Farm tales: Free rooster nice bonus

By Jennifer Ashawasegai

ALBAN – A few days after the new year chimed in, I jumped on Kijiji and found an ad for two free dairy goats – the same breed which we are raising.

So Ken and I headed over to a farm in Markstay to meet with the lovely couple who were giving away the Saanen siblings – a doeling and buckling.  Daisy and Jasper were born on one of the coldest nights of 2013 – December 29 – and both suffered frostbite on their ears. It made the ears slightly folded over, but they are healing well.

Over two hours we discussed goats, hobby farming and creative pursuits. Like us, they also have chickens. Unlike us, they have enough chickens to sell eggs to sustain the flock and keep the hens in feed and their household in fresh eggs.

We both had a problem.  I did not have a rooster and had been looking for one for quite  some time, and they had two extra. So, not only did we get two free kids, the nice couple threw in a free rooster that had just barely matured and wasn’t yet six months old.

I felt like we were in one of those TV infomercials, you know, where the company advertises their product at a bargain-basement price, then the announcer exclaims: “But wait, there’s more!”

Except I didn’t have to pay for anything.  Plus, when we were all packed away in the car with the new kids and the rooster (which was in a large box), the kind lady – Ruth was her name – also gave us a bar of the wonderful goatmilk soap that she makes.

I really hope I’m done dragging random goats home. (I’m pretty sure Ken hopes so too!). We now have a herd of seven – five females and two males.

I didn’t get a chance to milk Willow, our oldest doe, after she kidded. We’re still setting up, and things around the farm still hadn’t quite come together. I have to hand it to Ken – he pretty much single-handedly built the barn on his own. I held the odd board in place once in a while, and cut a few more another time. The barn is just about done and will get its final touches this spring. Ken figures the barn will comfortably house about 15 goats.

While the snow is still on the ground, I’m going to enjoy it very much. Winter means a slower pace around the homestead. Spring brings a lot of work: there will be goats to milk, soap and cheese to make, gardens to plant and, hopefully, bees to keep.

I would like to grow herbs to include in my cheese and gather local berries and flora to add value to my products. Having products will be great but I need to make money! Over the long relaxing nights of winter, I need to put my creative energy to use on a marketing plan.