Moving In A New Direction

Milk, Butter, Buttermilk.  We have never had a problem with Buttercup or her calf Flower but Nicole and I have come to a decision that we, as a farm, need to go in a single direction when it comes to the dairy.  We want people who see us as a goat dairy farm that delivers great products.  Not a farm that dabbles here and there. 

We have listed our cows up on craigslist for sale or trade and people are coming full force wanting to trade.  But the truth of the matter is this.  We got her because we could hand milk her and she is friendly to people.  We are not going to be selling/trading her to anyone that doesn't have the same ideals as Nicole and I do.  She is primarily grass fed but we do sneak in some grain for her while she was beig milked..... it kept her still because we do not have a stancheon for her, nor would we put her in one. We never milked her dry because we believe that Buttercup should be the one to dictate when to ween Flower off of her.  So what we would do is take roughly a gallon in the morning and another in the evening.... Flower got the rest. 

We don't believe in tagging her either.  When we bought her she had her earring in and that was the first thing we did was to take that out of her.  Their is no need for that nonsense on a cow.  If the person that wants to get her from us wants her as part of a large herd then we will just keep her because, like all of our animals, they need to be treated with respect and if Buttecup is to be just a number then don't even try buying her off of us.

But with all that being said, we are going to go in a direction that allows us to concentrate on goat milk and goat milk products.  Nicole is making wonderful fudges from and I am experimenting on making cheese.  I have learned the art of Chevre and Chevrella (goat cheese mozzerella) and Nicole is making a number of different kinds, all of which are really really smooth and creamy.  I am not just saying that because I am the first to tell her if the recipe is good or not.  And believe me, I have tried some god aweful fudges.  But its like anything in life.  You cannot expect the first couple of times tried will be successful.  What makes anything successful is getting up and trying over and over and over until it is right.  And the fudge she makes is wonderful now.  I would like to try it against Mackinac Island Fudge.... it would be close.

Everyone Loves The Circus!!!

Nicole has put the finishing touches on the mobile chicken coop.  This this is real nice.  The only problem is now people are going to start thinking that we are Bulldog fans when clearly we are not..... just take a look at our mailbox.  Wolverines all the way baby.  It is now an entrance fee for our family.  So in order for them to come down and see their grandchildren, they must provide some sort of garb with the University of Michigan logo on it... it is only then they may see our kids.  No kidding, if they drive 800 miles and they don't have so much as a U of M hat then they are turned away.  Its the only way for me to ever get any type of respectable hat... Lord knows down here (especially Pendergrass) they live and breathe the God awful bulldogs. 

Anyways, back to the point of the blog.  Our chickens are now part of the Cirque and will be performing daily.  Acts include scratching, pecking order disputes, drinking, eating bugs, laying eggs and an occasional race around the yard.  They have doing that since we got them, the only difference is now they have a snazzy mobile coop to roost or nest in.