Have you been following our 365 project on Instagram (@Thefreckledfarm)? We have been posting at least one photo a day from the farm. If you aren’t following us you might want to consider it… come March there will be a ton of pictures of baby goats!
Don’t have Instagram? At the end of each month we will be posting a round-up of the pictures that we posted throughout the month. Below are all the pictures from January. Enjoy!
The post is coming a little late today. We had a crazy day to top off a very eventful week. Tina kidded early this morning. One kid was born before we got outside to her at 5am and the other came shortly after. The second kid came out in a bad position, making it a very complicated birth. I am extremely grateful that we got to her in time for that one. I will write a separate post where I go into more detail about her labor later. Tina was the last goat to kid. Hillary kidded Sunday, so all of our 2014 kids are here!
While you wait for the post about Hillary and Tina’s kidding I thought I would go ahead and share a little sneak peek picture of all of the cuteness to come… This is Chelsea
Tomorrow is the first day of spring!! And to celebrate we are introducing our new “Spring” Goat Milk Soap and running a giveaway where one lucky winner will win two bars of our spring soap along with one additional bar of their choice. Check back tomorrow to enter the giveaway!!
I am starting the 2014 “The Freckled Farm First Friday Book Club” with my favorite farming memoir – Goat Song: A Seasonal Life, a Short History of Herding, and the Art of Making Cheese by Brad Kessler
You will learn over the next year that I am completely obsessed with farming memoirs. I find the process of starting a farm incredibly fascinating… any type of farm, not just goat farms. It’s likely because I am at that same point in my life as many of the authors, but even if you aren’t I can assure you that they are great reads. There is something very romantic about learning to live of the land.
This was the book that started my love of farm memoirs. This wonderful novel follows Brad Kessler’s journey as he leaves the big city, moves to a farm in southern Vermont, and learns to raise goats and make cheese. I found his process of learning to make cheese especially inspirational. I love when people go to great lengths to truly learn their craft. Throughout the book Mr. Kessler throws in interesting facts about goats and how they have been viewed and used through history. So not only is this book a lovely story it’s also a history lesson.
Goat song is beautifully written. It goes into great detail about what it is like to start a goat farm and if you haven’t witnessed a buck in rut or the whole breeding process I am here to attest that it really is as gross as he depicts. Brad loves his land, his goats, and good cheese. I sincerely love this book. It is the perfect book to start your love of farming memoirs!
Have you read Goat Song? Leave your thoughts in the comment section!
A few weeks ago we did a little impromptu photo shoot because we needed photographs of us with the animals for several different things. We got some great images, so I thought I would take the time to share them here on the blog. Enjoy!
Breckin and Baby Ruth:
Breckin and Baby Sonia:
Me and my buddy Afton. We have a special relationship. Also, Kevin, Bryce, and Baby Sonia:
Tina had to be closed up in the barn during the photo shoot because she isn’t good with the children.
Want to know more about the farmers, animals, and buildings on The Freckled Farm? Every Friday I will introduce you to another part of The Freckled Farm. This week you have a chance to get to know Ruth Bader Ginsburg!
On The Freckled Farm our animals are named by themes. The llamas are named after mountains, the chickens are named after 80s and 90s sitcom characters, and our goats are named after strong, intelligent women that we love and admire.
Back in the fall we reserved two kid does for this spring from a farm in Louisa. We were really hoping to get a doe from a specific breeding (the dam and sire throw beautiful kids), but you never know what you are going to get so we were prepared to take kids from any of their breedings. We were overjoyed when spring rolled around and we got an email saying that the breeding resulted in one doe and one buck, and since we were first in line she would be available to us. Our second doe would come from one of the other breedings. Once all of the does kidded we visited the farm to make our pick. The doe from our chosen breeding was beautiful, as we expected. There was no doubt that we would pick her. The second pick came from a breeding of one of the past kids of our choice breeding. We ended up with two really beautiful girls.
Ruth joined The Freckled Farm in June. She is an absolutely beautiful doe. Her markings are incredible. She is sweet and playful as most kids are, but I have a feeling that as she gets older that she might challenge Tina for the alpha position. Even at her small size she has attempted to assert her authority when she was being pushed around by either pushing back or stomping her hooves in protest. She may one day take the position of our alpha goat.
The Freckled Farm Soap Company makes handmade goat milk soaps. Our body care products are all natural and made with love. For more information about our products and to read more about the farm please visit our website: www.thefreckledfarmsoapcompany.com
Want to know more about the farmers, animals, and buildings on The Freckled Farm? Every Friday I will introduce you to another part of The Freckled Farm. This week you have a chance to get to know Hillary Clinton!
On The Freckled Farm our animals are named by themes. The llamas are named after mountains, the chickens are named after 80s and 90s sitcom characters, and our goats are named after strong, intelligent women that we love and admire.
Oh my sweet Hillary. She is so loving, so affectionate, so intelligent, and a true attention hog. Hillary follows me around the pasture as I do farm chores, anything to get some attention. She has such a sweet, calm personality (except at feeding time) that most of our visitors fall in love with Ms. Hillary instantly. People also love her beautiful white freckled ears. When we moved the baby goats into the pasture a few weeks ago instead of pushing them around, like Tina did, she explored them with gentle curiosity. Don’t get me wrong, if they were in her way she would let them know, but is was with a gentle push instead of an aggressive head butt. She is our sweet girl. We love her so much.
The Freckled Farm Soap Company makes handmade goat milk soaps. Our body care products are all natural and made with love. For more information about our products and to read more about the farm please visit our website: www.thefreckledfarmsoapcompany.com
Want to know more about the farmers, animals, and buildings on The Freckled Farm? Every Friday I will introduce you to another part of The Freckled Farm. This week you have a chance to get to know Tina Fey!
On The Freckled Farm our animals are named by themes. The llamas are named after mountains, the chickens are named after 80s and 90s sitcom characters, and our goats are named after strong, intelligent women that we love and admire.
I am starting with Tina Fey because she is the alpha. All herds have them and Tina is ours. She is truly a “Bossy Pants.” She bosses everyone around… Well not me, but that’s not from lack of trying.
When the barn was complete and the fencing was in progress I began to look for a farm that had a few available yearlings. We hadn’t planned on getting goats until spring, but with the farm structures coming to completion I wasn’t willing to wait any longer. I searched for a while but most of the local farms had already sold off any available goats that spring. I finally found a farm not far from us that had eight doelings from two different breedings for us to pick from. I knew there was no way that I would go and not find at least two goats that I liked, so it really started to sink in that the goats we saw that day would be the start of our farm. On the drive there Kevin and I discussed how we would know which goats to get. I had waited my whole life for this day (no exaggeration), so I wondered if I would just know which goats were ours or if it would solely be an educated decision based on the goats structure and the history of the dam and sire. We had visited several farms that year and even had reservations to get 2 kid does in the spring, but we had never had the experience of going to a farm and saying “We will take those two,” so the excitement that surrounding this farm visit was very different than in the past. We got to the farm and the owner walked us through the property. We walked passed the dog pen, the buck kid pen, the big buck pasture, and up to the adult doe pasture. She pointed towards the pasture where the doelings were. I looked over and there they were, standing up against the fence and there was one doe who just struck me. It was like she was lit up. I knew she was mine. That goat was Tina.
When we first brought Tina home she was a goof ball. She would prance and hop around the pasture, but as we continued to add animals and it was no longer just her and Hillary she began to show a dominate side. She still has her goofy moments, but she rules the roost and is quite serious most of the time. She may be a bossy one, but towards me she is loving and affectionate… sometimes aggressively so. She has dimples near her mouth that make it look like she is always smiling. We love her… bossiness and all.
The Freckled Farm Soap Company makes handmade goat milk soaps. Our body care products are all natural and made with love. For more information about our products and to read more about the farm please visit our website: www.thefreckledfarmsoapcompany.com