Our livestock, such as it is, has become an important aspect of life here. We started a few years ago with just a handful of chickens and have progressed to milk cows butchering our own beef. This page is dedicated to describing the animals we're raising, why we chose them, and how it's going.
Jerseys Cows. Shown here is Abigal our mid-sized mini with the first calf born on our farm, Stella. Jersey's seem are well suited to serving as a family milk cow, producing the highest cream content of any breed. Both of our girls are exceptionally sweet.
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Currently raising Idaho pasture pigs, shown center. Though we've successfully raised feeder pigs (left) for several seasons, this is our first go at raising a breeding pair and keeping them over the winter. We chose IPPs because of their smaller size, ability to subsist in large part on pasture/hay, and cold weather hardiness.
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Mac. He's a horse. What else is there to say? What is it about girls and horses? Mine badgered and begged me for a pony beginning when we first started talking about moving to a farm. Their bedroom is covered with horse paraphernalia. When mom joined their side, I caved and made some Christmas dreams come true. They found him in the barn the morning of Dec. 25th, 2021, but that's a whole story in of itself.
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The Coop. Dominated by chickens, our coop houses a variety of avian dwellers. The vast majority are laying hens, but roosters as well as ducks, guineas, and turkeys also have a presence. Additionally, each summer we raise and butcher between 30 and 70 meat birds to keep our freezers stocked with plenty of white meat throughout the year.
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