30/09/2024
It turns out, summer is pretty busy!
We are still developing so there was lots of building. I fenced the garden, a big area for the girls, a midsize area for the boys and a small breeding pen. I built a shack and run for one pheasant group and put the other pheasant group in the "A" frame. The quail were moved to the small rabbit run in the back yard.
It was a summer for reflection and hard choices too. I sold almost all the rabbits, keeping only a couple of pets. Rabbit meat is delicious but it takes a lot more work than chicken. I don't love the kitchen so I decided to let them go. If I ever decide I want them again, it will be super easy. I have the facilities and the knowledge to run a rabbitry exactly the way I want.
I also sold the kunekunes. That was a tough one. I love them so much, and will always love them. We decided that keeping breeders is not for us, at least not now. We are picking up some bacon seeds later this week. They are going to live in the garden for a few months and root it up. I'm going to rest the garden and start again in a year or two. It needs to spend some time in repair. I'll support my local farmers market in the meantime. Raising up pigs short term fits our lifestyle and needs for now. I'm looking forward to picking up the rascals! I really love pigs but goats are the animals we want to be our main focus. The dairy products are such a high value item to us!
Nigerian Dwarf goat milk is AMAZING! We learned so much this year and look forward to a more knowledgeable experience next year. We will breed 5 does in November/December and hope for loads of milk!
Coming next spring: soap, cheese, butter, cream...so many dairy products
By far the best part of this summer was the birth of our first darling grandchild! 🥰