Dairy Goats
In the fall of 2011 two Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats joined our herd of critters at Carrowmore Farm. Nigerian Dwarfs are unique little caprines and one of the two miniature goat breeds found in the United States. Unlike the more popular Pygmy breed, which is rough and stocky in appearance, Nigeria Dwarfs were selected for refined frames and elegant lines. In both graceful appearance and gentle disposition, they resemble full size dairy goats, and with their small size and ease of keeping, they are an excellent choice for a homesteading on limited acreage. They produce one to two quarts of milk per day that is high in butterfat and excellent for cheese. Nigerian Dwarfs are listed as "Recovering" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
Our little goats are helping out on the farm by browsing on our non-native invasives under our orchard and around our pastures. We hope to breed them later in 2012 and are practicing our cheesemaking skills in the interim. Equines
We are home to two Thoroughbreds that are retired polo horses and two fuzzy Shetland ponies. The Thoroughbreds have been family members for about a dozen years and made the trek east with us when we moved from California (needless to say, they weren't so sure about the weather that first winter). The Shetlands have been entertaining us with their antics for almost 6 years. While none of the equids have a real job, we are very thankful for their significant contribution to our large compost piles
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Pastured Poultry
Our 2012 chicks arrived safe and sound on March 6! They are growing quickly and will be ready to head outside to their new coop by late April.
Carrowmore is home to four breeds on the American Livestock Breed Conservancy list: Buckeye, Buff Brahma, Golden Laced Wyandotte and Silver Gray Dorking. Maple Syrup
In the Spring of 2012 we're tapping our sugar maple grove with the intent to make our own maple syrup. We're experimenting this year to learn and perfect our process.
Honey
We now have our own apiary with six growing colonies. We are learning about beekeeping, building up the colonies and overwintering bees, while looking forward to a great honey harvest in the Spring of 2013.
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Native Plants & Edibles
We enjoy finding what the land has to offer and contributing by planting native species for our benefit and the wildlife. Carrowmore farm offers us edible pawpaws, black walnuts, mulberry, morel mushrooms, lambsquarter, stinging nettle, watercress and mint. We're contributing by planting northern pecan, persimmon, elderberry, shagbark hickory, and burr oak. We also maintain and plant a variety of native plants for our wildlife species - deer, wild turkey, squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, snakes, toads, many native insects, opossums, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes (the last few aren't welcomed by the chickens but have refused to completely disappear.)
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Backyard Orchard & Perennial Garden
A work in progress.
Currently our orchard is home to 3 varieties of apple, 2 types of cherry, 2 types of pear, 2 types of serviceberry, american hazelnuts, asparagus, rhubarb, raspberries, gooseberries and strawberries. Most of these are still young with little or no production in 2010 and 2011. |
Composting & Vermiculture
Around the farm we have plenty of sources and needs for compost. We have hot composting areas set up at our barn, a compost bin near our garden, and two worm compost bins for kitchen waste.
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Permaculture & Hugelkultur
We have our first hugel bed built and planted with asparagus, rhubarb, raspberry, strawberry and potato. We intend to build 3 or 4 more in the summer of 2012 for our 2013 garden.
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