In the last 3 days, Little Bit Farm has been hit with 2 good snow storms, leaving us covered in snow! It's very pretty, but a pain to trudge through trying to do am/pm chores! I'm not sure that any of the critters really like it and they only come out of the barn/calf hutch to be fed. I'll take some winter pics and post them later :)

I'm excited for a new year...bring on 2013! I'm excited for a new kidding season to begin, and keeping my fingers crossed I get at least 1 doe this year (I was blessed with 6 bucks in 2012)! And I'm excited to meet my new baby in  March <3

I hope everybody had a Merry Christmas, I know we did...Christmas is so much more fun having a child! Christmas Eve the 2 little boys, Ben & Jerry, went to their new home in Oakland. I was a little sad, but knew they were going to a great home, with two young boys to play with all Christmas vacation! So all of my babies are gone :( Now to hurry up and wait for the next doe to kid...I'm guessing it's going to be Peachy and then Pan Dee. Then I'll be due to have my baby March 13 :) We're not sure if Alva is bred and Helga will kid in May. It'll be a very busy spring, filled with a baby and lots of kids :)

Yesterday was a sunny, beautiful day out! I spent the day baking for Christmas and trying to keep 2 adorable baby goats away from their momma (which is no easy task when they're 5 weeks old and little). I'm trying to get them on a bottle before their new family picks them up on Christmas Eve!

After 2-3 attempts at giving them a bottle, they must have been hungry enough that they both drank 2 oz at 11:30. I hope they'll take more at each feeding and not have any digestive problems, where I'm switching them to cow's milk. I want them to be healthy and happy for their new family :)

It's been busy around Little Bit Farm...RM came home with a new girlfriend, Helga (bred nigerian dwarf). She seems to be fitting in nicely. We're trying to bottle feed the 2 little boys, Ben & Jerry, as they'll be going to their new home for Christmas! And hopefully we'll be finishing the barn the weekend after Christmas!

I'm very sad this morning, as I woke up to no Larry (goat) when I went out to hay them this morning :'( I'm not sure what happened...RIP Lar-Bear ♥

The nigerian X bottle babies went to their new home today. I was a little sad, but they went to a good home!

Then...a family from Oakland ended up coming to see the (2) 3 week old nigerian X boys and buying them for their boys for Christmas. They'll be going to their new home Christmas Eve. It's good, but it's all happening SO fast! I don't know if this pregnant momma can handle it :(

It's a bittersweet day...the bottle babies new mom came to see them again today and is taking them home tomorrow :( I have way too many bucks on my farm, so it needed to happen, but I've gotten very attached to them in the few weeks they've been here! I know from talking to their new family, that they'll be very well taken care of and we can go see them anytime we want :)

There isn't much happening around here lately, except for frozen water buckets and hungry critters! I've had a few calls on the 2 blue eyed nigerian x bottle babies I have for sale...keep your fingers crossed they go to their new homes for Christmas :)

I just updated my For Sale Page! We currently have 5 bucks and 1 wether for sale from 2 wks old-7 months old. They all make great pets/Christmas presents! Contact me for more info :)

I recently picked up 2 young bucklings, probably 2-4 weeks old. They are bottle babies...I had forgotten how you can't go far when you're bottle feeding goats 3x a day! I got them, knowing they would probably go for meat and would rather see them go to pet homes, so I am selling them! I'm asking $75obo for each of them. Contact me if you're interested :)

The top pic is a nubian/nigerian dwarf and the bottom pic is an alpine/nigerian dwarf.

The boys are doing well! I had forgotten how soon they have all kinds of energy and are out playing. They will be for sale and make great Chrismas presents ;) They'll be ready to go Jan 10th, unless you'd like to bottle feed them. $75 for a wether and $100 for a buck. They may be polled...we should know in a few days!

Stella had her babies (Thursday, Nov 15th)!!! She had 2 boys and was obviously bred by RM, our big alpine/pygmy/toggenburg/oberhasli buck (the waddles gave it away). This makes 6 bucks I've had this year. I was a little dissappointed they were both boys...but it'll be much easier to sell them both and not end up keeping them :)

Two of our spring bucklings are back at Little Bit Farm (the gold&white and buckskin). The buckskin wasn't doing well, after being fed too much sweet feed...it's causes Urinary Calculi (urinary stones in the bladder, which cause a blockage). This is very painful for bucks/wethers, so make sure if you're feeding them grain it's in moderation and never feed sweet feed! I brought him to the vet and he had a procedure done and was put on antibiotics and pain medicine. It's keeping him more comfortable than he was but he's still hurting :( Please keep him in your thoughts that he comes out of this, because as the vet said "He's not out of the woods yet."

Thank you to my pal Meredith and cousins Morgan & Autumn for your help getting him to the vet yesterday! I couldn't have done it without you!

Jamison got out of work early yesterday because of the storm and decided to go to the auction. He brought a bunch of roosters, so it seemed like a good idea...until he came home with 2 pigs! One is supposed to be for a family member, but if he doesn't take it Rosie will have 2 new friends. I don't mind having a "little bit" of a farm, but what did I get myself into?

We're still waiting for 4 does to kid...hoping Stella goes soon, I'm very anxious to see what she has!

We're preparing for a very busy weekend of carving pumpkins for the 2nd Annual Pumpkin Lighting on the Tucker Rd in Wayne. We did it last year, but didn't get much of a crowd. We've advertised a lot more this year and are hoping that Hurricane Sandy doesn't keep the crowd away again! It's a lot of work but a lot of fun to get a group together to carve all of these pumpkins...it's dissapointing when you've worked so hard to put on a good pumpkin lighting and the weather doesn't cooperate and people don't come out to see them. So let's hope it passes by us and we have a good turn out :)

If anyone is interested in carving contact me for more info: (207)320-1866. We're carving today through Tuesday. We'll have the pumpkins, carving tools, stencils and food for all carvers!

The 2nd Annual Pumpkin Lighting will be held Tuesday, October 30th & Wednesday, October 31st after dark. Please turn on your parking lights ONLY for the best view of the pumpkins. Have a Happy & safe Halloween ALL :)

The pig is doing well and has been named Rosie! We've decided to try and breed her when she's old enough to have piglets.

There isn't much else going on around here except we have Jamison's cousin's Nubian Doe, Lily, here to be bred by RM. Nothing exciting has happened yet...I don't think she's in heat, so we'll have to wait a few weeks and hopefully she leaves bred :)

Yesterday afternoon Meredith and I went to pick up the new pig. It was a stinky, but short ride home and we fed and watered her as soon as we got home. She seemed very hungry and thirsty! She didn't appear to be as big as she should be at her age...I don't think the previous owners knew how to raise a pig/wanted to raise a pig. She's in good hands now! We pick up 2-3 buckets of pig slop a week from the Fayette Country Store and cows milk from my inlaws dairy farm, plus grain and hay...sounds like we'll have a happy pig :) At 3-4 months old I think it's safe to name her...any suggestions?

As most of you know, we ended up losing the piglet late Thursday night. I blamed myself for everything that could have gone wrong, but in reality her body had been shutting down and I just couldn't save her :'( Thank you Tammy for coming over so late to help try to save her!

My pal knew Emma and I were sad about our piglet. She was offered a free young pig a friend had caught at the Monmouth Fair pig scramble, but isn't able to take it right now. She told us about it a couple of days ago and brought us to see it yesterday. It turns out the lady giving the pig away is my cousin from Fayette, what a small world! So we're going to pick the pig up today. Wish us better luck then we've had so far, with this pig! She's a Duroc Pig: red in color, growing faster than most pig breeds. I'll post pics later.

This is the week old piglet we've been caring for since Tuesday night. She's doing much better today, eating on her own and quite active for a piglet that is the runt and had been stepped on :) Jamison wouldn't let us name her in case we lost her. Any name suggestions?

We didn't get much accomplished on the goat barn this week as we were at the Fryeburg Fair. We camped at the fair and helped Jamison's family take care of and show their beef cows. All of our birds placed top 3.

None of my does have kidded yet...it should be soon though. Even though we didn't plan on having fall/winter kids, I'm pretty anxious and excited!

For Sale
This is the bred doe I rescued. As soon as she kids, I'll be selling her...having 1 horned goat and the rest dehorned isn't working out on our farm. She's a great goat, but needs a home where there are other horned animals. I'm asking the $125 that I paid for her. She's an unregistered nigerian dwarf. If anyone is interested, message me.

My gram and I made our first batch of homemade spaghetti sauce on Sunday...I can't wait to try it! We have at least 2 more batches to make as soon as the tomatoes are ripe enough and a batch of pickles (I haven't decided what kind yet). We'll also be canning carrots. I had hoped to do a lot more canning this year, but lost most of my garden to a neighbor's dog tearing through it :( There's always next year...

Our birds are at the Farmington Fair. They'll be there until Sunday...if you get a chance stop by and see how they did in the bird show :)

I'm ordering the siding today for the goat barn...I've waited long enough! We've been trying to get the best price possible, but fall/winter is coming and I have 3 bred does that need a warm place to have babies. We're getting this thing done...hopefully before the first week in October ( It's Emma's 2nd birthday & we'll be away at the Fryeburg Fair). Wish us luck!

I can't seem to keep my does in their pen lately! I'm going a little crazy chasing them back in their pen several times a day. My husband just needs to add more cedar posts to make the fence lower to the ground so they can't slip under and add electricity to the play yard so they can't go through the electric fence. He works a lot, so he'll get to it when he can. In the meantime, I've got to figure something out! Any ideas are welcome :) On the positive side...it's Friday!

I've added new tabs to the top of my blog, with all of the farm info (Thanks for the help Meredith ;)) Take a look and tell me what ya think :) I'll add pics soon!

A friend called today asking if I wanted to buy a bred nigerian dwarf goat with horns. My initial answer was NO, as the rest of my herd is dehorned. Then she explained that it was going to be slaughtered in a few days if someone didn't buy her and she just didn't have room on her farm of 20+ goats. So...she showed me a picture and brought me to see this goat and I didn't have the heart to leave her there to be slaughtered, especially with babies on board! She's due to kid in a couple of weeks, so we'll have fall kids if anyone is interested! I'll post pics of her soon :)

She is chocolate colored with a black topline, frosted ears & nose and white markings on her belly...oh, and don't forget those blue eyes!

My does will be put in with the bucks this afternoon so the does that aren't already bred (I believe 1 is already, if not more) will be soon, which means February kids!

On another note, we have a skunk problem...a VERY stinky skunk problem. We've trapped 3 as of today! Does anybody know of anything we can put out to scare them away?

I haven't updated in a couple of weeks. We haven't had much progress on our barn, as Jamison has been working a lot! We've been from fair to fair every weekend, entering our birds, doing fairly well. We went with my pal Meredith Pepper & Family and checked on the birds at the Windsor Fair and got mostly 1st and 2nd place wins :) Every little bit helps with the grain bill! I bet the birds will be more than ready to be home by the end of fair season. They are used to free ranging and at the fairs they are cooped up in small cages with tons of people, sticking their fingers in cages and making unusual bird noises at them (these people obviously don't have a clue about birds or realize what idiots they sound like when they do this) but that's the public for ya ;) After Labor Day weekend, we're off to Clinton Fair for a weekend...wish us luck!

FYI...STAY AWAY from Empty Pockets Farm (Jenny Poland)- Turner, Maine!-What I just posted on her FB page...

I've had my buckling, Larry, for 6 months now and have yet to recieve his Sire's ID # from you. You've assured me that the paperwork is in the works, but I haven't seen anything yet. I've emailed, called & texted you with no response since May. I've been as patient as I can be but I'm ready to start using him as the "registered" buckling I PAID YOU FOR! I've even called ADGA to see if I could get the ID # from them, but they don't have the Sire's name you put on my application in their system, so he's obviously not registered yet...could you please contact me?

SO...I'm left wondering how I'm able to actually register this buckling I paid for. She either put a false Sire name on my application, doesn't own the Sire she used to produce my buckling or is just lazy about the registration process. If you're in this business you really need to be honest and timely with all of this information...nobody likes a dishonest person, especially me. Don't sell any animal as "registered" if you haven't or don't plan to release the necessary information at the time of sale! This is common sense people!

After a little truck trouble we finally got our birds to the Skowhegan Fair on Saturday night! I'm anxious to see how they placed in the show...I guess we'll have to go to the fair to find out :) Fair season has begun...

Last night was the first time since Jamison's vacation that the goat barn was worked on. A BIG THANK YOU to Mark Turner & Jonathan Turner for your help in the rain! I can't wait until it's done! The only other thing happening around here is we've had a fox in the area. We've lost 6 young turkeys, several show chickens and I think my cat :( I wish I could catch it...I'd learn to use a gun real fast!

It's been a busy week and a half, with Jamison on vacation. But, it's back to work for him tomorrow :(...we'll all miss him! But he and Uncle Steve got the floor and 3 walls up! We're waiting for a lumber delivery tomorrow so they can put up the last wall and the roof rafters. Then we'll go get the plywood for the walls and hay loft and then the metal roofing...it's so close to being a barn I can't stand it :) I'll post pics tomorrow.

I haven't blogged in almost a month! Since my last blog, Buddy seems to be doing better, I've sold Pablo & Picasso to a nice pet home, Jamison has finished the goat fence and he and my Uncle Steve have started to build my goat barn! Jamison let the baby ducks out with the adult ducks so they can swim and free range. We're just trying to beat the heat at Little Bit Farm and keep the critters as cool as possible. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer :)

So we had some excavation done yesterday, so Jamison can finally finish my goat pasture. Hopefully there are no more goats on the loose anymore! Jamison has vacation in 2 weeks and the goat barn will be built...I can hardly wait!

It's going to be a HOT day at Little Bit Farm with highs in the low 90's! Buddy is still limping but seems to be more comfortable. Heading out to water all of my critters on this hot summer day and then bringing the girls swimming! Enjoy the sun ALL!

I found out yesterday my boy, Buddy, had foundered in both front feet...he's overweight and got too much green grass :( Luckily, my gram & the farrier caught it in time, but he's still in pain...poor boy
:( 22 pills, 2x a day for a week and icing both front feet!

The plans for the goat barn are drawn up and we're getting ready to order the lumber...this is SO exciting! If all goes as planned, we'll have a goat barn built by the middle of July! Time to start looking for more goats to fill it up, right Maggie? J/K...I don't want to be kicking myself this winter when I have more goats to carry water pails out to, etc. :)

Yesterday was a fun day...my pal Meredith, the kids and I went to the TSC swap in Waterville. They brought 3 bantam chickens and sold them and I came home with the 2 bunnies I brought. We were the only ones there, lol. Apparently everyone had sold out early and gone home. It was good because there was no competition and we couldn't come home with any more critters! We hit a few yard sales on the way home, and went home to play with the kids in the SUN!

Oh, I forgot to mention on the way there we stopped by KFC for a little lunch. As we're ordering at the drive through, Meredith's young rooster decides to start crowing in protest of the chicken lunches we were ordering, LOL.

We're ready for some serious sun here, at Little Bit Farm, to dry everything up and get some cleaning done (which is pretty near impossible with all of the rain we've had)! My little stud muffin, Larry, is going to my pal Meridith's house today to stay for a few weeks with his girlfriend, Daisy ;) We're hoping Daisy will have November babies...keep your fingers crossed!

A friend asked me to "goatsit" her kid, Hope, yesterday. I gladly accepted as I've become quite fond of this little fighter...the smallest goat I've ever seen. I'm so glad I got the chance to spend her last day with her! She looked to be a premie, who didn't have a chance. Tammy fed her and cared for her day and night until she finally passed this morning. I'm SO sad she's gone :'( I know she's in goat heaven now, healthy and happy...I bet she's up there playing with Naomi ♥  RIP Hope ♥

We woke up quite early this morning to the rolling thunder and lightening (I'm scared of it and so is Lili)! I don't mind the rain, but the thunder can end anytime now :)

Jr. & Jetti went to their new home Friday night :( At least they don't live too far away, so I can visit anytime! Last night was our second night milking Peachy, Jr. & Jetti's mom. We got 2 pints from her last night! I'm so excited to learn how to make goat's milk soap, cheese and ice cream!

We're trying to keep the critters cool on this Memorial Day weekend! We went to the swap at TSC in Augusta on Saturday and sold 26 chicks! Jamison bought pheasents and I bought a lionhead doe and a pair of dwarf hampsters, lol. They are so cute, I couldn't resist :) I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and remembering the real reason for Memorial Day ;)

Meet Hope :)

My pal Tammy brought by her little 1lb 9oz Nigerian Dwarf doe, who I call Hope, by today for a visit. She's SO tiny and SO sweet! I have "hope" that she'll pull through <3

It's a warm day on Little Bit Farm. I'm trying to keep the critters cool and comfortable. The baby goats are getting very big. They'll be 7 & 8 wks old this weekend. I love watching them frolic and play, but it's almost time for them to go to their new homes :( Jetti & Jr. will be going to The Fitch Family Farm in Chesterville. Pablo & Picasso will stay here for a while. I'm keeping Picasso as one of my bucks and am still looking for a home for Pablo.

I'm looking forward to a long Memorial Day weekend to relax and enjoy my family and critters <3

Everyone made it through the thunderstorm/light show we had last night. I woke up very scared in the night from the thunder and then stayed awake for a while worrying about all of my critters, with the thunder, lightening, wind and rain. What a storm!

I picked up the baby turkeys from the post office this morning. Maggie, I assure you this is the last post office run this year, at least it better be. It's funny how a lot of these birds are my loving husband's, yet I get stuck picking them up from the post office, feeding them and cleaning out their stinky ol' pens! He's lucky I love him and that I love animals or he'd be doing all of the dirty work himself ;)

I'm picking up my new vehicle today!!! I'm hoping it will keep me from bringing home so many critters! I'm trading my truck in for an suv. I want it to stay clean for a while, so I don't plan on bringing any of them in it...we'll see how long that lasts ;) Enjoy the sunshine all...it's nice to finally see it again!

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm a proud mom of a 19 month old, energetic little girl and many other "kids" :)

Speaking of kids...apparently my goats (does) got into the buck pen 2 times and Jamison just told me today (the 2nd time). I'm keeping my fingers crossed none of them got bred and if they did...let's hope it was to the buck I wanted them bred to in the fall anyway.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also brought home a 9 month old, polled, toggenburg/pygmy cross buck last night. The goal is to breed him to Alva and get baby goats w/out horns! I can't wait! I'll take pictures as soon as the rain lets up and post them :)

Cornish x Rocks & Barred Rock Chicks

150 chicks arrived at the post office this morning! Thankfully, my brother in law, Jon, came and got his 40 this morning. My father in law will pick up his 15 later and we're stuck raising the rest! There's A LOT of peeping coming from the spare bedroom!!!

Runner Ducklings

The runner ducklings have arrived and they are SO cute! I'll post pics soon :)

RIP Naomi

She's no longer in pain! I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO heartbroken!!! My mom, Meredith & Tammy tell me I did everything I could, but I feel SO guilty...like I could've done more. She was such a sweet baby goatie for the few weeks I had her to enjoy. Another goatie angel sent to heaven <3

I love you Naomi!

We've had a very stressful day...Naomi is very sick :( A friend says she thinks she got into something toxic and became bloated. I didn't realize she was bloated until late this morning. She came over and helped me get baking soda into her and electrolytes. I have no idea what she ate, but I hope she gets through this! It's going to be a LONG night...but I won't give up!

Emma helping take care of Naomi :(

I got a sad phone call from the postmaster this morning that all 150 chicks arrived dead! I called the hatchery and they're shipping another 150 out on May 9th. We're thinking the post office may have left them outside too long :(

Stella is settling in nicely...she's still a bully, but I think that's just who she is, lol. We tried milking the mommas again last night. They did better on the milk stand, but we still didn't get much milk out of them. I'm going to seperate the boys today so we can milk them tonight...sorry boys :(

We moved the young chicks outside to their new pens. We had to make room for the 100 meat chicks & 50 bonus chicks arriving tomorrow! We also had to move the young mallard ducks, because they were picking on the chickens. They're much happier, as they have a pen with a pond now! We have a wild mallard hen who lands here every morning now to eat with the other ducks...I wonder if she's one of the ones we let go last fall. That would be SO cool if it was her!

We're hoping for a little sun soon...it's a little soggy around here!

Goat Milking Stand



My husband's uncle custom builds these. We have one and my pal Meredith has one, that she couldn't live without now! Contact me to order yours :)

Meet Stella, our newest addition :)

Finally ordered my runner ducklings I've wanted for SO long from the hatchery! They'll be here May 7th and I CAN'T wait!

So we tried the goat milker...and it was a fail :( I don't know if the boys had just drained the mommas of milk or if their teats aren't big enough for the milker to work. We're going to seperate the boys from the mommas for the night and try milking them first thing in the morning...hopefully that fixes the problem. If not, I'll be on the look out for a hand milker! The boys NEED to be weaned...they are 3 and 4 weeks old now.

Everyone survived the heavy rain we've had for the past few days! It's a little soggy around here though. The ducks were loose last night and I left them...the chickens free range, so why can't they? I don't think they'll go far from the pond anyway ;)

Hopefully it stays dry enough today so I can't let the goaties out to graze my mini hay field, LOL...they haven't been out since it started pouring 2 days ago.

I let all of the goaties out to graze my lawn, which is quickly growing into a field, lol. Meredith came over to buy one of Uncle Mike's goat milking stands. There's 1 more for sale, if anyone's interested, contact me! My goat milker WILL be finished when Jamison gets out of work...I'm ready to wean the boys and start bottle feeding! I would have weaned them much sooner, but didn't have the milker availble then. We're also going to pick up cedar posts to start my goat pen...finally!

Hopefully Jamison can get my milk machine working this morning and we'll be in the goat milk business, lol. If it works, all 4 buck kids will be weaned from mommas and we'll be bottle feeding 6 babies 3x a day! Anyone want to come help?

Pablo wanted to mow the lawn, LOL :)

Bunnies for Sale- $10 each

Trip to Gordon Hill Farm

Emma petting Polly :)

Brown Leghorn & White Silkie Chicks

Meet Naomi <3

 

So I came home with a baby goat and 5 baby bunnies :) I'm keeping the goat, but don't need all 5 bunnies. If anyone wants one I'm asking $10 each.

The baby goat looks to be a nigerian or nigerian cross. We haven't namd her yet...any suggestions? I think she was the smallest one there and I couldn't resist! She wouldn't take a bottle last night, even though I knew she was hungry :( I tried again this morning with milk and kid colostrum, not knowing her actual age...she wouldn't drink any. I tried again at 11:30 and and she acted like she wanted milk, but the bottle nipple was too big, so I got a smaller one and she drank it with no problem! I ran some errands and then came home and fed her a full bottle. I was SO excited she was finally drinking milk! I'll post pictures tomorrow :)

The goats are all doing well...the kids are getting big. Jamison came home with more baby chicks from TSC this week (silkies & brown leghorns)! We're headed to the auction today...hopefully I don't bring anything home, haha! I'm planning on bringing home a goat or two to be honest, LOL. Hopefully Maggie isn't reading this ;)

The babies seem to be their usual selves again, which makes me feel a little bit better. I spray their horns with tea tree oil and water once a day to help with healing. Poor little goaties :( I'll be SO glad when the burn marks are gone and the fur covers their heads again!

My father in law came over and disbudded all 5 kids and re-disbudded Larry because his horns started growing back. I'm pretty stressed about it, but it's the best thing for them as the rest of my goats have no horns. I'm sure they'll be fine...it just makes me sad to hear my baby goaties crying and in pain :( I'm buying tea tree oil to put on their boo boos to make them feel better!

All 5 baby goats are all snuggled up under the heat lamp on this windy day <3 Alva's going to be lonely once the 4 boys go to their new homes...guess I'll just have to get her a friend at the next auction I go to ;)

We spent a lot of time in the goat pens today trying to get everybody to get along with Alva, with no luck. So, Alva remains in the pen next to the mommas and 4 kids. The kids can climb through the calf panel to visit and play with Alva as they please. Hopefully the mommas get used to her and start to play nicely. We switched the goats to opposite sides of the pen so Alva actually sleeps in her house now...when we had her on the other side she slept outside all night :( Jamison also made a new pen for the indian runner duck, so she has a small stream to play in :)

As of last night, all 4 kids have homes as soon as they're old enough. Pablo and Picasso will go to my mom's house and the other 2 will go to Jamison's cousin, Jade & family :) That means I can bring home more babies from the auction in 2 weeks, right Maggie? LOL

So I came home from the auction with a baby girl goat...I couldn't help myself. My mommas had all boys and I wanted a girl so bad, I got one! She's either oberhasli or alpine, both good milking goats! I also got a lionhead doe for my buck and a fawn indian runner duck, who needs a mate :( I'm going again in 2 weeks...hopefully I don't come home with anything else ;)

Peachy's Twins

 Twin #2

Twin #1

April Fools

I came home from work to a nice April Fools surprise...Peachy had 2 baby goaties! Finally....I can sleep through the night and stop stressing so much. I'll post pics shortly :)

We got a visit from our pal Maggie on Wednesday...she came out to see the baby goats & ducks with Meredith :) Other than that, it's been pretty quiet and cold at Little Bit Farm this week. I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more baby goats ;) I'm trying to think of names with Peach in them...the momma is "Just Peachy". Any ideas are welcome!

Pablo & Picasso

I couldn't get the video to load, so here are a couple pictures :)

The twins have officially been named Pablo & Picasso, by my sister and mom. Twin #1 is Pablo & Twin #2 is Picasso :) Now we're ready for Peachy to have her babies....how many do you think she'll have? Name ideas are welcome :)

The twins are running and frolicking today, despite the cold, windy weather. I just LOVE them! This is my first time with "kids" of my own and I think I'll be too attached to them by the time they're ready to go to their new homes, to let them go :( I'll post a video soon! I'll go enjoy them while I have them!

Twin #1

                                                                                                             Twin #2

I woke up to a "Little Bit" of a surprise this morning...BABY GOATS...2 of them. Pan Dee had them early this morning! Finally! I'm so happy, I could cry!

Still NO babies (sigh) :( But, I did aquire 3 more bantam chicks from my pal Meredith (being the chicken hoarder I am) :) 2 of them were supposed to originally be mine, but apparently we mixed them up a little when we sorted them. They were all about the same color, so I don't think we did too bad! Continue to keep your fingers crossed for baby goats, please :)

I'm not complaining but today is day #3 (I think) of 80 degree weather and it's ONLY March! Wouldn't you think that would put 2 very stubborn goats into labor? We'll I would think it would, but it hasn't. Let's keep our fingers crossed for babies today :)

Today is another warm, beautiful day...a day perfect for goats having babies, don't ya think? I'm SO ready for babies...come on Peachy & Pan Dee! I've offered them a whoopie pie, cookies...you name it if they'd just have their babies. I put a camping chair in front of their pen this morning and sat there talking to them. Jamison says "They're not going to have their babies just because you're sitting there!" UUUGGGHHHH! Why not?

Yesterday, while rushing out the door for work, my husband yells for me "Come see this!" Annoyed because I'm already late, I go check it out. He had a chick in his hand. He found it outside, all by itself. We've had a pigeon sitting on a chicken egg for a few weeks now and low and behold, it hatched it! I couldn't believe it...how could such a small bird hatch a chicken egg? I'll never know, but I have the proof...a chick & a cracked egg shell under a pigeon. I might trade my silkies in for pigeons, LOL. I wish that I had gotten a picture!

Apparently Meredith goes to Tractor Supply Co. to get a little R&R, LOL!

So yesterday we attended Emma's 1st Chicken Swap. She screamed in the truck as I unloaded the chicks & bunnies we brought, as Meredith ran around the parking lot like a kid in a candy shop, smiling, laughing and saying "I'm in heaven!" I got Emma out of the truck and she ran after Meredith...I'm not sure who was more excited, lol. We had a great day, selling chicks & a bunny in the beautiful weather we had yesterday. I even got my first sunburn of the season...in MARCH!

This post goes out to Meredith's mom, Maggie :)

Now that Meredith and I have officially become "chicken hoarders", I'll tell you about the 6 mallard ducklings I brought home from Tractor Supply Co. yesterday. Let me start by saying, they could have stopped me when I ran to the chick/duck section of the store and asked the store manager to box up 6 adorable ducklings...but they didn't. So...I feel like I'm not completely to blame!

Then this morning I got, YES, another shipment of chicks...75 of them! Before you agree with my pal, Maggie...please let me explain. We needed to order about 20 egg laying chicks for our farm, when my husband suggested we just get 50 so we could get the 25 bonus chicks too! So we have 20 for our farm and 55 to sell. Spread the word to anyone who may be interested in buying a few, because I have to prove Maggie wrong...Meredith & I are NOT chicken hoarders :)

With all of the new additions to our farm, I forgot to mention the 9 hens we adopted from my pal, Meredith :) They are the sweetest chickens I've ever met! They lay lots of eggs too, which is great. If you know me, you know that I've never been a chicken fan...but I LOVE these chickens :)

The Doe's Secret Code of Honor

The Doe's secret code of honor is as old as goats themselves and is ultimately the species best kept secret. No Doe shall kid before its time. Its time being determined by the following factors:
1. No kid shall be born until total chaos has been reached by all involved. Your owners house must be a wreck, their family hungry, and desperate for clean clothes, and their social life nonexiste...nt.
2.... Midwives must reach the babbling fool status before you kid out. Bloodshot eyes, tangled hair and the inability to form a sentence means the time is getting close.
3. For every bell, beeper, camera, or whistle they attach to you, kidding must be delayed by at least one day for each item. If they use an audio monitor, one good yell per hour will keep things interesting.
4. If you hear the words, Shes no where near ready. Shell be fine while were away for the weekend. Wait until they load the car, and then begin pushing!
5. Owner stress must be at an all time high! If you are in the care of someone else, ten to fifteen phone calls a day is a sign youre getting close.
6. When you hear the words, I cant take it anymore! wait at least three more days.
7. You must keep this waiting game interesting. False alarms are mandatory! Little teasers such as looking at your stomach, pushing your food around, and then walking away from it, and nesting are always good for a rise.
8. The honor of all goats is now in your hands. Use this time to avenge all of your barn mates. Think about your friend who had to wear that silly costume in front of those people. Hang onto that baby for another day. Oh, they made him do tricks too! Three more days seems fair. Late feedings, the dreaded diet, bad haircuts, those awful wormings can also be avenged at this time.
9. If you have fulfilled all of the above and are still not sure when to have the kids, listen to the weather forecast on the radio that has been so generously provided by those who wait. Severe Storm warning is what youre waiting for. In the heart of the storm jump into action! You have a good chance of those who wait missing the whole thing while searching for a flashlight that works!
10.Make the most of your interrupted nights. Beg for food each time someone comes into the barn to check you. Your barn mates will love you as the extra goodies fall their way too.Remember this code of honor was designed to remind man of how truly special goats are. Do your best to reward those who wait with a beautiful doeling to carry on the Doe Code of Honor for the next generation of those who wait.

No babies yet...uuuggghhhh! I'm SO over the wait. This experience is teaching me to be a more patient person and that I don't have control of everything!

We're 3 black tailed white japenese down :( They are the most fragile bantam chick we've ever raised. Jamison is hoping the 2 we have left will be a pair...keep your fingers crossed. We should be getting a phone call in the morning from the post office again...75 more chicks to pick up! Anybody want a few Leghorn chicks? We ordered pullets, so you're guarenteed hens :) Night all...

My husband and I seperated Larry (buckling) from the mommas this morning because the mommas should be kidding soon. I left work early tonight, as I thought Pan Dee may be close to kidding. I've been keeping a close eye on both mommas all night. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it happens soon. I am SO nervous for them. I wasn't even this nervous to have my own baby...this is ridiculous! I really don't like the waiting game (I'm not very patient). I was told by the seller that they were due mid-March. Keep your fingers crossed for "kids"...SOON :)

I got a phone call at 7:30 this morning from the post office...the bantam chicks had arrived. I picked them up shortly after and Meredith met me at my house to pick up her 8. I can't believe I let her talk me into getting more chicks! We drove ourselves crazy trying to sort our chicks out, as they weren't marked and they all looked VERY similar. We took the magazine we had ordered out of and tried to sort our chicks according to a picture...let's just hope we got the right chicks. Next time we order chicks Meredith, lets order different colored ones so we don't go crazy sorting them :) I got 2 black frizzle, 5 light brahma bantams, 5 black tailed white japenese & 5 silver sebrights. Don't forget the bonus chick, which we think may be a blue cochin...we'll have to see as it gets older if we're right! Pictures to follow, as soon as I find my camera (Emma hid it).

Upcoming Local Swaps

Upcoming Local Swaps

Tractor Supply Augusta, Maine:
March 31st 1st chicken swap 8:30-1:00
April 7th 1st small animal swap 8-2

Tractor Supply Wilton, Maine
1st & 3rd Sunday of every month
10-2

Good Morning All!
The mommas are looking the same this morning. We're hoping they'll wait until tomorrow, as the weather is going to be much warmer for the next few days. We're trying to think of "P" names for the "kids", because the mommas are Peachy & Pan Dee, we wanted to stick with the "P" theme. Any ideas are welcome :)

 Larry

Peachy & Pan Dee

Our 2 bred does, Peachy & Pan Dee are due any time now! They are both showing signs of being in labor. Please wish us luck, as this is our first time having "kids" :) We also have barnyard mix chicks hatching as we speak! There's always something exciting happening at Little Bit Farm.

I'm completely new to this blog thing, so bare with me. My pal, Meredith suggested I start one, as I've started a "Little Bit" of a farm. This way, I can share everything happening on my farm with my family & friends. So, THANK YOU to everyone who follows my blog :)