In 2011 we raised a small number of free range meat birds. They were so delicious and popular, we doubled the number we raised for 2012. We currently have whole birds available that run between 4-5 lbs and 6-7 lbs.  These birds have been so popular that we sold out by September last year and had to raise another 50 birds in the fall so that our family would not have to go without. One customer commented that they could never go back to store bought chicken after having tasted one of our birds.

Whole birds are $5.50/lb.

We have added our own pork this year. Pasture raised and fed grain, local vegetables and bakery products when available. We have found it to be just as amazingly delicious and different than grocery store meat as the Lamb. Prices are as follows.

• Loin Chops                   $8.50/lb
• Butt Chops                     $7.50/lb
• Rolled Loin Roast       $10.25/lb
• Fresh Ham Steak         $7.50/lb
• Fresh Shoulder Steak  $7.50/lb
• Shoulder Roast             $6.75/lb
• Country Style Ribs       $7.75/lb
• Regular Spare Ribs     $7.75/lb
• Tenderloins                  $11.00/lb
• Ground Pork                 $7.50/lb
• Bacon                             $9.00/lb
• Ham                               $9.00/lb
• Cubed Ham Chunks   $9.25/lb
• Italian Sausage           $8.00/lb
• Breakfast Sausage      $8.00/lb

We really enjoyed the April School Vacation Week Camp last year and are running it again this year. The dates are April 16 – 20, 2012.This camp is limited to campers age 8 and up.

There will be three Summer Farm Camps this year.

June 25 – 29, 2012, July 9 -13, 2012 and July 16 – 20, 2012.

See our Camp page for more information.

We also visited a Boer Goat farm in Leyden that is run by a coworker of mine, Lynette Snedeker. She has the healthiest, strongest herd of meat goats I know. In fact, I am planning on purchasing some from her this year.

The campers worked with Calvin, the adopted Jersey son of Sherry, one of my Lowline Beef cows. Calvin is starting to lead nicely. They really wanted to try working with Lola, the Lowline Beef heifer calf, so we caught her up one day. Boy was she mad, which got her mama pretty mad. She will need a lot more work to get to the friendly stage!

They groomed Katie, the new Dexter cow, and my horse Rio. And despite the cold and rain, we worked with my newest border collie, one year old Tilly, most days.

The last day I haltered up lambs for each of them. That was pretty hysterical. The lambs tend to throw themselves to the ground and just lay there when you first halter them. Just like all the animals though, if you worked with them everyday, they would get tame and friendly pretty quickly.

So here are some photos from camp week, one of the funnest yet!

The Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats are all done kidding. What an amazing kidding season. We had a set of twins, 2 sets of triplets, a set of quadruplets and a set of SEXTUPLETS! I have put up pictures of all the kids that are for sale. I will try to put up some information about the bloodlines soon. Enjoy the pictures, and feel free to contact me with any questions.

Both cows have calved. We sadly lost Sherry’s heifer calf. The vet believes the cord broke during delivery and she did not get out quick enough. We convinced her to adopt a jersey bull calf though. She loves her new adopted son! Margo gave birth to another gorgeous heifer calf just 2 weeks later. She is healthy and strong and already tearing around the front pasture.

The sheep have finished lambing, with the exception of one. 901 appears to be bred, but must have not settled on the first breeding. We have almost 20 strong healthy lambs running around, no bottle babies this year! I will have to take some video of them running in a “wave” up and down the dirt piles. We had our first Scottish Blackface lamb born. I was amazed to discover that he was born with horns! Fairly good sized. Ouch, poor mom!

The goats are HUGE! They all look like they are going to have litters. Cocoa is looking very close. She appears to have “dropped” and has lost her mucus plug. I’ll be checking on her regularly now.

Check back often for photos. Check us out on Facebook now too! Little Brook Farm has it’s own page!

But don’t they get cold?! They are shorn with clippers that have something called a snow comb on them. This blade leaves about a weeks worth of wool on them. This combined with the fact that sheep are endothermic, meaning they heat themselves from within, allows them to adapt quickly to their shorter wool jackets. Usually within 24 hours they have adjusted to the change and have no problem, providing they have shelter.

Below are some pictures from todays events, including some of the other farm animals.

Another new addition this year is my new border collie puppy Tilly. She comes to me from Barb Leverett in New York and is coming along well in her training. Look for more pictures of her on sheep this spring.