AUNT BIPPY’S FARM JOURNAL Issue 02
BARNYARD NEWS
I am pleased to announce that Fabio’s brood has finally hatched. This proud Papa can now lay claim to 6 healthy chicks. Incubated eggs take 21 days to mature and hatch. Warmth is very important to developing eggs and maintaining a steady temperature of 99-102 F inside the incubator is of utmost importance. The upside to hatching in an incubator instead of having the mother hen hatch her own chicks, is they tend to be much more affectionate and friendly towards the humans taking care of them. You essentially become their Mama and they will rely on you to feed, water and protect them until they are ready to take on the farmyard on their own.
FARM FACT
If you are lactose intolerant, or have trouble digesting cow’s milk, goat’s milk could be a perfect alternative for you. An inability to properly digest cow’s milk is something that plagues our family and so a few years ago, we decided to add goats to our farm. We now have the ability to make both cheese and yogurt from our goats’ milk. Goat’s cheese can be made over the span of just a few days: either pasteurized or raw milk needs to be warmed to around 65 F, starter culture then needs to be added to begin the fermentation process, then rennet to begin the coagulation of the milk proteins which leads to the formation of curds. Our family enjoys goat cheese on a regular basis, but beware, when made from raw milk, it doesn’t stay fresh for long.
FARM FRIEND OF THE MONTH
Spring is in the air and with the change of weather comes the longing for cute baby farm animals. Our hair breed Katahdin/Dorper cross sheep, Quinn, is pregnant, due April 1st. This breed is much easier to maintain than others as they do not need to be shorn, they shed their own winter coats. The ewes weigh in at 120 to 160 lbs and the rams are anywhere from 180 to 250 lbs. This is a very hearty breed with eating habits that can be compared to that of a goat. Speaking of goats…our goat, Penny, is also pregnant. She is due mid April. She came to us a few years ago with her kid, Chino. Although it took some time for these two ladies to settle in and make friends with our rowdy male goats, they have finally all figured out how to get along. Penny and Chino are both pure bred Nubians. This is a very friendly and sociable breed that can live for up to 15 years. As mentioned earlier, we use a lot of goat’s milk on our farm and so having Penny able to produce milk for as long as 8-11 months after giving birth has been very beneficial.
Chino
THE MOVEMENT IS GROWING……….
This is a quick update on our heroine, Joan of Arc!!
Chicken eggs in the sheep feeder !!
As was discussed last time, she has been causing great confusion within our chickens, encouraging them to lay their eggs in less than desirable locations. Not only has she brainwashed the chickens, she is now targeting the ducks. You will see from the pictures below that our confused chickens have reduced themselves to laying in the sheep feeders and our ducks are dropping eggs all over the barn.
Duck eggs on the floor!!