It has been a while.

Having a farm is a lot of work. I also work outside the farm and that makes it harder. I also have ADHD and that makes it CRAZY. I want to do a better job keeping on top of things for the health and safety of my critters. I think I should use this as a diary of my days and to tell you how I and my animals (and produce in the Spring and Summer) are doing.

1/19/2025

Hi Starry Eyed Farm Friends,

A little personal information. I started on Stattara for my ADHD about a month ago. It is a non stimulant ADHD Medication. I don’t really notice a difference in my attention. I did notice I get dry mouth alot, and that I am not as regular as I usually enjoy being (I added Bran Buds to my daily routine and that seems to do the trick).

With my ADHD I tend to bite off more than I can chew so to speak. I wanted to start small with my farm, but I went all in. I got goats, sheep, chickens and rabbits and soon added ducks. I soon realized that I was in over my head.

First to go were the sheep. I did like them but I should have started with a smaller more easy going breed. I started with Corridale. They are beautiful animals with great wool. They are very big and have a fine, very dense fleece. I should have gone smaller and with a sheep that is friendlier and easier to work with. Maybe Shetland or Finn. I have decided that I will just do goats and let others do sheep and buy their fleeces.

I do however want the fiber breeds of Goats and also the dairy. I probably started with the wrong goats also. I chose La Manchas. They are very large goats, they milk pretty well and can be personality plus. I had one that wasn’t really nice to anyone but me and my husband. The two bucks I had over my time with them were delightful and very friendly. Don’t listen to people who say not to get bucks. I love them. Mine are so sweet. I don’t even mind the smell (My husband is not a fan). Maybe I have been lucky. I did do a little research on both the Sheep and Goat breeds. I went to multiple farms and checked them out. I really wanted Nigerian Dwarf Goats, they are cute and small and are known to be great milkers. The couple of farms I went to were very expensive and at the time I was visiting a horse barn frequently with kids from school and one of the employees had LaManchas and the price was right and she was so close and helpful. This fall I rehomed my full size LaManchas. I did breed down and miniaturize them by breeding them to Nigerian bucks. The other goat that I started with was Angora Goats (Beautiful Fiber!!!). Prince was my first Goat. I even had him before the farm. For a few days he lived in a small pen on my 1/4 acre lot in Hanover, NH (shh, don’t tell). Then until we moved he stayed with my friend RoAnne after she got back from vacation. I had to grab him fast. The owner was giving him away. I also at the time got his brother. When they came to me they had colds (It was a very wet and cool spring). I brought them to the vet next day, who said they had Pnemonia. He gave me some medicine for them, but unfortunately the brother died. It was so sad. Prince fathered two little girl goats out of Princess. Princess was sold to me by Roanne when I moved to my farm. Princess has one baby everytime she kids, the first two being girls and her last kid a big beautiful buck out of my newest buck Johnnie Walker Red. She is the old lady of the herd now. Unfortunately Prince passed away. When you become a farmer there are so many things to think about. One of them is worms in your animals and how to decrease them. I started testing the goats fecal matter and medicated when necessary. Unfortunately I believe that it was this pest that got my poor Prince. After a couple of years of farming and testing I couldn’t figure out why my animals had such a high worm load. I found that the State Universities have people that will help Farmers for free and give them advise on how to improve things. We now do rotational grazing, and move them to new pasture in a very set way. The worm issue has improved greatly, I am happy to say. Princesses 2nd baby girl was given to my Friend Laura from Hubbardston, MA in trade for one of her Nigerian Bucks (which turned into 2 brothers). Rocket and Groot were still drinking milk and I bottle fed them for a while. They grew to love me and are still my sweet little boys (I LOVE MY BUCKS!!) They have fathered many goats, here on my farm and at farms of a couple of neighbors. The most recent person to use my Nigerian bucks for stud service (Yes, my bucks are a couple of Studs!) has two of her three goats pregnant by Rocket and yesterday borrowed Groot for her last girl. After I loaned her Rocket she offered me one of her does as a gift (she wanted to down size). She was one of the two I went crazy over. She is a sweetie, her name is Polly. I now have a little (well not to little) herd of goats. I have two Nigerian Bucks, Rocket and Groot, and one Angora Buck JWR. I have 8 does, three Angoras, two Mini LaManchas, and two Nigoras (another cross, between Angora and Nigerian Dwarf) and Polly my newest goat a Nigerian Dwarf.

I have also been duck free for a few years. I like ducks but they are very messy. I have chickens to provide my eggs. I currently have 16 Chickens, one Rooster and 15 hens. Ten of my hens just started laying. I had to add to my flock because of the adorable but nasty predator the Raccoon. We have electric fences but they still find ways to get in. Maybe dropping from trees. I also have a big coop with a good door, but the chickens wouldn’t go in it. They liked the old coop which didn’t seal as well. The new chickens are liking the big coop but some still hang out in the other one. Hopefully they will learn.

I also still have Angora Rabbits. I currently have 5. They are delightful and have wonderful fiber for spinning and can be very sweet. Another thing to say is that I prefer the personality of the Bucks in this animal too. My boys are the sweetest. They can be almost like a friendly cat that rubs it’s face on your hand.

So…I have decided to use you as a kind of blog/journal/to do/done list. Today I plan on focusing on the chicken coops which are in great need of cleaning. If I have time I will work on the rabbit cages which are also in need. I cleaned and rebedded the goat barns a couple of weeks ago so if any daylight is left I will work on them last. Tomorrow is an extra day off for me MLK/Civil Rights Day. I will probably do the goat areas again tomorrow.

My new plan going forward will be. To do a tiny amount of cleaning along with my daily food and water chores (Probably at night after work).

1. Rake out soiled hay from goat and rabbit areas.

2. Dispose of any fecal matter in nesting boxes, and easy to collect areas in Coops.

3. Brush and groom one Rabbit

In doing the above I hope to minimize the labor on my weekends (Save for shots, and medicine and Shearing animals). This should also provide a healthier environment for the animals that I love.

I love my animals and my farm. They keep me young, active and outdoors. They are my friends and part of my family.

Thank you for being a Starry Eyed Farm friend. Until tomorrow!

Cathleen

The Starry Eyed Farmer