Busier than a one legged man....

[LeatherneckPA]

....in a butt kicking contest. That's me.

I'm working my tail off here, and most of it is not homesteading. I have my prison job (until June 24th), my substitute teaching, motor-refing bicycle races, and teaching motorcycle safety all in full swing right now. Add them all up and I haven't had a full day off since April 20th. A lot of those days have been part-time job until 1 or 2, then off to the prison until midnight. So I am a little behind.

I have the chicken tractor framed out, and the wire is getting stapled on daily. Should finish that and hopefully frame the roof of the coop portion this morning. Then off to the prison again. Hey, got to go get some work done outside. Talk at ya later.

[Sarah in SC]

Glad you already got the garden planted! How are them chickens?

[LeatherneckPA]

Chicks are almost fully feathered. Flighty as all get out. That's the big rush to get the coop finished right now. I want to move them outside this weekend. When they get excited they try to fly out of the brooder, and afew of them have made it up to perch on the edge while I'm trying to hold up the lid and change the water or food.

The Barred Rocks are looking beautiful, as are the NH Reds and the Gold Laced Wyandottes. Not too impressed with the Black Australorps yet. But they should all look really cool all strutting their stuff out in the yard this weekend.

[Sarah in SC]

More pictures, please, when you get them out of the brooder and into the chicken yard! I believe that Khan needs some chicken pictures, and I do too!

My two sheep are looking rough right now, they are Katahdin's, and shed their wool instead of being shaved, so they look more Rastafarian than anything else!

[Bestwifeever]

Agree, more pictures, please!!! Sarah, I would also like to see photos of your sheep, too.

[Sarah in SC]

Sure--here they are in their summer coats! Seem to be remarkably long-lived--over 10 now and in good condition. They adore DH, follow him around in the yard, and will absolutely climb all over you for some saltine crackers! My only complaint is they eat my magnolia leaves if I don't keep the tree fenced in. Nice, easy keeping pets that have friendly personalities and very low maintenance needs.

[LeatherneckPA]

Cool sheep!

Haven't decided yet whether sheep will make it onto the homestead. Number ONE rule on the homestead is going to be simple. If it doesn't pay it's own way, it doesn't live here.

[ls99]

Very nice sheep. Self propelled lawnmowers. Four wheel drive.

[Bestwifeever]

Those sheep are amazing! Is the naturally shedding wool usable for yarn, Sarah?

[Sarah in SC]

They are very sweet girls--the wool would be fine for yarn (I think) if I knew what to do with it, but mostly they shed it in great big clumps that look like dead squirrels out in the yard. It is loaded with lanolin, but IIRC from my visit to NZ years ago, there is a lot of washing and processing that the wool has to go through to get to yarn. They are what is called "hair sheep" and are suited for hot weather climates due to the shedding coats. Other than that tidbit, I know very little about their husbandry. They are very talkative, baaing at us and following us around like dogs. I like them a lot, with just two they don't do a great job actually mowing the grass, but they love it when we overseed with rye grass in the winter just for them!
And because they are ewes, they are very docile. I'm so glad we don't have goats--I've heard they are nightmare pets and very destructive.

Mike--if you had a small herd of sheep, they'd be pretty low maintenance and you could always get a ram and sell the babies (nothing in the world cuter than lambs). Also if there are weavers in your area, you could have a shearer (they are usually freelance folks) sell your wool to them.

Now would be a good time to pressure Khan into getting sheep AND chickens!