Got some new critters over the last month. First, a milking Alpine goat. She puts out almost a gallon a day on a half coffee can of corn chops and oats. Nice girl- doesn’t kick when you milk her at all. Her papers say her name is Sandpiper but I call her Sandy. How novel, eh?
Next up is Jack the Burro. Took over a year of looking before I found a young jack ass. Not a miniature, but smaller than the full size model. 6 months old and strong enough to let my 5 year old go for short rides. Got lots of plans swirling around for a goat cart. No more humpin’ wood out of the ravines in the wheelbarrow!
I got a couple of weaner pigs a few days ago. Put up a 16 foot square pen out of hog panels in a weedy spot in the garden and they have just about finished rooting the whole thing up. I’ll add three more panels to one side, open it up and run them into it, and just keep leapfroging the “pig tractor” through he pasture. Plant soybeans and corn behind them so that by fattening time they will have grown their own feed!
Of course, the spring load of new chicks are on their way. This year I bought everything I need to breed a couple of different usefull strains – silver laced Wyndottes to mate with my Hampshires to make red sex links. And a batch of Orpington that make good broody hens. Just getting tired of buying chicks every year…and ducks are on the list.
Oh yeah – and my brother’s cat. Pukes everywhere so it’s now and outside kitty. Hasn’t nabbed any of the dozens of mice in the barn yet… stupid cat.
Figured out why my Australian Shepherd can’t herd – no Australians around. His bark function works well, and we haven’t lost a chicken to ‘coons since we got him. Good doggie.
comrade simba 
March 29, 2007 at 4:57 am |
Springtime for the comrade and Missouri
Sounds like the comrade is awfully busy with all them critters. A goat to milk each day, chickens to feed and, pigs to entertain. I don’t know what you’re going to do if that dog ever herds any Australians.
What are you going to do with ducks? (Viaduct?) I heard them shef types like fatty duck eggs for the soofleys and stuff.
You’re not trying to gentetically engineer those chickens are you?
What are you planting?
Spring must have that magical quality for you that is only a connotation for us sub urban dwellers.
We’re lookin at still sad avocado trees from the Januarys frost. The dry winter has kind of slowed things down around here. I’m a little worried about the dearth of bees on our warm sunny days.
Not a lot of tulips to tiptoe through _ _ jB
petroleum pig dog
..
March 30, 2007 at 1:26 am |
I suppose it is time to do a general blurb about my personal spring madness. Trouble is, by the time the day is done and I get around to my nightly surf hour I’m just too brain dead to compose anything coherent. Perhaps I should task myself to a weekly blog update on like a Tuesday.
“Oh boy it’s Tuesday! Comrade updated!”
March 31, 2007 at 2:51 am |
Sounds good.
I’ve been experiencing a lot of brain fatigue lately too by the end of the day. I think it’ll have to come out.