cuteness overload

6 new araucana chics

no rest for mamas and farmers.

ugh. Im sick. All i want to do is lay on the couch and knit. But I cant. Theres work to be done!

The garden is looking beautiful. I spend hours just staring at it in awe. Ive decided to start prepping a pumpkin patch. All squash take up a lot of space. it would free up my bess to move them elsewhere.

eh. cant think to make this post interesting so here are some pics instead!

How does my.harden grow? Like this!

New Additions!!

I was waiting for ALL of the new spring arrivals before working on this post, but some are delayed so here it goes!!

First off -My birthday was in February. Lover kept asking me what I wanted. I couldnt think of anything. i suggested choosing something from my amazon wishlist but that response didnt fly.

So i picked something i assumed Lover would NEVER agree too -A calf. To my surprise within 48 hours of making the decision a deposit was put down on a jersey heifer!! I picked her up from the ranch two weeks later.

Her Name is Diane  though more often than not she gets called Miss D (whens shes being a brat) or Diana Banana (when she is being cute or silly).

And remember my challenging Baby Orchid from a couple of years ago? Well shes all grown up now and has had a kid of her own. She looks just like her mama, but she has blue eyes like her daddy instead of yellow. Her sire is a saanen. He is incredibly sweet. And so is Little Trixiebell.

grooming day!!

Today is going to be stressful. Its grooming day for the critters.  Orchid, my bottle baby angora goat, is due to kid any day now and needs a hair cut. Shes pretty easy. I can do her with scissors.

Her mama, Lily, has always been a stress case. Her fleece grows twice as long/thick as her daughters. It takes me usually two different days because she starts stressing half way through and i have to stop.

Ive got to do everyones feet, give a vitamin bolus. Brush the winter coats from the horse and my new aquisition Miss Diana.

Who is this Miss Diana?? well, you have to wait for that post!!

Sprouted Fodder systems

Most everyone has heard of eating sprouts. I never really considered this a viable option for livestock but apparently it is. Ive been  experimenting with sprouting for the critters for about a month, give or take.

Grassfed animals/livestock are healthier happier critters. My problem? i live in the desert-ergo, no grassy pastures.

I started out my experiment by purchasing a 20lb bag of wild bird seed. it contained black oil sunflower seeds, millet, sorghum, and wheat. I soaked two pounds of seed in a gallon of water with a tablespoon of bleach mixed in.

After 24 hours I drained and rinsed these seeds and poured them into two garden trays, watering 3 times a day for about a week.

By the end of the week i had a tray full of wheatgrass and sunflower sprouts. The millet and sorghum hadnt sprouted yet. It has been sprouting npw the the temps have gone up.

I also tried feed barley from the local feed store and bought clover to mix in with both.

So far the chickens,ducks amd pigs *LOVE* it. I do have one goat who also loves it but the other two only eat the root mat off of the bottom.

I had pics of the root mass but ive deleted it like a dodo. I wont have any harvestable trays for about 4 more days.

I will add more details in a second post, as this is a lengthy topic to cover in one sitting. Enjoy some bad photography of my ghetto system!

The Negectful blogger

Sorry!!! Winter is a slow time . Animals are pregnant but not birthing. Plants are all dead. And its too damn cold to do anything outside.

But i have been a busy little bee the past 8 weeks or so so I guess its time to play Catch Up!

At present we have three gardens going. One in the backyard,one on the front porch and one over by the critters.

For the most part they are empty right now but not for long. The seeds i started will be ready to transition outside in a couple more weeks.

Im going to be blogging about tje fodder system ive finally gotten around to setting up, the hay shed i built amd a few new additions to.the homestead so stay tuned!!

in the meantime here are some baby plants that are coming along :

pumpkins,broccoli,Armenian cucumbers, several varieties of squash, swiss chard, beats, and some lettuces.