Merry
Meadows

Looking back on last week the weather was absolutely beautiful! Seventies in January is a gift. One day it even topped off at 81°F!  With warmer weather brings better egg production. Chickens lay eggs year round, but in the winter their production significantly slows down. It makes me happy to be able to fill my egg customers’ needs. Although I am still working with a waiting list, the orders are being filled much quicker these days. 

We had a little bit of sadness last week. One of the goats gave birth early and the baby was stillborn. Our Boer goats shouldn’t be giving birth until at the earliest January 24th. Not sure why this doe gave birth early. She is a first time freshener. When a doe, or female goat, gives birth it is referred to as “freshening”. Clover, the nanny, had to receive a shot and a vet visit, but is recovering well.  

We added two new Nigerian dwarf goat does to our herd this week. They were born last November 6th and are twins. Welcome Shasta and Isabella to Merry Meadows! They are a little skittish, but we are working with them and they are warming up to us. They fit right in with our herd. They are little climbers too! We have never had a goat jump onto a vehicle until now. The truck was no feat for these little girls.

Our ducks started laying eggs this week! Five eggs so far! This is a welcomed find since they haven’t layed an egg since last August. Ducks are much more seasonal layers than chickens. It is normal for ducks to not lay in Fall and Winter. They bury their eggs in a nest of hay within the duck house. It is sometimes quite an egg hunt to find them! Duck eggs are somewhat bigger than a hen egg and the shells are much stronger. The duck egg is also very rich in omega three fatty acids. They have less water content and are known to be used by bakers because of this. An egg is an egg, so they still taste the same, just richer.

Wednesday was a blustery day. It looked like a scene from the movie “Twister”! After a light rain shower, the sun came out and all things calmed down a bit. The wind is sometimes wild here in Oklahoma. I much prefer a calm day. This next week is looking to be a much colder week. We even have a hint that it may snow…oh my! Just in time for our Boer goats to give birth. So we will be adding straw to the barn and putting in the heat lamps for those babies.

We have lettuces started in the greenhouse and will be adding onions, and tomato starts soon. It is almost time to get those garden rows ready too. I have had a few loads of leaf mulch brought in this week. It is a great collaboration with the landscape company to provide them a place to dump the leaves and us a welcomed product for the gardens. The compost, mulch and peat moss and perlite make a great soil mis for the starts. I am ready for the fresh produce again! Makes me hungry just thinking about it. Okra, tomatoes, squash..yum!

It’s only 10 weeks until the Flea to the Market begins again! I can hardly wait. Vendors have been contacting us and are getting ready to show all of us what they have for sale. Now to get my soaps made, and the gardens planted. Spring is in the air, but Old Man Winter is still lurking around, so we must stay vigilant. This next week officially begins our kidding season, so stay tuned for my next Merry Monday. 

Blessings!