Busy weekend

We're up to 19 new kids now, it would have been 20 except for the one that died. This past weekend was productive. Approximately 6 cubic yards of compost was turned, The adult goats were all wormed, the doelings had ear tags installed and the bucklings were, were, well - castrated. It's one of those jobs on the farm that isn't something we enjoy doing but it MUST be done. If we left the little boy goats INTACT, the meat would become gamey tasting in a few months. It's easier on the little ones to do it when they are young. It's easier on us not to do it at all. Sigh. We use an elastrator. This is like a pair of pliers that expands a small, strong rubber band. The band is placed over the scrotum (such words are unavoidable given the subject matter) then you must make sure both "fellas" are in the scrotum. Especially during cold weather the "fellas" may retract back up into the body cavity to keep warm (or hide). If you fail to get both in the scrotum then the goat will still be capable of impregnating females which would be bad. Also male goats have HABITS which are unpleasant at various times of the year and you don't want to have those habits happen (cough).
That's a whole nother unpleasant farm oriented topic which we may or may not discuss at the proper time (August/September).
Anyway once the "fellas" are obviously in the scrotum you release the rubber band from the pliers and it pinches the scrotum above the "fellas". In a couple of weeks the scrotum atrophies due to lack of blood flow and it just drops off somewhere in the barnyard. That isn't the most pleasant thing to find before breakfast.
I made some french cleats for the garage workshop project and I have begun painting them.
We have committed to (bought parts for) a 6 foot by 30 foot hoophouse for starting vegetable plants. This week we will be assembling it and maybe next weekend we'll get the ground prepped for planting.
Our barred rock chicks are about a month and a half old now and they're growing nicely. I'm going to have to build some new roosts in the chicken barn so they can join the general population.
The cornish cross chickens (meat birds) are huge and getting bigger. They need 3 scoops of high protein feed 3 times a day now. They should be fully grown and ready for processing in the first week of March. We may let them go a little longer because we like them between 6 and 7 lbs.

Fourteen and counting

It's been a busy 13 days -- fourteen goats later and here we are. Only one has died -- simply because it fell on its head at birth (we'd have 15, otherwise) and the spread is 7 girls and 7 boys so far. Oh, sorry... 7 doelings and 7 bucklings. Cute as all get out, as they say.

Switching the goats off grain and onto alfalfa pellets -- better for them and will make them look prettier according to Mike. Not that pretty goats are a problem, but the new feed will also make them feel better in the long run. A little more expensive, but it may just be worth it.

Long weeks of cold, nasty weather (the whole country is experiencing the same) and not much relief in the near future.