A long overdue update

The last two months have been very busy!  Some activities are done for the year, like my karate class, but others have taken their place, including soccer, and spring cleanup.

LIVESTOCK

We have goats!  There are now two pygmy nanny goats running wild and free on the farm, and they are pretty dang cute!  They are only about the size of a medium dog, and have little short horns, but they are very playful, and completely non-aggressive.  They like to climb on things, but they typically stay within 100 feet of the house.  We don't have them penned up, but they eventually will be put into a fenced area, and I might be getting a few more of them.  I am thinking about selling them as milking animals, so that people who would like raw milk, but don't have room for a cow could have one of these, and then they could have some milk!

I am also gearing up for my first batch of chickens in 2012.  I will be ordering them next week, and I'm starting with 150.  Instead of ordering all of them at once, I will order smaller batches, raise those, and that will allow me to manage my freezer space better.  It's also a lot easier to manage 150 chickens on pasture than 400!
This year, I will be raising several different breeds, the main breed being the Cornish Cross.  As much as I don't really like that breed, they do grow fast, and they get big.  Last year, my dual-purpose birds only got to 3 pounds in 14 weeks!  It costs $5 per bird for processing, so literally half of the price of the bird was the processing.  My net profit was very low, maybe $1 per bird.  I need bigger birds, or lower processing costs, or both.  I will still be raising some dual purpose types, but mainly so I can have some hens.  Last years flock was all male.

WORK

I mentioned before that I am volunteering with the local fire department, and I am still doing that.  I am not officially a member, but I am hoping that will change this week!  Apparently they are reviewing the budget to see if they can add more members, so here's hoping... Even so, I have enjoyed the training immensely!  There is so much to know that I literally feel retarded, but this summer should hopefully see me learning enough to be a contributing member of the team.  I've also been able to meet some more people, which has been a bit of a challenge, since I don't work in town.

NERDY STUFF

A couple of weeks ago, we had a STAR TREK CONVENTION in the big city that I work in!  Technically, it was a "comic convention", but the main attraction was the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation coming.  I've loved that show since I was a kid, and I determined that I was going to go to this convention!  I took the kids to the stadium, and walked up to the front...and was informed that they were not allowing anyone else inside.  Apparently the fire department had told them to stop allowing walk-in's because they had too many inside already!  I was choked...and we went home.  If they ever return again, I will make sure and pre-purchase my tickets.  Hopefully at least some of the cast will be back next year!

EPILOGUE

Everything is turning green, the weather is great, and I am excited about summertime!  I will also be posting more pictures, and maybe a few Youtubes.  By the way, you can visit my website at
www.sunset-meadows.org
and see pictures, order chicken, or shower me with glowing accolades ; )