Early Arrival Surprise

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The baby goats got to come home a little early! They were due to arrive in May, but I begged and pleaded. Finally, the breeder decided let us have them a week early. We picked them up and drove home with two goats in our truck bed. It was quite the funny experience; however, I realize this is probably a totally normal and boring experience for “actual” farmers. They seem to be adjusting really well to their new home. The first night they cried every time we walked away. Their cries were MUCH louder than I expected. All our neighbors now know when snuck goats into the city limit. Oops!

We put up a temporary shelter for them with some pallets since our mini barn isn’t built yet. (Hopefully, its going up within the next week or so.) Finally, to get them to be quiet, I propped up some things in front of their little shed so they would be totally enclosed. They liked this set up MUCH better and were quiet the rest of their first night. Today, they are playing, munching on all the fresh tall grass in their pen, and looking very happy. Just a few hours after their arrival, they seem to be settling in perfectly!

Homestead

Farm Fence is Up!

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The fence was a two day process and measures about 80x80ft. It will house the goats that are coming in May and all the chickens. There is talk about the possibility of a mini horse, but we will see how this goes first. The first day we spent measuring for the fence, digging holes and placing the corner posts, and pounding in each t-post. My dad came to help since we had never put up a farm fence. He brought my boys a four wheeler and that made their day! They’ve already combed some awesome trails through the woods behind our home and spent one entire day “muddin” as we called it when I was growing up in Kentucky! Outdoor life is the best life for a kid (and for grown-ups like me.)

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Day 2 was used to install my repurposed gate and stretch the wire between each corner post. This process is definitely easier with a few extra hands. My oldest son was on the four wheeler controlling the winch to stretch the fence as tight as possible. The fence looks amazing a pretty much disappears into the landscape of our yard. I never knew I could be so excited about a fence! This means it’s almost time for the baby animals to arrive! It’s been a dream to have a little land we could spend our lives on and this place is just that!

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This weekend we plan to put in our garden and get the corner posts in the ground for the mini barn going inside the fenced area. Next week, we hope to start on the barn! I’ll post updates as we go along!

Homestead

Mini Backyard Pine Forest

Featured Margie Huff1 Comment

Before

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We have so many beautiful pines on our property behind our home, and they were a mess! The kids jumped in, and we spent a couple days cutting out the lower branches and dead limbs. See my husband with the saw in the bottom right photo?

After

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It looks like a park back there and its my new favorite spot in the yard. I love when pines umbrella over head giving you the richest forest-y smell in the world!

Beyond the tree line are some gorgeous, VERY OLD trees we wanted to play in. We cleaned it up a bit and found the perfect tree for climbing! Still trying to determine what type of tree it is. Possibly sassafras? The largest sassafras in the world is in Owensboro, KY, which is a short drive from us and thought to be at least 300 years old. So, this one might be a few hundred years old too!

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Below is the future home of the fencing and shed for the baby goats arriving in May!

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If you are curious about our new home here in Indiana, here it is! Also, this is a great photo of the amazing sycamore tree!

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Come back soon for fencing and shed progress for the cute little goats!

Homestead

Baby Goat Shopping

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We found the sweetest little goat farm in Christney, Indiana! We loaded up and took a 45 minute drive through the country. (I don’t think I passed another car the entire way.) When we arrived, we were greeted by the sweetest lady who loved her goats like they were her children. We went out behind her barn, she called for them, and they came running through the green pasture and over the hill towards us! My kid’s jaws dropped. All the momma goats used our legs as scratching posts. Babies climbed up to eat our shirts and wanted their ears rubbed! Heart melted! I will take them all please???

We spent a little while with the Nigerian dwarf goats and picked the two babies that wouldn’t leave us alone. We are suckers for baby animals that want our attention. Literally, all hopes of picking ones with specific color patterns went totally out the window. We chose a little blue-eyed, tan and cream baby boy who was the owner’s favorite. She literally had tears in her eyes when we were walking away. This one was my kid’s favorite too. He is super brave and is immediately everyone’s best friend. Little Baby boy number two won me over with his gentle spirit. Can you tell by the picture of me holding him? He is the little brown-eyed, brown and black goat who is very loving and likes human cuddles.

We recently bought a few acres and have always wanted a few small farm animals. This is the beginning or our homestead, AKA petting zoo. The goats will come home to be with us in May. Now, its time to build the fence!

Fence progress photos to come.