The arrival of Una-Mae & Gem.

 

We have been preparing for our first baby goats.

Mira, one of our three Nigerian dwarf goat does, was nearly ready to give birth.

With the due date fast approaching, Andrew and I have been working to prepare for the birth and arrival of new kids.

On Sunday morning, Andrew put together the frame of a birthing pen in the covered space between our two goat barns.

Every day I've been watching, looking for signs of Mira going into labour, but not much had been changing.

Her udder grew large about a month ago and she was very round, but there hadn't been any new changes lately. The due date was another week away.

Yesterday was hot, so in the evening we decided to go to our neighbours for a swim. We had a great visit and refreshing swim before we headed home around 6:00pm to do evening chores, starting with the goats.

I went around to the goat barn behind our home and there Mira was cleaning a fresh little baby while she was pushing another out!

I called to Andrew and the kids and then started to help clean the first baby.

Auren ran for some towels.

Mira was birthing standing up so as she pushed out the last baby I lowered it down to the ground.

What a feeling!

I was so excited and happy, I just wanted to cry.

And all three of our own kids got to watch Mira birth the second baby!

I set the second baby in front of Mira for her to clean.

She did such a great job with the first kid that I didn't want to interfere too much.

I sat with a towel and helped dry the kids off.

 

As soon as both babies were dry they started searching for Mira's udder and were both nursing in no time.

Mother Nature astounds me.

Andrew finished putting together the kidding pen so that Mira and her new little ones could settle in for the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Gem ~

 

 

 

 

 

~ Una-Mae ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Little Goat Visit, by Kira

While Andrew worked at home preparing for our goats, the kids and I travelled to Sky River Meadow to visit our new babies.

The trip gave us one more chance to get to know our goats,

and it was time that I learned how to milk!

I'm thankful that Angee gave me the opportunity, and that Carmella (the goat) was very patient with me.

Milking is a very slow, yet relaxing chore.

I'm looking forward to next Spring when I can wander out to the barn early in the morning, sit quietly and milk goats.

We snuggled and played with babies and mamas nearly all day!

The bucks came out for visit and some love too.

Even though they are a little on the smelly side, they are very gentle and friendly.

While I sat on the grass visiting Angee and Erica, we watched the kids strip down and play in a flooded area that was full of tiny tadpoles.

Tired out by the end of the day, the kids finished off the remainder of our picnic lunch on the ride home.

The van smelled of mud, buck and garlic scape pesto.

Our goats will be coming home in a couple of weeks.

We can hardly wait!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nigerian Dwarf Goats

It's naturally assumed that if you homestead, then you must have goats.

And though that's not always the case, chances are high that goats are part of your small farm.

Because of their manageable size, varied diet, and efficient feed conversion,

goats are preferred over cattle in most of the world, for milk and meat.

 

 

Certainly, now that it is becoming abundantly clear that small scale organic farming has the potential to provide global food security, it makes sense to choose livestock that meets the need of the small holder.

But thus far, for our own farm, I have been resistant.

 

There's a funny quote from a book we have here that says that,

the best way to test a goat fence is to throw a pail of water at it.

If the water goes through the fence, so can a goat.

So with vegetable gardens, herb gardens, fruit bushes, fruit trees, and other valuable perennial plants,

there is a lot to lose if a goat escapes it's pen.

Goats love, well, most everything. So despite Kira's insistence that we get some goats, I have managed to convince her that it's not a good fit.

Until now.

 

There was a plan to have a family cow here to supply us with dairy and some beef.

But we simply don't have the right kind of land to provide the feed needed for a cow.

We would need to bring in a considerable amount of hay, and that simply isn't a good strategy for self-sufficient farming.

Goats, however, subsist on a greater variety of feed and don't necessarily need hay if there is enough other forage available.

In the short term, we will need to bring some hay in from the south,

but we do have the capacity to grow goat forage on our land.

And like most small farms throughout the world,

we'll do best working with what is on hand.

So, in order for us to have our own dairy products,

we need to have goats.

And so goats we shall have.

 

Kira has chosen to keep Nigerian Dwarf goats.

More commonly sold as pets in North America, Nigerian Dwarf goats are actually excellent dairy goats that produce a high quality, high butterfat milk.

Unfortunately, misguided breeding practices have diminished the working characteristics of these small goats.

As a result, many passionate breeders are working hard to restore the functionality to Nigerian Dwarf goats.

And we are fortunate to have found such a breeder who has hand picked a genetically diverse starter herd for us.

Animals that show great promise as milkers, so that we can carry the line forward with the same intention of making these goats a prime dairy breed.

Angee Pell of Sky River Meadows will be providing us with five (or six) goats to start our own herd, as well as support based on her extensive experience with Nigerian Dwarf goats.

We visited Angee last year to see if this breed was suitable for us.

This past weekend, we visited again to see some of the animals that she has chosen for us.

We will grow our herd, and sell surplus goats in the future.

These goats have been screened for disease, and registered, so that we can start breeding with a fresh start, and high quality animals.

 

It certainly helps that goats are cute and capricious.

Especially these small and colourful Nigerian Dwarf goats.

It may be that breeding them for pets has improved their compatibility with humans.

Our farm animals should be our friends as well as our providers,

even if we do eat them sometimes.

But these goats are not a dual purpose breed and it's unlikely that any will end up as supper.

 

Our kids are enamoured with the goats and having heard about other families' experiences, the novelty doesn't easily wear off.

Goats are known to play, even in adulthood.

In fact, they need playground toys to help keep them entertained.

Things like merry-go-rounds, teeter-totters, and climbing structures;

pretty much the same stuff that children like.

Our hope is that our kids will develop a strong relationship with our goats, and will be eager to help care for them.

 

It is still going to be another two months before our goats will be ready for us.

And though it'll be a long wait for Kira and the kids,

I still have fencing and buildings to put up.

I have to admit though,

that they are pretty cute.

And that maybe I'm just as excited to get them home.

 

Spring Chicks! by Kira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring has finally sprung!

I am so excited!

The snow is melting and the phoebes have returned.

It has been a long winter and so I'm eager to share some pictures of our first hatch of chicks.

Spring is all about renewal, and chicks really help us get over Winter and ready to grow.

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping warm, by Kira

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's almost 30 below right now; the high today will be -21.

Yesterday was the same.

So I thought I would mix our chickens and ducks up a warm treat,

to help with the cold.

In a large steamy pot on the wood stove,

I am cooking a mixture of stale odds and ends.

Raw milk, water, whole oats, quinoa, french lentils, spelt grits, red fife wheat meal, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, turmeric, and garlic.

It actually smells really good.

It's been a few days of this cold weather.

And like many other families, it's been a challenge for us.

How do we cope?

Keep the wood stove hot!

Our home is really just an old cottage and not insulted very well so we need to give the fire special attention when the outdoor temperatures drop below -20c.

The blinds on the windows go down and windows without blinds are covered with blankets or sheets.

Our basement is not insulated so we put the heat line on.

And we put in a fan that draws hot air from upstairs down into the utility room to keep pipes and the water pump from freezing.

The wash machine is in the utility room.

The drain pipe usually freezes, so I get a short break from laundry.

Below -12 it's hard to get the kids out to play.

It's harsh on their young sensitive cheeks and fingers are quick to chill.

We keep busy inside for now with lots of crafts, play, reading, and movies.

Andrew makes sure the wood rack is full and I have been filling our bellies with warm hearty meals.

Tonight we are having fresh spelt flat breads and homemade pea soup,

inspired by my friend Samantha.

I hope everyone is staying warm.

The cold is supposed to break tomorrow and will give us some relief.

 

Roasting Our Beans, by Kira

 

 

 

 

A little glimpse into feed making.

One ingredient that goes into our chicken feed is soybeans.

Andrew buys organic soybeans to use as the main protein component.

Many animals aren't able to properly digest raw soybeans.

So, to make the beans easier to digest we roast them.

 

Our clothes dryer died a couple winters ago, and we became a dryer free home.

We held on to the dryer until we found a use for it.

This past summer it became our soybean roaster.

Andrew removed the drum from the dryer and now it sits on the cookstove inside the school house

(which is nearing completion, I will share photos soon).

The cookstove is on most days,

with dinner slowly cooking inside the stove and beans roasting in the dryer drum on top.

Once the beans are roasted they are ready to go through the feed mixer with the rest of the grains and mineral supplements.

 

 

 

 

Vermiculture, by Kira

 

 

Vermiculture, is also known as composting using red worms in a bin.

Red wigglers are used to turn your kitchen scraps into usable compost for the garden.

Our friends gave us a bucket of worms last week to start our own red wiggler compost; it's exciting!

There are many different ways to set up your worm composter.

I thought I would share how the kids and I set up ours.

 

 

Materials:

Two plastic bins

One lid

Drill

Red wigglers

Compost

Worm bedding

 

 

 

 

The two bins will be stacked.

In the upper bin drill six to eight holes into the bottom of the bin.

This will allow the compost tea to drain into the second bin, keeping the bin from getting too wet.

Drill holes all the way around the top of the upper bin (the same bin you drilled the holes into the bottom).

Space the holes an inch or two apart and do two rows.

These are for air circulation.

Stack the bins (the one with all the holes on top).

Put your worms in first. Include some soil for them to wriggle in.

Then add some compost and bedding.

The lid can go on once you are happy with the set up of the inside of your worm bin.

 

 

 

 

 

Because I am just new to worm farming I don't have much advice.

But this link is helpful in getting started.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Visit to Sky River Meadows Farm, by Kira.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through this Fall and the coming Spring we'll be readying our land,

putting up fencing and building housing.

There have been farm visits and extra research.

Yes, we are expanding our homestead next spring,

with goats!

Specifically, we are purchasing Nigerian Dwarf goats.

3 to 4 does and 2 buck kids.

These goats are a small breed but they have a lot to offer.

Their milk is exceptionally rich in butterfat, which makes their milk ideal for cheese, soap and ice cream!

We recently visited Sky River Meadows farm,

where Angee and Geordon gave us a tour of their goat farm.

While Andrew and I were checking out the goat buildings, milking station and fencing, our kids played with the goats and their toys.

I can see now that both the goats and our kids are going to entertain each other.

They may be out for hours on end, playing.

When we sat down to have lunch, we were offered some goats's milk

and ice cream!

If you have had goat's milk from a grocery store you will know that it has a very distinct 'goaty' flavour.

But this milk was delicious!

It was thick, creamy, and to my surprise, didn't have that 'goaty' taste.

The real taste test was up to our kids, who loved the goat milk.

We had orange and mint chip ice cream, which our kids ate eagerly.

Nigerian goat's milk is so high in butterfat that you don't need to add any gelatine or other additives to thicken homemade ice cream.

It is made simply with milk, sugar to taste and your favourite flavouring.

How great is that?!

The goats were playful, friendly, and each had a personality of it's own.

Our visit to Angee and Geordon's farm eased any hesitations we had left about getting goats. We're ready!

And excited about our own milk, ice cream, cheese, and goat's milk soap!

There is much to learn between now and when we get our goats,

like health maintenance, feeding, birthing, milking, hoof trimming, raising kids, and more.

It's another new challenge for us,

but we know it will be worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

Ladies in Aprons, by Kira

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our breeding flock, currently, is 25 hens and 7 roosters.

The hen numbers had dropped early spring do to a pesky fox.

Over the summer our ladies have had more than their fair share of love.

(They have the bare backs to prove it!)

This past week we did a trade with our friends.

Chicks for aprons!

We now have 15 hens with beautiful aprons running around.

I am still giddy when I go out and see brightly dressed hens among the trees.

Although I think they are the ones that are the most happy. ;)

Thank you Samantha!