Thursday, February 11, 2010

Time to make plans

So it is the middle of February and the planning has begun. How to make the garden better this year, getting the soap shop up and running, new animals, etc. etc.
I am planning on raising turkeys this year, just a small number to start with, but that means building a roost and deciding where to put it. They can't be with the chickens, so that means in the field with the goats somewhere. I have grand plans for a roost, Bryan of course thinks I'm crazy. We made a big lumber purchase from our local lumber mill. Where we get our lumber from is like the Walton's lumber mill. It is a Father and Son operation, very small and very friendly. We can get rough cut lumber to our specs at a good cost and we are shopping local. Win Win all around. The down side this time is that the lumber is still damp and froze in the weather, so it is heavy and wet, not that we are doing any building yet, but it is really heavy to move.
I would also like to get ducks this spring, but must decide whether they will go in with the chickens or get their own home. Again another building project for me, one I haven't shared with Bryan yet. The ducks can be close to the chickens so it may just be an annex to the chicken house. The turkeys and ducks will come from our local feed store, so I am not sure of the variety yet, I only know that there will be no hybrids.
And of course there is the plan for sheep. I am still investigating types of sheep to add to compliment the goats and their mohair. They will graze with the goats for now and may eventually be separated, but their upkeep is much less demanding than the goats. At first I was not thrilled with sheep, after all they are dirty and smelly. But the more I look into it, the less dirty and smelly they become. I have also found out that mohair is best blended with wool, so there we go.

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