Our Biggest Homesteading Fail To Date....

Life on our little hobby farm is generally wonderful.  Really.  It is hard work, but offers many great rewards.  So many that I can't name them all and we are experiencing new ones all the time. 

But.

Matt and Tyler have been raising a new batch of chickens in order to increase their egg business.  They chicks were about two months old and the boys have faithfully taken care of them in this unusually cold weather.  We finally felt they were old enough to stay out in the henhouse/coop area instead of taking them in and out of the workshop each night. 

Well, we were wrong. 

You know that old saying, "She doesn't have sense enough to come in out of the rain?" 

Well, our chicks didn't.

They stood out in the freezing rain Monday night (instead of going into the easily accessable henhouse), and when Matt went out there Tuesday morning eighteen of the twenty were dead. 

Apparently you have to lock them up in the henhouse the first few nights so they can "learn" to get in out of the rain. 

So, in true farm fashion, we will start again. 

I guess we will always be learning something new, and in this case we learned that chickens are very stupid.

Meet Colleen, the new Lil Bit...

It seems it doesn't matter what I name the goats, or any little thing here at Clark Acres, it gets called Lil Bit anyway.  And it fits.  Because Colleen is the tiniest cutest thing ever.

She was born yesterday in the early afternoon as we all went about our business of being sick and laying around watching TV and reading.  Sinuses and the flu hit us just in time for spring break to begin.  I went to the doctor Saturday praying I had strep throat.  I knew if it was strep I could get some medicine, rest Sunday, and by Monday be up and ready to go.  ha.  It was the flu.  So, it is dragging itself along and just when I think I might feel better I realize I really don't.  Three children are dealing with sinus issues and we sound like hacking machines here.

But, back to Colleen.  Even though Beatrice, the mom-goat, had a nice warm stall with new pine shavings, fresh water and privacy, she choose to have Colleen out in the mud and dirty hay on a cold windy day.  And all the other goats got to see it and it totally freaked them out.  I mean, the old grandaddy goat was beside himself trying to figure out what was going on.

We moved her and baby into her warm stall and waited to see if there might be a second one, but nope, just Colleen.  We were hoping for twin girls, but we will sure take her.  She seems to be healthy and is bonding and nursing well with mom.  Last night she and mom got to sleep with the woodstove warming them and when I went to check on her this morning she was toasty warm.    Love me some baby goats.

She is our C goat in that I am naming all our female goats in alphabetical order and using old-fashioned names because I love them so much. 

Whoopie!

Streak, the baby goat, has a new home and I couldn't be happier with his new situation.  And, they will not be able to get him for another month, so he can hang around here with us for a little longer.  We were having to decide if we were going to sell him at market (where he would most likely end up being someone's dinner) if no one took him.  We will gladly goat-

sit for another month for him to be able to go to a great home. 

And by the way, we are small scale, very small scale farmers, so we know the ultimate fate of most farm animals.  As a matter of fact I have our rooster in our freezer right now just waiting to be made into chicken and dumplings.  The rooster attacked Abbie everytime she went in the coop and one day I just decided enough was enough.  So he is now named Dumpling.

I believe fully that animals are animals and that humans are humans created in the image of God and there is an enormous distinction there.  We are put here to rule over creation and the management of animals and our food supply is part of that job.  Believe me, if my children were hungry all those farm animals would be butchered in a heart beat. 

But, all that to say, in a way I had not expected I grew very fond of Streak.  I do not believe animals have souls, but I know they have personalities and this particular personality won me over.  I think it was because he was the first.  Beatrice, another mommy goat is due any day now, and I am determined not to get so attached, particularly if it is a boy as we will have to give him up also.  We are praying for twin girls, which would be the ideal situation. 

So, all that to say, Streak has a wonderful family that will care for him, and I am a happy MamaHen.

He Got Cold....

Streak, aka Lil Bit and Lil Goat, was found shivering this morning.  So Abbie and I did the only thing that could be done.  We cut the arms off an old t-shirt and dressed the goat in it.  I mean we had to protect our investment right?????

Disclaimer:  Normally I would roll my eyes at a woman that would put clothes on an animal and say, "What a waste of energy and time" and "Good grief, the things that people will do for an animal."  BUT, this is my baby goat so it all makes perfect sense now.  


We had to take it off because it greatly confused the mother and she would not let Streak nurse with it on.  I guess she did not want a blue baby.  He did not seem to mind though.

Introducing....

Streak, the cutest little goat in McCalla.

Streak was born on the night of February 1 without any help and without any complications.  Annabelle and Streak, aka Lil Goat, are doing well. 

I have been getting up all throughout the night with that silly goat for a month and the night I did not go out there she had her!  I guess she was tired of me and when she got her chance she took it. 

You can't even imagine our surprise when Mark when out to take care of the animals and there was a baby goat out there.  Annabelle had cleaned him up and was already very protective of him.  She will let us hold him, but won't even let the cats get near. 

I have to tell you I was a little disappointed that he was a male because we will have to get rid of him.  But it was encouraging that Annabelle birthed so easy and is such a good mother.  She is making lots of milk and in a few days we will start milking her which blows my mind. 

I had to set Streak up to nurse the first time, but then they both got the hang of it and it is the sweetest thing to see.  Little Streak's tiny little tail just wags like crazy when nursing. 

Heard Around Here Lately....

Abbie was determined to stay up until midnight Tuesday night and I was determined not to, so about 10 pm I headed off to bed.  Abbie was curled up on the couch with a blanket watching TV and I told her "Happy New Year!"  She told me the same and said,

"Momma, I just have a feeling that 2014 is going to be my year."  

She said it confidently so I asked her what she meant.  She replied she wasn't sure yet, but she knew it was going to be her year.

I hope its the year she finally keeps her room clean on regular basis.

In other news, I have ten 7th and 8th grade boys coming tonight for a video game spend-the-night party.  Yup.

And Annabelle, the goat, is getting huge with her baby.  She is waddling around and it just makes me ache for her.  I put her in the milking stall yesterday to check her out and her udders are getting full of milk and Abbie and I could feel the baby moving.  It was so exciting!  So Mark purchased extra bedding for her yesterday and today I will be getting my emergency kit together.  Although I sooooo hope it is not needed.  Goats are pretty good about delivering without complications, but this is her first so we will see. And of course it is supposed to get down to 10 degrees in the next couple of days.  Mark said it would be just like her to deliver on the coldest day of the decade. 

Who knows, those boys might get quite an education tonight????

This & That...

 Abbie-girl getting ready to go on her big trip this week.  Love this girl.

 Matt built a new gate for the goat fences.  He pretty much did it on his own start to finish.  Mark provided some direction, and Matt just ran with it. 

 Goats need lots of fencing.  Because they really like to get out of the fencing you already have.  Every new fence provides them with hours of entertainment and challenges.  And as my dad says, "They have absolutely nothing else to do but to figure out how to get out of that fence."  And he's right.

Blackberries from last night.  We would have had twice that many if Moose The Goat had not gotten out of the fence last week while I was at Rebekah's house.  I was gone for about six hours and they just had a field day eating our fruit.  And stomping in the garden.  And making themselves sick.  We still are having a good harvest of berries though and jam-making should commence next week. 

I suppose.....

 there might be a cuter puppy out there...

but I doubt it.

 His name is Yeti and he is darling.  He sleeps 85% of the time and when he is awake he is very calm and sweet.  Let's hope it stays that way.  :)

Monday Morning This & That....

~You know how you see these homesteading blogs and the women are out in their garden or barn and they are wearing long flowing skirts and have eggs gathered in their aprons?  And her hair is so neat and pretty, and she isn't sweating?  And her muck boots aren't covered in mud?  And a monsoon hasn't come?  And her husband and big boys aren't at summer Scout camp?  And the two male goats won't cooperate and walk through the monsoon to get put into the warm nice barn where they can actually be completely out of the rain?  And one stubborn old goat that weighs 150 lbs gets snippy and tries to bite you as you are pulling on his collar?  And the female goats are screaming because they have some sense and actually want to get out of the rain, but you can't move them until you move the males, because BAM!-you have goat babies made in a split second, and "WHY WON'T THE DUMB GOATS MOVE?????"  And she is soaking wet inside and out because of the rain and the humidity?  And then the gate latch thing her son constructed decides to not work only because it is pouring down rain and the female goats are jumping all up on her and trying to knock her down because they want in out of the rain so bad? 

Guess what I did between 4:00 and 5:00 pm yesterday during a monsoon?

~The man of the place and my big boys are gone all week. And the above was just the first afternoon.  Maybe all the things that could go wrong went wrong in one afternoon and it will be smooth sailing from her on out.  A MamaHen can hope, right?

~Other than wrestling the goats I have plans to visit Rebekah and her new sweeties, read some books, and read some books. If I have extra time I am going to read some more books.  We signed up for the Reading Program at the library and one of the children's prizes was a mustache necklace which apparently MUST BE HAD by Abbie and James is coveting the dinosaur fossil egg thing so we checked out lots of books and hopefully they will want to be reading this week also.  Routine house maintenance will be done, but other than that this MamaHen is on vacation.  As much as you can be on vacation while fixing the meals, and taking care of the animals, and carting children to piano practice, and carting little girls around as they spend the night with each other, and oh, I still haven't done those Heritage Girls forms, and oh, I still need to finalize my curriculum list, and oh well.  Seriously though, we are looking for it to be a much more relaxing week and I am so glad.

~So, what are your plans for this week?  Hopefully they don't involve a biting goat....

Introducing Annabelle.....

Sunday afternoon we had a new arrival at old Clark Acres.

Meet Annabelle, our newest doeling. 

.

 We acquired her Sunday and it was a long day for her, as this is the first time she has ever been away from her momma.  And she let us know how unhappy she was about it also.  It doesn't help that Beatrice the other female, does not care for her one bit.  And Beatrice has no problem letting Annabelle know that she doesn't like her.  If I could speak goat I would give Bea a good talking to, but they have to work it out themselves.  Apparently goats have a pecking order like chickens.  We are separating them at night because Bea kept trying to bite her ears and butt her out of the way of the feed stall.  They both have horns so we need to keep an eye on them until they decide to become BFFs and live happily ever after together.

 Annabelle had to get a good bath because we weren't sure what parasites/gross things she might have brought from the old farm.  Remarkably she didn't protest too much.  I think she was just in shock about the whole thing. 

 The washing of the goat brought a crowd to watch because it just isn't something you see everyday.  James walked off shaking his head and muttering, "Washing a goat????"

 And of course new animals always means new fencing.  Matt worked like crazy  putting up fence behind the old barn.  Our plan is to always have the boys and girl goats separated from each other until we are ready for babies. 

So, if all goes well, this time next spring we might have several little babies hopping around.

Which can only mean one thing-more fence. :)

Signs of Spring....

Even though Easter Day itself was not very springy around here we have been seeing little signs of spring here and there.  A couple of days this week were delightful, but then a couple of days of the same week were so cold I thought I was going to have to go back into hibernation with my electric throw and pjs.  Well, I do that anyway every night, but I have been making myself get dressed during the day.  Cold or not.  Except for Thursday when I had some kind of bug and I stayed on the couch and froze all day and felt bad.  And then Friday-I was fine.  Maybe I just needed the sleep.

But oh my stinkin goodness I sound like I am 82 years old telling you about my sciatica. 

Sorry.

Anyhoos.....

Spring is springing slowly but surely here in Alabama...

 I don't know who took this picture, but I found it this morning and love it.  Its Matt trying his best to finish his math book so he can be released for the summer.  Spring is hard for a 13 year old outside boy.  He has to do it, but the outside is calling.  And no, he does not have a vision problem, we have had it checked.  This is just how he works.  And yes, all that mess around him-just keeping it real for all you internet peeps.  We live in this house all day long and it shows.

 We got Scruffy the Wonder Cat this time last spring.  She is all grown up now, but still the most sweetest little thing ever.  Seriously, Abbie and I are a little ga-ga over the cat.  We might even pretend its the grandbaby every once in awhile and pass it back and forth.  And coo and talk to it like its a baby.  And say, "Go back to Mama now, or Go Back to Grandmama now."  But we haven't told anyone else about it.  Its our little secret--that we like the cat so much.  And the girl above, I really like her.  And her hair.  She has dream-hair. Sigh...

 Matt found baby birds in our goat barn this past week. 

 Here you can see the nest tucked behind that green bowl on the shelf.  See those calf feeders?  Maybe one day?

 Abbie got busy Saturday night doing this tablescape for us.  I can't wait to see her home when she is grown.  She is so colorful and creative.  And yes, the frugal side of me had a hard time letting go of the eggs to be used for decoration.  "Its only once a year, its only once a year." Repeat and repeat.

 MamaHen and her growing chicks.  I love this picture, especially of Matthew.  First of all, he has his arm around me.  Very rare.  He is not a touchy-feely person.  At all.  Even as a baby.  He just wanted you to put him down and leave him alone and he was happy.  But he has his arm around me and he is smiling.  And something about his smile reminds me of my daddy so much. And he wore the shirt Nana! 

 Matt and Pappa Rooster built these strawberry bed gutter things this weekend. Mark saw it online somewhere and they got busy and got it done.  We (and I mean Matthew by we), transplanted shoots from our old bed into another raised bed, and then we ordered 25 more plants for the gutters.  If they all make it we should have strawberries running out of our happy happy ears!  So thankful for a smart husband who like to create and make neat things for our family.

Beatrice and Moose are begging for attention here.  They get offended if you are out in the yard and don't give them their proper dues and respect.  They can sure make a racket when they don't get what they want. It's like having a perpetual 15 month old who knows what they want but can't say the words yet.  And all they know to do is cry and whine.  And they are spoiled rotten also.  Just saying.

Goats A-Growing....

We are about six months into our great goat adventure and it has been wayyyyy easier than I imagined.  A lot of that is owed to the fact I have a 13 year old son who pretty much takes care of them 24/7, but on the few occasions I have had to care for them (if the men are on Scout trips or such) it has been easy.  They are pretty low maintenance, but they are constant.  They have to be taken care of everyday, which is why I am glad I have big kids :)

They definitely have their own personalities and ways they interact with us and with each other.  They "talk" to us when they want something (usually just attention) and sometimes they can really get worked up if they don't get their way RIGHT THEN.  Hmmm, sounds like child I know....

This is Buddy.  He likes to get his picture made.  Or he is very interested in the camera.  He is our young male who is starting to get a little aggressive with Moose  our wethered male.  Moose has plenty of size on him yet so he can handle it.

Beatrice, our little dainty girl.  She is just sweet and likes company.  She does NOT like to be left alone.  Ever.

Buddy again.  He wishes he could get hold of the camera and give it a good chewing.

Moose and Buddy.  Moose is the granddaddy of the small herd and tries to keep everyone in line.  He is having a little trouble with teenage Buddy.  Moose also seems to enjoy finding ways to step on his human's feet at every possible chance.  And Moose ain't light, if you know what I mean.

 

 

 We are on the lookout for another female to be friends with Beatrice.  Sometimes a girl just needs another girl to talk with, you know?

The Goats....

 We have had our goats for a couple of months now and I have to say they have not been a lot of trouble.  Mark had everything ready for them before we got them and we had read A LOT on the care and keeping of goats so I think that really helped.  I was nervous about them, because of the unknown, but once I saw them I was in deep like and couldn't get enough of them.

Now that we know a little more about their animal personalities they are even more fun.  They are growing by leaps and bounds and it seems like they can't get enough to eat.  Sounds like some teenage boys I have around here.  And like children, they don't like to cooperate when you take pictures so these aren't the best.

This is Buddy.  He is sweet-tempered and just happy-go-lucky.  He just goes with the flow now, but I wonder if that is going to change as he matures.  He will be our Daddy Goat.  He loves to be petted and played with and he runs alongside you when you come out to feed him.  He hardly ever bleats or cries out.  He is just happy.  And cute.  And precious-you sweet little thing you, yes you are.

Sorry.

This is Beatrice.  Beatrice is a little more high-maintenance.  She does NOT like to be left alone for even one minute.  If Buddy gets out of her sight she starts yelling like nobody's business.   She does not seem to be as affectionate as Buddy.  Buddy will come to you to get petted, but Bea is like, "Okay, if you want to pet me I don't have a problem with that, but you got to come to me."

She will be our Mama Goat and we think she is so pretty.  Between Buddy and Bea we hope to have lots of little pretty kids. Now what we are going to do with them-hmmm?????

And this is Moose.  Our big old withered goat.  He thinks he is boss of the whole operation around here. He was in a petting zoo and is used to constant love and cuddles.  And apparently used to getting whatever he wants when he wanted it.  He is very gentle with the children though and he keeps Buddy and Bea in line.  Which means he is going to eat first no matter what.  He has no problem butting them out of the way of the feed trough.  Later they will all be curled up together sound asleep like nothing ever happened.  He likes to walk and he will follow me around the pasture when I walk.  I wonder what people driving past think when they see me, the goat, and Scruffy the cat, walking the fence line.

We did have one day when Moose ate too much bad food (my fault) and he got bloat.  That was nerve-wracking, but he pulled through.  And Matt and I had to quickly build an impromptu sad little fenced-off area so we could give the chickens their scratch and our food leftovers.  Moose thinks all the food should be  his-all his, and no one elses.  They figured out a way to get into the food storage area and Mark had to reinforce the door, but other than that they have been very pleasant to have around.

Today I am linking up at Homestead Revival's Barn Hop. 

Also linking up at

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="http://www.the-chicken-chick.com" target="_blank"><img alt="The Chicken Chick" src=" http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h402/ADozenGirlz/CleverChicksBloghop150x147_zps2ab1a684.jpg" />

Two Boys and Their Goat....

Matt and James are trying to teach Beatrice to walk on a lead.  Beatrice is greatly offended by it all.