silk tree farm

Meet Almond and Joy!

Posted on by Cathy

Our Spanish Doe Mounds gave birth to these two strong kids last month. You can read about Mounds here. Usually the Spanish goat kids are a lot more timid than our other breeds. These two are very friendly. I believe this is because their mother is so friendly. This is a perfect example of how these animals learn from their mothers. Both Almond and Joy see that mom trusts us and so they know we are safe.

Almond, Mounds’ little buckling is all boy trying to head but us within days of his birth.

Almond

Joy her doe is as sweet as can be. She takes after her father with the little wattles on her neck.

Joy

Joy

Meet Mounds

Posted on by Cathy

Mounds is another one of our Spanish does. She is the most friendly by far. She is always the one to come over to you to say hello or check your pockets for treats. Mounds is the only one of the Spanish does who seems to want me around when she is ready to kid. She just like Caramilk and Fudge (you can read about them here) is from the Valera lines.

 Mounds has kidded with us three times now always having twins but her first two kiddings she gave birth to one perfectly health baby and one stillborn. So this year when she went into labor I kept a close eye on her. I am thrilled to say she gave birth to two beautiful healthy kids. One buck and One doe. Look for a blog post in the coming week about these two cuties.

Here Come the Turkeys!

Posted on by Cathy

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Last Spring we began our journey with our heritage breed Narragansett turkeys. We purchased our turkey chicks from Sand Hill Preservation Center. We raised them in turkey tractors making sure they had fresh grass daily. This spring our Narragansett hens started laying there first eggs. They had not gone broody yet so we were collecting the eggs and hatching the baby turkeys in our incubator with less than great result.

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Once we moved them out to the pasture they almost immediately went broody. We have been patiently waiting for baby turkeys. The first hen’s clutch of eggs never hatched but since then we have had two more hens go broody together side by side. This is so new to us and I had just expressed to Tom that I was getting concerned about the hens. They had been sitting on the clutch of eggs for what seemed to be longer than the 28 days it takes to hatch baby turkeys.

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Well this morning I had just come in from milking and Tom said to me “I know what you can blog about today. Baby turkeys!” I was so excited I ran out to the pasture.  What an amazing sight! These are the moments in farming that I feel so blessed to witness.  There was this hen sitting on a clutch of eggs and tucked right under her wing we could see this tiny head peek out! Mom hen was fiercely guarding her baby. If you are patient and look closely in the video below you will see the baby turkey.

Moving Day

Posted on by Cathy

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Today it was time to move our Does to a new section of the pasture. Above you can see how well they cleared the area they were in. As I mentioned in my previous post Grass to Goat Milk we had divided the girls into groups of four. We needed one of the electrical nettings to set up a new area so we put all the girls together in one section while we took down other section.

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Tom then mows a path so the electric netting won’t arc out on the tall grass. Although the grass is up to three feet tall mixed with briars, Tom is able to clear the paths with just a push mower.

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The next step is moving the shelters that Nick and Tom built you can read about these in Nicks post New Shelters. Tom and I moved them with two dollies. On our first try we almost tipped it over but once we got the dollies lined up right it went very smoothly.

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Next we set up the electrical netting. We really like this fencing it is fast and easy enough for one person to set up alone. They come with built in step posts so you can set the posts into the ground with your foot.

Finally it is time to move the does to there new area of pasture.

The video is best viewed in full screen.

Once the goats were munching away we set up the second area and divided the girls back up. The pasture is so lush you can barely see the very happy goats!

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Grass to Goat Milk

Posted on by Cathy

 

I love milking my goats in the pasture!

I will admit I had reservations about milking out in the pasture. I was concerned that I would have trouble managing hungry does who were eager to eat. We decided to bring all four milk stands out to the field and divide our girls in groups of four. This has been working beautifully. I turn off the electric netting and let the first group of four does out…up on the milk stands they go! There is one doe that will occasionally give me a hard time, but for the most part they are getting used to the routine. They seem to feel safest when they have consistency. Once all four girls are settle on the stands I start milking.

 It is so peaceful and calm in the pasture in the morning and evening. As I sit on the bucket I use for a seat and clean the does udder I can feel the wind on my face as I listen to the sound of nature all around me. As I start to milk the sound of the milk filling the pail always fills me with such gratitude for these animals as they provide us with their nourishing milk.

Also to my surprise I think the goats are happier too! They can sense my calmness and they know the routine. They are also calmer and more content. They get to start enjoying their grain while they wait their turn to be milked. As opposed to bleating behind a fence as if they have never been fed. Once they have been milked and are done eating one by one I put them back in their area and turn the electrical netting back on. They head right out and start munching on the grass.


In morning I often awake feeling overwhelmed with a very long list of things I need to accomplish on my mind. Mornings out in the pasture with my does helps to clear my mind and gives me a sense of peace and calm everyone should be so lucky to have when they start and end their day.

Now I do realize neither the dairy goats nor I will feel this way when it is pouring rain outside. We do have future plans to set up some type of a sheltered area for milking on rainy days but that is a project for another day.

Who we are?

Posted on by Cathy

Silk Tree Farm is a small farm, located in Little Compton R.I.  All of our animals are raised on pastures that we lease along with a farmhouse, on property that is under a conservation easement with the Nature Conservancy. Our focus is to raise healthy happy animals.

Here at Silk Tree Farm we are committed to raising Heritage Breed Livestock. We believe it is vital to preserve these animals in order to protect our food system. ~Cathy B, Owner & Founder

If you visit the farm you will find that we have a variety of animals. It all began with Nigerian Dwarf goats, that we raised and bred. These wonderful animals are known for their gentle nature and high butterfat content in their milk. The milk they produce is what we use to make our handcrafted Natural Goat Milk Soaps.

You may also find Spanish Goats. In the spring of 2014 we purchased our starter herd of Spanish Goats from The Swiss Village Foundation located in Newport RI. This Spanish breed of goat is known for their meat and for their brush clearing ability.

We also raise Red Wattle Pigs. They are known for being making the Livestock Conservancy threatened list and their unique wattles. Also, they  are listed on the Slow Food Arc of Taste as being prime pork. We are hoping to have pork available late summer to the fall of 2015.

Lastly,our farm is home to Narragansett Turkeys, Black Jersey Giant Chickens, and Dorking Chickens. Both of these heritage chicken breeds are known for quality meat and egg production.

If you would to purchase our handcrafted products, they are available in stores, online http://www.silktreefarm.com/ , and at local farmers markets.

  • All Natural Goat Milk Soap Bars
  • Liquid Goat Milk Hand Soap
  • Body Wash
  • Goat Milk Shampoo
  • Hand Poured Soy Wax Candles

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