Every Farm Needs Animals

Our Goats, Penny and Star

Our cows, Ruby and Nellie

Our  farmhouse was once part of a much bigger farm, but the land has not been used as farmland for quite some time. That being said, aside from the three outbuildings we have, we have had to start from scratch with fencing, housing, etc for our small but growing farm. We have kept chickens for about 6 years now so we were well versed when we moved all 16 of them from our suburban home here to the farm last June.  Our coop, which is quite large, was loaded up on to a flatbed truck and delivered to the new place without a hitch, chickens inside! We had the coop fenced in so as to give them a secure place to range when the dogs are out. In addition to the chicken area we also fenced in a small area for future goats. The two areas are further enclosed in what we call the back pasture, which was previously open. Needles to say, getting ready for the animals was a bit of a financial hit because we had to install a lot of fencing.

We wanted to raise goats, and had started the research last winter before we found this place.  We drink goats milk for the health benefits, but didn't even know where to start when it came to which breeds are the best milk producers, which ones produce the amount we need, and which would fit our overall  needs the best.  We visited as many different goat farms as we could, read as much as we could put our hands on, and also asked anyone who was willing to share their experience with us.  For the record, most goat owners are very willing to brag about their pets, and are more than excited to share their experience with you:).  After months of research we decided that the Nigerian Dwarf was the breed for us.  We decided that the size was good, and that the amount of milk produced daily would be perfect for our needs.  Deciding on the right breed was not too hard, but finding the perfect pair proved to be a challenge! One of the first breeders I spoke to was able to help us and hook us up with a friend who had two 12 week old does, so we visited them fell in love and brought them home about a week later in mid July.  We are currently looking for a buck for them and hope to breed them in the late winter, early spring.

As if goats were not enough, we decided to add two Minature Hereford Heifers to our menagerie! Ruby and Nellie are a little over 6 months old and are like giant dogs!  They moo when we get out of our trucks, they moo when they see us come outside, and they follow us everywhere.  These girls will take a little longer to mature, so won't be bred for another 2-3 years.  These two will serve as our breeders, and from them we will be able to produce more cows to sell and for meat.

All of the dogs, cows, and goats are getting along famously.  There is an order out there in the pasture, and it's quite interesting to watch!  I can say one of the sweetest sights I have seen out ere was my husband on the ground trying to get a halter and rope off one of the cows a few days after they were delivered.  He was on the ground, in the woods, with a cow at 12 o'clock, another cow at 2 o'clock, a cat at 4, and a dog at 6. It was literally one of the moments of this adventure I will, never forget. I can see the back pasture from my bedroom window when I wake each morning, and I love being able to sit up,  look out, and see all of our animals before I head downstairs.   I usually take the dogs out for the last time around 9 pm, say good night to all of the girls outside, and am excited as a kid on Christmas Eve to wake up and see them in the morning!

Building a farm, both literally and figuratively is quite a process.  Getting the right animals, the right feed, the right fencing, and then hurry up and wait.  It had taken us almost 6 months to get this far, and now we are preparing for our first winter with this many outside animals.  Filling the barn with hay, figuring out how to keep water from freezing, and so many other new problems to solve, but we would not have it any other way!

Cheers!
Joanne