BUSY WEEK ON THE FARM- Sheep day and more!

Our sheep sheerer -Zach Danberry

This past week we have been very busy around here! 

the original 4 boxes, with new mulch in 3 of the 4

 First the garden boxes-4 more were built up by the house, and 2 more by the other 4 that I have done in a previous year and location.  This past early spring, we scored a great deal at a lumber yard, purchasing a pile of out door lumber, metal siding and a variety of  lumber for about 1/3 of the normal price.  So that meant the original cost to build more garden boxes was reduced greatly!  I love deals!  Then came filling them. 


 We would either need to rent a digger (a back hoe or a skid loader like machine) or I could purchase a load of top soil to be delivered, or buy it by the bag-at $1.27 a bag and needing about 40 bags for each box.  Not something I could do at all...so again, depending on GOD who works out all details....just like the sale for the lumber,  HE provided free mulch --the good stuff -with no toxic yard scraps (where people have used toxic products then trim stuff and send it to be mulched)

And there was enough to fill all of the boxes, refresh the first 4 boxes and also start another small garden spot that we will keep tilled and it will also be our  spot for asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, horseradish, and melons.

The next thing was Sheep day.  Once a year we hire a young man to come in and sheer our sheep.  The wool is not really worth much, but we do save it-if we an find a way to clean it it would work to stuff for pillows and stuff like that! Dont like to waste anything!


When we do this, we open it up for the home school community to come with their children.  It is a chance to learn a little about sheep, and their care.


This year we had a nice turn out of students and parents.  

My youngest two grandchildren

The children watching and waiting for the sheep 'show'

the sheep, watching and waiting to be sheered

Next year, we hope to provide a stew of Lamb!

New Lambs!

 

This past week we had two new lambs born here on the farm.  We  knew that 2 of the sheep were expecting, and the first momma delivered over 6 weeks ago...twins.  The other momma we have been waiting on, and then the two younger females we did not know that they were expecting at all!  Well they both delivered one baby each this last week so here are their babies. 

 

And this is the young mother!

  

And this is the mother we are still waiting to deliver!

 

The chickens are doing well, they are recovering from the loss of feathers (normal for chicken to do that) and looking healthy!

  

This is their chicken house within the chicken house.  It is an old manger piece from church.  The chickens love it!

 

Well that is the update on the Keeslar farm this week!

You have a blessed week ya'll!

Baby lambs!

Here are 2 of our baby lambs that were born this last late jan. (we had twins from two different mothers.)
They are like kittens and puppies, very cute to watch and deal with when they are little!
We inherited three large sheep for a (partial) exchange for a birth I did for an Amish family, two were going to have babies we were told, but they had no idea of when....January is NOT the time to be lambing!
They both had twins, the problem is we did not know when to expect them, so the very first one that delivered, the first little baby was lost to freezing temperatures. After that, with hair dryers out there to help warm the new little ones until they were well under way...then a heat lamp inside the barn, to have an area of where they could keep warm. This last winter was very very cold!