So, once the goats have given birth, the big question is how soon to milk the goats after they freshen. Everyone is anxious for that fabulous goat milk! Our goats are Nigerian Dwarf goats (see Why You Should Choose Nigerian Dwarf Goats for Milk), which produce the highest butterfat milk of all dairy breed goats (around 6 – 10%), so their milk is incredibly good and makes awesome butter, ice cream, cheese, and yogurt. Obviously, we’d like to get that milk, but the goat kids’ welfare ... continue reading...
Homemade Lavender Wands (Natural Insect Repellant)
Lavender is a natural insect repellant and homemade lavender wands are an easy and safer alternative to mothballs in the home. Plus, most people like the fragrance of lavender. It should be harvested as it's blooming for making fresh bouquets, drying, or making homemade lavender wands. How To Make Homemade Lavender Wands Lavender for use in bouquets and sachets needs to be dried (see Drying Lavender), but lavender wands should be made with fresh-supple lavender. ... continue reading...
Weed-Be-Gone – A Safe & Easy Homemade Weedkiller
How to get rid of the pesky weeds growing in our rocks and patio is a question the plagues me every summer. But I think I've finally got an answer. Use Weed-Be-Gone, a safe & easy homemade weedkiller! We avoid using any chemical weedkillers or herbicides on our property because we're concerned about the health issues they may contribute to. In addition, we use organic products for raising our chickens, goats, honey bees and garden produce. So, although chemical weedkillers tend to work ... continue reading...
How To Keep Goats & Chickens In The Same Yard
You have a barn, you have a yard, you have multiple animals, and you need to maximize usage of your space — throw ‘em all together and be done with it, right? Well, not necessarily. However, you can keep goats & chickens in the same yard if you follow a few practices to allow them to coexist happily. How To Keep Goats & Chickens In The Same Yard Some animals can be boarded together with little trouble (sheep and goats), some animals should always have their own territory (pigs), and ... continue reading...
Bramblestone Goats Go To Columbus Zoo!
Today seven Nigerian Dwarf Bramblestone goats go to Columbus Zoo! 4*M Bramblestone Sun Tea 4*D plus her kids (Brambleberry Tea, Ginseng Tea, and Matcha Tea - named by the zoo staff) and Bramblestone MQ Windsong plus her kids (Times New Roman and Franklin Gothic - also named by the zoo staff) left for new homes in Columbus at the zoo. First, they will go into quarantine, but after the quarantine period, they will become part of the Columbus petting zoo. The goat kids are only ... continue reading...
Introducing New Chickens
Introducing new chickens into an established flock should be easy, right? Well, when my friend offered me a young rooster, I found out there are some basics to keep in mind. Figuring that a Barred Rock rooster (read a breed profile HERE) would be ok with three Golden Buff hens, I simply added him to their pen. Things went downhill from there (more on that later). Turns out, I should have had a plan. 8 Steps to Success When Introducing New Chickens Verify that the ... continue reading...
3 Ways to Preserve Fresh Summer Berries
There are many ways to preserve fresh summer berries (like raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.). But, the best 3 that we have found are freezing & vacuum sealing, water bath canning, and dehydrating. I love to preserve fresh summer berries. In the summertime when the berries start to ripen; the home-grown ones just taste so much better than store-bought (and cost a lot less too). The only problem with fresh summer berries is that they tend to go bad ... continue reading...
Forcing Spring Flowers
Here in Ohio, it’s been a long winter, and we're more than ready for some color. So, it’s a good time to start pruning spring-blooming trees and shrubs; and forcing the branches to bloom indoors for some spring flowers! Benefits of Forcing Spring Flowers The benefits are color and scent inside, and the pruning gets done while plants are dormant and their form can clearly be seen. Anyone living where trees and shrubs go through a dormant winter chill can force ... continue reading...
