Filed under: Farm | Tags: Consider Bardwell Farm, Hereford Pig, Pigs, weather
We had some ridiculously warm weather in Vermont recently. Temperatures were in the 70s and 80s for about a week straight and there was plenty of sunshine to put us all in good spirits. Well, most of us enjoyed the weather – a few members of the farm found the warm air and sunshine a little oppressive. Our boar Hugo was so hot he could hardly get up to eat!
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Chicken, Chicken Coop, Consider Bardwell Farm, Interns, Internship, Pasture
It’s time for the chickens to move – they’ve fallen in love with our kidding barn. To our annoyance, they’re prone to loafing around and nesting in the hay of our kids’ pens. So we trucked the biddies down to a lower pasture in our first attempt at chicken diversion. But their new spot was too close to their original haunts – they returned to the kidding barn and were back to their old antics in no time. They even stayed past sundown and we were tasked with nighttime chicken catching to get them back into their coop. Our final solution: driving them to one of our farthest pastures right next to our pigs. Now that’s some good chicken trickin’.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Barn, Cheese, Consider Bardwell Farm, Goats, Interns, Internship, Kidding, Manchester, Milking Parlor
Our kid count is up to 87, and more kids means more mammas. It’s about time we move back our barrier in the barn to make room for the milkers.
Almost half of our girls have freshened and on Friday we tasted the first milk of the season! Margot predicts the ladies will have a productive year. Our cheese makers are using this first batch of milk to make some delicious Machester.
Of course, more kids means more kid piles. And who doesn’t love a good kid pile?
Filed under: Uncategorized
While they may not be producing the milk that our cheesemakers turn into delicious cheese, the bucks of our goat herd are just as important as the does. May I present to you Consider Bardwell’s first boy band, “Boyz In Da Barn.” From left to right: Miles – handsome, flamboyant, and a remarkable athlete. Otis – spunky, scrappy, and a great friend. George – gentle, inquisitive, and a hopeless romantic. Tyrone – rugged, ancient, wise as the mighty oak.
I was lucky enough to snap this photo after a totally hot performance in the barnyard. I’ve had their new single, “Goat!” stuck in my head all week!
Although most people know Consider Bardwell Farm for our herd of Oberhasli goats, there are, in fact, a few other breeds and cross-breeds that mingle conspicuously with the others. Perhaps most notable among the herd are the Nubians. With rounded, “Roman” noses, big floppy ears, and multi-colored coats, the Nubians tend to stick out from the black and brown Oberhaslis. We’re pretty certain they can tell they’re different too – the few Nubians we have can usually be found hanging around with each other. We’ve donned them the “Nube Pod”.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Cold, Consider Bardwell Farm, Feeding, Goats, Hay, Interns, Internship, Kidding, Oberhasli, Pasture
Our pregnant does on a very cold, wintery morning.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: cat, Consider Bardwell Farm, Interns, Pig House, Pigs
The births are really starting to pick up on the farm; more than 20 goats are overdue and could have their kids at any moment. With the little down-time we have left, we’re trying to check off as many things from our to-do list as possible. One of our major projects was to finish a new house for our pigs, and William the one-eyed pirate cat stopped by to make sure we did a satisfactory job.
Filed under: Farm | Tags: Consider Bardwell Farm, Goats, Interns, Internship, Kidding, triplets
Goats typically have twins; occasionally they only have one kid, and sometimes they have triplets. Last kidding season, Margot and Alex reported only 8 sets of triplets out of their 86 does. Although our number of bred does this year is up to 90, we were still anticipating roughly the same percentage of triplets: that is, only a handful of trios in our estimated 180 kids. But there must be something in the air this season as 6 of our 8 freshened does have birthed triplets. If our does keep it up, we’ll have 250 kids on our hands by the end of kidding season!
