Goats and the Apple Orchard; Spring 2016

Not long ago a friend of mine asked why I didn't just put the goats into the Apple orchard and use them for weed and grass control.  Think of it this way: offer your family a choice of salads.  One salad is made up of plain lettuce.  The other salad is fruit-flavored and delicious!  Now offer the choice of eating grass or eating apple trees to a bunch of happy, always hungry goats.  What do you think might happen?

After trimming and pruning some of the apple trees, we took a bucket of 'snacks' over to the girls to enjoy.  Fluffy immediately started hoovering up leaves as fast as she could munch.  The bucklings watched Jellybean closely as she sampled the branches.  She allowed them to pull leaves from the branch she was nibbling on.  In short order, the lightbulbs went on and boys were soon scampering after leaves of their own.

Warmer weather, warmer smiles to share; Spring 2016

There is very little idle time on the farm.  When living in the city, I had little appreciation for the hours spent at the park watching the kids play or quietly reading in the shade.  I have no complaints.  I get up with the sun.  I am greeted by the happy smiling faces of my dog and goats.  Even the chickens want to snuggle up in my lap if I sit down for a moment near the coop.

Jellybean's bucklings have been growing fast.  This morning they each weighed in at more than 40 lbs!  All they want is to wiggle, get pats & scratches, and play! play! play!  Then, after a quick snack from mom, take a nap in the sun, then play some more.

It's Grandma!  Look how fast I can run Grandma!  Here I come!

I'm Grandma's favorite!  Are not!  I'm her favorite! Quit pushin! Moma! He's pushing me! Quit!

Fluffy is due just after the Fourth of July.  I feel so sorry for her sometimes.  She's nearly 70" in circumference.  I'm sure she's carrying at least twins (which is not unusual for Boer goats) but it may be more.  I can only hope that she's as good a moma as Jellybean has been. 
Fluffy is tired of being pregnant.  She's so big she can't reach all the itchy places.  She was trying to use scratch her back foot with her horn the other morning.  She wiggled this way and that way and stretched and contorted, grunting with each yoga position she attempted, never quite reaching that pesky foot.  Finally she laid down, periodically stretching that back leg to wiggle the foot.  Poor baby. 

Don't mind me.  Just let me lay here and moan.  A cookie would make me feel better.  Just leave the bag.  Really I just want one...or two...or...

She might not be able to run as fast or as long as the other girls, but she still romps and plays tag.  Then lays down with the boys for naps.  I suspect she feels that July can't come quick enough.  Hoping for happy, health babies and easy births.

Spring has sprung, taking care of the itches

On the one hand, Spring is a lovely time of year.  The flowers are coming up.  The grass is turning green again.  Brightly colored birds are returning and greeting the day with their trilling songs.  Spring is also the time of mud and hairballs.

"I don-wanna walk over there!  It's muddy!  Icky!" the goats all seem to say as they gingerly step through the softer places in the pasture.  Then, they all want to stand on the same 'high place', be that a rock or a brick or slightly raised place on the ground that appears to be a wee bit drier than where they were standing before. 

Before you know it, the tussling starts: 'This is my rock! Get your own!'  followed by pushing and shoving and running and stamping down whatever the coveted 'high place' happened to be.

The warmer weather also triggers everyone to begin shedding her winter coat.  That lovely, thick angora undercoat that worked so well at keeping a goatie warm while rolling about in the heavy, wet snow, is now too hot and itchy.  Every fence, post, gate, and pant leg that holds still long enough, becomes a place to rub against.
Think about your pets.  In the Spring and Fall it becomes important to brush and keep them clean.  This small step keeps them happy and healthy.
Using a nubby paddle brush, each girl gets in line to get some personal grooming time with the Moma.
  

ohhhhh yeah!  that's the spot....ahhhhhh!

Moma's all done!  don't I look pretty?

Is it Spring yet? 2016

We're all getting a little stir crazy as we wait for Spring to finally arrive.  Temperatures warm into the 40s and 50s, then plummet back into the teens and 20s.  The chickies and the goat girls stand at the doors of their respective homes and stare out at the weather.
"What?  Are you nuts?  It's cold out there! We want WARM food! Can't we get something delivered inside?"

Then it happened: a warm day.  DH opened the front of the barn and out bounced the goatie girls.  Oh, happy day!  They ran back and forth as they bounced and they played.  This continued until the skies began to turn grey again.

"Awwwww Daddy! Make it sunny again!  We want to play some more!"
After a little more bouncing, they came racing back into the barn.
"Did you see us?  We ran really fast!  Can we have some cookies?  We've been really good!"
A cookie for each with a scratch on the neck and each little girl pranced back to her house, ready for another adventure this afternoon.

Turtletime 2015

It's that time of year again when many of the female turtles come out to find a dry place to lay their eggs.  I'm always surprised by how far from water some of them will go.  I understand why: there are many critters out there who would love to enjoy an egg or baby turtle snack.  This probably explains why she lays so many eggs.

I suspect that this big girl is the same little lady that we found laying her eggs here last year.  What was interesting is she dug the first hole about 10 inches to her left, laid her clutch, buried them, then proceeded to dig another hole, filling it in with only dirt.  She made several of these decoy nests.  I suspect if someone came looking for turtle snacks, he would dig into the soft ground expecting to find a treat only to come up empty.  What's the point of trying again if there isn't anything to be found?
Please drive carefully.  Turtles can live a very long time provided that people don't injure them.

To read more, see My Happy Acres previous year's posting, Turtle time.

Apple Blossom time 2015

Been out walking in the orchard this morning.  Can't begin to tell you how nice it is to listen to birds chirping while strolling down the aisles of flowering fruit trees.  We had a touch of frost last night.  Not enough to knock the blossoms off, just enough to singe them (think freezer burn).

Because different varieties of apple tree have different picking times, one can walk the orchard and notice that some trees are just past peak bloom while others are just starting to open their flowers.   When enjoying such an abundance of flowers it's hard to resign ones self to the fact that one can't let ever blossom make an apple.  The tree will be healthier and the fruit will be larger and tastier if the tree is only focused on growing fewer apples.  How to decide?  ahh that's a decision for another day.  For now it's time to enjoy the lovely fragrance and the fragile delicate flowers.

Something nice to smile about

"I'm really not a morning person," I overheard someone lament the other day, "I can't seem to get myself out of bed before 10am."
10am!? I thought.  I can't imagine staying in bed so long.  At dawn the deer and other animals are out grazing.  The beasties are all ready for breakfast, yet anxious to go outside to graze and play.  Early morning light seems softer than later in the day.  Temperatures are cool, so the bugs seem minimal.

Out in the pasture, the girls are finding all sorts of tasties to enjoy.  The chickens are snacking on fresh grass and creepy crawlers.  The goats are delighted by the wide selection of things growing out there.  Some folks think that the only thing grazers eat is grass.  Each animal type, cows, horses, goats, even pigs, have different dietary needs, so the pasture needs to offer graze and browse to fill those needs.  A pasture suited for goats may be inappropriate for dairy cows, and visa versa.  Personally, I like the variety of ever changing flowers.

 Many parts of the pasture are carpeted with wild strawberry blossoms.  If we get good rains, the resulting fruits are large, plentiful, and delicious.  If rain comes sparingly, the wild strawberries are small, dry, and very seedy.  You can guess what we prefer.
Meanwhile out in the orchard, the apple trees are all doing well.  While dormant, they were pruned and checked for issues such as insect egg sacks.  I'm pleased to say, that so far so good.  We have a bounty of pink tips promising lovely flowers later in the week.

Spring has Sprung...toys

Did I mention that everything is a toy?  the girls got some new toys this morning.

The little goat shelter we built last year, was moved so that the girls could play on it.  As heavy duty as it is, they still manage to move it around, even with someones sister standing on the roof.

Of course, playing with the spool never gets old...

Spring has sprung...for the moment

The weather has warmed up rapidly.  Hard to believe that only a month ago the goats and chickens were bouncing around in the snow.

Franny mugging for the camera

 The girls have all been enjoying their time outdoors. As soon as breakfast is woofed down, they're busting out the back door and down the lane to their pasture.  We've been exploring different items to be used as toys.  Although based on our experience, nearly everything can be a toy.

The tie down straps to the portable goat house, that took us the better part of an hour to winch down, took them all of ten minutes to pop off and proceed to toss about the paddock.  The bucket of hay to supplement their forage is tons of fun to dump out and, while your sisters roll around in the straw, boot and butt the bucket, while jumping on and off the up tuned bottom.  The old wooden spool that at one time held wire (sans wire, of course) is not only a good perch but also an excellent way to scratch one's belly while preventing your sisters from playing with it.

Jellybean insisting that the weather is far to nice to wear a coat, as she helps me unzip mine.

At the end of the day, the little goat girls all come in for their dinner.  After their good night cookie, curl up for happy goat dreams.  Dreaming of further adventures tomorrow.

Free Range Easter Egg hunt

Free range and pasturing chickens has a number of advantages: they get access to as many fresh greens and as much protein as they want to eat.  They get plenty of fresh air and exercise.  If appropriately protected from predators, they have less stress than confined birds.

 

All that, of course, is on the plus side of the ledger.  On the other side is if not taught when they are babies to return to the chicken tractor at the end of the day, one could end up with chickens just about anywhere.  I've heard stories of chickens under the house, in with the dog, up in the hayloft, perched in the trees, and wandering down to the neighbors.  Fortunately our girls have all been taught to be home bodies.  One call from the 'bucket lady' and all come running.  The other challenge is that sometimes we find their eggs in the nestbox, but most times our afternoon is spent on a magical Easter egg hunt as we search the tractor, the yard, and then the pasture for those little pinkish/brown gems.

 Bucky continues to grow and put on weight.  He's now a beefy looking boy.  He and his brother Rudy keep watch over the girls.  Anytime something approaches, they place themselves between the threat and their hens.  If the menace continues moving toward the ladies, the roosters stomp their feet and toss their neck feathers left and right (puffing up to look much larger and more threatening).

Meanwhile, Party Boy has also matured and affectionately looks after his flock.  Some of the girls are beginning to brood.  What we may do is, after the weather warms, allow them to attempt to hatch some chicks.  It will be a new experience for everyone.

Warmer days

After so many days where temperatures were bouncing between the single digits and negative numbers, we feel grateful for clear, calm days, and lots of sun to warm the world.  The weather man has assured us that Spring is right around the corner.
Everyone has been enjoying the warmer days.  The snow is gradually going away but the cold nights freeze the melting mounds to make wonderful places for the goats to climb on.

Aside from Queen of the Mountain, the other favorite game appears to be a form of tag where the inside of the barn is 'home base'.  After racing around the dry yard, all the little goats bolt into the barn, bouncing off the gate, the hay feeder, and whatever else they meet along the way.  When the game is over, they all plunk down in the sun near the door to enjoy the warm and chew some yummy hay.

life is good.

May Flowers or Out in the greenhouse part 2

To get a jump on the growing season, some plants can be started indoors.  After all the danger of frost and cold temps finally pass, the mature seedlings can then be transferred to their garden beds outside.
When walking about the garden center of the local big box store, one will see all sorts of stuff available to help the gardener grow seeds.  Special soils, additives, trays, heat mats, lights, gages, and probes fill aisle after aisle leaving the noice or professional wondering what she gotten herself into.  It doesn't have to be complicated.  Let's get back to keeping it simple.


I love seed catalogs.  They always come when the weather is cold and nasty reminding us that it won't be winter forever.  The hardest part is staying rational/reasonable in planning the new year's garden plot.
With the greenhouse, we were able to get our cucumbers, watermelons, and gourds an early start.  Each of these plants like warm soil to germinate.  When temps were hovering around 40F outside, the greenhouse was a lovely 70F.  As an experiment, we decided not to heat the house but rather let the sun shine in.  Fortunately this year, that was enough to make the little seedlings happy.
Now that the weather is becoming steadily warmer, the little plants are being transferred out to the garden bed..

May Flowers or Life in the Greenhouse

 

May is the time when many farmers in our area assess the land, check the health of their trees, and start planning for the coming growing season.  The deer and bunnies apparently had a good winter out in the blueberry patch.  All the plants that hadn't been protected by cages, were nibble down to their stems.  

Not to be discouraged, we had some cuttings that had been rooted.  To ensure a healthy start, these cuttings were potted is good soil and have been receiving lots of TLC out in the greenhouse.  As the weather outside fluctuated wildly, as it is known to do in May, the greenhouse temps remained mild.  

In what seems like no time at all, a little green twig in the dirt has turned into a lovely little bush waiting to join the others along the hillside.  You can be sure that when these are planted, a little extra protection will also be provided.

While clearing weeds from the raspberries, much to my surprise, I found two healthy stems nipped off at the base.  My suspicion is that this was the work of voles, a mouselike varmint that is the bane of orchardists. 
After clipping the ends to form clean surface the ends were dipped in rooting hormone, then planted in clean pots of rich soil.  In less than two weeks, the stems were putting on leaves and looking relatively healthy.  The plan is to replant these after Memorial Day.
There is something very satisfying about caring for little plants and critters.  Watching thing grow, we're looking forward to the fruits of our labor.

shhhhh! First flower sighting

I wanted to share this with you: after months and months of snow and cold, we have had a few whiffs of warmer temperatures, just enough to waken a few hardy bulbs.

We may still have snow or another hard freeze.  For now, I'm enjoying this pinky promise of Spring.

Promises of Spring

The cold weather has paused, indicating that just maybe Spring will make a feeble effort to make its presence known.   The few areas on the lawn and pasture where the grass is now exposed, warm quickly in the sunshine and become magnets for all sorts of critters.  Tiny insects swarm over these, which attracts numerous bluebirds.   Earthworms stick their fleshy noses out of the dirt, only to become prey to Flickers and flocks of Robins heading home.  Mice and voles daringly venture out of their winter tunnels beneath the snow to check for bits of green, while they too become a quick meal for a passing hawk or fox.

We're ready for Spring

Out and about walking the hayfields

Been quite a week.  The weather cleared for awhile, just long enough to walk the fields and check the drainage.  With all the rain we've had lately many of the farms have lost their first crops, leaving fields still too wet to replant and try again.  We've been lucky but continue to be watchful.

Some prolonged dry weather would be helpful right now so that we could get the hay mowed and baled.  Those long waving blades are pretty in the morning light but in order to have enough feed for the winter, most farms need at least two cuttings. 

Multiflora Rose is becoming problematic for many farms and orchards in the East.  Introduced a number of years ago by the Department of the Environment as a natural fencing material to divide pastures, Multiflora has taken a toe hold and has spread to many undesirable areas.

 If you look carefully in this photo, you will see the Multiflora growing up and covering the trees.  In no time at all, this plant can completely take over and smother out any competing plant life.  It's not uncommon to see great cushions of roses growing in pastures or along roadsides.  On the upside, there is so much growing in our area that the morning air is lightly rose scented.

Although there are many toxic solutions that will kill these plants.   One of the best solutions that New York is experimenting with is allowing controlled goat grazing.  Goats love these plants and in no time will eat them to oblivion.  Two or three passes over the area where the roses are growing and the Multiflora is done.  What's more, any rose hips or seed that is consumed is rendered sterile in the goat's gut, not just pass through like it does when eaten by deer or birds.  Goat droppings add nutrients back into the soil and unlike cow or horse manures, breakdown quickly and don't burn the soil.

Sidebar: as promised, I finally saw one of the tulip poplars in bloom.  The flower was deep in the leaf cover.  Unlike those showy tulip trees at the nursery, these have only a few flowers and you really have to look for them.

Something Pretty I wanted to share, part 3

What does Spring smell like to you?  When I was growing up, we had a large lilac bush growing outside my bedroom window.  In the Spring it would produce a profusion of large purple blossom heads.  In the early morning I would glide my window open just to enjoy the scent on the breeze that would fill my room.  There I would sit and watch little birds flitting among the branches until the rest of the family stirred and it was time for breakfast.

Lilac

When I grew up, I traveled to all different parts of the US.  Each town, city, and green space had it's own character.  One place in central Wisconsin even smelled a bit like cows.  It made me smile when my host commented on how much he loved the smell of Spring.  No complaints.  I like cows.

Honey Locust

Each week as I take my morning walk, I notice what is blooming and what has faded.  As the breeze shifts, a new fragrance wafts my way.  The winds turn and I'm caught in a flurry of small petals.  So what does Spring smell like to you?  Wet grass after a cool rain?  A special flower that only blooms for a short while?  Enjoy these moments.  Summer will be here soon.

Flowering Pines

While out walking early one morning, I noticed that the pine trees were blooming.  Yes, you heard me right.  What I saw was not some vine winding it's showy way along the branches but rather tiny pinky-red buttons decorating the tips of the boughs.

The blossoms are about the size and color of a new pencil erasure.  These were found at the tip of the bright green new growth with the pollen tendrils below the needle cluster.  Once fertilized, it can take up to three years for the pine cone to develop and mature although most trees take less than six months.

To read more: http://bigpicturescience.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/a-pine-cone-tale/


*****Note to my readers: don't forget to visit some of the other pages on our Blog!  Chickenland and Birds and Beasts is periodically updated with little bits you may find worthwhile.

Something pretty I wanted to share, Part 2

The Virbenium is starting bloom.  Sprays of flowers flow down its branches.  Found deep in woods where the soils are moist and rich, these bushes were introduced as ornamental and now grow wild where ever they find the right place to grow.