This is an exciting week for our farm. Yoyo, our beautiful blue eyed mix, is due to kid this week! So lots of preparations are under way.
To do list:
Clean goat barn
Over the winter, a heavy layer of hay has developed in the barn. Goats are notorious hay wasters! So we need clear the deep layer out to help create a more sterile environment for the newborns!
Complete building milking stand
Once the Kids are 2 weeks old, they will be removed from their mother during the evenings, which will allow us to milk Yoyo in the morning. My Kids and I have been busy working on Mommy’s milk stand. There are numerous plans to be found online, we choose to build the stand from Fiasco Farms Plans.
This was a great resource, the materials list was great to have, as were the very detailed step by step instructions on how to construct this stand from scratch! We used much of the lumber we harvested from the farm last year to put this stand together. That makes it a locally grown stand, of course 🙂
If you have plans on milking, I seriously suggest building, not buying your stand. You will need a drill, skill saw, and sawzall. If you have those tools, and 6 hours (with my 3 year old) you can construct this stand for less than $100. All the pre-made stands I searched started in the $350 range.
Connect water lines
Last year we ran water lines to the goat barn, but we did not hook them up. Now with milking on the horizon, we would like to set up our sink for washing up in.
Plant pastures
As the spring thaw is approaching, we want our pasture to begin growing. Some hardy pasture seeds, clover especially, do well frost seeded.
Wait, doesn’t frost kill seeds?
Hardy seeds such as clover, rye, and alfalfa can survive the cold. The soil warms during the day and freezes at night, this causes heaving. If you broadcast your pasture seeds on top of the soil, the heaving of the ground will pull the seeds down into direct contact with the soil. It allows you to plant with good soil contact, without the use of a disk, tiller or cultipacker. No oil used is always a good thing!
Name the kids
Lastly we need to name the kids! And we hare having a contest to do so. Guess the number of kids and the day they will be born, and you can help us name one! The theme of Yoyo’s line is childhood toys. Start guessing! Post guesse in the comments box, or on our Facebook page.
We are very excited and will keep you posted as things progress!
I have so many names, can’t decide. Can be for boy or girl. Winks, as in tiddly. Marbles, Domino, Slinky, Tonka, Checkers and finally Boomer, as in boomerang. So I am guessing twins. One boy and one girl:)
Ohhhh and I pick March 30, 2014 for d.o.b.
By far the most beautiful and handsome building contractorsSso proud that you are introducing your June to buildingprojects. So many let the girls bake and not build. Buildingis so much fun for girls too as you have seen in your family. Remember helping me stand up a wall to build my shed. Am so impressed at your constantly educating yourselfin farm life. Can’t wait to taste the goat milk. Can I get some? I suggest tops for one of yo-yos kids.lv u all