a happy new bunny owner with
her red agouti doe. I have two more bunnies like this one on my salelist
We had a beautiful day for Fiber Faire this year,
after a week of rain, rain, rain. I have not been for several years
and I was surprised by how large it has grown! There were over 80 booths
with sales, demonstrations, competitions of various sorts. I took rabbits
this year (can you believe I fit 18 rabbits in a VW Beetle!) and sales
were good. I also took a couple of fleeces for the fleece competition,
but there were ony three fleeces total in the show. (counting mine!)... which
is seriously down from last time I was there. I took a Bluefaced
Leicester fleece , which is a small fleece, but they did not consider it for
a ribbon because their judge did not think it was a whole fleece. Guess
they did not know that the BFL fleece is naturally a low volume fleece.
But thats ok; it just means Missouri needs more education about the BFL....
they are new here. I think I was the first breeder in
Missouri. I also took some of my white Hybrid Leicester fleeces which
got the second place ribbon next to a very deserving black finewool .
I wrote to the BLUNA and they sent me some information about judging (the
standard) Bluefaced Leicester fleece. See the sheep
page !
MoNCWGA Heart of America
Rabbit Show and Sale
HMFF French Angora rabbits
attended the festival and rabbit show again this year . There weren't
many people at the rabbit show, but there was about 30 rabbits... so
I feel pretty good about our win. One of our black bucks
(Mystery litter) took 1st in the Jr Buck class and Grand Champion
Buck overall! One of my chocolate tort does (Irish
Creme litter) took the blue ribbon in the Junior doe division and
Reserve Champion Doe overall. See the rabbit
page for a photo of the Reserve Champion Doe. The RC
doe and the identical littermate of the GC buck are available for sale
Doing it Smarter
I can hear Greg's voice in my ear: " you need to do
things smarter, Kathy" ... OK , I want to put in a garden, but
no tiller anymore... and no place safe from goats... wait a minute, how
about the buck pen??? It is the only truly and absolutely goat-proof
enclosure I have, already pre-limed and manured... no weeds... close to
water... HEY! Why not plant the tomatoes , basil and beans in
there. Take the plants to the manure instead of the other way
around! Then later in the fall, I can turn the bucks in the
"garden" to clean it all up. Oh, Greg would be so proud!
And speaking of doing it
smarter:
Sheep: Instead of putting $25 in
the lawnmower every time you want to cut the grass, why not let sheep
cut your grass instead! They will cut the grass, fertilize the ground,
and turn that grass into spinning fiber and/or freezer meat .
I am grazing my sheep around the house this year, saving gas, pasture and
feed costs. See the sheep
page for the latest salelist and another money saving tip!
Chickens: with
eggs at $2.50 a dozen, this is a great time to have chickens. Want
some? I have more than I need (I am getting about a dozen eggs a
day!) So, I am offering a little family of Polish x
Aracauna 1-2 year old chickens for sale (1 rooster and 3 laying hens) for
just $15. These guys are laying eggs and want to set so
badly! Just contact me at hmffarm@fidnet.com and I will set you
up!
Meatgoats: Need weed control
in your pastures or under powerlines? Or perhaps you are wanting to clear
the woods of brambles ? No need for expensive spraying or
brush hogging... Meat goats are ideal for this! Let them work
for you AND produce an excellent meat for the freezer at years end.
I have a few wethers available on the meatgoat
page.
Dairygoats: There has never been
a better time to start a milking herd. It only takes two does
to keep a family of 5 in all the milk and cheese you need.... and
at a fraction of the feed expense of keeping a cow.
See the dairygoat page
for more information on available livestock
Angora Rabbits: I couldn't
make it without the income these guys bring to the farm. Long after
I am too decrepit to handle sheep and goats , I will be able to keep rabbits....
The wool is valuable and economical to ship. Even the smallest homestead
can make money with angora rabbits! Right now I have plenty to choose
from in all price ranges. Check out the rabbit
page to see the newest batch of bunnies and a preliminary wooler
listing!
GREAT DEALS and FREE
STUFF!
Dairy Goat Awareness Week & Kid Raffle
Dairy Goat Awareness Week is June 14-21! The ADGA has a
free promotion package to help your club with ideas for
promoting dairy goats that week and all through the year. www.ADGA.org . And speaking of the ADGA, their National Show is in Kentucky
(next year in California) July 12-19. They have a raffle for a
free doe kid from each of the major milking breeds. Raffle
tickets are $1 each and must be received by June 30th. You do have to be
there to win OR have someone there to claim your goat should your ticket
win...so if you can't go, ask around (perhaps on the dairy lists) Even if
you can't attend, I'm sure that someone who IS going would probably
appreciate alittle help with their gas money in the way of a delivery
fee. It is a great opportunity to get new blood
from a good breeder.
FREE Sheep and Goat Marketing
opportunity
Check out this link to what looks like it may prove to be
a good deal on marketing. The world shops on the internet! HMFF has
placed a few FREE ads at http://www.ruralclassifieds.com/ to
try it out. Trial ads are FREE!
Good prices on Frontline - if only I could get it
in large bottles... I'd try it on the goats!
If you have dogs (or cats), you know how wonderful and
necessary Frontline can be ... but it is frightfully expensive and if you
have multiple dogs, it can amount to a large chunk of your monthly income
throughout the spring and summer months. I recently found this on-line supplier,
which in combination with a discount for using my First Bank debit
card (and possibly other banks?), offers Frontline for about $12 a
dose instead of the $20 per dose I pay at the vets. www.1800petmeds.com
Upcoming
Events
Jacobs Cave Swap Meet - June 5,6,7,8
HMFF is hoping to attend the Jacobs Cave
Swap Meet this year as a seller for the first time. I will
be there , weather permitting , with bunnies, chickens, guinea
pigs and maybe a goat or two!. I visited this huge event last year
and was impressed by the vast number of booths and the variety of quality small
livestock and pets! They had everything from peacocks to alligators... I
kid you not. It was alot of fun and I look forward to participating.
If you come, be sure to bring a chair , water and good walking shoes, plus
assorted animal carriers if you are shopping. for more info www.jacobscave.com
Estes Park Wool Market, Estes Park
Colorado June 6-8, 2008 National CAGBA Show. National BFL Show. Wish I
could be there this year.... <sigh>
THANKS
to Susan, Jeanette, Beth, Carmen, Tricia, Teresa, for livestock purchases this
past month.... and congratulations to Jane in Tennessee who purchased the
spectacular collectors spinning wheel made by Ozark Artisan, Jerry Jensen.
Hope you enjoy this months newsletter,
Kathy Barger-Harbert
Herbal Maid Fiber Farm
the
garden as inspiration for a new shawl