http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog A Blog for Friends, Hobby Farm Enthusiasts and the Like Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:54:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_567" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Chesapeake and Finnemore Resting in the Sun by the Creek"][/caption] The last few days have been sunny and warmer than average.  Today we hit 60 degrees.  After such a long, cold, and snowy winter, all of the animals (including me) are happy to get a glimmer of ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/03/09/sleepy-day/ I just came across this in the Dallas Morning News:  "Dallas pet happy to hog spotlight as world's oldest pig." Yes, Oscar, as he is called, holds the Guinness World Record for his old age.  Oscar is 20 years old whereas normally potbellied pigs only live around 15. Still, it wouldn't surprise ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/03/07/worlds-oldest-potbellied-pig-on-record/ [caption id="attachment_561" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Chesapeake Playing With His Busy Ball"][/caption] I am often asked whether my animals like to play with toys.  The answer is that they all love to play, but there aren't too many toys they enjoy.  Sheep, goats, alpacas, and chickens don't have any formal toys.  Sometimes I ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/02/27/who-wants-to-play/ [caption id="attachment_558" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Brie sitting on her table contemplating what went wrong..."][/caption] Brie is a good goat.  She is sweet and calm.  She isn't pushy and respects the other animals in her herd, namely Kit, Kaboodle, and Eliza.  Brie wasn't always like this.  When she was younger, she was the ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/02/23/a-lesson-for-us-all/ [caption id="attachment_554" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="My Icelandic Sheep, Kit and Kaboodle. They are waiting to see if they can't be models for a new Wallace and Gromit film..."][/caption] There aren't many breeders of Icelandic Sheep around.  This surprises me because they are terrific animals.  Icelandic sheep are classified as triple purpose.  They ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/02/22/icelandic-sheep/ [caption id="attachment_550" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Thor trying to look cute in order to persuade me into giving him more treats."][/caption] I have mentioned before that my animals are spoiled.  Although I enjoy spoiling them, there is one major disadvantage to having spoiled animals (similar to having spoiled children), they constantly want more!  ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/02/21/please-sir-can-i-have-some-more/ [caption id="attachment_547" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Ezekiel the Rooster and his Harem"][/caption] The new rooster has been given a name, Ezekiel.  It seems to suit him well.  He is no Jorge by any means; he crows a lot and loudly, he is mean to me and the pigs, and he has brought the ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/02/17/update-on-the-rooster/ [caption id="attachment_543" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Eliza Playing"][/caption] Eliza is one of the two Nigerian Dwarf Goats at Piscataway Acres.  She was purchased from Hearts-N-Hooves dairy goat farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland when she was just over a month old.  She is a character and a handful.  Her favorite activities include ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/02/16/ms-eliza-doolittle/ [caption id="attachment_540" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Tasty Pasture Raised Beef with Root Veggies"][/caption] A tagine is a Moroccan cooking dish that has a unique cone shaped lid that locks in moisture and flavor.  I have just started using this ceramic dish and have found that meats are much more tender and moist than ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/02/11/tagine-cooking/ [caption id="attachment_534" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="A View of the Piscataway Creek"][/caption] Another day and another foot of snow.  My sentiments echo that of the animals; this is getting old.  But other than the limited mobility, I and the animals are doing very well.  I opened up the pens in the barn to ... http://www.piscatawayacres.com/blog/2010/02/10/blizzard-of-2010-round-2/