Yes, it's STILL raining. Yes, it's STILL muddy. Yes, we have lakes and ponds and creeks and streams all over, STILL. I wasn't able to milk Sandy last night because there is NO way a goat will cross a creek for love nor grain. So she didn't get milked. It's times like these that makes me want to drag one of the stanchions out to the barn and make a little stall just for milking when it's pouring rain. One day.
So I have been thinking about my farm here. And what all I want to do this year. Way too many things and way too much money to do them. But the first thing I would like to do is make another greenhouse. We made one a few years back but didn't use strong enough plastic. We still have the PVC pipes. I'm going to look at some catalogs for a thicker mil greenhouse plastic and order some. I will save tons of money starting my own seeds. I spent SO much money on flats and flats of plants last year. And I can just start my own right here and maybe sell extras.
Plus, a greenhouse can be used as extra early growing space too. AND it can be used as a chick brooder and composting place. I have seen people use them for that purpose and it works great. The chicks are warm and they scratch up the soil and fertilize it too. I am planning on getting more Freedom Rangers in the spring.
And I am wanting to do a lot of rearranging in this house and the little house. And make some walkways that are more goat and sheep friendly. I hate that they have to stand in mud so much. They need some wooden platforms to get them up out of the mud.
I have also been thinking about fencing and pastures and rotating and parasite management. I do not want to lose any more sheep to those awful Barber Pole worms again. So I really need to make my 2 pastures into smaller yards and move the sheep every week so they'll be going around every 21 days.
Also need to make more garden space for the market gardens.
So many plans and so much to do. I just need money, the key ingredient to make it all happen. I hope to sell all my doeling kids as soon as possible. And most of my ewe lambs too. I only want about 10 ewes here. I really don't have the space for too many sheep. Or goats either. I have 8 does now plus the 2 bucks. I will probably sell the Lamancha buck and butcher the Boer buck.
I'm sure everyone is thinking about spring and have lots of plans too.
4 comments:
The kids had a little saying in their homeschool spelling book last week: "Little strokes fell great oaks". I have no doubt you'll be able to accomplish all you set out to do. It just seems daunting when you look at the big picture.
I'm about to go milk these goats in the rain. At least my stand is in the barn, it's just a matter of me getting up there.
Stay dry, my friend.
One of the activities we do in the Winter is make list for Spring.
Good Luck with all your plans! It is always good to go into Spring with some plans.
My list is every growing.
How nice that you have a place to milk when it's raining and your goats don't have to go out. I will one day.
I have more plans I didn't list here. It would have taken awhile to do.
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