Coyote Ridge Farms Blog

More babies on the way?

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:20:53 -0600

When Carol and I did the chores at the farm today, Mary (our expecting goat) was acting oddly. Granted, most goats act odd anyway, but Mary was acting oddly for a goat... and her udder... it grew about 25% over night. Carol mentioned that one of the many signs of labor is the ears sticking out... especially if they normal hang down. With Mary's ears sticking out, she kind of looked like a really ugly version of Sally Fields' character The Flying Nunn.
Other signs of approaching labor that we recognized was very short contractions, a udder that is quite hard and blood-shot eyes. I'm not sure if this is a sign on impending labor out not, but her tail is now cocked to the side. Usually it is sticking straight up, like a little flag. ...
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We had babies last night.

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:03:34 -0600

As big of a deal as we were making about our goat having babies, these are not the babies that arrived last night or early this morning... sorry. The little ones that arrived were from Carol's two rabbit does Marshmellow & Sweet Pea. These 8 little kits will be pet quality only as they are crossbred.
Marshmellow, our big California-Rex Cross, and Sparkles, a Rex Cross buck, are proud parents to 3 solid black babies. We were hoping to see some white babies from this crossbreeding but no such luck this time. Sweet Pea, a Mini Lop, and Butterscotch, a Mini Rex buck, brought us 5 little kits. 4 babies have a broken pattern and 1 appears to be solid colored.
Both moms and all babies are doing well this morning. Most folks never get to see what newborn bunnies look like. Here's your chance. ...
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Rhubarb at this time of year?

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:44:08 -0600

Sure. Why not? Carol just made her delicious rhubarb coffee cake for dessert this evening. Here is the recipe.

Making more rabbit cages.

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:18:34 -0600

As most homesteaders realize, about the time you need something you don't have, there isn't enough time in the day to either make it or buy it.
So, when at the farm, I grabbed my metal shears, thinking today is a good day to make a project or two inside. Carol mentioned that she would like a double or triple cage to use in the future. And with the rabbit cage that I made last night turning out so well, I thought, "Why not." ...
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Fixing the draft in the barn.

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:55:42 -0600

It's approx. 2:00PM right now and we are looking at a high today of -8°F. I believe with wind chill it currently -33°F.
The goats looked fine. The extra hay I had set out for them seemed unnecessary, as much of it was wasted and spread out. With the winds so high and whipping through the barn, it often pushes the doors open. Since I went to the farm today alone, I thought I would spend a few moments to secure the doors even more. Today, I simply reused an old hook and staple that I found and relocated it to the door that the goats often push on...
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Rabbit cages for sale.

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Sat, 9 Feb 2008 19:04:28 -0600

We are now in the rabbit cage building business. We built our first custom cage. It measures 24"Wx24"Lx18"H. I positioned the cage floor 2" off the bottom so rabbit droppings can fall through to a tray below (or the ground if outside). Our cages also have a built-in hay-feeder and are configured to fit commercially available cage racks. Until we can get the supplies cheaper, we will be charging approx. $20/cage. Comparatively speaking, this is a real deal. We priced a similar type of set-up at out local farm store. They retail for $25/cage and you will need to purchase a tool and then put cage together. If somebody requests a double, triple, quad style cage (up to 12), we will be willing to build these as well. Quads or longer are well suited for hanging....
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Another bunny gone.

info@houseofhares.com — Thu, 7 Feb 2008 22:55:41 -0600

Ok, well 2 more bunnies are gone really. Today I (Carol) received a call from a nice young man named Isaac, who was interested in a bunny or two. He came over and fell in love with Polly and Butterfly (yes, we name all our rabbits whether...
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Jump rope for heart

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Wed, 6 Feb 2008 18:29:04 -0600

Our 9 yr. old daughter Madison is participating in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope For Heart event at her school. She will be jumping rope to help the American Heart Association raise money to fight heart disease and stroke. She asks if you could help by making a donation? She will be jumping in memory of her grandpa (my dad), who suffered a heart attack a couple years before beginning his fight with kidney cancer. It's his farm that Carol and I are trying to rebuild, as a tribute to him.

The American Heart Association's online fund raising website has a minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you want to donate less, that's ok. You can just send the check right to her and I'll make sure the American Heart Association gets it (make the check out to the American Heart Association). Please contact us for those details. Thanks!...
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Adding structures to the homestead.

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 21:11:45 -0600

Here's a little trick I used yesterday when trying to figure out a location for the barn we're thinking about buying and having moved in. Back on Feb. 02, I posted a link to some pics of the barn. I also posted a photo of what the building might look like on the farm site. As most of us know, not everyone has the aptitude to superimpose objects into photos... or has the desire to waste hours upon hours trying to learn how to do so....
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More firewood please.

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Mon, 4 Feb 2008 17:56:50 -0600

A few days ago, I cut some trees down. For you tree-huggers out there,.,., heck, who am I fooling? Tree hugger don't read homesteader blogs. Anyway, the trees I cut, were scrub type trees. They grow about 12'-18" apart and are ugly. These trees serve no real purpose, except...
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Super Bowl Sunday.

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Sun, 3 Feb 2008 21:57:44 -0600

That's 4+ hours of my life I can't get back. The last 4 minutes of the game was the only part worth watching... the 2nd and 3rd quarters... forget it.

Something I read, concerns me.

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Sat, 2 Feb 2008 17:06:40 -0600

I added a news article to the Links and Services page. The issue is regarding a farmers right to sell raw milk and the inform public's right to purchase it... but with a legal twist. Check it out.

We took a look at the barn that we...
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What's the value of a barn? - part 2

info@coyoteridgefarms.com — Fri, 1 Feb 2008 17:36:49 -0600

I got a call back from a local building moving company. The owner was somewhat familiar with the barn we're interested in buying. It seems they were the company that moved it in, 5 years ago. He said that he or his son would meet us at the barn on Saturday, when we look at it. When I asked about the cost to move it, he ball-parked a figure. He thought he...
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