Raspberry vinegar?

Maybe, if I'm lucky. Had extra raspberries from a flat we purchased down the road at one of the local berry farms. 4c of berries and 5c of white wine vinegar per my Ball preserving book. Recipe says to stir every couple days, and taste once a week til desired strength is achieved. We'll see how it goes. Only cost me about $8 in vinegar, so no great loss if it doesn't work, right? Right.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th!!

Poultry run, summer busy, and critter update

This is why I haven't been posting.  The new poultry run has eaten up all my time between rain and then too-hot-to-work weather.  Been crazy busy.  It's almost done, and I'll post pics once it's totally finished and I've moved on to another project.

I've got some family and friends pretty ticked off at me lately because I've disappeared.  Thing is, it's summer.  I work full-time already.  Then, because it's summer and mostly not raining and light rather late, I spend all my not-at-work time doing all the stuff I can't do when it's "not-summer".  I really really don't have the time to go spend a day at the farmer's market, or antiquing, or just generally farting around.  There's mowing, and weedeating, and the garden, and the animals, and all the baby animals, and house projects, and the chicken run, and the new steps we need to install, and fruit that needs picking and preserving, and a coop that needs repainting...etc etc etc.  I get home from work, change my clothes, and go work outside.  We might take one day a month to go do something not home related, like going to yard sales or mushroom hunting.  That's it.

So, really quick update. 

Birds
Goldy-hen and 4 duck babies are still in the chicken tractor and doing really well. Goldy is turning out to be a super mom.

Turkey eggs: 4 weren't fertile, 2 stopped developing halfway, 2 got broken by the hens, 3 pipped and didn't get any further, 3 hatched.  The three poults are doing great, and are in a different chicken tractor with Bellina, who I know is a kickbutt mom.  My kickass S&BiL hatched out some turkeys earlier this season... maybe they'll trade with me so I can mix up the bloodlines.... haven't asked yet what they're planning on doing with their turkeys.  Add that to my list. If not, I can always just sub some purchased poults next year.  Heck, I don't even know yet what the sexes are of my 3 piddly poults.  Should be able to make a guess in just a couple weeks.  I really want to have a tom and a couple hens.  Want my own farm-hatched babies, and not have to purchase our turkeys every year.

The two chicken eggs I stuck under Smaug so she'd stop stealing nests didn't hatch.  Weren't fertile.  The two black copper maran "pullets" I bought turned out to be cockerels.  I think I need to keep one.  Hubby doesn't agree.  I'm thinking along the lines of, "tough, I'm keeping one".  :)

More 'scovy eggs are destined for the incubator.  I have 15, and should have 17-19 total come Thurs when I start the incubation.  If Freida goes broody, I'll let her sit, but if the ducks hatch any more babies themselves, they'll go into the chicken tractor until the babies are big enough to not be easy raven pickins.

Brush-mowers
Traeger and Weber are doing great.  Weber is growing like crazy, but Traeger (the goat) isn't growing nearly as fast.  Shocking, considering how much he eats.  We're really impressed with Weber, a katahdin sheep.  He mows down blackberries and other brush just as fast and happily as the goat.  I'm thinking we may do this breed again.  Very very happy with him.

Annnnnnd... that's about it for now.  Work to do.  Have a fun and safe 4th!!