On the Farm
Well the barn is busy now!
Had baby bunnies and lambs on the Easter weekend.
Litter of meat rabbits was born April 4th, all 8 are doing well.
On Easter Sunday the Icelandic ewe had her twins, a ram lamb and a ewe lamb, both white...the little ewe though does have a black spot on one of her hind legs just below the hock, will have to look into whether that makes her a spotted sheep genetically: Still learning the Icelandic genetics at this point. Everyone is doing well. Today is their second day going outside with mom, till now they were all in a lambing jug.
So, now there are 4 more ewes to go; 1 more bred to the icelandic ram and 3 of them who went with the coloured half lincoln ram.
Then to keep the flow of babies going, Tuesday April 6th, the first of my Blue Eyed White English Angoras had her babies. Started with 8 but she is down to 2 now...She overturned her nest on the only below zero night we have had in a week:(
There are 2 more Angora litters expected in the next few weeks, another BEW litter and a litter that will be a mix of Vienna-marks and maybe if I am lucky BEW.
Turkey poults (6 of them) arrive in 2 weeks, built them a brooder box last weekend.
Have chickens and ducks ( khaki Campbell's) laying eggs like crazy, now if the guinea hens would just get started...Once everyone is laying I am going to set some in th incubator. Will have to start the duck and guinea eggs about a week ahead of hte chicken eggs as those two take longer to hatch.
Cleaned out the hen houselast night while everyone was roosting...what a job!
Next thing with the poultry will be putting up a new henhouse (shed kit) we have here to house the hens, ducks and guineas, that way the current henhouse can become turkey housing. With the new henhouse we have a better yard including a small pond area for the ducks planned.
The torch right now is suffering...I am working on either barn or mill projects right now. The urge to merge glass will take over again sooner or later though!
With the Pliers
In spare moments here and there, usually while the TV is on, I am working on Chainmaille, twisty bits of wire and other components for future jewelry projects. When the animal housing and mill are slower these bits and pieces will go into earrings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets and lanyards along with some of the beads from the winter torching gone by.
In the Mill
Now here is another area of action at the moment.
Have ordered the card and picker, in fact they should be here anyday now.
Had the plumber out to get an estimate on the water system and how best to connect to the current plumbing. Same with a holding tank for waste wash water...
Thankfully only minor changes are needed to the hydro service and set up...
Now collecting the other small bits and peices: Washing machines, laundry tubs, dyeing tubs, fiber bins, drying screens, GST/PST numbers, biz registration, stationary and more.
The shop area is clearing out nicely, still a ways to go, but when we are done the building will have my fiber and torch areas seperated from my hubby's woodshop. Then we won't have to stagger our working in the different shop areas like we do now...( think sawdust and fiber or open flame...yeah not pretty)
In a few weeks I expect to be processing the first of my own fleeces and then I will go from there if others are interested in my prcessing their fibers as well.
One thing about everything we have on the go...no time to get in trouble!
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