Fall is here!

I’ve been in denial for a few days, but after the third frosty morning in a row, I’ve finally accepted that fall is here. However, the signs have been lurking for a little while now. As I went out to do my morning chores, I thought I would take a few pictures to share, and actually prove to myself that summer is over.

So how do we experience fall at the farm? Well, it is more than just changing leaves…

1. I will start with the obvious one however – the leaves are actually starting to change colour.

It really is beautiful, but a sure sign that the “S” word might just be around the corner!

2. The boy goats (bucks) are experiencing RUT!

Rut is the time when their hormones are raging and they are ready to hook up with the girls! This is actually a rather fascinating thing to watch (and hear). Each of the boys is testing out their “equipment” in various ways, and during this ritual, they have decided that peeing all over themselves (and each other at times) is the thing to do. Needless to say, they are constantly wet, their fur is starting to get sticky, and, although not too bad yet, I’m sure the smell is going to get increasingly stronger! In addition to their new habits, they have all started to make the strangest “blubbering” noises, flick their tongues around, and are head-butting everything in sight (when they aren’t practicing their other “techniques”). They still have a couple weeks to go before they can visit with their girls, but they are certainly doing their best to get ready.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering by the pictures, Buster Brown is being kept separate for a while still (at least while I’m not there to immediately supervise). Stanley has become a bit crazy with his head-butting right now, and both he and Buster are getting some injuries to their heads. Stanley broke off one of his scurs (this is the small growth of horn he has), and it bleeds like crazy when that happens, so it just seemed better to keep them separated until they settle down a bit.

3. The girl goats (does) are going through their own rush of hormones.

Even though their behaviour is not of the same calibre as the boys, the girls are certainly looking for the boys. Our kids (human) are sure learning a lot about “the birds and the bees” right now!

4. The “spring chicks” are almost grown, and now (almost) everyone is producing eggs!

It has taken a while, but all those fluffy little chicks have grown up. We ended up with a lot of roosters, but the hens we did manage to get are becoming increasingly more productive and giving us a number of eggs. We are averaging between 10-13 eggs each day now, and when they are all laying as expected we should be getting almost two dozen eggs every day. It has been such a great experience with the chickens this year, and we even have a number of “buyers” lined up for their eggs! However, if you live close by and want to get on our list for egg sales, please contact us.

5. And finally, with the frost, we have now officially finished with our garden for the year.

Typically, those first few frosty mornings of fall put an end to our vegetable garden. The zucchini and other squash plants die off, and any beans, tomatoes, or other sensitive plants are done for the year. However, this year a late spring (June) frost did us in right from the start, so not too many plants survived to see the fall. But, whatever was growing is now done, and we can turn our attention to other projects around the farm in preparation for another winter.

So that’s it! Fall is officially here.

As I wandered around the farm this morning, I could definitely see the change. And I think the animals could too. Here are a few of their adorable pictures to hopefully brighten up your fall day!

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images…