Easier days

It is funny how things work out sometimes.
We were cleaning up for winter and already made our pick on what animals to keep and which we wanted more or less of.

For next year:

• no pigs (plenty of meat to cover an extra year)
• more goats (by breeding now, maybe buy another Dutch Landrace Goat)
• add male turkey and hatch eggs
• add jersey giant (white) and sussex rooster (probably eggs since I want the roosters together from a young age). These give me the desired mixed breed birds which turned out great this year but also purebreeds of both species.

Last friday a man came by to pick up the last of our muscovy ducks. We decided to quit ducks. We had them for slug control but prefer other methods (raised beds with copper tape and in-ground beds with neem oil). This is what works for us. I use nematodes also in lettuce beds or something that is really vulnerable to slugs, nematodes are more expensive but wipe out all the slugs in that area. I had a real plague of them in a woodchip strawberry bed, needless to say slugs love woodchips. One application works within 24 hours and for a whole growing season.

So anyway the ducks were picked up. As the guy was driving off he saw my Araucana’s and he was a breeder himself. I wanted to sell them for a while so he took them home as well. Just as he left our butcher called that he wanted to pick up the pigs on saturday. So today we moved them to to barn and they are ready to go.

A quick loading area for the pigs. We can move the sides against the trailer when it arrives. Our pigs will follow us anyway.

Funny how things go sometimes but as I have zero energy I am somewhat relieved that my workload has decreased overnight.
The only thing left is to in the animal section is to butcher two older hens and two roosters.

As far as the garden goes I’ll just let it go for now, it’s getting overgrown with weeds but I’m not well enough to take care of it. I was thinking about putting the goats on it when all the produce is out. There is nothing poisonous growing there so it should be fine. I do need to add woodchips to the path and the asparagus bed. We’ll get there one step at a time.

A bit neglected. I guess it'll become a goat snack

There is always something to do at the homestead.
How is your winter prep going?