Month: February 2022

Spring ….. It’s one of my favorite times of the year! The cold of winter melts off at the first sight of daffodils peaking through the thawing earth.  While it is still winter our thoughts here have turned to what’s ahead for spring.

3 Things we are planning for this spring

1.Blueberries

We will be planting 750 blueberry plants…. Yes you read that correct 750!! 

Blueberries require a low ph of 4.5 to 5.5 to thrive. We plant rabbit eye varieties which a little more forgiving but we still like to get the ph in this range. 

Dirtcraft Organics is a family-owned, farm-based business located in the mountains of Western North Carolina. They are known for “creating living soils for conscious growers”. We are currently working with them to create a custom blueberry mix. It’s always fun to collaborate with a local, family-owned business to help us get started. We started looking for a Peat Free Potting mix options…. Why does peat matter?

• Peat bogs sequester an incredible amount of carbon- we need them left alone and doing their job for healthy soil
• Peat is a non renewable resource
• Peatlands are home to an incredible diverse amount of animals and insects- important to keep healthy soil and soil food web intact

These facts were learned from the Regenerative Farmers of America. To learn more about Regenerative Farming and Agriculture check out www.regenerativefarmersofamerica.com

1. Pasture Poultry

Last year we raised pasture meat chickens to try it out. It went so well, we are planning to run 2 batches this year. It was absolutely lovely to have a freezer full of clean meat and made meal planning for our family such a breeze. One quick way we used our meat chickens was to spatchock them on the grill. It was juicy and tender beyond belief. Michelle of Legacy Valley, loved to make beer can chicken. We haven’t decided if we will sell some this year or not but if you would be interested in purchasing meat from us please email us at legacy.valley.nc@gmail.com. In the subject box type PASTURE CHICKEN YES!

2. Goat Kids

The third thing we will have this spring is goat kids bouncing all around. We anticipate having 7 new kid faces on site. We raise Nigerian Dwarf goats which are known for their dairy capacity. They are small and easy to handle but produce lots of milk. They are perfect for a small homestead. So far our favorite thing we have made from the milk is blackberry goats milk ice cream. It was amazing! 

Can’t wait to share more with you in a few weeks! Thanks for joining us in our farm journey.

Danielle

1. Pine bedding and extra hay in stalls for the goats. **FUN FACT** Since goats are small ruminents, they can warm themselves by eating hay.

2. Chickens were moved to a less windy area and their chicken tractor was secured so it wouldn’t move with strong wind.

​CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK: Most of the animals are winter hardy and can handle snow. To be honest, neither the chickens or goats came out of their shelters until a few days after the snow. We spoiled them by feeding them inside! Our farm did well in the snow, we are just working towards a better hay storage solution. Right now it’s stored under our back porch and mice like to live there( yuck) and we have to stoop to get hay in and out. Alfalfa bales weigh 90-100 lbs so it’s quite difficult. UP NEXTWe have our first goat kid scheduled to be on the ground February 18th so we are in full preparation mode getting supplies and kidding stalls set up. Goats do best when supported during delivery. Can they deliver without anyone present? Absolutely! However, goats are susceptible to parasites, during labor and delivery the increase in stress causes the periparturient egg count to rise or “bloom” which increases the load the goat is carrying. That increase then lands on the ground where the kids are growing and they pick them up. It could escalate quickly and make for some sick goats.​One way we try to manage parasites( they are never all the way gone, we just need a healthy load for the goats to manage) is by kidding during colder months. This decreases the parasite’s life span which helps the goats. One challenge cold weather kidding brings is if the goats don’t get dried and cleaned off quickly they could die of hypothermia( preventable) or have frostbitten ears( also preventable). The Dam’s( female goat) do a great job of this, but Nigerian Dwarf goats are known to kid multiples. It can be hard to get three kids out and dried off in very cold conditions.