this week my chore is to take care of the animals other than the chickens. we have a dexter cow named Dexter, a sheep named Harry, and two goats, Lily and Maggie. i don't know all of their stories, but i know that the goats were donated to the farm early summer of this year. they are an Oberhasli/Nubian mix and have not been bred yet. i think they would make fine milking does if that is to be their fate.
the animal's facilities remind me a little of Wild's Edge. a bit rickety sometimes but does the job. this area could use a lot more attention and be made more comfortable for everyone involved. visitors really like to see the animals here and it could be a draw to have attractive facilities as well as healthy, happy animals. it is the same with the chickens, needs more attention and better craftsmanship.
i felt good about the amount of fresh, green food these ruminants got today in my care. i found good places to tether them out and nobody got tangled up. one time before i did have to save harry from serious strangulation. the grass and other plants growing in the borders are often growing in lush stands with the arrival of moisture recently. while the animals were grazing this afternoon i filled tubs for them to have back in the paddock. i just use my sharp little Opinel knife to slice through the tender stems, mowing down handfuls at a time.
tonight i am going to can some apple sauce, start tomato sauce, and put the first batch of dried lemon verbena for the store into jars!
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