should we buy more sheep?
Are 2 enough?
I think the thing that is really bothering me is the fact that these are Cormo's are excellent sheep and the price is 50% of what we would normally pay.
Do I want to feed them all winter...
Do we want to sell Bertha and Lucky? (The goats) That would give us more pasture, and Dad would probably feed the sheep since the pasture is so close.
I'm also a little nervous because I don't know all that much about sheep care. They need hoof trimming like horses. I've never done that. Also, is it expensive?
So many costs!
Also, do I want to pay $8 each for shearing of more sheep.
Maybe I can get a deal. But would I be getting in over my head?
These are the thoughts I'm consumed with right now.
Oh, and I've figured out I'm not feeding the chickens enough. so egg production is down to 1 egg a day. I've increased feed. If I don't see an increase in egg production, I'm decreasing it again. Not starving them, just decreasing it because they don't need to eat as much if they are not laying an egg every day.
anyway, I love all the animals around here. The kids love the sheep. Charlie (the fixed sheep) is so nice! Callie (the female) just follows him around.
I've also decided to stop obsessing about a spinning wheel. I don't really need one. I mean, my spindle is working just fine right now. I don't need to spend at least $400 on a spinning wheel at this point in my life. (unless I find a used one close by and for a good price) :)
Friday, November 30, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Old McDonald had a .... chicken?
Well we did it again. We've expanded out menagerie. We now have 4 chickens.
This time it was hubby who wanted them. He built the coop with a little help with our wolf scouts (passing off the 'build something' arrow point). Then we couldn't find any chickens to buy!
So I advertised a few times on craigslist.org and finally found 3 rhode island reds. Of course after I found them there was a whole week where chickens were available nearly every day.
Anyway, our research showed that Rhode Island Reds do well in cold weather, lay brown eggs, and are pretty hardy. Most of these chickens are heavy layers, laying 6 days out of 7. Also, they don't tend to slack off as much during the winter as most other breeds do. Something about it being colder. Anyway, they lay on average somewhere around 260 eggs per year.
The person we bought the chickens from also threw in a black silkie who lays white eggs, but not yet because she's to young. She said something about how anyone who has chickens should experience this kind. I should take some pictures of them all, but especially the silkie. It looks like it has a mohawk or something.
Anyway its been a lot of fun. The kids helped me feed it, and I may let them help a little with egg collecting.
We put the hen house and run inside our pasture. So the 2 sheep keep the chickens company. I've also moved the bunny inside the pasture, next to the hen house. We had it on the back porch and had some poop catchers under its cage, but man that thing is a poop machine. so I say let it poop in the pasture. I just have to figure out how to make the cage more weather proof. The bunny is long haired so seems to stay warm. I just worry about it once it gets really cold.
So the hen house has 3 nests. Hubby needs to build a 4th one so that the silkie has one.
Each nest has a little door that has a hook keeping it closed. Well Charlie the sheep figured out how to open it. Actually, he just nosed around enough to make it open so he could investigate. So hubby looks outside and says 'the chickens are out'. We raced outside and figured out that only 2 chickens were out. We chased them around the pasture and finally got them back inside. We tightened the hooks and are hoping that we're good now. If not, we may be getting different closures. We really don't want to chase them around anymore.
I'm really excited about the eggs. Today was the first time we got 3. So finally all 3 chickens are laying. I had heard that when they get moved around (or chased around :) they tend to take a few days off to get accustomed to their new surroundings.
The strange thing is that instead of all 3 chickens laying in the morning like most chickens do (according to the internet), we have lazy chickens who lay throughout the day. This morning I fed them at 9:30. Only one egg. I checked again around 11am (we had been getting 2 a day, so I didn't want to miss one) and there was another egg. I checked once more before church for fun and there was another egg! I hope these guys know that I'm not checking 3 times every day!
The other thing we are dealing with is that its been so cold lately that everyone's water keeps freezing. Yesterday i had to use an ax to chop through the ice on the sheep's water trough. The chickens keep stepping in the water, making it filthy and then it freezes. The bunny's water bottle (supposed to be weather tough) has been freezing solid.
My solution? pour hot water on the chickens water. this melts a little of the ice and fills the bowls the rest of the way. The bunny has a water bowl that I've been doing the same to. I fill it with hot water every day. The water bottle is useless. (weather tough, my foot).
The girls love to help. They love that hubby installed a new gate in the pasture so that feeding and caring for the animals is super easy now. It is literally a hop skip and a jump from our back door.
On to other things. My parents next door have 2 goats. One is sort of ours. We tried to give her away last summer, but things got complicated and we took her back. Then the neighbors intact nigerian pygmy goat hopped the fence and we thing bertha may be pregnant. If she is, she is due the first week in Feb. Its hard to tell for sure with goats, but her stomach is very different that it used to be. Lots of strange bumpy angles and her tail is at constant attention. I'm not sure that I'm looking forward to it if she is pregnant. I don't know if I'm up to a delivery!
Mom and Dad are in the process of putting in their papers for their mission. They could have a call within 3 months. Its exciting and scary.
They could stay in the area, and at home. Or they could go anywhere. We are pretty sure that because of Dad's allergies they would stay stateside. But you never really know.
So that is the excitement in our lives. I'll try and post chicken pictures soon.
This time it was hubby who wanted them. He built the coop with a little help with our wolf scouts (passing off the 'build something' arrow point). Then we couldn't find any chickens to buy!
So I advertised a few times on craigslist.org and finally found 3 rhode island reds. Of course after I found them there was a whole week where chickens were available nearly every day.
Anyway, our research showed that Rhode Island Reds do well in cold weather, lay brown eggs, and are pretty hardy. Most of these chickens are heavy layers, laying 6 days out of 7. Also, they don't tend to slack off as much during the winter as most other breeds do. Something about it being colder. Anyway, they lay on average somewhere around 260 eggs per year.
The person we bought the chickens from also threw in a black silkie who lays white eggs, but not yet because she's to young. She said something about how anyone who has chickens should experience this kind. I should take some pictures of them all, but especially the silkie. It looks like it has a mohawk or something.
Anyway its been a lot of fun. The kids helped me feed it, and I may let them help a little with egg collecting.
We put the hen house and run inside our pasture. So the 2 sheep keep the chickens company. I've also moved the bunny inside the pasture, next to the hen house. We had it on the back porch and had some poop catchers under its cage, but man that thing is a poop machine. so I say let it poop in the pasture. I just have to figure out how to make the cage more weather proof. The bunny is long haired so seems to stay warm. I just worry about it once it gets really cold.
So the hen house has 3 nests. Hubby needs to build a 4th one so that the silkie has one.
Each nest has a little door that has a hook keeping it closed. Well Charlie the sheep figured out how to open it. Actually, he just nosed around enough to make it open so he could investigate. So hubby looks outside and says 'the chickens are out'. We raced outside and figured out that only 2 chickens were out. We chased them around the pasture and finally got them back inside. We tightened the hooks and are hoping that we're good now. If not, we may be getting different closures. We really don't want to chase them around anymore.
I'm really excited about the eggs. Today was the first time we got 3. So finally all 3 chickens are laying. I had heard that when they get moved around (or chased around :) they tend to take a few days off to get accustomed to their new surroundings.
The strange thing is that instead of all 3 chickens laying in the morning like most chickens do (according to the internet), we have lazy chickens who lay throughout the day. This morning I fed them at 9:30. Only one egg. I checked again around 11am (we had been getting 2 a day, so I didn't want to miss one) and there was another egg. I checked once more before church for fun and there was another egg! I hope these guys know that I'm not checking 3 times every day!
The other thing we are dealing with is that its been so cold lately that everyone's water keeps freezing. Yesterday i had to use an ax to chop through the ice on the sheep's water trough. The chickens keep stepping in the water, making it filthy and then it freezes. The bunny's water bottle (supposed to be weather tough) has been freezing solid.
My solution? pour hot water on the chickens water. this melts a little of the ice and fills the bowls the rest of the way. The bunny has a water bowl that I've been doing the same to. I fill it with hot water every day. The water bottle is useless. (weather tough, my foot).
The girls love to help. They love that hubby installed a new gate in the pasture so that feeding and caring for the animals is super easy now. It is literally a hop skip and a jump from our back door.
On to other things. My parents next door have 2 goats. One is sort of ours. We tried to give her away last summer, but things got complicated and we took her back. Then the neighbors intact nigerian pygmy goat hopped the fence and we thing bertha may be pregnant. If she is, she is due the first week in Feb. Its hard to tell for sure with goats, but her stomach is very different that it used to be. Lots of strange bumpy angles and her tail is at constant attention. I'm not sure that I'm looking forward to it if she is pregnant. I don't know if I'm up to a delivery!
Mom and Dad are in the process of putting in their papers for their mission. They could have a call within 3 months. Its exciting and scary.
They could stay in the area, and at home. Or they could go anywhere. We are pretty sure that because of Dad's allergies they would stay stateside. But you never really know.
So that is the excitement in our lives. I'll try and post chicken pictures soon.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Some of my adventures in Dying!
I'm finally having the fun that I thought I should have in my dyeing! When I first started dyeing, I wasn't sure how serious I was about spinning, etc. So I thought I would just use Kool-aid. It is said to be colorfast when using vinegar, but will fade with washing. I was making and felting a bag, so I thought that would be ok for what I was using it for. I mean, how often do you felt a bag? Anyway, I posted pics of that in previous entries.
I was a bit dissappointed with kool-aid because it seemed like the colors were really bright and it didn't seem like I would be able to produce a variety of colors.
Well I've since decided that spinning is for me. Just look at our two adorable sheep!
They are Cormer. A girl and a boy who is fixed. They come from a registered Cormer dad and different mothers.
The other day it was raining and I thought 'poor lambs!' and went out to pet them. They were wet, but if you looked deeper into their coat they were dry and warm. I'm so excited to use that wool! It has a great crimp to it and it's so soft.
Don't tell hubby, but the next thing for the sheep is coats. This makes the wool that much nicer and keeps trash out of the wool, and is supposed to improve your yield.
So back to dyeing. I decided to stay with food based dyes. They can fade over time, but I really like the thought of this being safe to use around my kids. The only thing I have to worry about is staining fingers and clothes. Chemical dyes you have to worry about inhaling and it looks like you have to be careful with it, and of course your kids can't help! So food dyes work for me at this time in my life.
Another thing I've learned is that yes, red yellow and blue are primary colors. But its really hard to make all the colors you may want from them. Using icing colors works great when you want a specific color. And its much easier!!!
Anyway, Here are my adventures from dyeing from today.
All of these results were obtained in the microwave. The wool was soaked in water for 10-15 minutes to wet it. Then the wool spent anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes in the microwave. I just kept cooking it until the dye was exhausted, or nearly exhausted. :)
I also added about 1/4-1/2 cup of vinegar. I didn't measure this.
First up is hot pink!
I used 1.1 oz of spun wool and Wilton icing paste, color pink. 1/8 tsp. Way to intense. Doubt I'll do this one again.
Next up is blue and purple tie dye.
I used 1.4 oz of spun wool and 1/8 tsp of Wilton icing paste, color delpinium blue.
Next is a pretty rosy pink
I used .9 oz of spun wool and 1/16th tsp Aster Mauve wilton icing paste.
Next is another hot pink. Just a little lighter.
I used .9 oz of spun wool and 1/16th tsp of pink wilton icing paste. I was trying to get the pink just right.
Next is something I made up myself! It turned into a pretty light pink.
I used 1.1 oz spun wool and the Neon food coloring kit from Mccormick. 10 drops of purple, 2 drops pink and 1 drop blue.
I tried to take a picture of all of the pink colors I created in my quest for the perfect pink. It didn't turn out well, but it does show the differences in shades.
Next I made another sort of tie dye blue/purple.
I used 1 oz spun wool and the neon food coloring kit from Mccormick. It was supposed to be sky blue. 12 drops blue, 6 drops purple, 2 drops green.
I was a bit dissappointed with kool-aid because it seemed like the colors were really bright and it didn't seem like I would be able to produce a variety of colors.
Well I've since decided that spinning is for me. Just look at our two adorable sheep!
They are Cormer. A girl and a boy who is fixed. They come from a registered Cormer dad and different mothers.
The other day it was raining and I thought 'poor lambs!' and went out to pet them. They were wet, but if you looked deeper into their coat they were dry and warm. I'm so excited to use that wool! It has a great crimp to it and it's so soft.
Don't tell hubby, but the next thing for the sheep is coats. This makes the wool that much nicer and keeps trash out of the wool, and is supposed to improve your yield.
So back to dyeing. I decided to stay with food based dyes. They can fade over time, but I really like the thought of this being safe to use around my kids. The only thing I have to worry about is staining fingers and clothes. Chemical dyes you have to worry about inhaling and it looks like you have to be careful with it, and of course your kids can't help! So food dyes work for me at this time in my life.
Another thing I've learned is that yes, red yellow and blue are primary colors. But its really hard to make all the colors you may want from them. Using icing colors works great when you want a specific color. And its much easier!!!
Anyway, Here are my adventures from dyeing from today.
All of these results were obtained in the microwave. The wool was soaked in water for 10-15 minutes to wet it. Then the wool spent anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes in the microwave. I just kept cooking it until the dye was exhausted, or nearly exhausted. :)
I also added about 1/4-1/2 cup of vinegar. I didn't measure this.
First up is hot pink!
I used 1.1 oz of spun wool and Wilton icing paste, color pink. 1/8 tsp. Way to intense. Doubt I'll do this one again.
Next up is blue and purple tie dye.
I used 1.4 oz of spun wool and 1/8 tsp of Wilton icing paste, color delpinium blue.
Next is a pretty rosy pink
I used .9 oz of spun wool and 1/16th tsp Aster Mauve wilton icing paste.
Next is another hot pink. Just a little lighter.
I used .9 oz of spun wool and 1/16th tsp of pink wilton icing paste. I was trying to get the pink just right.
Next is something I made up myself! It turned into a pretty light pink.
I used 1.1 oz spun wool and the Neon food coloring kit from Mccormick. 10 drops of purple, 2 drops pink and 1 drop blue.
I tried to take a picture of all of the pink colors I created in my quest for the perfect pink. It didn't turn out well, but it does show the differences in shades.
Next I made another sort of tie dye blue/purple.
I used 1 oz spun wool and the neon food coloring kit from Mccormick. It was supposed to be sky blue. 12 drops blue, 6 drops purple, 2 drops green.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Washing wool
I've been washing wool for about 24 hours now.
The first time I washed wool (2lbs, looked very dirty) it was a breeze. It happened just like the instructions said it would. Thank goodness.
This time, it has taken forever. And I'm very happy we don't have to pay for our water, because I have used a ton. I just worry a little about our septic system.
Anyway.
This time I followed the exact same instructions as last time - If you are a first time wool washer, please don't follow these instructions. I'm leaving a lot of "don't do this" and "do this a certain way" out of my post because these are not instructions, rather this is what I did in general. (there are other websites with great instructions available).
1. very hot water. Add dish soap of choice (nothing with bleach) about 1/3 cup to each pound of wool. Soak wool in this for 1-2 hours.
2. drain water, add fresh water.
3. step 2 again.
By this time you have clean wool.
Well this time after step 3 I noticed that there were areas of the wool where there seemed to be a slick and sticky substance. This is known as lanolin. If left in your wool it will make it hard to card and eventually make the wool stiff and sticky.
So its late, I thought I'd be done by now, and I'm tired.
So I add all the wool together and start at step one.
I let it soak all night in this.
This morning, same spots of lanolin.
So upon further research I decided to try super washing soda from Arm & hammer. Also, I've switched my tubs of water and big laundry sink full of water for my washing machine. At this point, since the wool is pretty clean, It's ok. But I would never use the washing machine from the beginning. To much sheep poop on the wool. Yuck.
Using the washing machine means that all of the wool has to be bagged so that no fiber can sneak into my washing machine parts and cause me to have to buy new parts.
So I just filled the washer and put in 1/8th of a cup of washing soda per pound. Since I have 9 pounds, I put just over 1 cup in.
I let it soak for no longer than 20 minutes. Washing soda can harm your fiber if left to long.
I just put it through the spin cycle. This is safe because unlike the agitation cycle, it doesn't move or agitate the wool.
When I pulled the wool out of the machine (never refill the machine while the wool is still inside!) I noticed small brown dirty looking, slightly greasy small blobs. These lightly coated the inside of the washer and the pillow cases that I have all the wool inside.
I wiped down the inside of the washing machine, but couldn't do much with the pillow cases. As long as I keep the water hot, this yucky stuff shouldn't redistribute onto the wool. As long as its not hanging out on the wool, I'm ok with this.
Anyway, the wool is currently soaking in dish liquid again. Since the wool is pretty clean by now, it won't soak in there very long. I'm thinking about 1/2 hour.
The next rinse I'll use vinegar. Washing soda is very base, so you need to bring the wool back to somewhat neutral I guess. Anway, after the vinegar I may rinse one more time. I'm not sure how necessary it will be though.
Please cross your fingers for me that I didn't somehow felt the whole 9 lbs. I would die.
Oh, and we'll be getting 2 sheep on Monday. More on that later.
The first time I washed wool (2lbs, looked very dirty) it was a breeze. It happened just like the instructions said it would. Thank goodness.
This time, it has taken forever. And I'm very happy we don't have to pay for our water, because I have used a ton. I just worry a little about our septic system.
Anyway.
This time I followed the exact same instructions as last time - If you are a first time wool washer, please don't follow these instructions. I'm leaving a lot of "don't do this" and "do this a certain way" out of my post because these are not instructions, rather this is what I did in general. (there are other websites with great instructions available).
1. very hot water. Add dish soap of choice (nothing with bleach) about 1/3 cup to each pound of wool. Soak wool in this for 1-2 hours.
2. drain water, add fresh water.
3. step 2 again.
By this time you have clean wool.
Well this time after step 3 I noticed that there were areas of the wool where there seemed to be a slick and sticky substance. This is known as lanolin. If left in your wool it will make it hard to card and eventually make the wool stiff and sticky.
So its late, I thought I'd be done by now, and I'm tired.
So I add all the wool together and start at step one.
I let it soak all night in this.
This morning, same spots of lanolin.
So upon further research I decided to try super washing soda from Arm & hammer. Also, I've switched my tubs of water and big laundry sink full of water for my washing machine. At this point, since the wool is pretty clean, It's ok. But I would never use the washing machine from the beginning. To much sheep poop on the wool. Yuck.
Using the washing machine means that all of the wool has to be bagged so that no fiber can sneak into my washing machine parts and cause me to have to buy new parts.
So I just filled the washer and put in 1/8th of a cup of washing soda per pound. Since I have 9 pounds, I put just over 1 cup in.
I let it soak for no longer than 20 minutes. Washing soda can harm your fiber if left to long.
I just put it through the spin cycle. This is safe because unlike the agitation cycle, it doesn't move or agitate the wool.
When I pulled the wool out of the machine (never refill the machine while the wool is still inside!) I noticed small brown dirty looking, slightly greasy small blobs. These lightly coated the inside of the washer and the pillow cases that I have all the wool inside.
I wiped down the inside of the washing machine, but couldn't do much with the pillow cases. As long as I keep the water hot, this yucky stuff shouldn't redistribute onto the wool. As long as its not hanging out on the wool, I'm ok with this.
Anyway, the wool is currently soaking in dish liquid again. Since the wool is pretty clean by now, it won't soak in there very long. I'm thinking about 1/2 hour.
The next rinse I'll use vinegar. Washing soda is very base, so you need to bring the wool back to somewhat neutral I guess. Anway, after the vinegar I may rinse one more time. I'm not sure how necessary it will be though.
Please cross your fingers for me that I didn't somehow felt the whole 9 lbs. I would die.
Oh, and we'll be getting 2 sheep on Monday. More on that later.
Friday, November 02, 2007
I'm so excited!
I just arranged to buy 9 pounds of wool this evening.
Help me think of great colors to dye it and projects to use it on!
I'm already seeing pretty pink slippers from Santa for the girls. Maybe I could figure out how to cross stitch (or iron on) princess. They are so into princesses!
I found Snow White at the DI today. $4 seemed a little over priced, but I know it would cost me more at the store (if they are even selling it). I guess I was spoiled by that awesome garage sale a few months back where movies were .25 and .50 each.
I'm liquidating my Nintendo collection.
I was amazed to learn that I have 2 super nintendo systems, 1 super nintendo game
2 rf's
2 power cords
5 NES systems
20 NES games
13 NES controllers
Also 2 Atari systems
7 atari games
2 Atari joy sticks
1 Atari rf
I actually think there is another box of NES's around here somewhere.
I know there is a box of 5 or so new replacement connectors for the NES.
If anyone wants one, they better speak up!
Help me think of great colors to dye it and projects to use it on!
I'm already seeing pretty pink slippers from Santa for the girls. Maybe I could figure out how to cross stitch (or iron on) princess. They are so into princesses!
I found Snow White at the DI today. $4 seemed a little over priced, but I know it would cost me more at the store (if they are even selling it). I guess I was spoiled by that awesome garage sale a few months back where movies were .25 and .50 each.
I'm liquidating my Nintendo collection.
I was amazed to learn that I have 2 super nintendo systems, 1 super nintendo game
2 rf's
2 power cords
5 NES systems
20 NES games
13 NES controllers
Also 2 Atari systems
7 atari games
2 Atari joy sticks
1 Atari rf
I actually think there is another box of NES's around here somewhere.
I know there is a box of 5 or so new replacement connectors for the NES.
If anyone wants one, they better speak up!
cute kids
C and M are sitting here next to me discussing hubby and my's wedding photo.
M says " Mommy" pointing to me "Daddy" pointing to Daddy. "Daddy is a nice boy" :)
She is putting together words very well now. Lots of 3 -5 word sentences.
"daddy fall down on my feet" the picture is on the ground now
"I fall down. I fall down Mommy" She is laying on the ground.
C says "your so silly M." and "I have Mommy and Daddy right here." holding the picture.
Now its "Mommy I Hungry" from M which means that I must feed the troops.
M calls C "honey". I think its because hubby and I call each other that. Occasionally she will say C's name.
M says " Mommy" pointing to me "Daddy" pointing to Daddy. "Daddy is a nice boy" :)
She is putting together words very well now. Lots of 3 -5 word sentences.
"daddy fall down on my feet" the picture is on the ground now
"I fall down. I fall down Mommy" She is laying on the ground.
C says "your so silly M." and "I have Mommy and Daddy right here." holding the picture.
Now its "Mommy I Hungry" from M which means that I must feed the troops.
M calls C "honey". I think its because hubby and I call each other that. Occasionally she will say C's name.
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