May 2015

 

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Duck Tragedy

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So far this spring, the news here at Solace Farm has been pretty upbeat.  Sadly, today is a look at the darker side of farming.  We lost the little ducklings that we hatched in our hands on Thursday :( The baby ducks spent Thursday, Friday and Friday night in a box in the house, snuggled up to a hot water bottle.  Saturday morning they were quite lively - trotting and skittering around the living room and trying to swim in their  3" water dish - so I moved them out to the broody hutch with the mama game hen and her babies, and they seemed to be perfectly happy.

Babies Everywhere!

Yesterday, I was already thinking Kaitlyn and I should have a slower day - we've been working really hard, and maybe we could just make soap or have a knitting lesson or something. Well, we did make soap - and hatched baby ducks in our hands!

It's Finished!

Goat Wrangling

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We usually spend our "holidays" doing an interesting project rather than just mundane chores, and this Memorial Day was no different - we had a goat roundup this morning, with 3 student helpers.  It wasn't as big as our usual fall one - only mamas and babies - but it was multi-purpose, which adds time to the whole process.  One goal was to nip all the little boys' bits, so we can keep running a single goat herd without unexpected pregnancies this winter.  I think that's pretty self-explanatory so I won't dwell on their loss :)

Mmmm, Scapes!

Strawberries!

Nature's Nutrition

This time of year, I'm always trying to find ways to use eggs, and wondering if maybe we should cut down our duck flock.  Then I remember how I miss the bounty of limitless eggs in the fall and winter, and how this is really just a small part of the big picture of feeding ourselves in harmony with nature (I know that's cheesy, but I can't think of a better way to say it).  Speaking of cheese, this also the dairy time of year for us, another a great source of protein.

Week in Review

This past week we finally finished kidding.  The last goat wrapped things up with two big boys on Wednesday the 5th, almost a full month after the first kids.  We were on track for the fastest kidding year yet, with most of the 45 babies arriving within a two-week window, and then these last two mamas took two additional weeks!  The second to last was somewhat exciting - I was loading the car for the farmers market, and heard the doe bawling.

Eggs Mean... Pasta!

This time of year the eggs are pouring in.  We are getting 16-20 eggs a day, but only selling a few dozen a week.  It always takes people a month or two to remember how much they liked duck eggs last summer - they start buying more as my supply levels out in June and July, and then start getting upset in September when the ducks really drop off.  Basically, the demand curve is the opposite of my supply curve!