Friday, March 16, 2012

It's been so long...

I can't believe it's been so long since I last wrote on this blog. I knew I would be an irregular blogger when I started this blog but I honestly didn't think I would go quite so long between entries!

So much has happened on the farm, it's hard to sum it all up in one entry. So, I'll just go with the highlights.

Chickens!!!
Last March, I wrote about crossing over into a parallel universe. That of birds. Well, it turns out that I've discovered a new passion - fancy chickens. We now have a small flock of Ameracaunas and Easter Eggers and have been selling farm fresh eggs to a small but loyal group of customers.

Tomorrow, I am heading to the annual Eastern Bird Breeders Association spring auction in Vernon, ON. I hope to be adding to my collection of chickens with some more purebred Ameracaunas as well as some Speckled Sussex hens and maybe a Welsummer or Barnvelder or two. I've been looking forward to this sale for months! I am also picking up two dozen fertile Ameracauna eggs that I ordered from a fellow bird fancier and will be hatching those out. I am hoping to hatch out black, blue and splash babies. Depending on the success of the hatch, I may have pullets and cockerels for sale later this spring.

The ducks have found a new home, at least for now. Having ducks this past year taught me a great deal but the most important thing it taught me is that in order to own waterfowl, one needs a proper waterfowl habitat. Otherwise, things just get plain messy. Ducks are messy creatures. So! Until I can build a proper habitat for them, the walking bowling pins will no longer be residing on the farm. :(

Sheep!!! (For sale)
On the sheep front, so many changes are happening... We are now running a fully closed flock. No outside stock will be added to the flock for the next several years, which I find exciting. We have enough genetic diversity to last us a few generations. Yay!

We have also decided to reduce our purebred Shetland flock by close to half this year and focus on building up our mulesheep flock. As a result, I am currently putting together a sales list which includes some really exceptional Shetland sheep.

First on the list is WillowGarden Wedge. Wedge has served me very well over the years as flock sire and he has improved fleeces in my flock, no doubt about it. I have a 2009 son of his that I am keeping and from whom I am expecting lambs for the first time this year.

My current Shetland ram flock includes Wedge, FirthofFifth Aman (who is not for sale), Gizmo (Wedge's son) and my 2011 scurred yearling ram by Aman, out of Elwyn who will be staying as well. This means that I have one too many Shetland rams.

Since I have several daughters of Wedge's, and of course his son, Wedge needs to find a new home. If you are interested in Wedge, let me know. His price is $300 (firm) which is an absolute bargain for this boy.

I have a number of bred ewes, due to lamb in May, that are also available. I have some yearling ewes for sale as well, out of both Wedge and Aman. All will be reasonably priced and a $25/head discount will be offered to anyone purchasing 3 or more sheep.

Please keep an eye here on the blog over the next few weeks as I begin to post the sales list and pictures. If you are looking for anything in particular, drop me a line. I may have what you are looking for. Want the ewe but don't want the lambs? No problem, we'll take the lambs back or we'll lamb down the ewe and you can pick her up once babies are weaned. Simply let us know your preference.

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