Oaken Leaf Goat Farm

09/26/2026

And now our hens are molting. Its harder to tell on Luna but Barbie has lost all but one tail feather. Susie is a little suspect as her tail is smaller. The younger hens are not molting YET.

09/23/2026

The chicks are getting bigger! They still chirp like chicks and are vary wary of the older, larger hens. We have been putting them in the coop each night because of the cooler temperatures.

Mea and Arwen are a bit frisky in the cool weather. Mea is still off the right leg and she is careful to keep Arwen on her left side. Im not sure she will ever heal completely. My instinct is to.put her in a small stall, but the two goats cry for each other when separated. To be honest, they are only active when we are feeding them. Then they loaf about.

Fall brings a slow down in egg production. Soon the adult hens and rooster will start dropping feathers. Some will lose them gradually. Other hens will be naked. This is called molting. Only our s*x link hens kept laying through this season. Eggs will trickle down to zero over the next few months. We will buy eggs at the store. There is a chance the Rhode Island Reds might start laying during this time. Many people ask why they do this when winter is coming. I have no idea. All of our hens hatched in the spring except Tulsi, who hatched in October. We support them with a higher protein feed.

Arwen and Mea are still looking for their new herd. Arwen will be an excellent milker and Mea would be a great friend to a little kid. Honestly, one goat in milk is plenty for a homestead. Especially since Nigerians often have large litters.

09/12/2026

Yesterday we had our farm vet come out to evaluate Mea's limp. I had checked her foot and knee and neither were swollen or seemed to bother her. Both knees click when bent gently but I didn't note any discomfort. I had tried to evaluate her shoulder but I really don't know what to look for. I do know she is careful when walking on certain surfaces (we have a goat walk that the other goats trot about on) and careful jumping down.
Al was home for the vet visit. They called me at work for more information. It was decided that the likely cause was a hard hit from a larger goat into her shoulder. Mea is smaller than all but one of the other goats. She weighs about 40lbs. The fact that she regularly challenged Karma, relentlessly chasing her and head butting her likely led to her injury. I often felt sorry for Karma! When Karma couldn't take anymore she would rush Mea, catching her in her side and lift her a bit. No wonder Mea is limping!
The vet recommended confined rest and Mobic daily. Its an anti inflammatory. Al went to work dismantling the goat playground. I thought we would lock her in the barn. We still can. Will evaluate in a few days.

Our garden is producing a lot of tomatoes. The ugly or over ripe ones go to the chickens. We take several to our church farm table and I will take some to work.

We will do a deep clean on the chicken coops and runs this fall, putting all the bedding on the garden. This will decompose and feed the soil, helping our next year's garden flourish.

Al is taking advantage of the cool wet weather to spend time on refinishing my Hoosier Style Cabinet. I found her at a farm auction a few years back. She was covered in chicken wall paper, had a warped door and a few drawer slides were broken. She has a flour bin and sifter. I have found a top to her metal bread drawer. A metal spice rack should be delivered soon. Its fun to search for these antiques!

Our rain barrel is full again after the recent rain.

09/07/2026

We are back in the goat business. Mea and Arwen were returned last Friday. Mea is holding her right leg funny. She is careful how she walks or jumps down. Will have it evaluated by our vet as time allows. We had the option of letting her new (now former) owners rehome her, but I'd rather do it myself. The two are settling in well. We had sold a lot of equipment but luckily still have what we need!

We also added some chickens last week. I know you are thinking, "You are downsizing!". But chickens are much easier than goats. After the initial 6 week brooder in your basement, they can go out to the coop. Another 12 weeks on chick feed and you start getting eggs. Yes we fill feeders and waterers every couple days. Yes we gather eggs at least daily. But after the initial coop build, and brooder phase, its pretty easy.

We used to refer to the coops as "old girls" and "young girls" which switched last year. We can now refer to them as "with" or "without" rooster, "Susie's" or "Barbie's", or "North" and "South" coops.

The 4 new girls were a "can't pass up" opportunity. Lisa Hall had obtained a bunch of Rhode Island Red chicks and was going to sell them as started pullets. Which means fully feathered pullets ready to be put outside. Older than 6 weeks. Al had already said we weren't brooding any more chicks in the basement. We probably weren't ready for more chicks for another couple years. We've gathered 89 dozen eggs this year already. Last year's chicks aren't super laying breeds but they are still laying a lot! When we get too many for the refrigerator we've been sharing them or trading them for honey from our neighbor Kimberli Taylor Linneman. Find them at Linneman's Sweet Acres. They sell their honey products in a farm stand.

These 4 girls will probably grow up to look identical. They will be prolific layers of brown eggs. Right now they are deathly afraid of Susie, Luna and Tulsi. Eventually that will change. We are feeding all of them in this coop chick crumble with a bowl of calcium and grit on the side.

Meet Reba, Dolly. Tanya, and Loretta.

09/02/2026

We are cleaning out the goat barn and putting most equipment on fb marketplace. If there is anything you need please reach out. Most of the equipment is geared toward small goats without horns. Everything is cleaned up if it is listed.

Its a tough time. If you know me, you know that I am very sentimental over everything. I loved all these goats and the whole 4H experience. But I dont want everything piling up for that estate sale when we pass!

Ive tried to price everything fairly with the hopes of it going quick. The hay is from the Gill farm and very high quality. All listed under Chris Royer.

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

Today marked the end of our goat journey. Mea and Arwen went to their new home! Mea showed her sweet, loving nature by letting her new family love on her. Arwen wasn't as sure about these new people. She even went back to the pasture while Mea was getting all the pets! All she needs is a few animal crackers and she will be best friends.

I feel very relieved that all 6 girls went to homes that will love and care for them. All 3 families had extensive goat experience. I know in my heart that these new homes are better than the one they left. This is an answer to my prayers.

Karma and Kiara headed to Seymour to be foundation does in a show herd. They have 2 little kids to help achieve great things. Bell and Bree went to Monticello to improve a herd and be loved by a couple of girls. Mea and Arwen went 1 county over to Morgantown to bring great milk genetics to a herd and be shown by 2 kids.

I am very sad tonight. No more goats yelling at me as I make my way out to the barn. No more glancing at the pasture as I pass the window, always seeing Karma eating hay. No more moonlit walks from the barn, carrying a bucket heavy with milk. I wouldn't trade any of the last 5 years. The happy births. The health scares. Putting up hay, milking twice a day. All has been life changing.

I never thought in a million years that I would have goats. Thank you Erica Hopkins for trusting us with your goats!

08/16/2026

Bree and Bell went to their new home today. They will have 5 kids to enjoy. A large goat family. New adventures! They deserve the best!

08/15/2026

I work 12 hour shifts. I haven't really been "home" in 2 days. Out to the barn to feed and clean their area. We sweep up p**p and scoop p*e inside the barn daily. Refill water buckets, hay and mineral. I check the girls over. All look good. Bree has scurs where her horns would be. We trim them or pop them off as needed. The daily zinc pill and higher zinc mineral is helping her skin lose the flakes.

The girls are adjusting to life without Kiara and Karma. No big battles. Just a little shoving here and there. We've removed one hay feeder as they have enough room to eat together.

Chickens are well. Barbie was on the swing for a brief minute. Teriyaki seems to be thriving. We will switch them to an All Flock feed with the next refill of feed. Teriyaki does not require a high calcium diet usually found in hen feed. We have containers of extra calcium out for any hen to freely supplement if she feels she needs it. We also have a container of grit which helps keep a chicken's crop free of obstruction.

Lucy was in the nest box. Caught Wendy laying outside the box.

A lady has reached out and wants to see Bree and Bell tomorrow. She has a daughter in 4H. I am hopeful it is a good match.

08/15/2026

Its been a week. Selling goats you have bottle raised and acted as midwife for is really rough. At least for us. They trust you and our farm has been their home their whole lives.

But these girls were bred for a purpose. They have wonderful milk genetics behind them. They love people. Letting them go in bonded pairs helps them integrate into their new herd easier.

Karma and Kiara left on Saturday. Their new owner has 2 little kids they will love. She is a former 10 year 4H kid who is wanting to build a strong show herd for them. They also make soap! And her mother has tried mozzarella. Kiara and Karma will definitely be valued and loved in that environment. The plus for me is that they have knowledge in goats. Because goats are complicated!

The barn is quieter now. Feeding time is less chaotic. I miss them.