Milk production down, baby chicks flying and yogurt making a success

We are wondering why we went from getting a gallon of milk from Lola Belle to about a glass today. Could baby calf (May Belle) be going through a growth spurt and drinking more?

Darrin is in a rush to finish the chicken coup because the baby chicks are starting to fly out of the big wooden box.

Yogurt making with the Yolife yogurt making was so easy yesterday I plan to make more as soon as milk production comes back up.






Now I am looking for cheese making supplies.

Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins visited this week from Lincoln, NE

Had a wonderful week with Darrin's parents visiting. Lloyd brought his overalls and didn't miss a milking session all week. They helped us break-in the new rockers on the front porch and learned to play a new dice game. We were thankful for the rain on Friday, used it as an excuse to play dice and cards all day.

Now time to get back to school, routine, etc.

Lola Belle is giving us about a gallon a day plus she is still nursing May Belle. I need to find cheese making equipment so when May Belle quits nursing I'll be able to use all the milk. Darrin received his milking machine this week and his thumbs are very thankful. Some days Lola is waiting at the barn for him, some days he just has to shake the feed pan and she comes but other days, like this morning, he has to walk out in the pasture and lead her in.

May Belle is a joy to watch prance about in the pasture. We have watched her race the neighbors dog up the fence line and one afternoon she appeared to be barrel racing around the trees.

We can almost watch the sweet green peas grow, they are coming up so fast. We have lots of other veggies breaking ground also.

The rose garden is beautiful....I still would like to find several other roses to plant.....seven sisters, Jacob's coat, and Pope John Paul II or another pretty white.

The chickens have been moved to the chicken coup. We replaced the 3 Sex links that died and once again have 26(A through Z)....20 Sex links, 3 Rhode Island Reds, and 3 Barred Plymouth Rocks.

We have added a kitten to the barn residency. He is the only male animal on the farm (with the exception of Darrin, Dalton and Blake.) He is misty gray with darker strips and his tummy is white. Alexandra has named him Mr. Whiskers. Choosing a name was a long process for her.....she decided to put all of our choices on paper and draw one out to choose a name but didn't like the results (she drew out Burt Reynolds.) She then went to the barn and called each name until the kitten responded and the winner was Mr.Whiskers.