Do We downsize?

[marshlander]

Red mentioned more poultry - could you raise ducks or turkeys for Christmas? Our local farms were sold out by November!

I also used to buy cut flowers at the garden gate, pinks, sweet peas and so on.

[MKG]

Or geese ... Round here, the Christmas goose has to be ordered about 3 months in advance because numbers are so restricted.

[Thurston Garden]

This is becoming a roller coaster! 3 retired shepherds last night seriously warned me not to take on pet lambs! In fairness, two of them had only ever dealt with them on a commercial basis but the third used to take them home and bring them on.

That said, my Dad now has a hanker after pet lambs so given he has just retired they might end up at his - he has an acre of grass

[red]

Ina can give you more info.. but certainly a lot of people tell me that bottle fed lambs often dont have a good outcome - which is why shepherds try to foster them onto another ewe if they can. That and the hassle factor. They can have issues with not developing a proper rumin, as they are not next to mummy copying her when she eats grass etc..

on the other hand they can be very cute... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=07sXFRBGPmU

honestly, I would be tempted to not keep sheep and concentrate on easier things - given that both himself and I work and have other commitments (like home ed) - but we have the two paddocks that we want to keep as grass, so have to think of something to graze it (or cut it for hay. but we dont have vehicular access...) ..and we do like the wool processing...

Having said that, taking on cade lambs is a short term prospect, and if you have someone else interested too to share the chores, it could work out , and if not then you can do something else next year.

[Thurston Garden]

Great vid Red.

I have a lot to think about, but am swaying to avoiding lambs this year. Esp when may Dad is keen (my Mum is not so keen because she has ended up dealing with too many of his plans in the past!)

[ina]

Ina can give you more info.. but certainly a lot of people tell me that bottle fed lambs often dont have a good outcome

It always depends, doesn't it... A couple of years ago we had a lot of orphans (as there were a lot more triplets born than singles, so they couldn't all be fostered on). They did extremely well - but then, lambs for the market only grow to a certain size, and then get slaughtered! Other orphans, the ones we are wanting to keep for further breeding, I try to get out on grass at an early age, at least next door to some ewes, close to the shed, where I can still feed them milk twice a day, but they also eat grass and learn all those things they need later in life - what birds sound like, low flying jet planes , dogs etc.

[yugogypsy]

Hello Thurston,

I agree with your plan to downsize. I got a little over ambitious last year and thought I'd have my vegetable stand up this year.

Well with my OH working part-time, my health acting up and this crazy weather we're having, we are going to have to cut back, simply because we are so far behind.

Our original plan was just to raise enough for ourselves and a few friends who don't or can't garden and I think we're going to have to stick with that.

Also we're running out of room to put new garden beds and a mistake with chickens means we'll have to build the goathouse next year-by a mistake, I mean I got tiny Bantams instead of the big tough ones I'm used to and nearly lost my Silver Duckwing Rooster to the wrath of my Americauna and we've had to divide the coop and we'll have to put a separate outside run on the side of the coop where I had planned to build my goat house.

Now I don't know where to put the goathouse, the pig pen will go in where it was supposed to, right next to the smokehouse for the hams I plan to smoke-once we build the smokehouse.

And another woodshed, we had a lot of wood given to us this year and it all has to be stored, we also get mill ends from a local truss mill to burn and we've been bringing home a carload of mill ends at least once a week.

Also, I want to concentrate on getting the inside of the house sorted out. We're away under code for insulation and plain old missing insulation in spots and we've got 2 walls where the insulation was damaged by rats

So its going to be a busy year for us too. Not to mention an expensive one. Building supplies aren't cheap and we need 3 different weights of insulation for a 660 sq.ft house.

We have a tenant at the moment which helps out some, but we are still pinching pennies as we try to get things done.

Plus I bought a tractor, which I have to get parts for and get running for next year so we can have a sideline business building gardens on the days I have the stand closed.

So take a deep breath, have a cuppa tea and make yourself a list of where you can cut corners, thats what we did.

Good Luck
Lois

[Thurston Garden]

Thanks YG - one thing at a time hehe. We are def going to irritate the lease in the field, except for the area occupied by the big tunnel. I doubt that the farmer will hold us to the terms.

We will wait until the anniversary of the lease in mid September and reduce the number of hens and relocate them down into the garden. Their house in the field is a 12' by 8' shed which will be brought down to the garden too but turned back into a shed. Then we can demolish/recycle three dilapidated sheds and a falling to bits aviary during the winter.

In addition to trying to get the veg beds in the garden back into shape (planting tatties in one this pm)/keeping the front garden in trim/maxing out production in the big tunnel for the freezer/pantry and dealing with the pigs and hens, I also have a car port/barn affair to construct, a stone retaining wall to build and a large parking area to resurface, so it will be one thing at a time for us too!

[ina]

Glad to read I'm not the only one with what sounds like more plans than time to carry them out in...