show the farm less than 24 hours after our January thaw. We woke up to about four inches of snow, and it was still snowing hard. It got a lot colder, too – around 15 degrees! So much for the thaw! Winter is now officially back. These pictures show the main driveway looking… Continue reading
We always get a thaw in January. The days turn warm, the snow melts, and we have a mini mud season. I know it won’t last – it’s just a taste of the spring to come. We’ll probably need to add gravel to the driveways this spring. It’s amazing how gravel disappears so fast! The… Continue reading
Well, I’ve decided on the chickens. I ordered one full box of 100 red broilers for meat, plus one quarter box of 25 pullets for eggs. The breakdown was 11 Golden Campines, 4 Spangled Russian Orloffs, 4 Silver Grey Dorkings, 3 Anconas, and 3 Welsummers. I’ve requested them to be delivered during the last week… Continue reading
Gardeners wait for seed catalogs to arrive in the middle of winter, but for me, the first sign of spring is the arrival of chicken catalogs. Full of promise, plus breeds that are rare, common, colorful, and plain, the chicken catalogs hint at the coming summer. The poultry world is at your fingertips! All of… Continue reading
We got almost a foot of additional snow last night. Here’s a picture of Winnie cleaning one of the ram’s ears – he seemed to enjoy it. Continue reading
Today was quite a busy day here at the farm. Things didn’t really get started until the afternoon, but we had a lot to do. Our first problem was the septic tank. We’ve had some sewer gas backing up into the house when we do laundry. The plumber came yesterday, and we found a trap… Continue reading
Winnie is now guarding the adult rams who have not only their winter pen, but the entire west side of the orchard to run in. We’re hoping they’ll clean the ground of fallen apples. Continue reading
We sorted out the next batch of butcher sheep, and for the first time ever, they had the entire front pear orchard to graze in. There are cockleburrs, so we didn’t want to let the main flock out there, but these sheep are going to be slaughtered in a couple of weeks. The wool doesn’t… Continue reading
Today (why always on a weekend?), Becky came in with a huge gash on her side. We have no idea what she did, but after a trip to the emergency vet in Delta 30 miles away, she’s been stitched up. We were given some stuff to keep her from chewing the drain and stitches, but… Continue reading