Goat Kids Love to Play

Welcome Back!

You know that baby goats are called kids. Do you know why human children are called kids?

Because you like to run and play just like goat kids!

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We have new babies on the farm! They aren't ducklings. These babies were a surprise!


There were 11 turkey chicks that hatched.

The mama hen turkey hid her nest under the truck.
We had no idea she was there!
We thought a dog or other animal had eaten her.

 I moved them all into the barn so they would be safe in the stall. Turkey chicks aren't very smart. They wander around everywhere. They don't know how to follow their mama hen around so she can keep them safe and warm.

Quin and Xander love to hold chicks!

This chick looks like he's yelling!
Xander was really gentle, there's no need for the little chick to worry.

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Here's an interesting egg! One of our chickens laid an egg with no shell.

If you soak an egg in vinegar you can take the shell off the egg so it looks the same as Quin's egg.

See how squishy it is?

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Here is my egg count for this week:

• On Friday April 21 I collected 12 brown eggs, 9 green eggs, and 2 duck eggs.
• On Saturday April 22 I collected 4 brown eggs, 7 green eggs, and no duck eggs.
• On Sunday April 23 I collected 9 brown eggs, 6 green eggs, and no duck eggs.
• On Monday April 24 I collected 7 brown eggs, 4 green eggs, and no duck eggs.
• On Tuesday April 25 I collected 9 brown eggs, 5 green eggs, and no duck eggs.
• On Wednesday April 26 I collected 8 brown eggs, 5 green eggs, and no duck eggs.
• On Thursday April 27 I collected 7 brown eggs, 4 green eggs, and no duck eggs.

I think the ducks are done laying eggs.

Here is the way I keep track of how many eggs I collect each day.

Some years I collect for more weeks. Here's a link to a few years ago.

How many dozen chicken eggs did I collect over 2 weeks? I'll post the answer below.

Here's my graph, does it look different from yours?

The answer to my question about how many dozen chicken eggs I collected is:

17 1/2 dozen eggs.

It's important for us to keep track of how many eggs the chickens lay, and how much food they eat so we can see how much it costs us for eggs.

A bag of chicken feed is about $20 depending on where we buy it, and if it's on sale.

$20 ÷ by 17 1/2 dozen eggs = $1.14 per dozen.

We don't get many eggs in the winter, and we have to feed the chickens more. We get a lot of eggs in the summer and hardly have to feed the chickens much because they love to eat bugs and grass. We think it all evens out over the year. This year our eggs cost us about $1.14 a dozen.

Sometimes eggs in the store cost more, sometimes they cost less. Chicken farmers have to count things like their cost for electricity, repairs on the barn and coops, equipment like feeders and waterers, cost of new chicks and raising them, how much they have to pay workers, and how much they pay for feed and water. They also have to pay for egg cartons, and to truck their eggs to the store. They have more costs to count than I do.

Math is really important for farmers. We have a lot of costs to keep track of, we need to know how much it costs us to have all these animals! 

We need to know how much to feed them, and what to feed them. 

We need to be able to figure out how much milk a baby goat needs if we bottle feed them. (If we feed them too much then they die! If we don't feed them enough they die!)

I hope you are working hard on your math, too. I don't know any adults that don't use math. 

I'll answer lots of questions next Friday! 

Have a great week!

Turkey Time-Out!

Welcome back!

I hope you had a good week.

We've had a little trouble keeping our turkey in the yard. I don't know why. He usually stays around the chickens and the goats. He usually sleeps on the fence by the goats in the winter, and he sleeps on the fence by the chickens when the weather is nicer in spring and summer.

We had a few neighbors see him in their yard. Yesterday before we started to milk we got a call from a neighbor who saw him across the street. I love our good neighbors! This time Mr. Turkey was two blocks away!

I wish there had been another person with Matt and me to take a video of us catching the turkey. Our neighbor was there, but he was helping us catch the turkey, too.

It took three of us to corner the turkey, catch him, and get him into a dog crate to bring him home. We followed him through four back yards and down the street for a little while. We don't usually run after animals that we're trying to catch because that scares them and they run faster. We usually follow them and try to get them into a corner where it's easier to catch them.

Mr. Turkey doesn't fit very well in the dog crate.
It's big enough to bring him back to the farm in the back of the car.

This is big enough for him to live in for a few days.
We call it "Turkey Time-out!"
Maybe I should call it "Turkey Think Time."
Hopefully after spending a few days inside the big cage he'll decide it's better to stay close to home instead of wandering the neighborhood.

If he decides to wander off again he may end up as Turkey Dinner. Our neighbors are nice, but they don't want a turkey wandering around in their yard digging up their flowers and gardens.

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I was able to catch and hold the new hen that hasn't grown her feathers yet.
I thought you might like to see what it looks like a little closer.
Do you see those small black 'sticks' coming out of her skin?
Those are new feathers.
I'm not sure why she hasn't grown her feathers back yet.

This is another one of the new hens.
Her feathers have almost all filled in. There is only one small bald spot by her tail.
All the small shiny feathers on her back are the new feathers.

These two hens are 'broody.' That means they want to sit on a nest and hatch out eggs. They are in the same nest every morning and every night. They won't leave.

I keep taking their eggs, anyway.

I may put some eggs under them next week and let them hatch.

This hen is a banty. She's a mini-chicken. She can hatch out 2-3 large eggs.
She's small so she can't keep very many eggs warm.

This hen is a regular size hen.
She can sit on 5-6 eggs and keep them warm.

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I haven't collected any duck eggs lately. I thought one of the ducks was broody and sitting on a nest that she had hidden somewhere. Ducks get broody, too. 

The ducks aren't broody.
They were hiding their eggs.

How many eggs do you see?
They are a little dirty.

I gathered up the eggs and floated them to see if any were nasty. None of them floated so I washed them and checked them with my special flashlight to make sure they were still good to eat.

It's been chilly enough outside that the eggs are all still good to use!

All clean!
Next month I'll send a bunch of eggs so you can see and feel the difference between duck eggs, chicken eggs, and turkey eggs.

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Matt and I needed to work on the bucks (boy goats) last week. We don't do much with them because bucks are stinky in the winter! 

They all needed their hooves trimmed.
Curly needed the 'tags' cut off, too.

'Tags' are mud and stuff stuck to his curly hair.

He didn't want to stand properly in the milk stand so I trimmed him while his front feet were up on the stand and his back feet were on the ground.

After a while he decided that was uncomfortable so he got up on the stand so I could finish.

It took about an hour to trim and clean up all three bucks. Now they are ready to sell! We're ready for some new bucks this fall. We'll miss Curly, Zeek, and Thor. We know they will be happy where ever they go!

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I hope you have a great Spring Break!

There will be baby goats when you get back. We've kept an eye on Serenity, River, and Misty. They are ready to have their babies any day!

Animal Teeth!

Welcome back!

Your teacher told me that February is Dental Health month in First Grade.

You learned a lot about teeth this month. Strong teeth are very, very important for people and animals. Keeping them clean is an important part of keeping them healthy. Eating properly is also an important part of keeping teeth healthy and strong.

Matt used to work at Timpanogos Animal Hospital in Pleasant Grove. He used to help the techs. One of the things he got to help with was cleaning dog's teeth.

Did you know that it's important to clean your dog's teeth? Most people don't like to brush their dog's teeth because dogs hate it! We use a special treat that cleans the dog's teeth called Dentastix.

Dentists like to clean people's teeth twice a year. Dogs should get their teeth cleaned once a year.

This dog has dirty teeth. Some of his teeth are infected and broken. Dogs don't take good care of their teeth. Do you see all the yellow stuff near the dog's gums? He also has a broken tooth on his top jaw near the red plastic tie.

Are you wondering what the tube is? It goes down his throat towards his lungs and carries a special gas that keeps the dog asleep. Dogs don't like getting their teeth cleaned. People can sit in a chair and have a hygienist clean their teeth, but a dog won't do that.

Here is the other side of his mouth. Can you see the teeth that are flat towards the back of his mouth? They shouldn't be flat. Sometimes dogs chew on rocks. If one tooth breaks other teeth wear down. All the brown and yellow need to be polished off his teeth.

All clean! Can you see the spot on the right side of the photo that is missing teeth? How many teeth are missing? Check the photo right before this one.
If you look closely you can see stitches where the teeth used to be.
Those teeth were infected and needed to come out.

All clean on this side, too!

The next thing that happens is that the tube comes out of his mouth and then the put the dog someplace comfortable while he wakes up.

Here are Mile's teeth.
He's such a good dog to let us hold his mouth open so you can see his teeth!

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Misty has all her adult teeth.
Misty's teeth look different from Miles teeth.
What is different?

Miles's teeth are pointy because dogs eat meat and dog kibbles. He needs sharp teeth to chew.
Miles has teeth on the top and bottom of his mouth so he can chew his food properly.

Misty has flat teeth because she eats grain, grass, and hay. Sharp teeth wouldn't chew hay very well.
Goats, sheep, llamas, and cows only have teeth on the bottom of their mouth in the front. They have top and bottom teeth in the back of their mouth. Bottom teeth help them graze and eat hay easily. They don't chew it right away, they just bite it and swallow it. They chew it later. I'll post about how they 'chew their cud' another time.

This is Penny. We gave her to some friends so you won't see many pictures of her.
She is 1 year old in this photo. She has her "1 year old teeth" in the center.
Every year she will loose two teeth. The first two new teeth are the center teeth.
Next she will loose the two teeth on either side.
She will loose two teeth each year until she has all adult teeth in the front of her mouth.
We can tell how old a goat is until they are 4 years old by how many adult teeth they have.

Children have 'baby teeth' that fall out. Adult teeth take the place of baby teeth. You've probably already lost at least one tooth!

Baby goats have 'milk teeth' that fall out. Adult teeth take the place of baby teeth. 

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Guess what? Last week I noticed that the tan turkey was getting bigger, and bigger!
One day when I went out to the barn, this is what I saw!
The tan turkey is a Tom turkey! He's a boy!
What is different between the brown turkey and the two black and white turkeys?

Do you see the new pavers under the gate?
That's because Miles has been naughty!
He dug a big hole under the gate so he could take himself on a walk.
We live near a highway and it's dangerous for dogs to wander around by themselves.
Matt put pavers under the gate so he can't dig under the gate anymore!

What do your parents do to keep you safe?

Have a great week!

Trimming Hooves and Treats

Welcome back!

I hope you had a good week. We had a busy week so I forgot to post the Mountain Monday photo. I'll remember to take the photos this week. Do you get busy sometimes and forget to do things, too?

Do you like treats?

Animals like treats, too!

Misty is asking for a treat this morning.
She knows I have fruit snacks on the shelf.

All the goats love fruit snacks. This morning Misty was very excited for them!

When food gets too old for people, it is still good for the animals. We have friends who know that we can use the food for our animals so instead of throwing the food away, they give it to us. The fruit snacks that Misty is eating are about 3 years old. Those are too old and too hard for kids to eat, but the goats love them!

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The dogs love to go out to the barn. They love the animals, and they love to run and play outside. Children love recess, going out to the barn is just like recess for the dogs.

If you come to our house and say, "Ready!" the dogs would come running just like this!

Scout thinks it's his job to keep an eye on the cat when he's out in the barn.
He also likes to keep an eye on the chickens when they are inside the barn.

Do you have jobs to do at home? Do you have jobs to do in the classroom? 

We work together on the farm just like you work together in your classroom and in your family. Sometimes our jobs are hard work, sometimes our jobs are easy. Jobs are important because they teach us to be responsible and help one another.

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Last week I promised that I would show you how we trim the goat's hooves. Goats need their hooves trimmed just like you need your fingernails trimmed.

Are you thinking, "Ewwww! Yuck!"
I think that, too. It's a yucky job because of all the dirt on their hooves.
I make sure I wash my hands when I'm done.

Misty's hooves are all trimmed.
It's easier for her to walk when her hooves are trimmed correctly.
Misty is getting chubby! That's because she is going to have a baby soon!
Do you see how fuzzy she looks? That's her winter coat.

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This chicken always jumps up on the coop to say hello to me in the morning.
I think she's very pretty!

Every once in a while we see a chicken taking a ride on the back of a goat.
We wonder if she is warming her cold feet.
The goats don't mind.
Do you ever get piggy-back rides from someone bigger than you?
Is it fun?

I thought you might like to see the three cows this morning.
I love looking at the animals in the morning.
It's a lot of work to take care of them, but being around them every day is so enjoyable!

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I hope you have a wonderful week! Your job this week is to learn as much as you can at school!

Farm Friday * 13 November 2015

Welcome Back!

I hope you had fun on your field trip! The people who visited our farm while you were at the zoo had a great time, too!

I see Chuck all puffed up every morning!

This is what he looks like when he walks around.

What does he sound like?

What other sounds do you hear?

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Thank you for your questions!

No, we don't have donkeys.
I think donkeys are adorable!
But they are also very, very loud.
Loud donkeys would be fine if we lived in the country,
but our farm is in town so we don't want loud animals.

Yes, we have cats. No, we don't have kittens.

This is Midnight, the barn cat.
She lives in the barn and has a job to do!
She loves having a treat of goat milk each time I milk the goats.

This is Cookie, she lives in the house.
She is very old! She is 17!
She also loves a treat of goat's milk every day.
Cookie won't drink milk right from the cow, or milk from the store.

No, we don't have rats.
We have cats and they take care of the rats and the mice.

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How many birds do you count in the photo?

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Look how the baby turkeys are growing!

Look how the chicks are growing!

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This is Clover. She gets sick in the winter if she doesn't have a coat on.
Lots of animals grow thick winter coats, but Clover doesn't.
People don't grow winter coats, either!
Clover loves her winter coat because it keeps her nice and warm.
Are you as smart as Clover?
Do you wear your coat in the winter?

This is Misty, she grows a thick winter coat so she doesn't need to wear one like Clover does,
or like you and I do!

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We planted a tree this week, but that night there was a big wind storm and it blew down.

I had to plant it again the next day, and tie it to the fence so it won't fall down again.
Do you see someone nibbling on the tree?

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Thank you again for your questions, I hope you have a wonderful week!

Next week I'll tell you what kinds of food the animals eat.

Photos from the Farm #31

Welcome back!

How was your week? I hope you learned new things, and that you did your best.

Here's Harry taking a break on Annie's back.
Baby goats love to climb on everyone and everything!

Do you remember our old cat, Cookie?
She is about 17 years old and she still catches mice!
We don't usually have mice in the house,
but once in a while in the spring or fall one will get in.
Thank you, Cookie!

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Do you remember what our yard looked like last week? 

This is what it looks like this week.

All the purple flowers are gone.

More of the red flowers have started blooming.

There are some red flowers called Poppies starting to bloom in this flower bed.
I trimmed all the flowers off the rhubarb, but I haven't had a chance to bottle any yet.
Hopefully I will have time this week.

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I have a very good friend who has pigs. We still don't have pigs. Pigs aren't allowed in Highland.

My friend thinks it's great that you are learning so much about the farm so she sent me some videos of her piglet.

This piglet was injured by her brothers and sisters. That happens with piglets. They aren't very careful and sometimes they pile on top of each other. The piglet at the bottom often gets hurt. 

My friend decided to put her in a pen all by herself and hope she could learn to eat solid food quickly. She was still drinking her mom's milk. 

She did! Now she is healing quickly and is the same size as her brothers and sisters. Sometimes we can't save an injured animal on the farm. No matter what we do, sometimes they die. We are always excited when a sick or injured animals gets better.

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I thought you might like to see one of my friend's goats. This is Widget. She is good at adopting other animals. This year she has adopted a calf. My friend bought a calf, and Widget is feeding it!

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Bryon saw the chickens taking a bath in the garden last Saturday! I ran out with my camera and was able to take some videos for you.



You can see how this chicken shakes off all the dust! Wow! They really get the dirt and dust in their feathers. The bugs shake out with the dust and the dirt and the chickens are much happier!

I think I would be happy to get rid of bugs crawling around and trying to live in my feathers, too!

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Last Saturday there was a balloon that flew over our house.
Bryon got a photo of it!
It landed in a field nearby.
It's fun when the balloons fly so close to our house!

That's all for today.

I hope you have a great week!