Lambs 2014

Here are a few pictures of this years lambs. I will post more pictures and information as I get time.
Kiko's two rams. Angus is their sire.

Kelly's lamb sired by Angus.

Miryha's ram sire is Kreacher.

Mia's lambs Rio is their sire.

Last Weeks Fiber and Soap

First to be dyed was the Blue Face Leicester/Tussah Silk. This is grey wool which makes the colors rich and dark.

The next day I dyed I had merino 80%/tussah 20% and the lilac colors on the right the merino/silk has bamboo also.

Last but not least I dyed the white BFL/Tussah. The colors pop with the BFL and the merino the colors are soft and creamy like sherbet color.

Below are some samples of the Castile Soap I have been making. I've been taking pure Castile Soap (olive oil, lye,water) rebatching it by melting it with some of my goats milk in the oven. Then adding sweet almond oil, calendula flowers and Orange Valencia essential oil.It turns out to be a wonderful creamy soap that lasts for quite awhile if kept dry between uses.

Milk And Honey

Last November my three adult does Ginger, Nutmeg and Sugar were bred to Pistol a darling little Mini Lamancha  dairy goat buck. Pistol lives right up the block. He stayed here for about six weeks then went back home.

Ginger and her daughter behind her

Ginger is ready to come out and walk the goats four acre pasture to keep in shape for her April due date. But below Sugar is sound a sleep and didn't hear me while the others were being photographed!

Brown Sugar

Pattie and her Mom Nutmeg

Pattie, Georgia and Mira (black doe behind Ginger) are still looking for their forever home.

Georgia Peach

Sugar was awakened after I called her name, walked out on to the grass and preceded to lay right back down. She must have had a hard night because she is not big with babies yet. All three does are due to freshen in April.

Paula gave me some comb from one of her top bar bee hives yesterday. Instructions were to crush the comb and drain honey out. I want to save the wax also for another project I'd like to make later.

I placed the comb in a paint strainer bag and it's hanging from my kitchen cabinet.

 I've had fun kneading it now and then and licking my fingers, great stuff! I think I'll leave it here over night and clean the wax tomorrow.

Winter of 2013

So far this winter we have had more of our share of extreme weather events.

December 2nd I went out at four in the morning to make sure everyone was alright in the barn after a night of extreme wind. I couldn't find Casey so went out the back door and found our 40 foot spruce tree laying right by the back door. The picture below is what's left of the trunk of the tree. It broke in the wind about two feet above the ground. The other end of the truck was three feet away with the top of the tree on the barn..

Also there is a large Russian Olive tree down. That tree came out of the ground and hit the far end of the barn. There was good news in this event. Between the Spruce and the Olive is the power line to the barn and only a small branch was leaning over it so no loss of power to the house! Casey was alright she was up by the rams barn. She was not going to get near the big tree.

Moses and Heath

Then came the snow. Just before Christmas is started to snow. Between getting one or two inches in a few storms then we had up to eight inches one time and with the cold temperatures we had snow on the ground for over 6 weeks. Very rare for this area. Frozen water every morning and night with the deep snow was no ride in the park.

Angus

The snow is almost gone now only some ice spots on the north side of things and the water buckets stay unfrozen all day. Whoo-Hooo!
Sally the emu has been laying eggs. She has six at this date and last week most of my hens have started to lay egg again regularly. A few of my Easter-egger hens have supplied us with eggs all winter. Just enough to get us and the dogs all we needed. Great chickens!

Starting Over

I've been out of the loop lately. Just not taking the time to blog. I miss having a diary of things that happen here at Desert Peach so I'm going to make a New Years Resolution to blog more often.
Our guardian dog Simon is slowly growing. His body is grown and his brain is just now getting the idea that sheep are not big squeaky toys. 

Casey just turned two in December. I can't believe at this size and ages these dogs can still be puppies. They are just too playful when the sheep are so it's not time to start trusting them to live full time with the sheep. We're getting there!

Last week we had our first great covering of pogonib. I walk the dogs two or three times a day out with the sheep. This morning it wasn't easy to see threw the fence. Simon has a frosted face.

Heading back to the house. In this picture we still have 4-6 inches of snow. Our area always gets snow in the winter but this stuff has been here since before Christmas that is unusual. Most times a good snow will melt before a few weeks pass.

I think the ewe's enjoy the weather when its cold.

2012 Does and Kids

This year I freshened(bred) three does. All mini lamancha's from Paula's lines. Nutmeg had one buck and one doe.

Ginger with some of the kids. She gave birth to triplets, one doe and two bucks.

Megan's doe.

Megan's buck. Ginger's black doe kid in the back.

Ginger and one of her bucks. The other one is in the background.

Another picture of Megan in her show pose.

My third doe is Brown Sugar. Sugar has one buck and one doe. That's her buck with her.

And this is Sugar's doe! I think this is my favorite kid born this year. My Georgia Peach. I have three little doe kids for sale if any one is interested!

2012 Lambs

This years lambs brought a few awesome surprises!One ewe Oma had triplets this year. That was a first for Desert Peach Farm. No ewe here has had triplets.

In my quest for some splashy colors I breed Stonehaven Cielia to her son Desert Peach Clancy and she had these twins. The ewe is the mostly white lamb. Yuglet, Ilget? (Yuglet markings around her eyes with black spots) and her brother looks like Dad with the Bielset marking around his neck and patches of white. .

A big surprise was when Thunderhead Argentina (gulmoget) bred to Desert Peach Rio (katmoget) had this fancy ewe lamb. I'd say she's gulmoget, yuglet with the pinto spots on her body. Since I've never had such colors I could use some help on how to register her and the other fancy lambs from this year.

Here is Rio a grey katmoget. His father Stonehaven Watson (black)Dam WSR Miryah moorit katmoget.

Then Desert Peach Hazel (black iset) had two ram lambs sired by Rio and this is what I got! The first ram is almost HST only minus the T. HST meaning he should have the white Head, Socks and Tail. Brother below is moorit katmoget.

Pretty little ewe lamb from Desert Peach Vala and Desert Peach Moe.

Rio's dam WSR Miryah bred to  Desert Peach Moe had one of my favorite ewe lambs born this year, Lucy a moorit katmoget. I haven't gotten a good picture of her yet cuz she's always on the move!

Two ewe lambs from Desert Peach Kiko and Clancy. Both will fade to grey like their Mom.