Well, its a friday round up of odds and ends.. so lets see critters, well everyone is doing well despite the blowing cold winds and snow, I have at least one more sheep starting to bag up so expecting lambs this weekend, the set of twins in the barn are doing excellent, their mother lay’s in the most sheltered spot and then then lay on the other side with not only her warmth to help but snugged in their bedding, they are just rocking along, today is the first day that I will start getting the set up done to milk share with them, I don’t need alot but I do want to get a little in the house, so I am going to be a parttime 3rd lamb, she will be supported accordly, as it will be her first time being milked, I am planning on doing a fairly long post on it, but for now, its just been a matter of starting her off on Milking Ration and mini cubes for extra feed along with all the hay and water she wants, she is learning to come to me for the extra’s and I have been patting and touching her, just a gently process so that first tie up and milking will be a more easy event for both of us. Stessed females don’t let down the milk easily..

The cows are both doing well, I am giving Marty three weeks of finishing very lightly in grain, and the Girl is in excellent condition at the moment and near as I can tell progessing in her pregancy well, the sheep are all eating, and growing in size.. this weekend will be the tagging event for those that are going to buctcher the week after.

The piglets are eating and growing, and sleeping lots in a big piggy pile bedded down in their straw, their beds and bodies steam when they get up so clearly they are warm while down in it. The big pigs seem to be doing well, and little Miss Tooties is fat as fat can be.. that little gal can breath air and keep her not trim figure, it must be a breed thing?

Brandy and Pony are doing well, they are now able to be turned out together while eating and getting exercise without needing full time watching, Brandy is boss and pony perfers to hang with the sheep then with the big dogs (aka the cows an Brandy) but he seems to be quite welcome with them.

The chickens have finished moulting and have settled into their winter laying quite well, the remain chickens are behaving well, no more egg eating.. smart birds got a repreive.

The snow just keeps coming and coming! we have had at least another six inches in total since the big dump, and they are calling for even more over the next day or two.. The wind has been bitter and I won’t lie both Dh and I are really looking forward to needing to haul less water once the sheep and Marty go for butcher, it will help.. I can’t say how glad I was that I got all the birds done enough that we went from four big pens down to one big pen for the winter, makes a huge difference in work load for them.

The battle on the mice or mices is in full swing, there are baits out, snap traps out, glue traps out and live traps out.. die cute little furry but O so bad little critters! So far, I have caught Zero! 😛 but DH killed one in the barn with feed scoop, does that count in some way? I think I might be feeding the barn cats a little too! well.. Get it together Purrpots!

Found someone who is offering Driving lessions and after talking with them, will for sure set something up, I am rusty and Dh’s training is nil, and its proving to be quite different to drive a single vs a team, anyway I will go more into detail on that one in its own post or posts, but lets just say that I hope to get my first lession sometime this month if the weather works for it.

The food challange is going well, I decided to add to it and have decided that we won’t be eating out this month either, normally we have at least two meals out as part of our regular plans, but this month I think instead we will have two fancy meals in on our date nights.

On the weight front, we got a new scale for christmas and both of our offical weighin’s happened on the 27th of dec, which makes it one week today so I made up one of those ticker things but can’t for the life of me figure out how to post it on the side, hmmm.

Anyway the real goal is to be able to mount and ride brandy better but the ticker needed a number so this is the one I picked..  Good week, but then the first always is..