Triplets

are so much fun!!!

Mr. Jonah "Lightning Bolt" Lamancha

When we have a difference in opinion on names around here, they get them all!

I can't decide if he's the cutest thing I've ever seen or....

if he's so ugly, he's cute!

Either way, he's as sweet as sugar and we love him to pieces!

He reminds me of a puppy! Nellie and Bella are due with Lamancha babies soon!! He'll have some buddies to play with!

Update on the Boys

and we have added one more to our goat herd. Meet Baby Jonah! He's my first half-Lamancha/half-Kinder and an absolute doll. He's Lucy's first baby and she is such a good Momma!

and the triplets, well they are all boy and growing fast. Their favorite place to sneak to is the barn loft! Those stacks of hay bales are perfect for jumping on!

Buddy

Blackie

and of course, the little round guy, Brownie.

He's still spoiled rotten and super sweet!
Bella and Nellie are both bred to the Lamancha buck as well and are due next month!

Oh Baby, Baby, Baby!

We got three......
BOYS!


Not a single girl in the bunch but I'm still proud of all three of them and momma did great!


Labor and Delivery nurse was on duty but my assistance was not needed! Well not until I got to snuggle them anyway!


The rest of the family thinks they are pretty sweet as well!


Awwww, my man holding a baby goat...makes me smile!


Jake's just a little bit proud of them too!


Everyone is nursing and it's going great so far.


We'll keep an eye on these little guys and make sure they all get enough milk. If not, I have bottle supplies on hand but I would rather momma do the work!
Luke's just happy they got here in time for his birthday party on Sunday! He can't wait to show them off.

Ummm, That's Loud!

The first time I heard this it scared me! I was standing right by the gate and "it" was right behind me! I nearly pee'd my pants! Now, I wait to hear it each and every day as I head to the barn to feed my critters. I'm walking so please forgive the camera shake!



These 4 are always up to no good!


Bella is always looking for food! I had to put a board across the top of this door because she can jump it like it's a foot tall!


There's Marv! The handsome male model of our goat world!


And Nellie. That belly just keeps getting bigger. I'm thinking at least 2 babies in there! I hope so. She lost her little guy last year and didn't get to be a momma. I'm hoping she has an easy delivery this year. Nellie has expensive pretty feeders hanging on the gate but she likes her old metal pan!


The geese are always sitting in the snow. They even ruffle their feathers like they are dusting. Guess with all that goose down they stay warm!


Time to check on the big chickens. There's always a party going on in here!


The hens were getting on their nest boxes and making a mess on my eggs so I fixed the problem. I think they like the privacy too.


I love country eggs and I'm getting several a day now that I have the lights set up on a timer.


The little chickens don't like the snow much but they come out to see if I have any feed for them.
Bootsie's babies are growing.


and like I always say....Stud...well he's just Stud!


This little gal is sitting on 9 eggs in the dead of winter! I moved her into the brooder and added a light and some heat.


and my baby, DIMPLE! He's such a sweetie!


We're all waiting for Spring when we can frolic in this field with new baby goats and go fishing in the pond. Oh wait, they will frolic and I'll go fishing!


Oh what the heck! I think I'll frolic too!

Winter Farm Update

Brrrr! It's been wintery cold here lately! I throw on my coveralls and Muck boots and head to the barn each day. There's so much to do out there in the winter that I don't think to grab the camera on my way out. Everyone needs feed, hay, water and a little snack of course!


I feed the dogs at the house then the cats from the barn are usually on the porch waiting. They walk back to the barn with me.


Uh-oh! I've been spotted! As soon as the goats hear the door close they start (very loudly) telling me how hungry they are! Look at the belly on these gals!


Winter fat and hopefully little babies in there are making these gals look a little round for the holidays! They LOVE dried bananas, a new treat I added to my pocket a few days ago.


Nellie AKA Miss Piggy is such a big baby. She's always first in line for a snack.


Nanny takes her turn and Lucy is behind me trying to eat the flap off my back pocket!


Bella and Marv are hanging out in their stall impatiently awaiting their turn! A little snack for everyone and then the real feed and they have large round hay bales in their lots so I don't have to put it out each day.


Time to check on the chickens. Bootsie is still in the brooder with her 3 bitties. A little too cold for these fuzzy legged little guys to go to the larger pen yet.

The big chickens are always waiting....


Ready to run out the door and find bugs or whatever they find in the snow and mud after they have their feeding frenzy at the feeder.


The younger pullets and my Bantum Cochins stay in the smaller pen and chicken house.


Stud still thinks he's, well........the stud.


Who is that up there?


It's the guineas! They don't like Biscuit, the basset hound, so they hide in the hay loft until he goes back to the house.


The geese are waiting for me to add more water to the electric buckets so they can dip their long necks in.


I so need a miniature donkey or two for my little farm! I'm on the hunt for one (or two) now!
BTW, if you have livestock, those heated buckets are wonderful!

I make my way back to the house...

Deer are still looking for apples under the apple tree.


And someone else will need a refill of suet soon! Don't forget about my suet recipe. The birds love it during this winter weather!


That's how my daily barn chores go! Tomorrow, I'll put on my coveralls and Muck boots...


and do it all over again because....
I love it!

Farm and Home Update

Why do I always think things will slow down when the garden is laid to rest for another year? It never slows down around here.


There's always child-rearing, goat-wrangling, chicken-raising, basset-bathing, some-sort-of-canning thing to be done around here.

Oh and there's that one little addiction (or two) that I have found myself tangled up in lately. In case I haven't mentioned it, I make soap. If you have never made soap and don't want to be addicted to soap-making and think about all the things you can put in soap and dream about soap, stay away, stay far, far away! Don't say I didn't warn you if you try it!


Okay, just a little peek at my latest. More peppermint.


I was so hooked on hot process then I went and made a cold process batch and I haven't made hot process since. I also have the stuff to make orange lip balm...yummy!


A friend brought me more pears. I gave her soap, lip balm and pear honey to take home. I tried to give her a rooster. I have 5 that need new homes.


I'm steaming my pear pits and peels to make pear jelly.
Pear butter is on my list for tomorrow after church.


And I have already made another batch of pear honey.


And look! I'm spoiled! I didn't even have to wait until Christmas. Thank you honey!

The goats are busy this week. Dute-Dute is here for a visit! Once you see him, you will totally agree that the name fits! Dute-Dute is a full-blooded Nigerian Dwarf. He's a year old and he thinks he is HOT STUFF! Nellie and Nannie do too. Lucy is not quite sure what to make of him yet. She's still innocent! When he's done "visiting" he goes back to his real home. He may be little but he's stinky!


He was a bottle baby and loves to be petted and loved on. Luke shared his Graham cracker with Dute-Dute.


Look how small he is compared to my girls.


He is THE MAN and he knows it! Miss Bella, my milk doe, will be going to visit a Nubian buck next week and hopefully I'll end up with another doe or two to milk from her.


I can't wait for little Dute-Dute babies in March-April of next year.

We've been cleaning up around the barn and rearranging some of the stalls and large chicken cages getting things ready for colder weather. I've got the brooder all ready for the 42 eggs in the incubator that should hatch the 12th. The 500-gallon propane tank got filled up last week. We realized how precious having our pantry stocked and plenty of propane for back up heat really was when we went through an ice storm and 16 days without power a couple of years ago.

It's busy here and there are times when I feel like doing this...


but I love it and I wouldn't have it any other way!