In the begining...

Let me introduce the players in our little endeavor.

We started with two yearling miniature horses as companions for our soon to arive pregnant, dun colored, Dexter heifer. Dexters are the smallest of the cattle breeds and came from Ireland. The breeder of the heifer told us that without pasture mates our heifer, Zia, would be impossible to keep inside the fences.

We purchased the yearling mares from some folks a few miles away and they were kind enough to load them and transport them to our place. One of them, Queen, is white with dark brown patches here and there also known as pinto and the other, Sunshine, is a beautiful mahogany that fades to dark brown almost black at her feet also known as sorrel. They are a lot of fun to watch and they served their purpose and kept the heifer company. Two weeks ago we purchased a miniature stallion, Bronco, and we should have some foals next summer. Bronco is quite a bit shorter than the mares but very determined to get the job done. He is also all black and twelve years old.

Zia, the heifer, came from a farm a few hours away in southwestern WI and my father in law was kind enough to transport her to us as well as supply me with tons on hay. The heifer is now a cow expecting her second calf in the next week or so. Last years calf, T-Bone, is still with us, he is now a bull and will be lent out to service some cattle this summer and then to the processor in the fall.

To the mix we added Navajo Churro lambs last summer and they have recently been sheared and are heading to the processor in a few days. They have been far harder to contain than the larger animals and I am not sure if we will continue with them going forward. There are five of them and we should have enough lamb for quite a while.

Most recently we added two piglets, Patty and Link. They are a hoot to watch and will only be around until the fall.

I almost forgot the Barred Rock laying hens of which we have seven that are three years old and a dozen week old chicks. There is also the Cock of the walk, Dewey the rooster.