Oh, How They Grow

It's been  a flurry of milestones at the Lazy Danes Farm.  Madison and Willow just had birthdays- they're now 7 and 4. We've had parties, presents and cake. My birthday is coming up- so more cake! 

The goats are 8 weeks old today. We've been cutting down on their milk for a few days, but today they are officially weaned. It's very LOUD here as they protest their lack of bottles. Merryweather is doing well and eating a bit of grain. Scarlet is being stubborn. She does eat lots of forage though, so I'm trying not to worry about the grain. 

The chicks will be 2 weeks old on Monday. It is amazing how fast they grow! They are able to fly out of their little brooder, so there is  a wire lid over it now. Most of them will at least come up and nibble cereal out of my hand. There is a Wyandotte that will ride on my shoulder a little and a Brahma that likes to sleep in my palm. I really like the chickens- I had no idea they would be this entertaining.  As a side note, I'm really thinking the mystery chick is a Partridge Cochin- not sure if he's a rooster though. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone feathered out. 

Finished the Coop!

Sunday was a beautiful day on the farm. We spent the day outside working on the coop. Even the does came out and hung with us. We're pretty much ready except for the bedding and the nest material. We still have plenty of time since they'll be inside for another 4 weeks or so. 

Here are some coop pictures. We took an old carport, wrapped chicken wire all around it, added a door and nest boxes- and we have a coop! We have some large grapevines that will make great roosts, too. There are sides for this winter when it gets chilly, but for now they will like the breeze.

Now, here are some pictures of the flock. My personal favorites are the Wyandottes, with a very close second being the Brahmas. I'm able to put my hand in with some honey comb cereal and they will hop up to eat and frequently settle down to roost on my fingers. The Black giants come up some and there is one Hamburg that will come over most of the time. I've named him (hoping it's a him) Hammy. He looks different form the other Hamburgs with his tail feathers being slighty longer and held more erect. The Orpingtons will visit a bit, and one of the Red's has started coming over for a nibble. The other red, 2 of the Hamburgs and Peck the mystery bird are still stand-offish.  They just don't know what they're missing.

Here are the Wyandottes- I haven't decided on names for them yet. 

Here is Peck, the mystery bird and what I hope is our Hamburg rooster, Hammy.

This is a Buff Orpington and of course everybody crowded under the heat lamp.

They're growing so fast! It's hard to believe they're only a week old. They have most of their wings feather and are working on their tail feathers now. They like to run across the brooder with their wings open like they trying to fly. I really like watching them and listening to their little "peep-peep-peep". 

Goat Gym

We had a pretty spring day yesterday so I let the does run about with me after I cleaned out their pen. They found the wood pile where Dad had been splitting wood and naturally thought it was for them to climb on. They're growing well, and really enjoying all the green stuff starting to sprout in the woods. This is good because they only have another week on the bottle. I'm sure I'll be hearing from the neighbors since the girls are quite vocal about bottle time. 

In chicken news we have lost 2 of the Hamburgs and a 3rd is not looking so good. All the others are strong and healthy. I'm not sure what it is about the Hamburgs, but they just seem frail. We've named some of the easier to identify birds- the mystery bird is named Peck, and our RIR's are Star and Twinkle. Willow did the naming on these three. 

Bo and Luke got to stick their heads in and look at them. They're very curios but are being gentle. The other dogs must stay far, far away. The chicks are in a bigger brooder since this video. They needed more room to run.

The Chickies Are Here!!!

This morning we got the call from the Mocksville post office that our little chicks had arrived. Willow and I went to get them. They were all alive at the post office. We now have them home and in the brooder. Joy will be over soon to get her half. A couple of the Hamburgs seem a little more frail than the heavier breeds. Hopefully everyone will make it. Enough talk-- here are the videos.

Experimenting with video upload.....

Here's our first video posting - the girls on the grain mill.  

The girls LOVE grinding wheat, corn, coffee, etc which we are learning to make into bread, cakes, cereal, tortillas -all kinds of stuff.  We love letting them.

This is fresh ground coffee, which not only serves to transfer youthful energy into not so youthful anymore grown-ups, but fills the house with the wonderful smell of fresh ground coffee.......

With 2 Great Danes, 2 Goats, 3 other dogs, chickens on the way, and Chuck's increasing consumption of beans and high-fiber whole grains, we'll take all the pleasant smells we can get :-)

Let the adventure begin...

So we've decided to start homesteading. Why not, right? We've got the land, we can supply our own food, teach our girls how things get to the table, have a healthier lifestyle and hopefully be self sustaining. Sounds good on paper, so here we go.

We have 2 young Nubian does that will be providing us with milk in spring of 2010, as well as kids to grow our herd or sell. The chickens are on the way, to arrive next week so we'll have eggs in the fall of this year. The Country Living Grain Mill is set up and grinding our flour, coffee, and corn to go into the home cooked breads, cakes and even pasta. The herbs are sprouting, and the garden is soon to be replanted. 

What's next? Geese for weeding? Bees for honey and pollination? Solar panels for clean energy? Who knows, but we'll keep you posted...