Mid-Year Kid Menagerie

Cocoa, our only solid black doe has given us the most beautiful goat kids this year.
In spring a solid black doe kid was born and now these two beauties.




Molly's only daughter we kept has also kidded for the 2nd time this year and has a new silver doe.

 


The last kid born is all white.

Grandma's Calf

Animals seem to be born on holidays and birthdays...our first calf this year was born on our nephew's birthday and this new calf was born on Grandma's birthday.

Duck...Duck...DUCK

The long-awaited ducklings have hatched...6 of them are being very well protected by their mother.

Loosing of the Lambs; and the Wool!

Shearing, worming and hoof trimming took place on Sunday which was pretty much all day until almost dark for 22 adult sheep. Shearing was punctuated by a smoker full of ribs and chicken that were started overnight.

2 late lambs surprised us over the past couple of weeks, both males. So there will be 2 more wethers available in a couple of months.

7 more lambs parted ways over the past week. 2 sweet white ewe lambs with spots and the 5 below (which leaves us with a very limited amount of lambs left as some are being retained):

Katmoget patterned ram lamb

Peaches and Crème (ewes)

Cookies and Cream (wethers)

High Altitude Bull

Yesterday's calf born at the top of the mountain...

Lowdown on Lambs

We have several lamb reservations already which is at least half of this year's production, and several we will be keeping for breeding. Select mature ewes are usually available throughout the year, with some bred ewes available in November for those not interested in keeping a ram.

Goatland

Sent the goats over to the newest paddock last night, 7-8 acres of rough stuff that hasn't been touched since last year that is already greened up. Multiflora rose, thorny locust, maidengrass, and weeds galore! There is now grass growing where they were at last year.

They ran back to their old stomping grounds at nightfall as they feel secure there. I bet before the week is up they'll be bedding down at the top of the new spot which is where they spent last fall. Will move the coos over whenever they are nearest the gate to that area. Once it's clean it'll be sheep-ready.

Off We Go

These lovely Shetland sheep and cashmere goats will be delivered to a couple later today.

 

Our only dark brown Shetland ewe to date with her new white ewe lamb.
They will be joined by a Shetland ram lamb in a few weeks.

Our only all white intact cashmere buckling this year
along with a 1 year old pink nosed pinto cashmere doe.

The solid silver cashmere doe kid on the left
out of our most strikingly colored doe,
one of only two with brown cashmere.

SOLD - Potential Flock Sire

I love the cinnamon coloring, the eye patches, the creamy wool...he's blissful.

Update 05/10/2013: This little fellow left today with a SC family; intact; lucky boy!

2013 Lambs

Born March 17-30, 2013

Black Ram Lamb

Kayla's twin lambs

#9's Brown Coffee Lamb
and Black Ewe Lamb

#9's Brown Coffee Lamb

 

Potential Flock Sire Ram Lamb
Whtie Ram Lamb
#9's Black Ewe Lamb

 

Ram Lamb Cookies and Cream

 

 

Little Easter Lamb

This pretty little ewe lamb went to a sweet young lady and her family this weekend to be bottle fed and will enjoy the company of several other grazers. She is out of a black ewe with white fleece, #23 which we are retaining for further breeding.

It seems we have preponderence of  ram lambs so far this year but a few more ewes are due to lamb.

Just a Highland Boy

 

This handsome red bull was born 08/13/2010; he's really filled out recently and has a wonderful coat and nice mop of hair on his head; so glad we kept him a bull.



Hens Going Camping

Tonight 5 hens will make their way to settle 5 of last year's drakes at a campground with a pond.

Saturday, the white ram lamb will go to his new home. So happy to find homes for the boys! Last year, our own twins got a concerned look on their face when realized that all the the boys were going off; I did explain that it's only the livestock and we won't be sending them anywhere anytime soon. This year they seem to get it.

Around and Around We Go

This weekend we parted with 3 Highland cows, the last we are selling this year. Sad to see them go, but the circle of life continues and a new generation is already on the way. Adorable little lambs being born daily definitely takes the bite off seeing so many of the cattle find new homes.

In addition to the lambs pictured below:
4 born 03/22/2013: a pair of white twins, a pair of solid black and solid white twins

White lamb in the middle is a ewe lamb born 03/17/2013.
SOLD: White lamb near the black ewe is a ram lamb born 03/15/2013.

White lamb to the right is a ewe lamb born 03/17/2013.
SOLD: White lamb near the black ewe is a ram lamb born 03/15/2013.

On Your Mark, Get Eggs Set, GO!

Today 24 white eggs and 10 blue eggs were set into the incubator. Within a week we'll know how many are fertile and growing. 28 days incubation puts them at a due date of Easter Sunday (plus or minus, of course). We'll do a couple of more hatches later in the season.

Jack Frost and Cashmere Kids

The new goat kids born the past month are enjoying the warm hay but the full-grown cashmeres are starting to shed their downy undercoat of cashmere fiber right on time.

 

 

 

Go Girls!

With a potential upcoming move, we are so glad to have found homes for 2 more Scottish Highlands which will be headed to north Georgia. Sale pending on these girls.

 

One 2-year old bull (first photo below) is ready for service or sale.

We're also proud to announce that the next heifer calf born is reserved for a TN farm.

In the additional photos are a 2005 brood cow (SOLD 03/16/2015) and two first time heifers (reserved for future breeding) due to calf. We'll post photos as soon as any of them deliver.

Bred Ewes

Due to an upcoming move we are reducing our flock substantially. We have about 20 bred ewes left, of which about 15 will be sold. Ram also available as it is time for new genetics.

Flock Sire born spring of 2009