Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays from Capra Lane Farm!

Tis the season

Tis the season for winter work- pen cleaning, manure spreading, hay hoarding, garden bed mulching. Speaking of garden bed mulching, we realized we left behind a big chunk of our carrot crop. Despite forgetting all about them, they looked great and are super sweet. Carrots are on the menu for the forseeable future.

My anti-bird tendencies are in full swing. Last years cold spell brought in starlings by the hundred (not exaggerating) and they roosted on every available spot. the chicken coop was wrecked daily, with towers of starling poop building up every day. We tried a super scary plastic hawk - they roosted right on it. We hung CD's - it worked for a few days, then the blasted birds just pulled them down. Ultimately we shut up the coop whenever possible, the mess was disgusting and the amount of wasted feed was unbelievable.

This year's attempt may be our strongest yet. . . Bird-B-Gone Bird Spikes.

They are designed to eliminate roosting spots, thereby making the coop unattractive to birds. It sure looks threatening huh?

We left no edge uncovered. This better work. What I haven't solved is that our buck barn is only about 15 feet from the chicken coop, and sealing it up for the winter isn't an option. Our barn cats hang out there, but never seem to hunt there. They ignore the mice and birds in the barn and prefer to spend all day hunting in the field. Makes perfect sense, right? They're doing their job backwards. 

We did a full winter pen cleaning and re-bedding this weekend which allowed us to spend some time moving and shuffling around some of the does. Charlotte, above, isn't due until the 28th of  February and that belly is growing fast. Charlotte has twice kidded with twin does, this time she may be going for three.

Emmette is a smaller doe with a gut the size of a barrel. She is already grunting and groaning when she rolls around, she almost can't fit into her favorite spot under the hayrack. She is due March 1, the day when all of my adult Toggs are due. 

After cleaning and stripping the pens we decided to do a little bird prevention in here too. The starlings have come every year and nested in the roof overhang. We climbed as high up as our highest ladder would allow and used a rake handle to shove rolls of chicken wire in the gaps. this way we can hopefully make it completely inhospitable to the birds while maintaining airflow and ventilation. Either that or we'll pick up the chicken wire all winter after the birds pull it out. 

It allowed some nice aerial pictures of the barn. Taking pics at ground level is nearly impossible in a pen of bottle raised clingy goats who like to be hams for the camera. Pretty typical mid afternoon sights - eating, sleeping, eating, loafing.

As usual, the massive tree fills the foyer. this is pre-acclimating, it grew wider and wider as it warmed up. Kaelyn is unimpressed. If she fits - she sits. In the chihuahua bed. 

Out came my favorite ceramic light up tree and my multitude of feather trees and wreaths. 

Kaelyn is still unimpressed. As is Luna. I think they're already waiting for Santa to come. Luna is in full winter hibernation mode. She needs a sweater and a throw blanket available at all times or she shivers as if she were dying. Maybe Tinder has some holiday spirit??

Nope!! She is bringing up the rear or the sleep pile. They are completely and utterly uninterested. Rosie-cat will show her interest as she bats the ornaments off the tree at 2am, maybe the others will wake up when the baking starts.

This year we're thankful for. . .

Yes, I know Thanksgiving is over. Close enough.

1) Turkey (s)

 Our turkeys dressed out to about 20 lbs each this year, we weren't about to make the 37 lb bird mistake twice.

 Even so, we had plenty of leftovers after celebrating Thanksgiving x 2 on Thursday and Friday.

 A little green to balance out the carbs.

A little more green.

2) Leftovers

We finished the last of Big Bird tonight. We have a 4 day-in-a-row turkey limit.

Also thankful for leftover hollandaise sauce from breakfast. Perfect for livening up out of season asparagus.

 3) Goats

Bonner was a welcome addition this year. Even though he is only 6 months old his 'enthusiastic' and 'hyperactive' nature helped to get all of our young goats bred. 

Except Luna. She was bred and re-bred 3 times before we finally threw in the towel. She will be taking the year off, as a result and will get a little hormone boost next Fall.

The last of our young goats was bred this week. Barring any complications or repeated heat cycles, my season as goat matchmaker / driver are over!

4) Bacon

The pigs served us well this year. We ate our first pack of bacon within 24 hours of picking up the pork at the butcher shop.

5) The Pressure Canner

We kept the garden waste to a minimum this year, the only casualty being a bowl of banana peppers I didn't get to in time. 

Picking up 300 lbs of pork meant prioritizing freezer space. I pulled out about 30 lbs of random goat meat chunks and slow roasted them all day with the intent of canning 'meat' for the first time. 

Ugh. It looks really gross. Do they make opaque canning jars? Ended up with 7 full quarts of shredded goat meat. 

6) A Giant Snow Thrower

I was excited that the freshly repaired baler was moved out of my garage parking space today. It was quickly replaced with a giant snow thrower for the tractor. Now that we have the most effective and appropriate type of equipment for our ridiculous driveway, it will never snow in Ohio again. For this all of you should be thankful as well. 

7) My kiln

I never thought I had an addictive personality until now. I need another hobby like I need hole in my head. Instead of shoes the Amazon gods are bringing boxes of glass every day.

8) The pizza oven

An early Christmas gift from my parents. A gas-fired dome gets us homemade stone fired pizza in 3 minutes.  No more shitty delivery out in the boonies for us!

We're most thankful that the goats are dried off for the season. Chores are quicker, messes are smaller. Now to stock up on hay and start our winter maintenance and repairs...

New Addition!

Our new buckling, Bonner arrived this past weekend from New Hampshire! He will be used on our young alpine does this year and also a few first freshening saanens. Bonner is settling in well and taking lessons from the big boys, he is already filthy.

*B   ROEBURN'S BB BONNER        DOB: 5/21/14

S: Missdee's RL Benjamin Britten 87 (VVE)

SD: Missdee's TC Belladonna FS 88 (VEVE)

SDS: Misdee's Trader Carl

SDD: Misdee's DC Bella FS 91 (EVEE)

SS: Roeburn's Legacy 

SSS: Kickapoo Valley HL Lord Wimsey 91 (EEE)

SSD: SGCH Roeburn's BR Rose of Sharon FS 92 (EEEE)

D: GCH Roeburn's Bruno Bon Bini FS 91 (E E E E)

DD: GCH Roeburn's Limerick Binibeca FS 91 (EEEE)

DDS: Roeburn's Liason Limerick 91 (EEE)

DDD: SGCH Roeburn's Brutus Menorca FS 91 (VEEE)

DS: Roeburn's Sedric Bruno 91 (EEE)

DSS: SG Sunshine Seign Sedric

DSD: SGCH Roeburn's BR Rose of Sharon FS 92 (EEEE)

Breeding time

Breeding time = Stinky time!!!

Have a fresh batch of buck de-scenting soap at the ready. They are exceptionally gross this year. Good news is, only one attempted breeding of my thigh so far. Sometimes I hate goats...

Actually the soap is a little gross too. It is a combination of very strongly scented oils, ie anise, patchouli and coffee grounds. But it works! Great for getting the smell off our hands after chores. I only made 8 bars and I had to bring it in the basement because the smell was giving me a headache.

I was a little concerned about the does, as none of them were coming in to heat and it is a bit later than expected. Rog wasn't concerned. I think he was hoping I'd forget. And the does would forget. So naturally I voiced my concerns and bam, just like that we have 9 or so bred. Luna was playing hard-to-get this year and her breeding was likely not successful. Not for lack of trying, she was just being shy. At one point we even tried to loop a piece of twine around her tail to move it out of the way. Things got a little messy.

Claire was assaulted again this year. More leaping, twisting, jumping, flailing and choking after standing by the boys fence all day begging. I'm not sure what's wrong with her, she's a little nuts. 

The toggs receive the 'cooperative' award this year. Since we sold Capone, all 4 of my adult togg girls have to go on dates this year to the GGF Alpha herd which is about a 35 minute drive from here. They all came in to heat on the same day! What a lucky fluke! 4/4, no drama. 

The little girls won't be bred until November for April kids. I we have a winter like last year, this will prove to be a wise decision. 

Breeding plan and reservations can be viewed here: http://www.capralane.com/planned-breedings

Email me at capralane@yahoo.com for kid / milker / wether reservations. 

Also, an exciting new addition is on his way! More details to come soon. . . 

Where's the beef?

It's in Tuscarawas county, of course. It can be really, really nice to take a small break from the goats every now and again and visit with some charming cattle.

We have loads of meat around here...chevon (goat), chicken, turkey, pork, venison, the occasional rabbit or squirrel. But sometimes you just really want a big old bloody steak. So we leave that to my sister and brother-in-law (Rog's sister and her husband). After moving around the country for a bit they've settled in southern Ohio near Stone Creek where he grew up. We had a chance to visit recently over the holiday weekend and spend a little time with critters of the 'larger' variety.

Such a different landscape than we're used to. We live on a flat postage stamp. If we had rolling hills we may not have goats with rolling elbow fat!

The site of their future homestead on the far left. They will take over the award for 'worst driveway' from us as it will be very long, very winding, very hilly and includes a bridge over the creek. There will be no comparison. But the view will make it worth it!

The century barns are a work in progress and have tons or architectural interest. 

The old milk parlor is still standing, even though the last owner swiped all of the metal piping and feed delivery system. 

The newest arrival, born a few days before labor day. 

Cattle shit a lot more than goats. This pit is bigger than our entire barn. But it serves an important purpose, the corn and alfalfa fields on these hillsides make ours look scraggly and weak. 

Are you insulting us? You may want to rethink that, we weigh well over 1,000 lbs.

Black Angus calves are born black, as is the newest little guy on the right. 

And then they turn brown, like this month old calf in the center. Then back to black as they reach weaning age. 

                     

No screws or nails here. Peg in hole construction, still standing after more than a century. 

The slate roof is very cool. I asked Rog if our next barn could be built like this. He responded, 'Sure, but we'll have to live in it'. 

They just don't build them like they used to...

Thanks for visiting! And FYI, petting cows is a slimy process. Their tongues are huge. 

What's for dinner

We pride ourselves on our ''farm fresh' meals  every now and then. I'll post pics of tomato salads, venison tenderloins (not grown but harvested here) zucchini casseroles and beets and beet by-products. It was a good year for beets. I never want to see another one.

What I've not discussed much is what the animals of Capra Lane dine on. Dawn and dusk, day in and day out the feeding regimen continues.

The meat birds are almost done cooking. In fact, D-Day is tomorrow. One thing to check off the daily routine! They eat a high protein meat bird grower and are free ranged on grass and bugs as well. We raise them in an interior coop until they are about 3 weeks old and feathered out then they move outside to forage. 

The laying hens receive a high protein mix of layer pellets and crumbles, as well as oyster shell and calcium to strengthen the eggshells. They enjoy cleaning off our sweet corn cobs the most but will eat any type of leftovers, greens, beans, tomatoes, melons and squash. They are supplemented with whole grain scratch and are free ranged on rotating yards. Right now they are decimating the sunflowers lining the coop which are beginning to seed out. 

The turkeys are growing very well. We aren't going to make the 35 pound turkey mistake again. We have a slaughter date scheduled far in advance of Thanksgiving, so this year we can serve more than a leg and a wing. They eat a game bird pellet and are supplemented on scratch grains and vegetables. They're either picky or just plain stupid, some days they eat whatever we toss in and other days are terrified of it. On this day they were feasting on cucumbers with their scratch grains. 

Our bacon seeds are growing! Look at those hams! The hogs have free choice grain which is a mix of cracked corn, rolled oats, hog grower and sweet feed. They eat a lot of it. What they really look forward to is milk, drinking from 3-5 gallons per day. The little tail stubs start wagging as soon as they hear us coming. By the way, any idea why 3 hogs will produce 100 times more poop than 2 hogs? We can't fathom why they are so much more disgusting than when we just had 2. They're topping the scales at about 150 now, butchering weight is 250-ish and they average 1.5 lbs of weight gain per day. Yes, per 1 day.

The pigs are our garbage disposals. Today I was canning beets so they got a whole bucket of beet tops and peels and tons of fresh beet greens as well as some cabbage and zucchini ends. The massive beet harvest meant lots of beet parts went to the pigs, the goats readily eat the greens but not the flesh and the chickens kind of shunned them. The pen looked like a crime scene though with beet juice running everywhere. One morning they ate a 'too-soft' batch of cheese, one morning had our leftover pancakes with an overripe avocado. Cracked or pecked eggs are boiled and fed twice weekly. Peach peels and leftover cobbler caused quite the ruckus and they really seem to enjoy stale bread soaked in milk as well. We bed them on hay which they also use for feed and pick out all the good bits. Pigs that eat vegetables make healthy bacon, right? The only thing we restrict is meat since we definitely do not want to encourage carnivorous behavior. 

Next onto the biggest eaters of all - the goats. They eat a Nutrena grain blend of pellets and whole grains lightly sweetened with molasses. As you can see, they really like it.

Goat feed. It smells really good but it's deceiving. Don't ask me how I know...

The babies also receive alfalfa pellets at each feeding for the calcium and protein needed for growth. We use them in some of the adults as well to push weight gain and milk production. 

Hay is, of course, the star of the show given that these guys are ruminants. Good quality hay is essential and grain is really just supplemental. We grow a mix of alfalfa, clover and grasses, speaking of which our last cutting is drying as we speak which means a busy week of scrambling after work to get it baled.

Enough about hay, can we eat now?

Seriously, we're staaaarving!

Accepting that no additional treats (ie saltine crackers) are headed their way tonight they settle for hay. Some of the goats like apples, some carrots. A few like cucumbers, a few zucchini or melon. Elina will practically kill you for a banana and Massey and Luna will eat anything that isn't moving. A favorite is sweet potatoes and marshmallows, although we reserve those for hiding pills / supplements. We also keep sunflower seeds on hand as well, they can help fatten them up and keep their coats very shiny and healthy.

 Blessing doesn't care about much, but she loves to eat. She has a private dining room. She eats a combination of llama feed, cracked corn and rolled oats and has her very own himalayan pink salt block as well.

 Blessing and the goats graze freely as well. Our 'fast growing' trees finally after 8 years reached a suitable height to offer tiny areas of shade in the pasture. They all shift and shuffle between spots during the day and are lounging late as the nights grow cooler. Up next, breeding season...