Our mini-donkeys are stars in this video!

 

Multi-talented book author, blogger, podcaster, and videographer, Laura Camby McCaskill, came to visit us on Our Tiny Farm last summer. She creates wonderful videos on animals, especially those in rescue and sanctuary situations. She heard about our "mini-donkey visit fundraiser" for Veterans Healing Farm and asked if she could do a video on Our Tiny Farm. Of course I said yes, so here is a link to her wonderful video on our donkeys which was released on November 1:

As for those donkey visits, our plan was to offer them as an agritourism business, but it has been a real learning experience on what all that entails. Structuring the business, finding affordable insurance, figuring out how to fit this into our already busy lives, and crunching the numbers to make sure it can be profitable for us but affordable for our guests has been a big effort. So, we are not ready for paying guests! I will let you know if we decide to move forward with it as a business.

 

 

We Welcome New Donkeys to Our Tiny Farm

This week two new donkeys joined us on Our Tiny Farm. Meet Wilma, on the left, and Clara, on the right.

They are twelve years old and just the sweetest little donkeys. We still have them separated from our two (you can see ours peeking at them from behind the gate), but I think they will settle in quite nicely.

It has been very busy for the past six months on Our Tiny Farm!

I have certainly been lax at keeping up with the blog, but it is not from lack of activity on the farm! First and foremost, I want to dedicate this post to our dear, late Tennessee Walker horse, Little Man. He was a great friend and companion to us and our donkeys. He was an amazing listener. Always calm and very protective of his little donkey friends. But he was very old. We are not sure exactly, but the vet, farrier, and our neighbor who rode him when he was a boy himself, said he had to be 35 years old at least. The summer of 2016 was very, very hot and as the summer progressed, Little Man found it difficult to breathe. We had to soak him down several times a day and keep fans blowing on him. We trimmed his long, curly coat as often as we could, but it was clear to all of us that he was very uncomfortable. We finally made the decision to say goodbye and send him across the rainbow bridge on a beautiful, golden afternoon in late summer. It was a quiet passing and he is buried in his pasture near his little buddies and where we can be near him when we need to be. Love you, Little Man.

A few weeks later we also had to say goodbye to our dear old cat, Maple. That was just too much death and we had two few animal companions around, so we headed out to the local animal shelter and brought home these two adorable kittens. They are not related. They sure are fun!

We are in the midst of doing some pretty major remodeling on our old farmhouse, and in the process of clearing some things out, we came across a box with the first 18 issues of Mother Earth News magazine! I thought that was so cool. We live in the same community where Mother Earth News started and we always thought of our place as a little Mother Earth News type farm.

And then the forest fires came. I don't want anyone to forget how much of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee burned in November 2016. It was terrifying. We were miles from the fires but they still had a big impact on our lives.

But then every now and then, the direction of the wind would change and we would experience the most beautiful, sunny late November afternoons.

The Sustainable Agriculture Conference took place in November in Durham, NC. There I got to spend time at a book signing with my good friend and fellow author, Ira Wallace, of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

A lot went on in our personal lives, too. There was a wedding with the dinner on the farm (I now have a grandson!). The house was full of good smells with all the baking for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And the New Year was rung in with a fun movie and several bottles of champagne.

2017 started out with a beautiful blanket of snow. I took that as a good omen of the year ahead. This year will be one of change on Our Tiny Farm. We don't know what that all means yet, but with the young adult children making their own lives and our desire to try new things, we are spending the winter rethinking what we will do on the farm. We will continue to raise bees and bottle honey, and a good crop of garlic and shallots has been planted. But we don't know what livestock we are going to raise and I would love to have a bunch more little donkeys! But, that will all be decided this winter as we sit in front of the woodstove sipping hot chocolate and planning it all out.

In the meantime, we still have honey and it is about time for sales on my book on growing ginseng, goldenseal and other woodland medicinals to pick up. If you are serious about growing woodland medicinal herbs, whether for a business or your own personal enjoyment, this is the book to have. Written by two well-know authorities, the book is chock full of information and hundreds of pictures on how to grow ginseng, goldenseal, ramps, black cohosh, and many other native herbs.

How to Get a Copy of the Book: We suggest you order the book through the publisher, New Society Publishers, or your favorite local book store; that way the authors can receive their full royalties. It is available in bookstores where native plant gardening is popular. You can order the book through all the big on-line discount book sellers. Many sellers offer the book on Ebay. The book is also available as an ebook through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, New Society Publishers, and elsewhere.

Happy New Year from the Davis family at Our Tiny Farm.

End of February on Our Tiny Farm

February has been a wintery month for us and one where I have been immensely grateful for large amount of high-quality hay that we put up for the season. I am also thankful for heated water tanks, frost-free faucets, and waterlines buried deep in the soil. Even with multiple days below 10 degrees, we had water flowing at all the outside faucets.

Our animals have all come through the high winds, single digit temperatures, and snowy days without issue. They all have thick, fluffy winter coats and good shelters to get out of the wind. With the windward side doors closed, the barn is a cozy place. When we check on the animals late at night, we often find the horse and both donkeys curled up in the barn together. Sweet. The donkeys don't care for snow very much, but after awhile they did wander out in it.

The snow is pretty This was a very early morning shot from earlier this week. We were expecting a dusting overnight and woke up to about five inches. We have been fortunate to have power and water throughout these storms and all family members manuvered their cars and trucks safely across the roads. We did have two trees fall on fences in the cattle pastures. Just discovered one today. But that is a minor inconvenience (says the person who does not have to repair the fencing!).

Inside we are all cozy and warm. The woodstove has been a blessing with the very cold temperatures. I still don't want to see the oil bill, but I know that without the woodstove it would be worse. Sitting in front of a roaring fire, we are planning for the spring planting season and trying to decide which crops to concentrate on for the 2015 growing season. The garlic looks like it came through the very cold temperatures just fine. Potatoes, a variety of winter squash, popcorn, and kohlrabi are on my list as commercial crops. Of course we will grow all the standard vegetables for the family including tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, snow peas, beans, summer squash, green onions, and broccoli.

So here is to the coming of spring. The early signs are there. The daffodils are poking through the snow and the dog is shedding like crazy! I hope my next farm post will have pictures of green grass, crocus blooms, and sunshine.

A Very Early Snowfall at Our Tiny Farm

This is a photo from our farm on November 1. Beautiful, but I don't remember ever getting this much snow this early before. We had about three inches on the ground.

Forecasts are for a very snowy, icey, and cold winter. Fortunately, it was a good hay season and we were able to purchase and put up a big supply of high quality horse hay at a good price. Our final delivery of firewood arrives on Friday and the roundbales of hay for the cattle will arrive this weekend. The garlic is planted and mulched. There are lots of potatoes and squash in the cellar. I think we are in good shape!

The only problem is that little Chester REALLY does not like to walk in the snow.

Quick update on Our Tiny Farm

I have been focused on promoting my new book the past few months and have neglected providing photos and words about the farm. So here is a quick update. First, someone asked for a better picture of the horse we are boarding right now. So here is a picture of Teddy. He is a real sweetheart and gets along beautifully with all our animals. I hope he is here to stay for awhile!

 

I always feel an immense sense of relief when we get the hay put up for the winter. Last year the hay was awful; we had to do a lot of supplemental feeding to keep the weight on the animals, and we didn't do that well for the older horse. So it is wonderful to have good quality hay stacked up and ready to go.

The little donkeys definitely approve of the hay we purchased for the winter. Within an hour there wasn't a scrap to be found. Even with a pasture full of green grass, the donkeys prefer hay.

 

One of you asked for a close-up of Chester, so here you go. He is an adorable chocolate mini-donkey with a kinked little tail, a pot belly, and the biggest most expressive brown eyes I have ever seen. You can't help but to give this little guy a hug...which he likes very much.

Another one of you asked for a picture of the portable shelter we have for our steers. So here it is. As you can see, it is on skids. On the other end, there is a strap that we hook right up to the tractor and tow the shelter wherever we want it. The steers use it all the time all year long.

This was just a pretty day on the farm this summer so I took a shot of the barn with the mountains in the background. We are so blessed to live in this beautiful area.

Poppy settled into this giant mixing bowl on the computer hutch (it has been there for years, she just discovered it). It is now one of her favorite places to sleep. Cute.

These are beautiful sirloin roasts from our pasture raised Black Angus cattle. After a long slow roast in the oven, they made for a number of delicious meals.

One of the great delights of living on a small farm is all the fresh food on hand to create tasty meals, like this one.

There have been lots of changes on Our Tiny Farm

Our Tiny Farm in early summer

I hardly know where to start because it has been so long since I've posted an update here. Sorry about that. My job with NC State University seems to consume more and more of my time as the years go by. Fortunately, I love my job, but I would like to have more time to spend on the homeplace, too.

So, let me do a quick chronological update starting in fall 2012.

Our new steers

The pasture raised beef we produced and sold in late fall 2011 was OUTSTANDING!  So in October 2012 we got two young steers to raise the same way. Good pasture, clean mountain water, lots of fresh air and sunshine, and daily attention and a cookie; that's how we do it. The meat we harvested in fall of 2011 was vacuum packed and frozen. We are still eating some of that meat now (only have a few roasts and steaks left) and it is still just as fresh tasting and delicious as it was when we first brought it home. The vacuum packaging and storage at below 0 degrees F really maintains the quality.  We will probably harvest these two in October or November when we have two new ones arriving.  Because we only raise two at a time, if you are interested in buying a quarter or half, you should contact us and reserve it now.



The last market day on the Mills River Farmers Market in 2012



We finished out the 2012 selling season at the special holiday market day in November at the Mills River Farmers Market on Hwy 280 in Mills River.  It was cold but sunny and with carolers right next to our booth, very festive. We sold lots of honey, potatoes, garlic, popcorn, and some of my hand-knit and crocheted hats, scarves, capes, and bags.  It was a great way to finish the season.



Hagar, the world's greatest donkey. May he rest in peace.

Seven months have passed and it is still difficult for me to write about this without tearing up. If you follow any of my social media outlets you know that Hagar, my donkey, was my best pal. I loved this donkey the way many other people love their dogs. He was so smart and affectionate, and mischievous. Unfortunately, in early December he suddenly became quite ill. We raced him down to the horse clinic in Tryon but they could not save him. An autopsy revealed that something had poisoned his liver.  We worked with three vets, our neighbors, our feed supplier, and other local experts to figure what he could have eaten that poisoned him. We had the feed and hay tested. We walked the pasture looking for toxic weeds. Nothing was obvious.  We will never know what took dear Hagar's life, but I suspect it was chicken feed.  When we moved the chicken tractor each day, there were always a few chicken pellets on the ground. Hagar would gobble those up right away.  I know those pellets wouldn't hurt him when fresh because we made sure to buy chicken feed that did not contain any antibiotics or hormones that could harm him (and there are brands that contain those, so read the labels).  But, I suspect that sometimes he missed a few pieces and came back to get them later. And if wet, chicken feed goes bad very quickly.  From what I learned about mold toxins, if he was consuming a little of it frequently over time it could have been slowly damaging his liver for a long time until it finally reached a critical stage.  Like I said, we will never know for sure, but from what I have learned, having damp chicken pellets where your horses or donkeys could possibly eat them is not a good idea.  We have since sectioned off a portion of the pasture with temporary fencing just for the chicken tractor so the equines cannot access any spilled feed.  Also, did you know that some cattle feed and mineral blocks are also toxic to horses and donkeys?  Watch for rumensin. If that is added to the cattle feed it is highly toxic to horses.  Again, the feed we buy does not have rumensin, but many brands contain it.  I am shocked that we did not even know to be watching out for these things until this incident.

Bee hives

Honey is a major crop for us. It has great flavor and our customers love it. Unfortunately, we lost all but one of our hives this winter. We have spent a good deal of time, effort, and money rebuilding our hives this summer. As of July, the new hives look good except for one which is missing a queen. We are going to try a new method we learned to remedy that.  The loss of bees was great in our region this year, so expect honey to be in short supply and more costly than last year.



The sweet gentle giant we boarded, Sir Big 

It was an emotionally draining winter on Our Tiny Farm. We had been boarding this beautiful Belgian horse for about 18 months. He was a very sweet old guy and his owner loved him dearly. He had arthritis and had been limping for months, but he seemed to be managing okay. Very suddenly, however, his hip got so bad he could no longer support himself. He also had to be put down very quickly. It was a shock for all of us. Rest in Peace, Sir Big.

Our new baby mini-donkeys. Are they cute or what?

Our farm just seemed so empty without Hagar and Sir Big, so we began thinking about getting another donkey. Our vet and farrier both suggested that we get a mini-donkey. Well, it just so happens that the farm behind us raises mini-donkeys. Our neighbor told us he had some young ones for sale and on Easter weekend, Chester and Meadow came to live with us. They were both about six months old when we got them. Chester appears to be a true miniature donkey (will be under 36 inches tall) and has a short kinked tail. Meadow is a little bigger and might top out as a small standard (36 to 48 inches tall). They are both super cute, loving, curious, and fun.

Duchess, the new boarder

We missed the income from our boarder, so this spring we brought on a new boarder. Her name was Duchess and she was a five year old Tennessee Walker. Tall, beautiful, proud, and a mare. We had never had a mare on the farm before and didn't quite know what to expect. Well, Duchess was going to be the boss of the farm. She harrassed Little Man, our 27 year old Tennessee Walker gelding, and chased the little donkeys all over the pasture.  Within a short time, we had the barn, the paddock and the pasture divided in two.  Little Man and the mini-donkeys were on one side and Duchess on the other.  Little Man became very protective of the mini-donkeys, like a mother hen and her biddies, but he clearly wasn't happy. It was sad to see our old horse looking depressed, so on July 1 Duchess moved to a new home.  We are now looking for another boarder.  Preferably a mature gelding who gets along well with other horses.

Little Man and his charges. This was taken in spring when everyone still had their big heavy coats on.

Chester in his fly mask

We are strong believers in fly masks for our equine friends, so when fly season started, in addition to using fly predators we purchased two little fly masks with ears for the mini-donkeys. The velcro sound freaked them out at first, but they quickly learned how helpful they are. Now every morning after they have had a little grain, they hold up their heads and let us slip on their masks.  Okay, maybe they aren't that cooperative every day, but Little Man is.



We had a healthy harvest of snap peas.

The market garden was doing great this spring and we had wonderful snap peas, kale, garlic, elephant garlic, shallots, and new potatoes. And then the rains came...and they have never left. As of July 20 we have had more than 23 inches of rain over the average for this time of year. That combined with late blight has devastated the tomatoes and we don't know if we can get the rest of the potatoes dug before they rot. The corn and eggplant still look good and if the rain will slow down, we will put in a fall garden.



Foamhenge near Natural Bridge, VA

We made a trip up to Pennsylvania at the end of June and decided to stop and visit fun places along I-81 in Virginia. Just had to share this picture with you.  This is "Foamhenge". A full-size replica of Stonehenge done in styrofoam. Unfortunately, weather, time, and vandals have done a great deal of damage to it, but it is still impressive and fun.

Chicken tractor for sale

So now what are we up to?  We are putting in a new pasture this summer and designing a permanent chicken coop with multiple runs so we can rotate the birds on the land. This chicken tractor was a great learning tool, but with the size farm we have, we think a permanent coop will be more practical and efficient. Also, with hubby's physical limitations, it was just too big and awkward for him to move. Since we can't mix these six old ladies with a new young flock, we put up ads on Craigs List and Facebook today offering this chicken tractor and the hens to a good home for $10. The response has been overwhelming! So, next spring we might have eggs for sale for you.

Beautiful summer sunset over Our Tiny Farm

So, that completes the quick update on Our Tiny Farm. I will try not to go so long without posting, but I can't promise anything. My job is keeping me very busy, there is always something to do on the farm and in the house, and I'm going to start revising my book in August.  But, come out and see us at the Mills River Farmers Market later this summer. We plan to have honey, garlic, and popcorn again.  And there will be beef in time for Thanksgiving (those are the plans, anyway).



What's happening on the farm in early July



A portion of our vegetable gardens in early July.

Just wanted to give you a quick update on the farm. The vegetable gardens are growing well, for the most part. We have been dealing with a vole problem this year that has been quite aggravating. The voles seem to have a real taste for young beans. I can't count how many times we have reseeded them. The young white cat that has adopted us and is living under the workshop has been snacking on some, but we either need more barn cats (not!) or create a bait and trap system.

We had an excellent garlic year and there are several varieties curing in the barn right now. Most of the potatoes have been dug and the summer squash is just starting to come in. We are also enjoying fresh basil and cilantro. Yum!

The Davis bees are happily producing honey.

We had a good honey year in 2011 and hope to have another good one this year. There is still 2011 honey available. Just give us a call if you want to purchase any. We will be selling it at the Mills River Farmers' Market when we have a few more items to sell along with it.



We need to decide if we want to expand our poultry production.

Our chickens are in their fourth season of production and providing us with a surprising number of eggs. That's one of the many benefits to raising heritage breeds; they don't "burn out" as quickly as the newer commercial breeds. But, we are at the stage where we need to decide if we want to expand production and start selling eggs. I see some folks selling pasture raised eggs for $2 a dozen and cannot figure how they are making any money doing so. I haven't crunched all the numbers yet, but I think we would have to charge at least twice that much to make any money on them. How much are you willing to pay for locally grown, pasture raised eggs?

One of our girls lost her tail!  I really don't know what happened to it.

Some folks have asked why we don't let our chickens roam freely around the farm. There are several reasons. The biggest one is predators. We have very healthy hawk, fox, coyote, and dog populations in our area. Our neighboring farms have all shared stories about hawks and coyotes taking off with their chickens.  And several times when we have had the electric fence turned off, dogs have entered the field and thrown themselves at the chicken tractor. I'm sure we would have lost a few if we didn't have them so well protected. We just visited a farm in Transylvania county last weekend and the farmer shared that he had lost three chickens in recent weeks. Keeping our chickens semi-confined also prevents their interaction with other birds which keeps them healthier and reduces the risk of spreading avian diseases to us. So our girls are moved daily and get lots of sunshine and fresh grass. If we expand production, I would like a bigger run, but they can't roam free here.

There are three equines in our pastures; two of our own and a boarder.

We have a wonderful "mature" companion horse. He is a Tennessee Walker and he is a sweetheart. Then we have my donkey, Hagar. He is a guard donkey, my good friend, and a real character. And we also board an older, small Belgian horse. The three of them get along just great and share the pasture with the chickens. We are currently looking for two young steers. We enjoyed raising our first two Black Angus and our customers loved the beef they produced. So hopefully we will have two new ones shortly.

We try to go to the Mills River Farmers' Market every Saturday morning.

As I mentioned earlier, we intend to sell at the Mills River Farmers' Market off Hwy 280 later in the season. This has grown into a wonderful little market with about 28 vendors and a great diversity of products. Come check it out next Saturday morning from 8 am till noon.

Oyster mushrooms that I bought from Deep Woods Mushrooms at the Mills River Farmers' Market.

I was very excited to see Greg Carter from Deep Woods Mushrooms selling his mushrooms at the Mills River Farmers' Market! He is a great person and grows yummy mushrooms.

The creamy oyster mushroom sauce on fettucine and fresh local tomatoes in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

There are few activities that give me as much pleasure as creating a meal using all fresh, locally grown ingredients. The weekends are the best time to do this. We harvest fresh produce and herbs from our gardens; I run to the farmers' market and buy fresh lettuce, fancy breads, and duck eggs; and we have a freezer full of our beef and my friend's pork. It is a delight to cook with all this wonderful food!