Tag: Black Frog Farm

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There are a bazillion breeds of chickens! How do I pick the best breed of chicken for me?

There are so many chicken breeds in the world, it’s incredible! And overwhelming! And exciting! I look forward to chicken hatchery catalogs each year to see what else I can add to my flock. They come around the end of each year, and I cozy up in cold Wisconsin and page through the variety. I love to try new breeds on my farm and see what kinds of eggs we get. When we first started out though, I made sure to do my research and pick some easy breeds to keep for beginners. They ended up being still some of my favorites! I am planning on adding more of my very original breed – Buff Orpingtons – to my next flock order 🙂 They are so chill they are actually fun to play with!

So, what do I keep in mind when choosing a breed?
Well, I keep our customers in mind and happy with my choices too, so laying large brown eggs is one of my considerations. I also make sure that the “normal” egg production from each breed is high enough to allow us enough extra to sell to our customers.
While our chickens our egg producers, they are also our pets. Our daughter Aubrey especially loves to spoil them and love on them. So picking breeds that are friendly, docile, and easy to work with is important. Also, since we are in Wisconsin I need cold hardy breeds, that are also laid back about being cooped inside for a few months while it’s snowing.

It’s important to keep the needs of the birds in mind when deciding on a breed. Since we have hot and humid summers, and sometimes bitter cold winters, I need birds that can handle both. The hardier the bird the better! I’ve found that chickens with really large combs and wattles (the red skin things on their heads and necks) tend to get frostbite easier than other breeds. Frostbite turns the combs black, and parts of them can actually break off. Our large Lavender Orpington Rooster Bob had this happen to him one winter. Poor Dude. It did grow back, but looked awful for awhile. Unfortunately frostbite can be hard to prevent, as heating the coops is more of a fire danger than it’s worth. Picking the right breeds for the climate becomes the best way to prevent things like frostbite from happening. So I’ve been focusing more on breeds of chickens with smaller combs to avoid frostbite.

Our very first breeds of chickens were Buff Orpingtons (large golden colored birds that lay large brown eggs), and Silkies. Silkies are goofy looking fuzzballs that don’t even look like a chicken. They are usually mild mannered, and good for kids. They are a smaller bird, and have feathered legs and feet. And….they have blue skin! They are certainly a crazy looking chicekn! Both breeds do well in our area and climate, and handle being in a coop well. They also lay regularly.

After having these breeds I wanted to change it up and add all kinds of colors to run around my farm. Now, many years later, we have more varieties of Orpingtons, Wyndottes, Americaunas, Black Marans, Silkies, Silver Laced Sebrights, Penciled Rocks, Welsummers, and Porcelein d’uccles, to name a few. I like having a large mixture of breeds for the color variety of both the feathers, and the eggs. The large selection of bird breeds is how I end up with pretty rainbow colored eggs. I also enjoy bantam (small) sized chickens. Some of mine are the size of mourning doves and I love the variety of colors they come in!

If you plan on getting a rooster, or maybe accidentally end up with one from a hatchery, the right breed is also very important. In full sized birds (as opposed to bantams- or smaller versions of each breed) the roosters are generally larger than the hen. So being able to handle them if needed, and a good disposition is a must. Personality of each bird plays a part, but this is when generalization of each breed demeanor comes in handy. If they are usually calm and docile birds, it’s likely you’ll get that in your rooster as well. We’ve found that Orpington roosters have been some of the most relaxed guys on our farm. You know those Youtube videos with roosters chasing people all over the place? That isn’t something I want to duplicate here!

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a chicken breed is if you plan on ever hatching out your own chicks. You can always incubate the eggs, but I’ve had the best luck having the chickens hatch out their own. The absolute best bird to let go “broody” – want to set on the eggs and hatch them out- are silkies. Our silkies have been broody about 50% of the time during spring and summer. There is always a silkie sitting on a pile of eggs somewhere. If we are wanting to hatch specific eggs out we put them under a broody silkie. They do the rest!! Of course, if you don’t want broody hens and you just want eggs that is another thing to keep in mind when choosing chicken breeds. There are breeds that rarely go broody. You need to do your research, and hatcheries are good sources of information for how a breed will turn out as adults.

Finally, the most fun in picking out breeds of chickens is just deciding what your preference is for looks. If you enjoy a wide variety of chicken colors meandering around your yard like I do, then get a few varieties and change it up each year when you order chicks! I’ve always enjoyed trying new breeds of chickens. Sometimes I stumble onto a breed I absolutely love and want to add more of. That’s the joy of keeping chickens!

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Special Guest Blog – What is TNR and the benefits?

As cat lovers, Black Frog Farm is an advocate of TNR – Trap Neuter Return. We also put our money and time where our mouths are and have TNR’d all the cats that are on our farm. I sometimes get questions about what TNR is and why would I bother with it? For the answer to that, I contacted my friend and fellow cat lover Terri Ebersole – cat TNR expert. She singlehandedly ran the Wisconsin TNR program “My Feral Fix” for many years. Here is Terri’s take on TNR in her own words:

TNR – THE GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE YOUR OUTDOOR CAT

What is TNR? –
TNR stands for Trap, Neuter, Return. It is the most humane method of managing the population of outdoor cats (stray, abandoned, or feral).
TNR involves humanely trapping all the cats in the colony, transporting them to a licensed vet for spay/neuter, vaccinating for rabies and distemper, deworming and a left ear tip (a universal symbol indicating they have been neutered). After a night of recuperation, the cats are then returned to their outdoor home to live out a longer, healthier life.

When Kerry asked me to do a guest blog on the benefits of TNR, it took me awhile to respond. I didn’t understand why anyone would need to be convinced of the benefits of TNR. Most things have pros and cons, but there are no cons to TNR…..just pros.
Since TNR has been my life for 10 years, I knew and have observed first hand all the benefits. I thought, “Why wouldn’t you TNR your cats?” I then remembered that not everyone knew what TNR was, how it worked, and the life changing benefits for the cats’ and their caregivers.
The concept of TNR is actually quite unbelievable. Thirty years ago we were trying to convince cat owners to spay and neuter their house cats. Now we have programs to spay and neuter the outdoor cats. That IS unbelievable! Today there are TNR programs nationwide. These programs offer assistance to the caregiver ranging from trapping the cats, to transport to surgery, to low cost assistance to cover the cost of the procedure. Larger organizations offer the program for free.

The first benefit of TNR, of course, is population control.
Cats are prolific breeders. I cannot tell you how many phone calls I received with the caregiver telling me “I only had 2 cats a year or two ago. Now I have 20. How did this happen?” I will not reference all the statistics found online about how 2 cats can become 37,000 (or whatever number they use) in just 7 years. I will just show you 1 cats’ reproduction in 1 year.
Each female cat will have at least 2 litters per year. Generally 1 litter in the spring and 1 litter in the fall. With an average of 4 kittens per litter, the one cat becomes 9. Since female kittens can go into heat as early as 4 months of age but always by 6 months and 2 of the kittens from her first litter are females, they can each have a litter (of 4 kittens each) by the end of the year. IN ONE YEAR, THE ONE CAT BECOMES 17!!
Prior to TNR programs becoming available the options were limited as to control of your growing colony (a group of cats living outdoors together). Many people would relocate the cats and/or kittens to farms. If relocation is not done properly, the cats will not stay on the farm…..they will try to find their way back to their previous outdoor home….and in doing so they are hit on the road or starve to death.
When kittens are dropped off at a farm, they usually starve to death. You see, cats lives are all about survival….just like humans. Food is at the top of the list for survival. The existing cats are not going to allow the kittens in to eat their food, it threatens their survival. Also, the kittens do not have their mothers to teach them the dangers (cows, machinery) of life on the farm. The mortality rate is high.
Many caregivers I worked with had been able to adopt out their kittens to friends and relatives, so they thought leaving their cats intact was not a problem. They always found homes for the kittens. Until….all their friends and relatives had kittens/cats. Now what?
Taking kittens to the local shelter is sometimes used for birth control. In 2015, the director of the local shelter asked me to help 2 caregivers TNR their cats. In just 1 week, these 2 caregivers had brought 22 kittens to the shelter. You can imagine how quickly the shelter can be overwhelmed with kittens! Kittens often do not do well in the shelter environment. Their immune systems are not strong enough to fight off all the germs found in a small area occupied by many animals. The shelter uses up their limited funds caring for them and they use up space and resources needed by others already in the shelter system. TNR stops the influx of cats and kittens into local rescues and shelters, thereby lowering kill rates and increasing the chance of adoption for those already in the shelter.

The other major benefit of TNR is improved health of the cats.
In 2012, I TNR’d my first large colony (20+). When I arrived at the caregiver’s home, I had a hard time holding back my tears. All of the cats were what I could only describe as “walking spines.” Many of them had upper respiratory infections and some had missing eyes as a result of that. Upper respiratory infections are much more prevalent in large colonies. Many kittens die from it and if they do survive, it becomes chronic and they are unhealthy their whole, shorter life.
All the cats were spayed, neutered, vaccinated for rabies and distemper, dewormed and ear tipped. After a night of recovery, they were released back to their outdoor home.
Two months later I returned to pick up the kittens for their surgery. I could not believe my eyes!! The cats looked so healthy, their coats looked thicker and they had put on substantial weight. Besides the benefits of the spaying, neutering, and vaccinations, they also benefit greatly from being worm free for the first time in their lives. They were now getting the nutrition from their food…not the worms.
Many caregivers have friendly outdoor cats that their children enjoy interacting with. When getting a cat TNR’d through a TNR program, the cats always get vaccinated for rabies. The caregivers are always grateful for the peace of mind of the added benefit to their children’s safety.
I had a female who went in to be TNR’d in December 2019. She had given birth to three litters already that year and was pregnant with her 4th litter. Her poor body was so worn out from growing kittens, then feeding and watching over the kittens, only to become pregnant again. Her body had no time to recuperate between litters. The stress of this constant cycle makes for a very short lifespan for female cats.
Kittens can and will get pregnant when they are only six months old. At this point they stop growing since all nutrition is given to growing her babies. Most of the time these babies do not survive. Mama cat is too young and the maternal instinct does not kick in. I have seen young females running around as the kittens drop out of them. The babies are born only to suffer and die.
All cats in the colony should be TNR’d. I learned this lesson when assisting a caregiver in my early years of doing TNR. He had an older female cat who he called “The great grandma of them all.” He thought she was too old to get pregnant and I allowed her not to be spayed. The following spring he found her deceased….she had died giving birth to kittens.
Unneutered male cats will spray to mark their territory. They will fight with other male cats over females in heat. This results in wounds that often become infected and causes their death. I have encountered male cats with broken front legs caused by fighting.
Male cats can smell a female in heat 2 miles away. When it is mating season they only have one thing on their minds. They are driven by instinct and will not pay attention to the dangers they normally avoid. Most of the cats you see dead on the roadways are male cats that are following the scent of a female in heat. Neutering stops the spraying, stops the fighting and stops the roaming.

Other benefits of TNR.
The majority of the caregivers I worked with told me that, after being TNR’d, their cats became friendlier, especially the females. This makes sense. You removed the constant stressful cycle of raising kittens, going into heat, fighting off males wanting to mate, mating and then giving birth again. They can now just enjoy being cats.
The caregivers also witnessed the fact that the cats in their colony interacted with each other in a more peaceful manner. You stop the mating behaviors and there is harmony in the colony. Quote from a caregiver “After being TNR’d, we have noticed the cats are calmer and happier. They seem to have a greater affection for each other and for us and they no longer have the urge to roam and leave our farm. It is wonderful to see our matriarch healthier than she has ever been, enjoying life without being bothered by male cats and enduring pregnancy after pregnancy. There is no longer a line of male cats following a female around the yard, no male cats fighting and no more wondering where our male cats have wandered off to in search of a female. It is simply a joy to watch the cats play in the yard and bask in the sun worry free.”

You feed your cats. You care about your cats. There’s a saying, “If you feed them, fix them.” Keep the population under control. Keep them healthy. You will NEVER, EVER regret getting them TNR’d!!!

GIVE THEM THE GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE THEM

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Answering some of your questions about Black Frog Farm

I get a lot of good questions from people interested in what we do at Black Frog Farm. Some stuff I just take for granted because we’ve done this for so long, but they are great questions! Here are a few of the questions I’ve gotten, and I’ll try to answer as best I can 🙂

~Would I sell the fleece from my llamas?
Short answer – YES! Longer answer- it depends what you want to use it for. I get my llamas sheared every spring, and the fleece is put into large garbage bags initially. After that I “skirt” the fleeces – fancy term for going through each one and picking out the best fiber to use. The best fiber can be used for spinning, or felting, or be sent out to a fiber mill to be made into yarn or socks or hats, etc. The lower end fiber can be used for felting, or bird nesting balls (hang it out in spring and the birds LOVE to build their nests with it!!) or the fiber can even be used as dog bedding filling.
Anyone interested in buying raw fleece from me – the fleece before it goes to be milled- get in touch with me before May.

~What do I do for bad weather on the farm?
This is a year round concern for us. Since having outdoor animals I’ve become utterly obsessed with watching the weather! In winter it’s a matter of keeping the animals dry, and having dry bedding they can nestle into to keep warm. So the important thing is to have the animal coops in good condition, and add additional tarping or boarding up to keep the snow and ice out. Animals also need an abundance of feed, and clean water to drink. None of our animals have heated shelters, which is for a couple reasons. First, the chance of fire is too high with heaters in shelters with straw or bedding. Second, the animals are all acclimated to the colder weather by not heating them throughout the fall as it gets colder gradually. The goats and llamas grow in thick coats to keep them dry and warm. The chickens molt in fall and get new feathers to help keep their body heat in during the winter.
In summer we can get some bad thunderstorms around our area. The important thing is that the animals have shelter they can run to if we get hail, heavy rain, or high winds. It’s also important that we keep up with tree trimming around the animal shelters so no branches fall onto the shelter. Sometimes, it’s simply out of our control with weather. In cases of tornado warnings or destructive winds we make sure to have the animals be able to decide to stay in or run out of the shelters if needed. The animals are pretty smart weather wise and seem to know what to do to stay safe. We give the animals their options, and then make our way to safety for ourselves.

~Who takes over the farm when I’m sick?
This is a good question in a pandemic time! Thankfully we haven’t had any major illness here, but I keep a routine for many reasons and possible illness is one of them. My husband and daughter both know the daily routines of animal feeding and care, and Aubrey usually helps daily with them. If she or I are sick or cannot be home for some reason, the other person can take over fairly easily and make sure everyone is cared for. In cases of us needing to be gone for a couple days, or take a vacation, it becomes more complicated. I have a network of great friends, neighbors, and family that are willing to help us out and each take on an animal’s care.
Routine is important because it helps cut down the amount of time we have to take to care for everything. It’s also helpful because the animals know the routine and know exactly what they should do at feeding time. It makes it much easier for us!

~What other animals could we consider on our farm?
We are limited in space for some of the biggest farm animals. Cows and horses really aren’t in the cards for us due to their intense grazing needs and our lack of large amounts of grassy acres for them. I can’t rule out any of the smaller animals because as soon as I say no one seems to show up at our farm!

~Would we consider doing an open house for the public?
Yes we are doing just that! April 30- May 2 we are participating in a small farm tour in Northeast Wisconsin. We are one of 5 farms that visitors can tour, for free, and meet the farmers and see their operations.
Black Frog Farm is offering an opportunity to meet our goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks and llamas. We will also have baby ducks and chickens to see, along with geese. Geese will be in full on nesting season, so those two will be in their pen with no visitors, sadly. We also will be having times throughout the weekend to walk a llama along our wooded trail. It’s an opportunity to learn more about our animals and what we do.
I’ll be posting more information on our Instagram page and Facebook page in coming weeks!
Anyone interested in a tour of our farm can also contact us via email, Facebook, or text/call to set up a time for a personal tour.

~Do we ever have “animal escapes?” How do we get the animals back?
Yes, we’ve had escapees here a couple times. Most often it’s the goats who take advantage of an open gate while we are trying to get a wheelbarrow of hay into their pen. In the case of goats we try to round them up as best we can and corner them to get a hold of their horns and bring them back to the pen. We haven’t had anyone escape through the fencing, and I walk the fence lines regularly to ensure there isn’t a way out!
We’ve had one llama escape happen when Nick and I were on vacation, and Aubrey was tending the llamas with some relatives. The gate was left open and Banana took advantage of it! Nick and I heard about it after the fact, but it sounded like some intense herding was needed to get Banana to run back into her pen. Aubrey and my Sis in Law are still holding grudges against Banana for that time! LOL!

~Why do you want all the work of owning a farm?
Simple answer, not all of it is work for me! I love being outside, and with the animals, growing my own herbs, knowing where my food comes from, and meeting new people. So our farm has offered all of that to me while being able to work at home. 2020 was a year of big changes for me, like so many other people. After leaving a long time job I decided to find outside the home work that would allow me to pursue my own farming dream at the same time. I have a job now that allows me full time work in winter and part time in Spring, Summer and Fall. So in 2020 we decided to jump in fully and see where the farm ideas take us. It’s a leap of faith for sure!!

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So, why llamas at Black Frog Farm?

I often get asked why I chose to add llamas to our farm, and what I plan to do with them. I found my love for llamas by accident, and now I can’t imagine my life without them.
Here’s what happened…
I had heard some llamas that were good guards for goats. Well, we have goats and goats are basically a walking meal for predators. Especially fainting goats, who topple over at the first signs of anything scary. I did all kinds of research on llamas and figured that I could handle caring for one and have it guard my goats. Enter Banana. Banana was our first llama that I purchased from a farmer through a Craigslist ad. As far as llamas go she is basically the WORST animal I could have gotten as a new llama owner! That whole “hindsight is 20/20” thing can be annoying. Banana is crabby, spitty, hard to handle and hard to halter. Let’s just say that I got baptized in llama spit early on. I also found that Banana was a good guard, only because she is territorial and not because she ever bonded with our goats. In fact, she barely tolerated the goats. They annoyed her ! I love that llama though…maybe because she is such a cranky animal and it’s sometimes amusing!

Fast foward a couple years and I have obviously added to my llama herd. I’ve learned by trial and error how to manage the Banana’s of the herd, and also the super easy going girls like Princess. The more I learned about llamas, and the more I had an opportunity to do hands on work with them, I found them easier to keep as pets. No amount of reading books, or blogs, or videos could really help me prepare for llamas other than just learn as I go.
They are very unique animals, and different than anything else I’ve ever worked with. They kind of remind me of cats in larger bodies – sometimes with a feral attitude, and ALWAYS judging you. They are incredibly smart animals, and I’ve even had to learn to how to move around them in a way that will allow them to trust me.

Up to this point our llamas have been the most useful for us to chill with, and for our farm promotion. Llamas aren’t a common thing around our area. There are several alpaca farms near us, but once you’ve been up close to both alpacas and llamas you can definitely feel the difference between the two. Alpacas usually go about 150#, whereas our llamas range 250-350#, so they are much larger than an alpaca. Since llamas are unique to our area people are interested in learning about them and being able to be up close to them and experience them. The highlight of any of our farm tours are when guests have the opportunity to get kisses from one of our girls, and are able to touch their soft coats. It’s hard to describe how it feels to be amongst a herd of llamas while they just do their own thing. It’s very rewarding.

On the list of llama usage is using them as pack animals. All over the world they are used as beasts of burden. They have become very popular for large game hunters in the western United States to help carry out supplies and animal meat from mountainous areas. Some llamas are good for guarding herds of goats or sheep (although NOT Banana 🙂 They are also used as show animals, and for breeding. In fact, the more I’ve learned about llamas I’ve found that showing and breeding is actually an incredibly popular thing in many parts of the country. People are very serious about their llamas, and travel all over the country to show them and win championships to showcase their farms. I hadn’t been exposed to it because it really isn’t a thing in our area of Wisconsin.

Breeding llamas for conformation (how their body structure is) and color, and especially for disposition is a serious undertaking. Well bred llamas can command high prices, and ones who consistently show well and produce high quality offspring are extraordinarily valuable. There is a lot of research that goes into breeding, including researching bloodlines. Reputable breeders aren’t breeding llamas just to sell them. High quality and well bred llamas are registered with the ILR (International Llama Registry), which provides a map of each llama’s family tree back for generations. Breeding requires thought into what you are looking for in your herd. I have found that every breeder has different opinions what their herd should look like, but the one thing they all seem to agree on is the disposition of the animal. As a llama owner I am still deciding on my preferences for fleece structure and body conformation, but I am pretty set on disposition. I want animals that are easy to handle, good mothers (if used for breeding), respectful of humans, and easy going. Other than Banana, all of our llamas have been registered with the ILR. It has become an important aspect for us as owners.

I’ve gotten to know some of the breeders in the llama world in the last couple years. Everyone has been incredibly helpful in me learning how to care for my animals. It’s immediately obvious that these people care about the welfare of their animals, and helping others to provide the best as well. They also care about llamas in general. Every reputable breeder is always trying to improve their llama herd in their breeding, and not out to make a quick buck. The llama world has been a very welcoming one, which I have greatly appreciated.

In spring each year we shear(shave their fleece) our llamas to help them stay cool through the summer. Shearing also helps me see their skin and body condition a little better, since their coats can be pretty thick. We have a shearer that comes to our farm and does each llama according to my instructions how I would like them to look. He also trims their toenails for us, and if any vaccinations are needed I give them at the same time since they are confined during the shearing process. Depending on the coat, or fiber of each llama I can get up to a contractor sized bag of fleece off of each one. The fleeces are very different on each of our animals. We purchased some llamas with fleece that is softer and longer in length. LLamas with this kind of fleece are known as “Suri” llamas. The fiber is long, soft, and curly and almost looks like dreadlocks on the animal. It sits flatter to the body and can create a beautiful yarn. Our Suri llamas are Princess, Prince, and Kisses. Because the “loft” or how it sits on the animal it doesn’t provide as much warmth to the animal in the harshness of winter. I purchased coats for our Suri llamas for the worst part of winter to ensure they stay warm enough. Our higher loft animals have more traditional coats – really fluffy and extends off the body which makes the llamas look even larger than they are. Our llamas with this kind of coat are Cloud, Banana, Pearl, and Peach. Generally these llamas are a little better in winter at handling the elements. In fact, on snowy days in winter they will sit out in the pasture with a blanket of snow on their backs. They are so well insulated that the snow doesn’t even melt. I do have blankets ready for Peach and Pearl this year though. Peach is an older gal, and age hasn’t been kind to her. Because of her elderly status I might have to blanket her depending on how cold it gets. Pearl is still just a baby, so she will likely get a coat during the deepest parts of winter this year because of her age alone. She has a fine “baby” fiber yet, that has to thicken up with age.

Our daughter Aubrey is enamored with the llamas. If anything has become the importance of these animals it’s that she has had her hands in helping care for and raise them. In the last couple years she has joined the local FFA (Future Farmers of America) group through her school, and looks forward to being able to show a few of our llamas in upcoming fairs. Both Nick and I have been very proud of the Aubrey’s work ethic for our animals. It’s also important to us as parents that she has the opportunity to grow up learning how to care for other beings.
Aubrey has been learning how to care for our llamas right alongside me, so it’s been an adventure for us both. It’s been enjoyable for me to learn so much about llamas! I’ll never know enough – each day brings something new to handle and learn from.

I am hopeful that the future of Black Frog Farm will include being able to breed llamas, and do our part in contributing to the improvement of the species. I also look forward to educating people about llamas, and sharing our love of them. We have people stopping along the road sometimes just to watch them play, or even try to figure out what they are.

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A day in my life at Black Frog Farm

I like getting stuff done. I like the feeling of getting work accomplished and crossing items off to-do lists. Nothing beats a weekend for me of getting some structure built, or fencing installed, or pasture cleared for me. It’s so satisfying to get a big job done that will make things easier as we move forward! Weird? Maybe! But it sure is a good trait to have in owning a farm!
Caring for animals isn’t new to me. I had pets growing up, and was lucky to spend time at both maternal and paternal grandparents who had animals as well. In my home when I was younger the rule was “the animals always eat before you.” I can still hear my mom saying that to me when the cats were meowing hungrily, winding around my kid sized legs. Today, I heard mom’s voice coming out of my mouth to my daughter saying the same thing!
Things just naturally tend to break into daily, weekly, and seasonal chores on the farm. Some stuff just isn’t able to get done in the cold of winter, and so it gets pushed to spring. Some things that we need to do in winter aren’t required in summer. So it all evens out.
Everything on our farm is about organization. It keeps me sane, and keeps the work to a manageable level. Without organizing the chores, sustaining our farm would be just impossible. Big clean out jobs, replacing bedding, filling large feeders, and cleaning water troughs are all night/weekend jobs. Nights and weekends are when all 3 of us in the family are able to pitch in to get big jobs done.
Weekends usually consist of a trip to the feed mill, restocking all feed in the feed cans, and filling chicken, duck, geese, and turkey feeding stations. Bedding changes for the goats, llamas, and birds happen on weekends most of the year, except when it’s really cold. When it’s really cold the bedding tends to freeze solid, so we utilize a “deep litter method” to handle it. It’s the process of simply adding fresh bedding over the soiled bedding throughout the winter months so the animals can use the fresh bedding. The soiled bedding slowly breaks down and begins to compost while still in the animal stalls and provides a slight amount of heat for them. So weekends in winter become bedding “refresh” times.
Weekends in winter and spring also are the time for bales of hay to be pulled out of the barn loft and brought into the lower part so it’s easily accessible to feed throughout the week. Both the goats and llamas get bales of hay daily since pasture isn’t growing in the cold of winter.
Daily chores are also split in our family between Aubrey and myself. Mornings outside start around 5:45am and are for feeding barn cats both wet and dry food, and making sure the cats are all in good health. Goats are checked to ensure adequate hay and water. Chickens, geese, turkeys and ducks are all let out of their coops in the morning so they can roam during the day. Their food and water gets a quick check to make sure it’s full, and anything that needs filling will be handled if required.
Llamas are fed a grain ration in the morning each llama gets a certain amount measured out based on their needs. Nursing moms get more, babies get as much as they want, and elderly (and kinda fat Peach) gets less to control her weight. Kisses and Banana get a smaller amount to ensure they get proper nutrition. I also add a dry mix to their feed of vitamins A, D & E. It helps their coats and skin, and vitamin D is good for them in winter when there is less sunshine. I stay with them while they eat to ensure everyone eats their own ration and don’t steal others, and nobody chokes on their food. With llamas (and alpacas) their long necks can sometimes get them in trouble with eating pelleted feed if they eat too fast leading to choking on their food. Choke is a medical emergency, so I ensure that I’m there to monitor.
Inside cats and dogs are fed and watered, and we get on our way to work and school by 6:45am.

Evening chores start with feeding barn cats again around 4:30pm with wet food, ensuring all the cats are seen at some point in the day by us. We have a regular crew that comes in to eat – some are friendly, some are not. Some we rarely ever see. And we know the routines of each cat. If a friendly cat who normally doesn’t miss a meal misses a couple of them it puts me on alert to check to make sure they aren’t injured or sick.
Llamas get fed a grain ration again, and the same process as in the morning. Goats are given their daily ration of goat feed mixed with vitamin mix A,D,E, and hay and water is checked to make sure it’s full. Eggs are picked from all the coops and brought inside to be cleaned. Inside cats and dogs are fed, and all the birds are locked in coops to protect them from predators through the night. Bedtime for our animals goes with the daylight. Right now in December, the birds are locked up by 6:30pm because they are all in their coops because it’s already dark. In summer, bedtime is more like 7:30pm as dusk is setting and they just start going inside their coops at that time.

It sounds like a lot to do, but daily feeding is the time we get to hang with our animals and generally relax with them. It’s the time we take to love on them all, and get to know any newer additions and them us. My own favorites to manage are the cats and the llamas. Our cats who are people friendly generally don’t miss feeding time, so I can pet my favorite friends and love on them. The llamas are just relaxing to me in general and I enjoy doing their care routines. Feeding them can be stressful though if someone is crabby in the herd and wants to spit or hog all the food. I make sure I’m there for any intervention if needed, and I know who will be the problem children each day based on their mood as soon as I get to their pen. Once they are done with their grains I bring a bale of hay to them and everyone still hungry munches on the hay. The rest just kind of mill around and I can love on my favorites then too. Usually Cloud, Pearl and Prince get some kisses from us because they give them back 🙂

The seasonal part of chores all have their challenges. We are now moving into winter, when water troughs need heating elements in them, and electricity requirements are at a premium in all animal pens. One faulty heater for a trough means frozen water for those animals – and taking a hammer or hatchet and breaking open the ice to replace the heater. This usually happens when it’s super cold, and I can’t begin to tell you how much it sucks to deal with! Winter also means heavy lifting of shoveling snow paths for the humans to get to the animals, and paths for the animals to get in and out of their shelters. Heavy lifting comes in again with hauling bales of hay to goats and llamas, moving hay bales in the barn from storage to easy access, and hauling large buckets of water to all animals to fill water troughs. (side note….heating hoses are on my want list!! But even they can freeze during the harsh Wisconsin winter). And then the most annoying part of winter for me – putting on all the dang clothing layers I need before going out to do the chores! LOL!

Summer isn’t without challenges either. Warmer weather means more water changes, scrubbing troughs more often, ensuring all animals have shade and access to electrolytes in water as well. The llamas are not fans of heat at all. I get them sheared in late spring to help them stay cool in the summers. They also get large fans in their shelter, cool water misters, and periodical hosing down of the belly during extreme heat. During extreme heat everyone gets checked on multiple times a day to ensure they are doing alright.

Late spring and late fall are my favorite times on the farm. In late spring the days are longer, and it’s much easier to do any outside chores without a head lamp on. It’s also still cool, and all of the animals are happy and enjoying the temperatures. Everything green is waking up! Fall is also a favorite because of the colors in the gardens and trees. The llamas especially are fun in late fall when the air gets crisp. They love the weather turning colder, and their enjoyment shows through chasing each other and running like crazies through the pastures.
When they bounce on all fours it’s called pronking, and it’s a sure sign they are happy. It’s also so much fun to watch!

Spring, Summer, and Fall are times we use to get structural things done to the farm. Wooden fencing posts are dug in and metal T posts are installed and then fencing is run. Any additions, changes, or fixes to shelters are done during this time. Pastures are seeded a couple times during the warmer months to ensure good growth, and pastures need to be cut with the lawnmower to keep the weeds out. Summer brings growing season with it, allowing us to grow any plants or vegetables. The addition of the plants and herbs to our farm sales offerings have also added the chore list of watering, picking, drying, etc. to keep up with it. This is also the time of year that beekeeping is busy in keeping up the hives and making sure the colonies are doing well. Late summer/early fall is honey harvest time, which is a whole blog by itself 🙂

Spring is the season of BABIES on the farm! Most years we order baby chickens to arrive in April. It’s also goose breeding season, if we want to hatch some of the goslings out. This coming year we’re trying our hands at ducks and turkeys!! I can’t wait to see what that brings!

Our family enjoys being outside most of the year. Super hot and super cold times are not so fun, but normally doing the chores and being outside is the best part for us. I get asked often how we handle all the work! Some of it isn’t work to us, as you can now see. I’ll admit though, some days are hard too. Our goal is to work each year to make everything easier the next year. We are always improving, brainstorming, working to streamline things. My relaxation comes at the end of the day, drink in hand, watching the animals doing their thing. It makes it all worthwhile.

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Getting ready for the harshness of Wisconsin winter

Winter here in Northeast Wisconsin can be brutal. Or it can be friendly. We never know what we’re gonna get, so we always plan for the worst, and hope for the best! As I write this we’ve already had the first snow of the season, and it’s been colder than normal for this time of year.
Winter 2014 was a record-setting year for cold and snow in the Green Bay WI area. We had 54 days straight of below zero temps, and over 72 inches of snow. In January 2019 Green Bay WI tied a record for cold with -26 F. Words cannot describe the harshness of -26 (-50 with a windchill). We got so cold so fast we could only do 5-10 minutes of chores outside before needing to warm up. I always want to be prepared for these kinds of winters that come our way!

Winter prep, at least to me, feels like it is always on our minds and happens year round 🙂 In Spring and Summer we take the time to change anything in the layout of shelters, or food and water set ups, that didn’t perform well or allowed for easy care for the year prior.
Starting in June we are already planning for the upcoming winter by purchasing and putting up bales of hay and straw as it becomes available. June is generally when the first crop of hay is taken in by the farmers. Depending on weather, several crops of hay can come off the fields by the end of summer. The kinds of animals needed to be fed determines what kind of hay we buy. Our goats are pretty cool with any kind of hay, but really love softer grasses like orchard and timothy. Our llamas like the softer grasses too, and we try to buy hay with a little bit of alfalfa in it for when it gets especially cold. Alfalfa is higher in protein and helps keep the herd warm through digestion in the coldest parts of the year. Straw is our go to bedding in cold weather. It helps the animals retain heat, doesn’t get stuck in their fiber, and we can bed it several inches deep for maximum insulation. This year, with llama babies, we are already bedding a lot of straw to help the little ones stay warm.

Other projects we work on in fall are to prep the shelters for all animals for the upcoming season. Every shelter gets fully cleaned out with fresh bedding and straw put down. I also like to put barn lime down in the chicken coops and goat coops to help keep the smell down in winter. Cleaning the coops and barns out in winter isn’t just hard, it can be almost impossible. So to ensure the animals keep clean we use what’s called a “deep litter method” in our goats and chickens. This means that we simply pile more straw or bedding on top of the soiled bedding in the coops.
As the soiled bedding breaks down it creates a small amount of heat for the animals, and the new bedding gives them a clean place to lay. All shelter doors are made sure to be in working order, and we board up any open spots to help keep the snow and wind out. Our goat shelter has heavy duty plastic stripping hanging from the overhang, which helps keep the snow out and provides a wind break. Those get checked over for any cracks or tears. The chicken and goose runs get shoveled out and prepped for snow drifts. It gets pretty windy by our farm, and the drifts can sometimes be tall enough to block the entryways for the animals. Cleaning out the runs allows for us to shovel a path to the doors.
Watering our animals in summer is easy – we just run a hose to every pen. In winter that isn’t an option, and there is some heavy lifting involved to water everyone. All our animals get either submersible tank heaters (goats and llamas) or heated water bases for chickens and turkeys. Geese and ducks need open water containers to fully submerse their heads into to stay healthy. They all get rubber tanks with submersible heaters in them. Until we can install a frost free water hydrant closer to some of our animals, we have had to make do with bringing buckets to the animals to water them daily. They certainly don’t care, so long as the water is fresh and clean.
For most of our animals we have string lights running through their shelters. This is more for us than them. It makes chore time a lot easier, and I am not a fan of wearing a head lamp if I don’t have to in the dark of winter! All the bulbs that are burnt out need to be changed, and any dust needs to be cleaned off the strands. We’ve found it to be extremely helpful to install battery operated motion lights around the property in areas that we can’t run electrical to yet. Not only does it light our way, but the motion sensors deter some predators who are startled by the unexpected lights. Batteries need to be changed out and I check all the lights at dark to make sure they come on as expected.

We also make sure to check all the fencing before hard winter sets in. That becomes a regular thing to do after storms in any season. Branches could be down on the fencing, or wind could knock it over.
Our barn cats are pretty spoiled for winter here 🙂 The cats all get access to heated animal beds throughout the barn. Some of the beds are in little shelters as well if anyone wants to hide and be warm. They all have access to the hay and straw bales we store in the barn for the animals. The bales are usually THE go to spot for the cats. I feed extra dry and wet food in winter for the cats to keep their calorie intake up. They also have access to fresh water in either the goat pen or llama pen. Those water troughs are kept open with submersible heaters that work pretty nice!
All in all we have a good set up for winter on our farm. Experience has taught us what works and doesn’t work, and the important thing is to be flexible and adjust as needed. Bring on the snow!
Finally, I try to make sure that all animals have access to outside and especially sun when we finally get some nice days. Nothing feels better for them than sunbathing on a cold January day 🙂

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A special surprise this week!

I thought I would do something a little different this week 🙂
I’m sharing some recipes with you that I got from my Mom. She’s been on my mind lately, and I’ve been craving some of her cooking. Sadly Mom passed Christmas of 2018, but her cooking and baking always made me the happiest kid on earth! Mom worked for a restaurant for many years, and was known for her amazing desserts! So here you go, a couple of my favorites from the recipe collection of Lynn Cerkas:

Wondering what to do with 8 zillion zucchinis? I puree’ mine and freeze them in 2 cup amounts just for this recipe!
Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups zucchini (I blend it bu you can chop it small)
1 cup nuts (if wanted)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat eggs, add sugar, oil and salt
Add “dry ingredients” alternately with zuchini
add vanilla and nuts
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour in greased and floured bread loaf pans
Makes 2 loaves

Magic Swirl Cake
3/4 cup (1& 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 & 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 & 1/4 tsp baking soda, DIVIDED
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
**to sour milk= use 1 tbsp vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup
3/4 cup Hershey’s Choc. Shoppe Topping
1/2 cup semi sweet choc chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease and flower 12 cup fluted tube pan. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla until well blended. Add eggs, beat well. Stir together flour, 1 tsp of the baking soda and salt. Add alternately to butter mixture with butter milk. Pour 4 cups batter into prepared pan. In remaining batter, stir in topping and remaining 1/4 tsp baking soda. Spoon over vanilla batter. Sprinkle choc chips over surface. Bake 50-60 minutes until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes then invert onto wire rack.

Pizza burgers (trust me on this one. They are amazing!!)
2 pounds ground beef, fried and cooled
Grind up:
12 oz can of Spam
10 oz cheese (aged is good)
2 medium onions
Add: 10 oz can of tomato soup
1 small can of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
3 teaspoons of oregeno

Mix all together. Put mixture on hamburger bun halves then into 425 degree F. oven for 8 minutes or until cheese melts. Makes 40 half buns. Mixture may be frozen.
I know Spam is weird to some people, but it makes this one work!!

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Noisy, messy, bitey! What’s the upside to having geese!?

I own my crazy – I mean, have you SEEN how many animals I have? Yes, it’s crazy 🙂
Nothing tops the level of crazy in my family’s eyes as having our pair of geese. Walter and Barbara (get it? Last name Walters?…) Or better known as Daddy and Mommy Peep. These two have a serious soft spot in my heart, despite the crazy looks I get from my own family. They are disliked by some people, but well loved by me! Maybe I just have a strange sense of humor, but these guys really humor me. They always amuse me when they think they are flying by running really fast and flapping their wings. Or when they are so focused on something that they trip, or run into an object. Or how devoted they are to one another, and always are looking out for each other.
I have Buff American Geese, and I got them at just 3 days old from a hatchery in California. I specifically wanted this breed because they are supposed to be more docile, good parents, and they are critically endangered. Also, they can’t fly, so they are stuck with me 🙂
Many people get geese for both the eggs, and for goose meat. These guys are on the larger side of the medium goose breeds, and the males get up to twenty-five pounds. They were developed in the US, and are considered endangered due to the low numbers of people owning this breed. There are fewer than 500 breeding birds in the USA, so they are in danger of going extinct. I figured, since I was going to get geese anyhow, why not get a breed that needs some help?
Originally I was looking for an option to help protect my chickens when we were dealing with a fox problem a few years ago. The fox was taking some of my favorite bantam (little) sized birds, and I was getting ticked off! It was after my favorite one named “Pigeon” went missing that I finally snapped. I did my research on caring for geese and ordered my own.
Sidenote: If you haven’t seen a baby goose OMG you are missing out ! They are so yellow and soft and cute! You wouldn’t even guess how big they get and how sassy they become!
So Walter and Barbara were shipped to me via USPS that year, and I picked them up at the post office. Initially their care was similar to baby chickens. They needed a heat lamp, chick starter feed, water, bedding, and some time to grow. What I learned quickly with geese is that they are VERY smart! They also imprint on the person who cares for them as goslings. Well, in our case, that was me. So I became “mom” and they still identify me as such (much more in a sassy teenager way now with the attitude). I would pick them up and hold them and talk to them, and sometimes take them out on nice days to play on the grass. They made this adorable little peeping sound (hence the name The Peeps). Holy Moly did they grow fast!! By 3 months they were big! I had moved them out into the chicken coop, and my plan was to keep them right in there to do their protection job. Geese meet chickens, your new charges. Chickens meet geese, your new protectors! *Queue triumphant music !*
OK, scrap that. *Music winds down*
It didn’t go as I had planned.
Geese are extremely territorial, especially in spring when it’s breeding season. This same trait that makes them excellent watch dogs, guards, and amazing parents can be used for the forces of evil if you have other animals with them! The baby Peeps grew into adults pretty fast, and by the following spring were already starting to get aggressive for breeding season. Aggressive to everything! People, dogs, cats, the wind blowing, birds flying overhead, and yes, even the chickens. They made a nest on the floor of the coop with the chickens, and would actually attack any chicken that tried to come inside the coop. In their minds they were simply protecting their nest. But I needed a plan B, and needed it fast!! I moved them into a second coop that we had, and put all the chickens together in one coop. Success!! The Peeps were happy by themselves, and Mommy laid several eggs. For now, protection for the chickens had to be from the geese!
I thought it was cool that such a large animal was so maternal, so I let Mommy Peep set on the eggs to hatch them out. We got two babies that year, and they were adorable! I was in amazement how good of parents the geese were. Both of them were very attentive to the babies, and watched over them like a team. Mom would tuck them under her wings, and sometimes a little yellow fuzzy head would poke out. The cuteness factor was off the charts!!
As fun as it was to have the goslings hatch out, I didn’t think much farther ahead than this. This was seven years ago, and I was still getting used to having geese. After several months the babies got quite big. It seemed the larger the street gang of geese, the more unfriendly they became. The babies had to go! I ended up selling them to a new home, and was left with just Mom and Dad again. Two at once I can handle. An aggressive pack of them is a bit much.
So after reading all this, don’t you wonder why the heck would I want these things?! (Nick and Aubrey wonder the same thing often enough, and don’t hold back saying so !).
Well, I did get them for protection and an alarm system. That they do very well. They are quite smart and remember people. They know the sounds of our own vehicles and they don’t mind us walking all around them doing yard work. However, someone that isn’t normally at our place gets a pretty high pitched squeak and they are on guard, watching what’s going on. If you visit you might get a loud shriek and a side eye from a goose. They generally don’t go after someone unless it’s breeding season (then it’s no holds barred and they are kept locked in their run). Generally, while good fakers, they run away if actually confronted by a person. Nevertheless they are kept in a fenced in area of our property, for everyone’s safety.

I’ve handled the over-aggressive nature of the geese by putting together their very own coop and fenced-in pen inside of an already fenced in area. When we are in the thick of breeding season, I can leave them in their run and they can be as cranky as they want by themselves. You can’t change nature, but you can sure work around it! They are now located behind one of my chicken coops. Anything that tries to come by the fence at any time of the day or night gets a loud shriek, and if warranted, an attack charge at the fence! They have been known to deter coons and possums, and have even yelled at the fox! They are seemingly fearless birds!
My geese are very much a bonded pair, and are like a married couple. They watch out for each other, and Daddy guards the nest while Mommy sits on the eggs. He is never far from her and comes running at any noise she makes.
Another benefit of geese are that they can subsist on grass the majority of the spring, summer and fall. They always have their own container of feed, and they eat solely that in winter. But the rest of the year, so long as I let them graze they are pretty self sufficient. The downside to this is in spring I have to be prepared for two Jurassic Park Raptors on the loose in the back part of the property!
Starting usually in March or April the female starts to lay her eggs. She lays one egg every two or three days, and buries them under the pine bedding in their coop. This goes on until sometimes into June as the female creates a “clutch” of eggs she plans to sit on. Aubrey likes to think of it as a treasure hunt to see if the geese started laying yet. Goose eggs are quite large – one egg can fill a 10″ frying pan! They are quite tasty too. The trick to collecting goose eggs is that you need to get inside the coop, find the buried eggs, and get the eggs out before the parents see you. They will come after you if you aren’t careful! And yes they can bite…HARD. Not that we blame them as they are just protecting their nest. However, unless there is a buying market for baby geese, and I’m willing to care for any babies sometimes for months until sold, I generally pull the eggs so they cannot hatch. I also pull the eggs because if the female starts to lay too early for our climate, the eggs can freeze. So instead of wasting them, we use them 🙂
(Side note: Geese don’t have teeth, but they have very hard bills with serrated edges that are good for clipping grasses- their main diet. When they bite it’s like a little steak knife pushing into your skin – not fun!!).

Geese are much more cold tolerant than chickens, so in winter when it’s snowing here they will be out and about, leaving their goose prints along the walkway in the snow. The chickens, meanwhile, are hunkered down in the bunker and refuse to put their little chicken feet on snow! (This is for real. I have to toss out straw or hay onto the snow before the chickens will step outside! )
Geese have a much higher water need than chickens. They need to be able to submerge their heads into a water bucket all times of the year. It helps keep them clean, and their nostrils from blocking. I use a large trough with a submersed heater for them in winter, but I have to keep an eye on it. The geese are curious and get bored in winter, and sometimes will pull the heater out by the cord. Then their water freezes over, and I have more work to do to clean it out. I also find all kinds of random objects in their water. Rocks, sticks, dog toys. Whatever they find sitting around they will toss it in their water, and try to figure out what it is and if it’s edible. Weirdos.
Geese are also different from chickens in that they don’t roost up high at night. They spend their lives on the ground, and their coop just needs some bedding on the floor to keep them happy.
Personality wise, I’ve found the geese to be extremely intelligent, curious, and wary of people they don’t know. I’ve had lots of entertainment with them following me around the yard while I’m weeding flower beds, patiently waiting for me to give them something yummy. They especially love dandelion greens, and will make soft little squeaky sounds to remind me that they are right there and would like a treat.
My geese aren’t very affectionate birds, but they do like attention. They love treats – apples, any leftover veggies, and one of their favs is lasagna! I enjoy grabbing them now and then and holding them to me while I love on them. That has turned into the best deterrent for when the geese are extra cranky and bitey in spring. If they want to act cranky, they know I will pick them up and love on them! (I make sure to hold their beaks though!!) When putting them back down they make sure to shake out their feathers, toss me a side eye, and take off the other direction shrieking in irritation. They then leave me alone. BOOM! Problem solved 🙂
Geese are probably creatures that only some can come to love. Yes they are messy – pooping anywhere and everywhere when free ranging. Yes they are loud – making sure everyone hears them in my neighborhood! And yes they are angry during nesting season – they have no qualms of biting someone getting too close to their nest! Despite all that, there is just something about them that is amusing to me. And since they can live up to 20 years old (!!) they have some time here yet to make me laugh at their antics.

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The honey harvest! Sweat and sweet brought together for a treat!

August and September usually mark honey harvest season for beekeepers in my area. It’s turned out for us that the harvest generally works best on Labor Day weekend. Hopefully by then my bees have had a few months to grow their hive numbers, stay healthy, and put up a good excess of honey. I take some of that excess, and leave some for the bees to eat as well. Every decision I make when pulling the honey is for the well-being of the hive. Above all else I want to keep my bees healthy and fed well going into the cold Wisconsin winters.
I’ve kept bees for several years, and one thing I’ve learned is that every beekeeper does things a little different. The way I do my harvest is based on what I learned from my original teachers, along with some wisdom gained from mentors, and my own experience along the way. Even the kind of hives I have (Langstroth), along with the style of frames I use, to the breed of bee I buy is all individual preference. Whatever works for each person is how they do it.
So, what’s involved in my harvest?
Well, it all starts with the bees. I keep a closer eye on them, and their honey production, from August into September, checking to see how their honey harvest is going. When I feel that we have enough in the hives to be able to take some off, it’s time to get to work. This involves going into the hive usually weekly or biweekly and checking how much honey is on the frames. I don’t want to harvest too late in the season, because it can get cold quickly in Wisconsin. The bees need some time after harvest to put up more of their own honey, and cold or wet days in fall make that hard for them. I also don’t want to harvest too early, as the honey comb won’t be capped with wax – meaning the honey isn’t ready to be taken yet. It can be a fine line to walk as a beekeeper!

I make sure to fully suit up for this job. The bees aren’t very happy when I’m stealing from their food supply, so it’s only prudent to protect against stings. Again, each beekeeper does their own thing. I know a someone who never suits up to work with his bees, and doesn’t seem to mind the stings. Me, I’d rather avoid pain and itching from a bee sting, so it’s suit-city for me!! I have an awesome bee suit that I bought a few years ago that allows air to pass through, but the bee stinger can’t get through it. It also has a built-in hood to protect my head and face, and full arm and leg coverings. I wear my farm work boots to protect my feet, and leather bee gloves to protect my hands.

Each hive gets a thorough check over, and what I feel is excess frames of honey I pull out of the hive and put into an extra, empty hive box on a cart. The frame I take out is replaced with a new clean frame as I go. I do this over and over, going through each hive box, and also checking on the health of the colonies while doing this. Each frame that is pulled from the hive is usually full of bees, so I use a little soft brush to just push them off the frame back into the hive. Full hive boxes are HEAVY, approximate 50-60 pounds each, so it can be a good workout to go through the hives each year when there are sometimes 6-7 boxes on each hive. In 2020 it took me 90 minutes to go through my two hives fully, pull the honey off, and do some health maintenance on each. Lots of heavy lifting and some serious sweating in my bee suit!

Once the frames are off the hives, I’m done with the part that messes with the bees. This is when I can get some more willing help, and usually Nick and Aubrey get ensnared 🙂
We bring the cart with the honey frames into the garage, away from the bee hives, and set up a honey extractor. The extractor is a large metal drum with a rotating basket inside with a crank connected to the spinning basket. It comes apart for washing and storing, so we need to connect everything together again prior to use. When used, it splats the honey out of the opened comb and onto the inside wall of the extractor. They honey runs down the inside wall of the extractor to a spigot that can be open or closed. Each frame from the hives has honey (hopefully) on each side of it. I take a knife, or sharp hive comb, and scrape off -or break open- the wax cap that seals the honey in each cell. Once that is done on each side, the frame is fitted into the extractor, 3 frames at a time, and we start cranking it to spin. We have to stop and turn over the frames to get the honey from the opposite side of the frame.
We keep repeating this process, alternating with opening the spigot to drain the extractor. I drain the honey into a 5 gallon bucket with another spigot on it. I also have a mesh net that I strain the honey through as it goes into the bucket. This pulls out any wax comb, or bees, that may be in the honey. From the bucket the honey is poured out the spigot into large containers that I can bring into my kitchen to jar everything up.
Extracting the honey is another work out. The frames are heavy, and spinning the extractor takes some muscle. I always hope for cooler weather so we don’t roast in the garage while doing this process. Uncapping, spinning, and straining the honey usually takes a few hours for all of us working together.
Jarring the honey is a longer process for me. I wash all the jars I intend on using, and make sure that I have enough lids and rings. This year I had to go to my neighbors and hope they had some extra for me to use! They did! They were saviors 🙂
Once all the jars are washed I separate them by size, and I weigh each jar individually. I keep track of all the weights and jar types, and move on to filling the jars. Each jar is filled, closed up with a lid and ring, get a Black Frog Farm sticker on the lid, and wiped clean. I then weigh each jar again to see what the “honey weight” is of each jar so I can figure out what the price will be for each. I price each jar individually based on how much honey weight there is by putting a little sticker on the glass of the jar.
I base the price per pound of my honey the same as what I see other beekeepers doing for theirs in my area. I’m not trying to undercut anyone, or overcharge anyone. My sole goal in honey sales is to help me pay for any hive losses I will have from winter into spring, and for any equipment that might need replacing.
Anyone with bees will tell you they aren’t into beekeeping for any profits. I’ve found that I enjoy working with the hives, and seeing the bees create all their comb and watching the new bee brood growing inside. I’ve also enjoyed the benefits these pollinators bring to my flower gardens each year!!
More than that, I’ve been able to enjoy honey created from my very own flowers each year. And it’s pretty darn yummy!

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Llovin My Llamas! My learning curve with these amazing creatures

Of all the animals I have, the llamas are the ones that I get either the most questions about, or the craziest looks. Llamas? Why would anyone want a llama? Of course this happens is in my neck of the world. There are plenty of alpaca farms in our area, but very few llama breeders. In fact, when I decided that I might actually want one, I had a heck of a time finding anyone within a decent driving distance that I could get information from and visit a farm! I started with one female, and said THAT WAS IT! Yeah, I now have 5 llamas total, and expecting a sixth with a birth soon. How the heck did that even happen?! Well, I’ll tell you.

I’ve had goats for several years now, and they are purely as pets. I could do a whole blog post about goats, and how they are like dogs! And fun! And CUTE! ….sorry, I digress.
Since I’m a [sometimes overly] protective Mama with all of my animals, I started looking into protection for the goats. One thing that I kept reading about was using a llama as a guard. Llamas, as it turns out, are super curious creatures that will more often come TOWARD something new to check it out, rather than just run away like most animals. That trait alone is enough to scare off any potential predators. Llamas are also territorial. Even a coyote doesn’t want to mess with a three hundred pound llama who can kick or stomp. Additionally, llamas eat the same as goats for the most part: a diet comprised of mostly hay. So I figured – this is a great idea! I’m gonna research the heck outa this and get a llama. I bought books on Amazon, read articles online, and took all kinds of notes. Nick pretended it wasn’t happening. In fact, I actually went out of my way to read the llama books when he was home so he knew I was serious. I eventually got a shake of his head, and a couple “You’re Crazy” comments from him, and I knew he was ready to accept the inevitable.
In early spring 2019, Craigslist has a female llama posted for what I thought was a reasonable price. She wasn’t registered, so she was a bargain! Or so I thought at the time. We drove the ways to meet the owner and llama with a trailer in tow. OK who the heck am I kidding I wasn’t leaving without her. When I met her I kept thinking, WOW she is a big animal. WOW she is so calm. She was already haltered when I got there, and led on a rope easily. Her name was Lady Jane. ALRIGHT! Load her up she is coming home! I got in the truck as we pulled away from the farm and looked at my family – “HOLY CRAPOLA I JUST BOUGHT A LLAMA”!

Just reading this last paragraph to myself…sigh…I had so much to learn and it was gonna be a fast and bumpy ride. It took all of two days and we nicknamed Jane as “Banana” for her long curvy and always alert ears. Banana was gonna be teaching me some stuff…little did I know…a lot of the stuff I had read in books or online was either flat out wrong, or wouldn’t work for my situation or location. Her previous owner wasn’t a breeder, and although knowledgeable about Banana in particular, he wasn’t able to prepare me like I thought. Llamas are different from any other animal I have now or have had in the past, and their care is different too. Most strikingly, their DISPOSITION is different, and it has to be taken into consideration when working with them. Llamas are more like cats in my opinion. They only want attention or touching on their terms, and everything with them is about earning trust and using calm energy. I had a HUGE trust deficit with Banana when I got her and didn’t even know it at the time.

Banana came already haltered because she hated…HATED getting haltered –as I soon learned. One thing I read was that I couldn’t leave the halter on unless I was working with her. It was a danger to the animal to leave it on all the time. Llamas have very little bone on the top of their noses, so halters can easily slip down and cut off air, or cause issues with the skin.
So I removed the halter on Banana, and a HUGE chunk of her nose skin was embedded on the halter and came off her nose with the halter!! Peeps, I’m telling you there was blood everywhere, and Banana took off into the pen full speed. I felt physically ill for the pain she had to have been in not only from the skin coming off, but the ill fitting halter to begin with. Poor Banana had a poorly fitting halter on and she wasn’t gonna fall for that trap again. Like I said – HUGE trust deficit to start off.
I had the vet scheduled to come out to give vaccinations and give her a once over the next day. I learned in a short hour period that a llama that doesn’t want to be messed with WILL. NOT. BE. MESSED. WITH. Banana is almost three hundred pounds, and she knows how to use her back end as a barrier. She also isn’t shy about spitting when she is mad. Llama spit is gross…and it smells horrible. and it gets all over you. I was covered in it. And I deserved it.

My friends and family like to joke about Bitchy Banana, and yes she is kinda bitchy. I am pretty amused with her most times, and she is often the subject of my social media posts because she is just so grumpy! That said, I have learned a LOT from Banana on what to do or not do with a llama. She isn’t shy to tell me when I’m screwing up. Now, well over a year and a half later, I actually have a decent working relationship with Banana. Yes she still spits, she still hates haltering, she hates affection, but I can do what I need to with her, and have gained her trust enough to let me. I really love that llama.

I knew I needed help figuring out how to handle this large animal. I found Marty McGee Bennett and a HANDS ON class she was holding in Pennsylvania for camelids. Sign me up! Sign Nick up! Surprisingly, Nick was cool about going to this, even though the llamas aren’t his favorite thing. The classes were awesome and held on, of course, an alpaca farm. I learned A LOT, and made a bunch of new friends from all around the world. People who are, ahem, somewhat crazy like me and love camelids! And you know what!? More people to ask my questions to! Everyone did some part of their animal husbandry differently. It was cool to hear all the different options.

Well, I loved Banana, but Aubrey really was interested in llamas and wanted one that was a little easier to work with. READ: allowed us to touch her. Enter Peaches-N-Cream. I found Peachy on a online llama auction in summer of 2019. She was an older gal at twelve. LLamas can live upwards of twenty plus years, so we figured we would still have time to love her. What sold me on Peach was that she was easy going. The owner said you could walk up to her and halter her or love on her. And he was right about it all. Peach is a sweet older lady, who doesn’t mind all the affection we wanted to shower over her.
Peach brought with her teaching time as well for me. She was bred, and due to have a cria -llama word for baby- in a couple months. She also introduced me to her owner Floyd, who would be a great resource for us in how to work with llamas. He owned them for over forty years, and was always willing to help anytime I asked.
Peach had her baby, who we named Tux, and he was adorable. He was the definition of cute and mysterious. He broke our hearts in half in just a few short weeks when he suddenly and unexpectedly passed away overnight. It was devastating for us all. The vet’s calm assurances that it wasn’t anything we did wasn’t quite enough for me. Where did I go wrong?
We had planned on going into the winter that year with three llamas on the farm. Tux’s death pushed me to find one more girl who would help even the emotional toll on the herd, and ourselves.

Enter Star Fawn Princess, or just “Princess,” who I purchased from a breeder in another state. Princess was smaller than my other two, with a disposition somewhere between Banana and Peach. I loved her instantly! She came in and made herself right at home. Princess taught me about the power of a llama kick (OUCH!) and how to avoid that when giving shots (more on that later). I also learned a bunch from her owners about how to care for a llama with different fiber than I was used to. Princess has what is called Suri fiber. It’s longer and less thick than regular llama fiber, and has a wavy, softer texture. Llamas with suri coats sometimes have to be monitored in winter for being cold. I bought Princess a nice new winter coat, and when the temps got really cold here she wore it in pride 🙂 I might be biased, but green is definitely her color.

By this point the llamas were becoming my favorite go to group when I wanted to de-stress. There is something very calming about them to me. I also love to immerse myself in learning about them and their different needs and personalities. It’s no surprise this year then when I added two additional females to our herd. Sweet Kisses, aka Kissy Face, and Cloudbirth of Dakota Ridge, aka Cloud, came to live with us late spring this year. Both have very different personalities, and of course have many things to teach me! Kisses is very sweet, curious two year old, and is OK with affection. She also doesn’t mind kisses on her nose 🙂 Of course Aubrey gravitated right to her, and it seems a match in energy levels. She is a small sized llama, and seems to be patient enough to help teach Aubrey how to handle her.
Cloud came to us upset and angry about the change in living locations. She was spitting, clicking, humming – all signs of llama distress. Where Kisses moved right in and made herself at home, four year old Cloud needed more time to adjust. Maybe a lot of time. That’s ok, we can give her that, and we still are. Cloud is expecting a baby this fall, and as any pregnant female can attest to hormones can change a gal. I’ve decided to let her decide when she is ready to bond.
This summer has been incredibly rewarding to see my herd settle in together. I’ve noticed the energy shift in my three original girls, and they started to become a true family. LLamas are herd animals, and they are happiest when with several of their own kind. The change was immediate when my herd went to five, and they had several of their own kind. Even Banana settled down!

The physical care of all of my llamas has been something I’m still learning about. They mostly eat hay, but I supplement with a grain mixture daily as well. They also need special loose minerals free fed all year round. What they can’t get from the hay or grain, they just know when to fill in with minerals on their own.
LLamas also need to be sheared each spring or early summer. This haircut isn’t just for looks; it’s vital to the llama’s health in the heat of summer. Here in Wisconsin we have the heat and humidity, and without shearing the llamas can develop heat stress, or worse, die of heat related illness. I’ve come to depend on my shearer yearly to help me get my girls ready for summer. He also trims their toenails for me at that time too. Llamas HATE their feet being handled, so if I need to do it for them it’s usually a multi-person job.
Summer also means putting on the high powered fans for them to sit by, making sure they have shade, and putting out a small kiddie pool with cool water in daily for them to chill their feet. Preventing heat stress is my main goal in summer.

One real difference in caring for llamas compared to other animals is that they need monthly shots to prevent one particular parasite. This particular worm, called meningeal worm, is unique in the damage it does to llamas and alpacas. It enters through pasture that is eaten, and travels into their brain and does it’s damage there. Results aren’t pretty, and often fatal if not caught immediately. So I’ve decided prevention is the best way to manage it by worming the girls every thirty days with Ivermectin. This kills the worms before they can reach the brain. Not everyone in the country has to follow this protocol for Meningeal Worm. This parasite is actually transmitted via snails/slugs and it originates from deer. The deer are not affected by the worm like the camelids are. We have a very high deer population here, so the risks are much greater for us to have this worm in our herd. Thus, the prevention is necessary. I’ve met other owners who never have to worry about this parasite based on their location in the country.
As another smaller, and cuter, preventative measure of M. worm, I’ve “hired” a small flock of ducks to help keep the snail population down in the pastures. They seem to be doing their job, but I won’t be letting up on the shots anytime soon. As much as they suck for us all.

So what are the most important things I’ve learned sofar from owning my llamas?

1. You NEED a mentor, or several of them. People who own these animals and can tell you the reality of things, not just read in a book. I’ve found some amazing people in the llama world online, and through buying my animals. They are always my go to resources with questions, and the llama people I’ve talked with are always happy to help with questions. People do all kinds of things differently in their ownership, and it’s important to pick what works for you and your herd.

2. You NEED a vet to work with you. My vet is able to offer me advice, a resource for prescription medications, and is available any time needed for emergencies. He is already on standby for when Cloud has her cria, and hopefully will help not only with the birth but with my peace of mind.

3. You NEED to listen to your animals, and really get to know them. Llamas are stoic beings. They won’t show signs of injury or illness until it’s at a bad point. Really knowing your animals will help you not only in handling them, but knowing when to intervene with a vet.

4. Don’t be afraid. I was worried about spit, kicking, getting plain old run over by them in the beginning. None of that bothers me now. Spit washes off, as gross as it is. Kicking can generally be avoided, and knowing when to push or back off when handling your animals is where you build the needed trust with them. It’s true when it’s said that it’s more about training the people than the animals.

I am still a work in progress!