Who knew a broke down truck could get you a job...

My truck decided to hate me on Saturday (1/24) and later that evening I got a call from my neighbor offering me 4 hours a day milking her 10 goats and 4 cows, cleaning the equipment, and feeding the animals. (She has bad arthritis and just can't keep doing it by herself). She has a milk machine for the cows and the goats, so I pretty much get paid to wait! Wait for the milker to finish that cow (or pair of goats) until I am finished with all of them, then I filter the milk (which is waiting for the milk to strain through the filter!) I play the waiting game from 8am to around noon! I love it. I can't wait until my goats are back in milk...I need to save to buy my own milk machine...it is SOOOOOO nice! After using one for 4 days now I can't imagine milking with out one!!! 

Happy New Year

Welcome to the new year with the Laughter Herd.  My goals for this year are to have healthy, happy goat kids and mommas, a dozen eggs a day (laid in the coop, not the hay), have some Serama or banty babies, have the goat barn complete and maybe the horse stalls started on! We shall see!!! 

My main goal this year is to have 5 does in milk and to help with that we purchased a buckling in Dec. Four of the girls (Ginger, Rosey, Lily, and Chouli) were all bred in October, November, and maybe December to some lovely boys from Swede Farm. We decided Daisy hadn't quite grown enough to be bred, so are hoping when Luke is old enough, Daisy will be big enough.  In March, we should have registered 4th generation (tiny) Mini Lamancha kids and registered (recorded grade) Lamancha kids. In April, we should have registered (Purebred) Nubian kids. Ginger was taken to be bred in October, but looked like she didn't take so was taken back in December. She could be due in March or May...she will be having 3/4 Lamancha and 1/4 Nubian kids. These kids will not be able to be registered as Ginger and her daddy aren't.  

Chickens....the laying flock consists of 1 Golden Comet rooster, 3 Buff Orpington hens, 2 Barred Rock hens, 2 Ameraucan hens, 1 Rhode Island Red hen, 1 Golden Laced Wyandotte hen, 1 Golden Laced Polish hen (not laying yet), and 1 mixed breed hen that likes tp go broody far to often! I figure with 11 hens...I won't be getting a dozen eggs a day, but I can hope for eggs laid in the coop!! This spring I will order 10 replacement chicks to raise for next year's laying season.  The 3 Buff Orpingtons, 1 Barred Rock, and the mixed breed hen will all be looking for new homes or stew pots by the time the replacement chicks are old enough to lay. That will leave me with 6 hens and 10 chicks....Maybe I can get a dozen eggs a day out of 16 hens next year!!! 

The replacement chicks will consist of Ameraucanas for green eggs, brown egg layers, and maybe a white egg layer or 2.  

The dogs had a great year in 08 and I hope to get Jesse CGC tested (Canine Good Citizen) and get him tested through the Temperment Test Society.  

My NUMBER 1 goal for 2009 is to get the messy little buck out of my house...I am checking now to see if it is too cold to try to move him to the barn, he will have a stall next to the big girls with a hay floor to keep him warm......he pees forever!!!!!!!! He is the cutest thing until he chews on the computer cord or the couch pillows, or jumps on the couch, or pees!! lol

Hope you have a safe and happy 09!