Over the past week, the little farmstead has seen an alteration in its avain population. First, an Americauna rooster was killed by our soon-to-be-leaving Spaniel mix. She shows too great an interest in killing smaller things to keep around our home. Saturday, we attended a small animal event and picked up two hens and two ducks. The chickens are mix breed: one favors a bard rock, and the other is white, but there no evidence of the Cornish-Rock cross issues. The ducks are black and that’s about all I can say now. I don’t recall what they are and haven’t narrowed it down with google yet. The quackers appear to be Cayuga mix ducks.
Our plans to harvest one particularly agressive and large rooster, a barred Rock, was foiled: he has been fed to the forest next door. All other fowl are fine. We may still progress with harvesting some roosters via a co-worker who has an abundance of bantam roosters. Time will tell and we shall see if and when this occurs.
Our goat count is four now: two milkers and two doelings. Milk output is roughly 1.5 gal/day. Some of that is going back to bottle feeding one doeling, rest for the family. Soon, though, DW is taking a few gallons to a friend’s house to try butter making and some will probably make it into yogurt and/or kefir. As well, we checked out a Nubian doe with a Nubian/Boer buckling to bring onto the little stead. Debating that one internally. One great benefit would be for a higher fat milk for our youngest once she is weaned. The fat content is essential for some brain development and the greater than 3% Nubian would be advantageous.
Otherwise, there’s a yard to keep, garden to plant (many things started), and a sermon to write over the next few weeks.
Solo Deo Gloria,
jason