Much Less Cock~a~Doddle~Doo

Happy, happy to say the roosters are in the freezer. The better half butchered yesterday, 10 birds. Things are now calm, quiet and happy around the chicken pen. Instead of 12 morning crows, only 2 today.

Getting roughly a baker’s dozen in eggs each day. Selling them as quickly as I gather them it seems.

Buffy’s boys the Boer bucklings are almost weaned. Down to 1 bottle a day. We moved the boys off the screened in porch out to the kid pen so Scarlet and Pittypat (the new ewe lambs) could be close at hand to bottle, care for and bring in at night. Yep, two more house babies. :-)

The dairy girls are beginning to show their baby bellies. Barb and Isabella are both due to kid in June. Scarlet and Pittypat should be able to handle things on their own by then and graduate off the porch to the kidding pen at that time. Oops, for lambs it is called a lambing jug. Barb and Isabella both have produced twins in the past, so we will be looking at 4 house bottle babies in June.

We are at day 5 with the new feeder piglets, they are settling in just fine. At least they don’t run squealing to the back of the pen when we approach to feed and water. They sure are little cuties. I have resisted the urge to pick them up and cuddle them. If nothing else the one lesson I have learned over the years…you don’t play with your food.

I had considered setting the seedlings out to let them harden off, but don’t think I will risk it. Possible frost warnings for the area the next couple nights. And we only thought Spring had sprung.

Update on Weight Loss for better half - Since the Lap Band surgery was a no go. He decided to go with a supervised diet with the family doctor. The new diet plan is working out well. Not really a prescribed diet plan as much as healthy eating lifestyle changes. We do have to consider sugar, cholesterol and sodium levels. At home he does wonderfully well. The challenge will be out on the road when farm fresh food and my cooking is not available to him. He has lost 10 lbs. since the 14th of March. The Dr. said the first 20 lbs. for him should drop rapidly.

Second update on soaps – Coincidentally the day I sold all the bars of soap I had on hand, the last of the local shops that carried our products called to say she was also closing (due to the economy). We were just going to let her sell the remaining product out, but that isn't going to happen. I will be picking up all products they have in-store tomorrow. I’ll let anyone that is interested know what is available.

Hope everyone has a great day!