Five for Friday: Taking A Breath

The past 8 weeks have been pretty trying - we have been going all-day, everyday with old projects (rotational grazing of the lawn and pasture, meat chickens, garden starts, and goat birthing season) and new (turkeys, selling goat kids, pigs, ducks, new front garden). So here is an all-encompassing "Five for Friday"

1. Pigs Pasture Pretty Perfectly - pigs are now on their fourth 40' x 40' patch of pasture. They spend just 7 days per pasture patch and do a good job at ripping out the roots for about 50% of that area. The remainder is "pooping ground" that they don't disturb and some space that they probably just don't like. Carol reseeded the previous patches this week, minutes before a soaking T-storm rolled in. More about that mix later. Here they are sleeping it off:

2. Turkeys Are Poop Machines - the turkeys are 4 weeks old today and have been out on pasture for 2 weeks. They aren't supposed to get that kind of outdoor exposure so early, but the hot spell in early June brought us up to the 90s. Now it is in the 70s, but they are big enough. Big enough to eat, poop, and grind up beaucoup lawn. I can't tell if much of it is being flattened by poop or grazing. We are moving them (15 turks on 96 sf) every 3 days right now (they are eating 2 quarts of 22% feed per day, the graze supplements that).

3. Selling Goats is Sometimes Frustrating - this is probably true for almost any business, but we have had our first case of a customer backing out, pre-deposit. They dithered about the deposit, all the while raving about the opportunity. When the deadline came, we received an email citing $ concerns and a phone message citing vacation concerns. The answer probably lies somewhere between, but they strung us out for 2 weeks - next time will be easier, just more legal about the deposit policy. Here are the kids, walking the tight rope, err, tight plank and you can't see it, but they "SPROING" off when they come to the end of it.

4. Milking Goats Actually Do Make Milk - Carol is milking 11 does right now (6 seniors and 6 first fresheners, 1 senior begins milking Monday). We are running out of quart jars! The pigs have gotten some of the extra whole milk (today they will be getting some whey) and we have made some thin yogurt and our first cheese today. It isn't a special cheese (the cultures and cheesemaking equipment are coming on Tuesday) - it is panir and will tasty in some Panir Potato Rounds on Sunday night (shush, don't tell Carol).

5. My Girls Will Be FarmGirls - Just look, this is their favorite post-dinner pose. Precious.