So Much Going On

I’m afraid this will have to be one of those bullet-point affairs:

• We got a couple of additional BFLs from Ohio last weekend in order to grab the last available breeding-age ewes from a breeder who sold out her flock three years ago.  They are MAGNIFICENT but don’t seem to particularly want to be photographed.
• We drove 14 hours out and 16 back (due to having to take smooth roads with a full trailer).  We dropped off a Bluefaced Leicester ram in Western NY while outbound and then enjoyed a slow day seeing Ohio and chatting with the shepherd who was parting with his BFL flock.  The next day, we left the hotel at 5am for a 5:30 loadup and a long, straight drive home.
• We got back to Vermont at 9:45, totally exhausted.  As we approach the house, we see strange figures near the ram enclosure.  Turns out our neighbors’ beef herd was loose.  They availed themselves of our hay and grass, leaving copious amounts of fertilizer in payment
• We tried to herd them into our barn, but only two were willing to come in.  Our neighbor Terry helped us find the owner, and soon we were shooing the cattle slowly home.
  

  
  
  We released our new sheep, free from the risk of roaming cattle taking our fencing down and slept fitfully.
• Meanwhile, our chickens are headed outdoors by the end of the week.  We are pleased to see our Slow White Broilers growing rapidly while still behaving naturally.  They as active and chirpy as chickens their age aught to be.  The jury is still out on how they’ll finish out, but so far, so good.  Interested in chicken?   We will have pastured chicken available after July 18th.  We also have
• Our geese now roam the yard freely.  Contrary to the information we read, our geese are neither friendly towards us nor are they aggressive.  They seem cautious and inclined to move in a flock.  I am anxious about slaughtering a goose because plucking is apparently a significant challenge.  But I am willing to try at least one and then start tweaking.  Friend of the Farm Suzanne Podhaiser has been very generous with her experience, so I am grateful to her for her sage advice.
• We are getting Jersey calves!  Two Jersey steers are forthcoming from Richardson Family Farm.  We need to think up some good names for them.  While most bulls born on dairy farms board a truck shortly after birth to meet a destiny inside a hotdog casing, ours will enjoy a winter and two summers of grass, shelter and sunshine.  We hope to keep them friendly but not pushy.  Brace yourselves for some big brown eyes.
• Back to the sheep we bought.  I am enamored with their amazing blue color and fantastic structure.  They are real beauties.
• We are trying to decide whether to raise more chickens or whether to have a few turkeys.  Our main goal with the birds on the farm is to pump up the nitrogen in the soil where it is seriously depleted.  Thoughts and opinions?

A few more pictures:

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