Goats! Glorious Goats!

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized 4 Comments

Nigerian Dwarf goats;  I keep wavering between these and Pygmy Goats as far as what to get, but I think it’s going to come down to what we can find and what is within our price range.  We don’t want goats for showing, but for pets and milk.  I also believe they will be great lessons for the girls while they learn to milk them, care for them, and play with them.  They are just the cutest creatures too!  

So the quest has begun!  When I stopped at the feed store today for chicken feed, I asked the gal if she knew any goat farmers around willing to part with a mama and baby, and another adult – either another female or a wethered male…we don’t really want a billy goat.  She gave me the name of a local vet, so I’ll have Jason call them and find out what’s what with it all.  We will eventually be building a cob shed for their housing, but to start we will just build a temporary wood shed.  By the time cooler weather sets in, we’ll have their cob coziness all done. 
I’m so excited about this.  🙂  Now to find my dream chicken, Blue Laced Red Wyandotte…such a beautiful breed.  But that’s another post for another day.
Our little farm is coming along…

How Could We Have Been So Wrong?

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized Comment

So, we got our chickens from a local elementary school – a kindergarten class to be exact.  The kids had hatched the eggs with an incubator and as the chicks grew, their teacher was anxious to be rid of them.  Lucky for us because we were looking for chickens at the same time, so were able to obtain 8 babies that were around 7 weeks old at the time.  One of them, an obvious roo, was killed by a dog unfortunately.  We figured our cochin was a roo too as his comb and wattles came in quickly.  The others we chalked up as hens.  

The cochin was the first to make me wonder.  His feathering and body was filling in like a hen’s, and the vibrant comb and wattles really weren’t growing much anymore at all.  He is very docile, although quite large…the largest of the flock actually.  I’m not convinced anymore that he is actually a he…I hope if he turns out to be a she, she won’t mind the name Arthur…;)

Last week, I also started getting suspicious over our toddler’s chick, Brownie.  Her tail feathers were getting suspiciously long all of a sudden and she was getting some really vibrant green feathers as well.  My suspicions were confirmed yesterday morning, when a very definite cock-a-doodle-doo was heard loud and clear.  I peeked outside as they were already out running around, and sure enough, there was Brownie standing tall and welcoming the morning as only a rooster can do.  How could we have been so wrong?  I must have missed some obvious signs.  Our older daughter’s chick is now seeming suspicious to me as well.  I’m starting to see a couple curls on the tail feathers.  Her name is Tree, however we may have been wrong about her being a her as well…time will tell!
One thing I know, if we end up with 2 roosters out of this bunch, I will be getting some more hens….:)

Fish!

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized 2 Comments

So, Jason has been wanting a fish tank ever since our great adventure last year and the extended visit to my sister’s.  Her and her husband have a gorgeous tank that holds sentimental value as it was a prominent fixture at the pub he worked at and where all their friends would gather.  It is glorious…the size of half a wall and full of fish.   Well, Jason got his wish.  Our neighbor was moving out of a rental and into a trailor on his property and had no room for this tank.  So he asked us to babysit for a year or so.  The girls love it!  Jason is in heaven…and I find it quite peaceful.  

Of course I do know that after a year of babysitting, we’ll have to get one of our own when these critters are ready to return to their rightful owner.  😉  But for now, we are enjoying the view.