Update on our little farm

Wow ... has it really been so long since I've posted? So sorry about that. We've had a really busy Summer, and even tho the calendar says it's Autumn, the 91 degree weather says it's still Summer.

• We're busy getting our potted tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, rhubarb, raspberries and so on ready to come inside for the Winter. It was a really bad year for growing things with the early intensely-hot-but-dry Summer, so tomatoes, etc got a late start. Thankfully a lot of stuff was in pots so I'm bringing them to the deck to de-buggify to bring them into the house.
• We've eaten a lot of mini red bell peppers (heirlooms, about the size of a quarter each) and am so glad I planted them containers this year. So excited about eating them and eggplants and tomatoes during the Winter.
• Some zucchini and yellow squash and black-beauty eggplants too. Not as much as I'd hoped. The first year in a new place is always a test year. Soil. Wind. Rain. Microclimates. So many aspects to consider. Next year will be MUCH better!
• Our goats are doing great. Our nubian is very aggressive tho so we're building a second goat pen right next to the first. Separating them will mean everyone will have a chance to eat the hay! She does give us about a half gallon of sweet milk each day, so we give her lots of hugs (and hay) in return.
• We have two goats that we'll be breeding in October, and another one who'll be bred in December. I'm so excited about getting our first goat babies!
• The chicken coops we built are doing ok, but we're kinda concerned that the rough Winter we're expecting will be too much. Next weekend (or the one after) we're moving them to be up against the house. Protection against the raging winds and will help keep snow off of them. The heat of the house should also help keep them warm.
• Chickens chickens chickens! The day-olds (5 easter egger and 5 black australorp) we got at the end of April haven't started laying yet, and now with the shorter days, the adults we have started slowing down. What adults? We have 1 easter egger hen, 1 easter egger rooster, 1 delaware hen, 2 white plymouth rock hens, and 2 buff orpingtons. The buffies quit laying eggs so we're working on making them broody. They have a special coop that we call the "maternity ward" and as soon as they are broody, we'll take some fertilized eggs from under our egger hen and the other adult hens and sneak them under the buffies. Should have chicks 21 days or so later and should start laying by Spring.
• There's a real problem with coyote and fox in this area, so the more we can do to keep our animals safe, the better we'll be. That's another reason we're moving the chicken coops closer to the house (and the outdoor lights). Plus about two weeks before our goats kid, we'll move them into the barn in a special pen we're making so they can be predator safe, nice and warm, surrounded by hay.

I guess that's it for now. I'll try to take pictures before we get too far into Fall. Thanks for stopping by!