Fall and Winter Brings New Life Too

The calendar says it is fall but it has been feeling a lot more like winter lately. We even had freezing rain in November, a very rare occurrence for fall.  Both fall and winter are associated with death.  The garden slowed down and finally I flung the doors open to allow the goats to finish it all off before everything died, along with any nutrients beneficial to the goats and chickens.  The days have been growing shorter.  A few months ago we had to wait tell after 8pm before the chickens would return to the coop for bed, but now it is dark by 6pm.  The shorter days and colder temps have killed off all the grass, caused the leaves on deciduous trees to change colors and drop their leaves, and just makes the world appear to be dying or going to sleep for a season.

Here at the ranch though, fall and winter is not a time when everything is dying or sleeping.  Believe me, we are not resting.  Yes, on days when the temperature is below freezing we are less motivated to go outside and work, but we are not taking a break.  There is always something inside or outside that needs to be done.

Nature also is not taking a break.  It may have slowed down a little, but a lot is still happening.  For instance, there are a lot of plants, like garlic, which are planted in the fall and apparently need the colder winter weather in order to grow properly.  I did not plant any garlic in the garden but it is something I am considering doing in the future.  Some animals go into heat during the fall months in order to have their babies in the spring.  So while it may appear that nature is taking a break during the winter, the exact opposite is actually taking place.

So, what is happening here?  First, a little over a month ago we brought home two livestock guardian dogs (LGD), Great Pyrenees (GP).  They are in the process of learning their jobs, which is to protect the goats, chickens, and other future animals, from predators.  There are a lot of predators around here who find baby goat and chicken very delicious.  This year coyotes have been a real problem for other ranchers, but cougars have also been seen.  Raccoons can easily kill a kid too.  But wild animals are not our only concern, which is why we decided we needed LGD’s on the property.  We named them Abraham and Sara.

 (The puppies checking out their new home the day after we bought them.)

Last summer we purchased several Nubian does.  Nubians are dairy goats and are known for producing wonderful rich milk.  Both does were supposed to have been bred but only Bella clearly is pregnant.  Both does spent several months with a buck and it is unknown when Bella actually got pregnant and therefore it is a guessing game when she will kid.  So every day when we go outside to let the chickens out and tend to our other morning tasks, we look to see what condition Bella is in.  We are guessing that some time in the next week, or two at most, we will be seeing little baby goats running around. 

The timing of Bella kidding could not be better.  During the past month Bambi, the only doe we have been milking, has been drying up.  I have literally been milking Bambi right into a dog bowl and feeding it to the puppies.  Bambi just isn’t giving us enough milk to make it worth the effort to keep it.  So we are in desperate need of a fresh doe to milk.  Once Bella kids, we will once again have an excellent source of yummy milk for drinking  and cooking with.

(Bella)

As for Belle, if our suspicions turn out to be true, we can take her back to the breeder to be bred again.  Since selling us the two does she has found a new buck that is a lot more eager than her previous buck was.

And lastly, last May we purchased 13 Rhode Island Red chicks that have now grown up and have started laying eggs.  Yesterday I collected 10 eggs, the record so far.  I have been able to share our egg bounty with several families. 

 

(The Rhode Island Reds lay the smaller brown eggs.  Donated chickens lay the Jumbo size eggs.)

The calendar may say it is fall and winter may just be around the corner, but there is a lot of activity happening here.

 

(Puppies today--they sure are growing fast.  Bambi looking away.)