The Barn Yard
Goats
We have a mixed herd of dairy goats. With Nubian, Alpine, La Mancha and crosses. We currently have 10 milk does, 3 yearling does and 3 yearling bucks. We do not dehorn. Our does in milk are given a grain mix of wheat, oats, barley, peas and sunflower seeds while on the milk stand. The does are left exclusively with their babies for 2 weeks. Once we start milking they are milked once a day for the first 8 weeks and then twice a day once babies are weaned. We get between a qt- half gal each milking from each doe. Does are re breed in the fall to early winter. They have a 5 month gestation and kid in spring. Twins and Triplets are not uncommon.
Sheep
Our Ram Bruce, thinks he is the BIG boss of the farm. You will often see him ramming heads, sticking out his tongue and flapping his lips to show off for the girls. He will also try and assert his dominance over any man that enters their area and flirt with many of the ladies.
Our females are more mellow and enjoy each others company. Some are more friendly to people then others.
Their diet comprises entirely of field and hay. They come together in the fall for matting and also have a 5 month gestation. Our wool sheep have their wool shearn in late spring. The hair sheep will sluff off their winter coats on their own and you can often find it floating off the field fence.
Our females are more mellow and enjoy each others company. Some are more friendly to people then others.
Their diet comprises entirely of field and hay. They come together in the fall for matting and also have a 5 month gestation. Our wool sheep have their wool shearn in late spring. The hair sheep will sluff off their winter coats on their own and you can often find it floating off the field fence.
Cows
Jerseys are smaller dairy cows. They are amazing moms and will adopt almost anything. Their milk is rich and creamy with a thick cream line. They have a baby once a year and take 2 months off of milking before having their baby.
Pigs
We raise heritage pigs in open pasture. They love wallowing in mud on the banks of their pond. They enjoy a pig mix similar to our chicken feed with added minerals important for swine. They also get garden scraps, and apple pulp from a local organic apple orchard.
They are corn free, soy free, hormone free and steroid free!!
They are corn free, soy free, hormone free and steroid free!!
Rabbits
Most of our rabbits are Flemish giant/new zeland mix. They are kept in a colony and are allowed to breed at will and nest naturally. Rabbits breed all year. Their gestational period is only 30 days. They start pulling fur and making nests about a week before they kit.
Chickens
We maintain a very diverse flock of chickens to maintain the egg color variation that people enjoy. Our hens enjoy picking bugs and seeds out of the field yielding a beautiful yellow/orange yoke. We supplement their feed with our own grain mix that has oats, peas, wheat, barley and sunflower seeds along with oyster shells for calcium.
Ducks
Ducks started out as a fun summer project for our kids until we found out that Farmer Chuck, who is allergic to chicken eggs, could eat duck eggs. The kids enjoy watching them waddle around and they are excellent at keeping bugs at bay. They are supplemented with the same grains as the chickens.
Turkeys
Turkeys can be a bit temperamental. They are a more difficult bird to raise then chicks or ducks. They have a higher learning curve when it comes to learning how to eat and drink and what does and does not constitute food. They are also not as friendly as our other fowl and we recommend watching little fingers if you come visit us.
Cats & dogs
Don't let those sweet eyes fool you. Your looking into the eyes of a born mouser. We have a cat and dog at the homestead and a few barn cats and a dog on the farm. Every one has a job. our cats are great mousers and keep rodents out of our grain and out of the barn. The homestead cat enjoys broken eggs and the barn cat knows what time milking is and comes to get a treat. Both dogs guard our animals from predators.