Rain, New Ducks, Shearing

Hmmm, raining last 48 hours, heavy fog, I feel foggy.  Made apple butter last evening, well, it ran late into the night.  Ah, no matter how early I start it seems to be an all day project. Snitzing the apples takes a long time, as in three hours to do three quarters of a bushel. I still have a half bushel staring me down.

Baby ducks arrived and are settled into the barn, but not before I constructed a top for their pen. There have been too many predator losses this season. Even though our cats do not go after the remaining chickens, don't trust them a minute with young ducklings. I cancelled the order for the Golden 300 layers. Simply could not get the infrastruce finished on time for 80 ducks. This winter Aaron and I will work on preparing for their arrival in March. This little flock is composed of Welsh Harlequins, Blue Swedish, and Khaki Campbells.

A Welsh Harlequin

The three Angora goats experienced their first shearing and hoof trimming.  The fleeces are gorgeous. I was hoping to wash them today. The fleece must dry outside on mesh tables, that makes today a bust. It is important that they not get chilled after shearing. This means they are confined to the barn for two weeks. Just look at the incredible luster!

If you need custom embroidered gifts please stop by the stand.  I will be taking orders from now through February. More on that later. We also have some German Extra Hardy planting stock available.