Things can really Change in a Week

Mr. Bootsie started working on the goat barn improvements Saturday, but Monday it started to look like the plan I had in my head.  This is going to give us some enclosed area with sunshine and protection from the weather.  This would have been wonderful during this snowy winter but we will have this in the future.  Because this is a pole barn, we are going to use fencing to keep the ladies out of the bays they should not go into.  He used all of the lumber we had and  when he went to pick up another load, there was bad news, they were out of stock.  Hopefully it will be in stock sometime this week.

Gracie checking out the barn improvements

First dozen eggs from my girls

I get so excited about collecting our eggs, but somedays I find a little boy running and looking everywhere the girls hide their eggs to see how many he can find.  It is truly an egg hunt here daily.  Mr. Bootsie and I try to beat each other to the coop and find where the eggs are today.  I took my basket on Wednesday and scurried to the coop, I saw the eggs Mr. Bootsie had found and then I started looking.  Opps, there is one girl sitting on the nest.  I went outside and played with the ducks while I was waiting to see if there would be another egg.  When I went in my girl was off the nest and there were 3 eggs in the box.  I added these to my basket, I could not believe my eyes, the first time ever, I had collected a dozen eggs.  I was so pleased and proud of my girls.

There has been a very tall hickory tree slowly dying, the roots were run over quite a lot installing the drain field.  When the storm came through this week we were helped out.  The tree was topped,  about 20 feet of the top came down.  Mr. Bootsie has sawed up the wood and it is quite dry.  So it is time to  split and rack.  This tree is no longer too tall for Mr. Bootsie to fell.

The ladies are turning into eating machines.  They are waiting for us to feed in the morning and at nighttime.  My sweet Belle stays so close when I am in the pasture, all of them want their tummies rubbed.  I am starting to feel so sorry for them.  I am seeing utters, this is getting so exciting for me.  How many?  When will they come?  Am I ready?  These questions keep going through my mind.

One thing is just about ready.  Mr. Bootsie has made one milking stand.  I am so pleased to have it setting in the barn waiting for me to start milking.  He has a little bit of finish work to do and we need to purchase a feed tray.  Lacie decided she wanted to try it out and she jumped on the stand which answered any question was it too tall.  We have 2 ladies with horns so we really need to be able to open the front.  I was sent out to measure the distance between the horn tips and it was 13 inches.

The seedling vegetable plants are coming up.  I really am trying this year not to start too many plants.  In the past I have started too many plants because I was always thinking of others.  This year as our crew is growing and will be needing extra attention (?) I have tried to grow what I will need.  There will be some extra's but not the amount I have grown in the past.  

Saturday, we have been watching the duck eggs all day.  We could see one working on coming into the world.  Last night I heard the soft little voice of a baby duck.  I came in about 3:30 this afternoon and there was a little duck struggling to get out of the egg shell.  This was a different egg than the one I have been all day.  When we came in from feeding around 7:15 there was one little duck totally out of the egg and moving around.  Another new adventure is about to begin here on the farm.  

There was quite a bit accomplished on the farm this week.  I am excited about the baby duck and getting things ready for our goats.  I hope you enjoyed our time together.