Expansion..

Wow what a week!  We have turkeys hatching, which is VERY exciting....we've got 11 poults hatched already this year!  Since we have a colorful rainbow of turkey adults, we expected a variety in the poults.  Well number 11 hatched last night and I just can not explain it.  Our tom is a bourbon red.  We have a bourbon red hen, a royal palm hen, and 2 Narragansetts.  Most of the chicks look like bourbon reds...with 1 or 2 colored like the Narrys.  Until number 11.  He's a brunette in a blonde world....

It will be interesting to see how he turns out.

Last year we built the kidding room.  It has 2 stalls, a small play yard, and a small loafing area.  This year we expanded  it so that we can have 2 stalls for does getting ready for birthing, have hay storage, and a larger kid pen. With Bob's crazy hours, we had to work hard and fast to get things put together.

This is the milking parlor (right), the kidding barn (center) and Bob's workshop (far left).  The expansion project is between Bob's workshop and the kidding barn.

Here's a closer look at what we're doing...

Friday evening we began work....and by Sunday evening it was nearly done.  While Bob was busy working on the new barn expansion..

Lexi was busy laboring in her stall...

By noon Sunday Lexi gave birth to twin boys, Queenacres Fine Future and Queenacres Fotocopy Faze....

Meanwhile, Bob got the building shell finished.  It's got a roof and walls and it's what we needed to accomplish for the weekend.  It looks like we will be able to store 20+ bales of alfalfa hay in there...

This morning we got the new expansion primed....if the primer dries we'll get it painted today before this cold front hits....

While we're watching paint dry.....little barn princess Fiona gave her approval to the stack of fresh hay in the barn...

And Nommy did what she does best....eat...

Lovable, Lively Lexi the Loud Mouth

Something has happened to my sweet spottie girl.  Obviously it directly corresponds with a meeting that she had nearly 5 months ago with Pete.  We've moved her to the kidding stall and pen area because she is due on Jan 31, and we like to pamper our girls for a week or two before they give birth.  Pampering involves room service with only the finest alfalfa hay, a grain mixture that could pass for granola at any health food store, and the addition of raspberry leaves and a cherry flavored rolaids with their breakfast.  Of course the occasional morsel of dried fruit, cookies, peanuts, or a slice of bread is available upon request.  Maid service happens only 3 times a week unless there's a serious complication such as a positive fecal exam, scours, or copious amounts of goo which is usually followed by gooey kids.

Well it's been wet here for 3 full weeks.  The kidding barn/stalls are very dry and cozy however the pen is muddy.  And icky.  Lexi has had enough.  She's at her wit's end with this endless confinement and poor accomodations and has discovered the art of complaining.  Loudly. 

Her babies have started dropping today....her ligaments are softening, and she's getting her little first freshener udder.  At 12 months she's a big girl....and I think she might have twins....

Meanwhile the 2 little barn princesses are outside full time now, are disbudded, and are doing fine in their stall without a heat lamp at night.  They are downing 3 qts of milk each per day....not bad for girls!

Remember that song from Sesame Street?  "one of these things aren't like the other"..."one of these these just aren't the same.."  Look at the line-up picking hay scraps from the feeder after breakfast this morning...

All in Due time....

or is that DOOO time?  Things get crazy here in the blink of an eye and then once in a while we get a lull to clean up the mess.  As a really quick catch up on my life....my mother had hip replacement surgery on Dec 1.  Her second surgery so we figured it would all be fine like the first time.  NOT. 

Now on Jan 20, a full 51 days later.....she is scheduled to come home from the rehab facility tomorrow.  51 days is a very long time.  And it's a very long time this time of year, considering weather, economics, and stress factors.  I am very happy to announce that mom is doing really well, and I just can't wait to get her home again!

This is a banner week for new beginnings.  Yesterday some of the turkey eggs in the incubator looked like this....

Then by evening we had a couple of these....

And today we have these!

7 poults in all!

In the goat barn....our little Lexi should be a first freshener by the end of the month....which means she got moved today to a clean kidding stall to start her on raspberry leaf and room service.  Wish she knew how good she has it, but for now she's still complaining...

And a bit curious about her next door neighbors....the second stall houses Fiona and Fenominal......

And remember poor Hanky Tanky with his broken leg?

Well the cast is off and he's running around like crazy again!  Here is Gracie Mae and "the littles"...

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightfull....

It started raining at about 2:30 this morning......and by 2 this afternoon we had sleet and freezing rain accumulating....

By 4:30 we had this....

Our beautiful broccoli florets are under a blanket of snow now.....broccoli snow cone anyone?

Everyone is hunkered down in barns staying warm....and the new baby goats are growing like weeds.  Happy's baby now has a name....Queenacres Finominal Find....and oh my what a face...

And one more picture of Fiona...

Now if that doesn't warm your heart I don't know what will!

New Year, New Experiences!

The last few days of 2010 were pretty busy around here.  Not only was I dealing with the stress of Daydream's inconsistent labor signs....

But Hank managed to break his femur jumping off my lap....leaving us with the need for ear plugs and him with the need of a vet!  As you can see, he's much more comfortable now...and eating up every ounce of extra attention that this has brought him....

At about 8pm on New Year's Eve.....Daydream went into serious labor and delievered a huge set of triplets in a matter of 20 minutes.

We got them clean and dry, got colostrum into them....got warm molasses water into Dreamy and got ready for bed.  Early the next morning we started our routine as usual....kids get fed before anything....and started our day.
It wasn't long before I realized that the kids had a problem.  By 8pm the doe had crashed and was all but dead; the 2 bucks were too weak to stand.  Rebekah and I worked on them all night and did everything that we could for them.  It wasn't until the next day that I thought of Selenium. 

Selenium deficiency has never been a problem for us because we live in a selenium rich area and we've always bought local hay.  Well, for the last year we've been buying out of state alfalfa hay!  It was a stupid mistake on my part.  They've had 2 injections and we are still working with them around the clock.  We're calling them our miracle boys but they are not out of the woods yet....
On the left is Queenacres FivoClock Somewhere and on the right is Queenacres Finally Friday...

Now for the really great news!  Yesterday morning Faith had that "look" in her eye so I was watching her...within about 10 minutes I knew she was ready to go to the kidding stall.

I got her all settled in and continued doing chores when I realized that Happy was nowhere to be found....I found her grunting and pushing up in the old doe barn.

So there they were, the two old ladies of the herd....both consider themselves herd queen.....grunting and pushing like it was a race to see who has their babies first....and insisiting on being in the same stall!

Happy won the race.....with little miss QA no name for now.  A beautiful 7# 5.2 oz doe kid!

Within a minute Faith delivered a beautiful 8# 8.4 oz girl we've named QA Faith's Fiona

Being that she's out of my favorite doe, has a quirky personality, and how about those markings??!!  She'll be staying here!

Yep, she's a superstar!!

Well that sums up our first week of 2011!

2010 at a Glance