E I E I O Farms

2009-02-28T08:52:00.000-08:00

We brought T-bone back on thursday and he yeilded 472 lbs of wonderul grass fed beef. The kids and I made meatballs and loved every bite. We now have a full freezer and are raising 2 Scottish Highland bulls for next year.

2009-02-11T09:06:00.001-08:00

Monday February 9 2009 was a banner day at EIEIO Farms. We brought in our first beef animal for processing. T-Bone was the first calf we have had at our farm and it was his time. I estimate he was about 1000 lbs, so he should yield in the 500-600 lb neighborhood. The whole family went to drop him off and say goodbye. The kids were not upset at all and we all look forward to some good, grass fed, Dexter meat.

2009-01-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

The animals have made it through two serious sub zero events. We had 2 nights of -40 a few weeks ago and then we had 2 nights of -27 a few days ago. I am hopeful that this is it for nights in that range, but only time will tell. I think these might be the first photos i put up of the new calves. The black one is Basar and the white one is Whitey. The other cattle are Zia and her soon to be packaged calf, T Bone.

the sheep are gone

2008-06-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

Woke up yesterday morning at dawn and loaded the sheep in my trailer. Almost as a plea for leniency, they all followed me right in the trailer to get the flake of hay in my hands. Five minutes later the kids and I were on the road to the processor. After a 45 minute drive we were there and second in line to drop off animals. We were behind a guy with a sow in a wooden box in the back of his mini van. We waited our turn and they off-loaded just as easily as they went in and then we were done. In a week we go back to pick them up. When we arrived back home there was a very palpable calm, all the animals were where they belonged and content. I suppose I will miss the sheep at some point but now I am relived.

sheep damage

2008-06-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to find that the sheep had escaped again. Ths time we lost two stands of lilies and a plum tree that was pulled down and devoured. Tuesday they will be visiting a nice place called Whiskey Ridge in Raddison, WI and then they will be living in the freezer which should make their care much easier. I think I am done with sheep. Perhaps with a little distance I may change my mind, or forget their bad behavior. They have figured out a way to defeat the electric fence and I am tired of the battle of wits we are engaged in, especially since I appear to be losing.

In the begining...

2008-06-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

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.