And it is a good Friday! I’m on Easter Vacation until Monday and absolutely thrilled to have some time to spend leisurely and un-rushed here on the farm. Some quick updates so far….
The pasture is starting to “green up” but we still have a long way to go until the horses can spend more than an hour at a time on it. It needs a chance to grow and get strong before they can be turned out for hours at a time.
The horse dentist paid us a visit on Thursday to float two of the racehorse’s teeth. Good dental care is a must if you want them to eat and perform well!
Though, the horses are never too happy about it. But hey – who really enjoys a visit with the dentist anyway, right?
Good news! The quail have started laying eggs again! I currently have two females and a male. There were two eggs in their cage yesterday, and two today! So, i’m going to go out on a limb and try to hatch some in the incubator this year. Hopefully I’ll have more luck than I did with the previous round of chicken eggs I tried to hatch, which was as most of you know, a 100% FAILURE! Farming can be so discouraging… and so often.
The pigs are doing great and seem to be very content. I’m guessing, and hoping, Penny is pregnant. I’ll keep searching for signs and keep you all updated. Onslow (her baby Daddy on the left) is a quiet, gentle boar and I couldn’t be happier with him. He lets me sit on his back and brush him, and is never pushy or mean even at feeding time. And always a gentlemen with Penny. Such a great little boar! He’ll turn one year old in June.
And for the last quick update – the garden was tilled yesterday, (and of course some of the chickens helped)… Around 200 yellow and red onions were planted. And, I’m getting ready to start some other vegetables indoors this weekend as well. I’ll be starting Sunflowers, Tomatoes, and maybe some Brussels sprouts… They seem so out of my skill level to plant, but maybe I’ll work up the confidence.
I also gave the barn a major spring clean yesterday, and moved some animals around. Rabbits will be bred today to replenish the meat stock. And hopefully, this next round of eggs in the incubator will produce chicks this time around. Additionally, the plan is to expand the garden by four times larger this year, to allow for more pumpkins, corn and whatever! ~A