Pasture Access from the Goat Barn (Fencing)

Good progress on the goat barn means looking ahead to moving the girls in. The new barn isn't connected to any of our paddocks, so we have to consider how they will access pasture with the ability to rotate them. Below is the area under discussion.

Overhang on the back of the barn highlights the area needing fence.

The existing original fence is now in pretty bad shape. This was our first fence, built in the summer of 2009. We used cedar posts which are now pretty loose in the ground and welded wire which isn't the best option for livestock of any kind. Bracing cross members have decomposed quite a bit too. Sections of the fence were temporarily taken down to pull logs up out of the woods, so the fence is in pretty poor condition in general. Since it's time to re-do anyway, so we may as well re-do in an accommodating manner.

We've spent quite a bit of time discussing options, and this seems to be the best plan so far...

Black and green are existing, blue is proposed.
(The current goat barn will become the workshop.)

We'll fence the sides of the loafing overhang and then extend it to the workshop on one side and the existing pasture fence on the other. As you can see, the proposed enclosure will be t-shaped. Gates will enable us to determine where the goats can graze, and also allow access to my permaculture hedgerow between these two paddocks. (It was put in about a year ago, but will be extended all the way to the fence corner.)

Fencing and pasture improvement are two of our most important goals for this year.  The plan is to finish the goat barn and then get to work on these. We'll start right there at the barn.

Pasture Access from the Goat Barn (Fencing) © Jan 2018  

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Goat Barn: A Little Here & A Little There

We've had a few breaks in the frigid winter weather and have certainly taken advantage of it to make a little progress on the goat barn.

1st exterior wall on the milking room with 1st coat of barn paint.

We buy the plywood a few sheets each payday and then put them up as weather allows. Working in sections is best anyway, because Dan doesn't like to put them up without painting them. Windows, battens, and other trims will be added later.

Back wall. I will probably paint the interior
white, like I did in the Little Barn. I like the way
white walls brighten and reflect the light.

On days when the weather is less cooperative, Dan can work under roof. He started with the wall between the milking room (before photos of that here) and the goat area. First project was a pony wall. 

Made from leftover tongue-and-groove boards from
a neighbor and railing from our original front porch.

Then the gate.

The gate. Made from home-milled lumber.

On the other side of the gate he started building the feeder.

Almost done. It is similar to the one he built in the
Little Barn (photos here) with a few modifications.

Finishing the barn is the priority project and we're both anxious to get it done. For me it's all about moving the goats in, and for Dan it's about moving on to something else. 😃

Goat Barn: A Little Here & A Little There © Jan 2018  

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Year Around Milk

We don't drink much milk, but sometimes nothing
beats an ice cold glass with freshly baked cookies.

One question I had when we first started producing our own food, was how to have a year around supply of everything. In the beginning I canned, froze, or dehydrated all the vegetables, fruits, and eggs I could. As we shifted toward a more seasonal model of living, I began to build my menus around what was producing well rather than what was stocked in the pantry.

This shift in eating habits shifted other things as well. By that time I had learned what grows well for me and what doesn't. Initially I wanted to grow a large variety of foods, but by focusing more on seasonal eating I realized I didn't have to grow dozens of different fruits and vegetables, because our variety is seasonal. Just about the time we're tired of one thing, it's done and something else is ready to eat.

I used to freeze and dehydrate a lot of eggs, but now I use
them if I've got them, or plan meals without them if I don't.

I can have variety in other ways too. For example, I save both watermelon and cantaloupe seeds, but we can only eat so much melon. Rather than devote a large amount of garden space to growing both, I grow watermelons one year and cantaloupes the next. Planting every other year also works well for things that tend to cross-pollinate, such as cantaloupes and honeydews.

I still preserve foods, but by focusing more on extending my gardening season, I can preserve less, which is a time and energy saver. Even so, I combine my biennial plantings with my food preservation plan. One year I grow enough green beans to can two years worth. The next year I grow enough black turtle beans to dry two years worth. These space and work savers help me manage my time and energy better.

And then there's milk. The traditional way of preserving milk is as cheese. It's a rare person who doesn't love cheese, after all, and most folks like to take a break from milking. However, fresh milk is one thing I would really like a daily supply of. Why? Two reasons. Most importantly, feeding my kefir. Secondly, because I find it easier to make fresh cheeses to eat as we need them, rather than going through the business of waxing, aging, and storing them (things challenging to do in our hot humid climate).

Still waiting...

So what are the options for having a year around supply of milk? Dairy animals require a two-month break at the end of their pregnancies to let them put all their nutrients into their soon-to-be-born young. One way to keep the milk supply going is to stagger breeding and birthing. In fact, that's what I tried to do this year. Last year Anna was bred a little later than the others, in hopes she'd still be giving milk while they are dry. Alas, she's pretty much dried up herself now, with less than a month until my first due date. So that's an experiment that didn't quite work out as I hoped.
 
Anna gave me milk for about seven months, but some does don't dry up as quickly. Some will produce milk for as long as two years or more. These individuals make good candidates for breeding every other year. With an extended lactation, it's possible to "milk through" the breeding and kidding season without taking a break. Some Kinders are capable of this, but none of my goats so far has had this trait.

The other option for me would be to breed twice a year. Once for spring kiddings, and six months later for fall kids. Most goat babies are born in spring after a fall breeding. Kinders are aseasonal breeders, however, which means they can conceive and kid any time of year. If I bred half my girls in fall and the other half in spring, it seems I'd have a better chance at having year around milk.

Jessie, Cinnamon, Anna, Violet, Ellie, and Daisy

So that's the plan, assuming no one gives birth to quads and needs all her milk to feed them. I have one yearling doe that will probably be ready to breed late this spring. If that works out, maybe next year I'll achieve my goal for year around milk.

Year Around Milk © Jan 2018 by Leigh 

at http://www.5acresandadream.com/