Chasing Tumbleweeds Micro Dairy and Homestead

08/15/2025

Even with the losses this week, on the Homestead, you just keep on keeping on. I read once something about farming is the business of faith. You plant seeds and have faith they'll grow, you have patience, optimism, and yes hope, that at the end of the day, the season and your life, what you've done will make a difference. Whether that's feeding your family, feeding others, or being a good steward of the land and animals God has blessed you with. You can't grow things and think negatively.

With that in mind, we knew we had to continue on with our plans for this season. We've got the fall garden started, with green beans, peas, some brassicas, Radish, carrots, and soon some lettuce. Our last group of 25 meat chickens is growing well, and so far safe from Mr. Owl. Next year's layer chick's are gorgeous!

And, most exciting for me 🥰 our does have been separated into pens with the buck they'll be bred by this year! I am sooooo happy to be able to put girls with 1 boy of my choosing, finally! I'll post pics and pedigrees tomorrow, but here's a quick rundown of who's with who and some snapshots.

If you thinking of adding a nice, solid dairy goat to your herd or farm this spring keep watching. Reservation lists will be available after everyone is confirmed bred.

Sundance (Sunny) is with Gloria, Lilah, Julie and Phoebe.

Indigo Road (Indy) has Cece, Dips, Reba, Candy, and Blu.

And Wylder has Muffin and Branwyn.

Little Arlo may be a little small yet, but he'll hopefully catch Annie and Wilma sometime this fall. (Our Pygoras)

(Feed is only on the ground because we were coaxing them into this pen!)

08/14/2025

Its been a rough week here on the 'stead. Found both of pregnant kune kunes dead one morning this week. I wish I could have gotten a necropsy, but it just wasn't a possibility. Both were fine the night before, and Hickory, our boar is still fine. They were playing by the fence, and we had storms during the night, so I wonder about lightening, but at this point I'll never really know.

They were our only girls, so we've decided to not replace them at this time, sell Hickory, and focus on our dairy goats and poultry for this winter. We'll reevaluate in the spring and decide if we want to get more pigs then.

The same day, we found our rooster tore up in the coop. And after the girls roosted for the night, realized we were missing 3-4 red girls. Troy stayed awake late, and when we heard the dogs started barking he ran out to see what the predator situation was. It was a big ol' OWL! That's a new one for us! Sally dog is not at all happy about it!

We are being extra vigilant about going out at dark to make sure all the birds are in the coop and the door is closed, and I'm ordering a net cover for the run today.

My heart is heavy this week. We so loved our beautiful piggies. And the lost rooster was of course our favorite pretty boy. We've been fortunate this year, with very losses. Critter raising is tough, it's hard on the heart.

08/04/2025

Oh boy oh boy, Sugar Dream Acres Indigo Road has really came into his own this summer. He had a rough looking first year, he was tall, gangly, thin. I was really starting to worry lol. But he stopped me in my tracks this morning and I had to get a few pictures of him. He has changed so much in just this last month!

This week I'll be starting our breeding, with hopefully everyone kidding in January. Indy will be paired with Dips, Blu, Candy, Cece, and Reba.

08/04/2025

Munchin' Monday! 🤣 If you have goats, you know they are always STARVING!!! These ladies sure enjoy their food.

Alfalfa is their main feed, and then they get all the weeds from the garden! I'm constantly behind, so the weeds are usually alot. They especially love weeding day!

07/31/2025

I was never good at waiting. But the older I get, the more I realize that some things are better if you wait a little longer. I wasn't the person I needed to be when my babies were babies, to have a farm. To live this crazy, heartbreaking, soul sucking, amazing and beautiful life. But now I can give my grandbabies a taste of the life, without having all the responsibilities of it.

Be thankful everyday. Life is precious, and goes by fast. So fast, you blink and a decade is gone. Your babies are teenagers, adults, have babies of their own.

-Thoughts from a tired, but oh so blessed Nana 🧡

07/30/2025

What this season has taught me:

There is never enough time. Work hard, play hard, love hard, pray harder!

People mean more than things, chores, getting ahead, finishing the to-do list. Those we love, family, friends, come first. All the time, every time.

The to-do list on a homestead is never completed. (I mean, I knew this, but every year it's just drove home more!) And it's ok to not do it all. Its O. K.

There is never enough money for all the things. You make more, you spend more. You get extra, something breaks. Again, it's ok. Its OK to not have new stuff. Its OK to reuse, upcycle, make do.

Friends come when you least expect them. Value those connections!

Nothing is perfect, it's not meant to be.

Love. Be happy. Work hard. Hold onto peace.

(Picture of my beautiful granddaughter learning to blow dandelions)

07/28/2025

Have I showed you my muscovy babies???

My pretty gray mama hatched out 9, yes 9 babies!!

Ive never had luck with my poultry rearing their own, so we did pull them. They are thriving and growing and are just the cutest little things!

They do still think I'm the big bad monster, but they'll love me soon!

07/28/2025

Bug Off Spray replenished tonight! The mosquitoes were about to carry us away!

5 simple ingredients:

1 cup distilled water
1/4 cup witch hazel
15 drops citronella EO
8 drops peppermint EO
10 drops lemongrass EO

Shake, and put into spray bottles. I test a small amount when I introduce it to my guests, and reapply every 2 hours. It smells soooo good!

07/23/2025

06/17/2025

We have a handsome buckling available out of Sundance x Phoebe! Phoebe is a first freshener but has a lovely little udder. She raised her single buckling, so her udder is a little bigger on one side, but not bad at all. She has a gorgeous head and ears! And just as sweet as can be!

This is Sunny's first year with kids on the ground too, but I've been very pleased so far!

ChasinTumbleweeds Amarillo (pending) will be fully registered ADGA as soon as DNA is completed on Sunny. It has been sent in, just waiting on results. He has been disbudded but does have some growth still.