Tangle Ridge Farm
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Store
  • Does
  • Bucks
  • Breeding plan
  • Contact us
  • Chickens
  • Reference animals

A day in our life on the farm

Frozen

1/13/2018

0 Comments

 
We woke up this morning to a snowy, frozen world.  It started with the doors of my vehicle being frozen shut, and I had to find a way in so I could drag out several bags of feed because the barrels were empty.  When I finally made it up the hill, I found the latch to the front door of the goat barn frozen, along with one of the gate latches.  Luckily I had another way in so I could deliver feed and water, and milk Miss Alita.  The animals didn't seem to mind, and were happy to see me as always. 
Picture
After a week of living in the house due to zero temperatures, I tried to return the triplets to their mom.  This would have made things a little easier on the farmer, since separation has meant twice a day milking in the frigid weather and bottle feeding several times per day.  Unfortunately, the kids clung to their new mom (me) and Alita was over raising babies and wanted nothing to do with them.  She is a great mom, so this was my fault for keeping them apart too long.  Back to the house and milking routine we went.  Don't get me wrong, we love having the babies with us, and they seem to love it too. 
They have a safe, warm pen in the basement, and plenty of time to run and play.  Its nearly impossible to get a good picture of them! 
One of these lucky little girls now has a wonderful home at Moody Blue Stables in Ashland, Ky.  It always makes us happy to see our babies go to a great home! 
0 Comments

Bringing in the New Year

1/1/2018

0 Comments

 
Another year has come and gone.  2017 went out with a bang with the birth of triplet doelings from Alita and below normal freezing temperatures.   We are back to bundling up like mummies, hauling water and breaking ice morning and evening.  In spite of complaints from Alita and John, the babies are spending a few nights in the house due to the cold and learning to eat from a bottle. 
​Its always fun to reflect on the past year, to remember our blessings and all we have learned and accomplished along the way. We continue to slowly check things off the list, but somehow the list continues to grow.  
Picture
It will soon be one year since we switched to soy free chicken feed.  Our chickens are healthy and thriving on the mix, and we plan to continue along this path.  It does require some creativity to ensure they have a balanced diet and plenty of protein.  This is not as much of a challenge during the warmer months because they have access to natural sources such as bugs and worms. In winter, we give them plenty of meal worm treats and add organic fish meal to the mix.  
2017 was a year of bucklings here at TRF.  We had five does give birth to eleven kids, and only four were doelings.  We kept Autumn, and brought in our sweet Diva to the herd.  Maybe 2018 will be different, since we are starting out with 3 girls. 
Construction projects for the year consisted of installing two stock tanks on the hilltop, tearing down the old sheep shed, moving the hay tent and building a new area for the boy goats.  The old sheep housing spot was cleared for a future pond.
2017 was a good year for the garlic crop.  Many were sold, and some were replanted for next year.  
Baby goats meant plenty of milk, caramel sauce, cheese and soap.
We hosted a kids with farm animal photo shoot, attended our first 'farmers market' as a vendor, and held our first soap making class.

We are thankful for another year of doing what we love, learning new things and sharing along the way.  My goal for the coming year is to 'make things easier' as much as possible for living on the side of a hill.  Thank you for sharing our adventures.  Happy New Year!
0 Comments

    Author

    My name is Christy Franklin. 
    Please leave your comments. I'd love to hear from you.

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    July 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Store
  • Does
  • Bucks
  • Breeding plan
  • Contact us
  • Chickens
  • Reference animals