March Madness

The rain continues to fall but spring is in the air.  Days are longer and the frogs are making their spring chirping/mating calls.  The chicken egg production has increased but we have not be able to locate the duck egg nests.  They hide them so well and cover the eggs with dirt.  Soon we will have broody mother ducks and ducklings.

Rain learning to drink from his Mama

The baby goats are all doing well.  The two boys are nursing well on their own and Alure is an excellent mother.  The girl, Windy, is not interested in nursing so I am bottle feeding her.  In the five years we have been raising goats I have never had to bottle feed one until this year.  I take a clean bottle to the barn and milk directly into it from Alure, about six ounces.  Windy recognizes me and when I sit on the goat platform she comes to me to be fed.  I'm doing a feeding about every four hours, the hardest one is at 1 am.  I've been sleeping on the couch in the living room so I don't disturb Pam's sleep.  Once I get to the barn it is pure bliss.  How I love the little ones and could stay up there forever.

Alure and her three kids, all doing well on day 2

Nubians are an interesting goat.  We love the way they look and they are so interesting.  Of course, their milk is the best of all goat milk, rich and sweet with no "goat" flavor.  Nettle, who is due to give birth May 1st, is now doing the Nubian groan when she rests.  Some have said it is the mother talking to their unborn babies.

The photo was taken February 27, 2010.  Today is March 15, 2011 and these trees have not bloomed yet

I did the South Whidbey Tilth pruning workshop at our farm last Saturday in the pouring rain.  About 20 people contacted me about attending but only seven showed up due to the weather.  The plan was to demonstrate how to prune the different fruit trees in the morning and then have a hands on pruning afternoon where I prune all of my trees.  By noon we were all cold and wet and nobody wanted to stay for the afternoon session, which was fine with me.  The sun came out about 2 pm and I spent the afternoon putting the metal roof on the buck house expansion project.  Still have to prune the orchard.  We are about three weeks behind last year so I'm doing ok.