Posted by Farm at July 28th, 2008

Well, kidding is done for 2008. It’s been a really blessed year - 41 babies born, 38 survived, and all mommas are healthy.  It’s hard to believe that our little farm has grown this much, and now we’re faced with difficult decisions of how much to grow, how to cut back, how to expand, etc.

Our last babies of the year were does, just as our first three were. These girls are blasts from the past building tomorrow, so in honor of our “Star Trek” fascination, our “next generation” are named Deanna and Tasha. For those not familiar with ST:the Next Generation, these are two of the female characters that were a part of the crew. Deanna had black hair, so our black and white girl is named after her. The chamoisee is named after Tasha Yar, who was the first major crew member to die in a ST franchise, I think. They are our “next generation,” because they are the colors of our first two does, Onyx and Surprize, and are the culmination of their lines.
Oddly enough, our buck/doe ratio was an even 50/50!

So now, we make a lot of soap, cheese, yogurt, ice cream,…. and get ready for next year’s kidding season. It also looks like we’re expanding our farm enterprise to include pastured poultry, using heritage breeds. Heritage animals are what got me into Nigerian dwarf goats in the first place, and we want to continue that work of strengthening the livestock genepool for the future. We’ve got a lot to learn between now and then, but that’s part of what I love about farming.

Remember that we’re offering a goat keeping workshop on September 20, and are considering offering soapmaking and kidding workshops in the fall and winter. There are more things in the works, but that’s enough for now.

Thanks for stopping in, and check back to see new baby pictures and doe updates.