As the last quarter of 2021 rapidly waned, the need for structure became glaringly apparent. The homestead has grown in the last 5 years from a few chickens to 4 breeds, Nigerian Dwarf goats, Great Pyrenees, from no garden space to 5 garden plots. The little baby goats I added earlier were growing and in need of larger permanent pens, horse pasture fencing had been neglected, Aneta needs a doghouse. She has a place in the barn when the weather is adverse, but a doghouse would be best, I believe. Do you see a common theme? The homestead goals for 2022 revolve around structure.
I am ready to start constructing permanent outside chicken pens. The chickens to create garden ground in their outside pens and moving the outside pens as needed. Now I am ready for at least one permanent pen as part of the garden space. The joy of seeing chickens scratch and peck after harvest motivates me to complete one cute, chicken garden pen.
Driving to pick up feed one afternoon, a cute garden entry way and picket fence jumped out at me. My imagination took off. With focused thought my mind seen what I wanted to create for my own garden entry. It is a bit more elaborate than my neighbors. Here is another structure project.
The list of structure projects I hope to tackle (with the help of my husband) continues to grow and makes up much of the 2022 farm goals.
Table of Contents
Building Projects for 2022
- Buck/pasture shelter
- 1 permanent garden chicken pen
- A dog house for Aneta
- Property line fencing Garden entry and fence
- Farm stand
Maintenance Projects for 2022
- Horse pasture fencing
- Horse shelter updates and painting
- Remove hip roof barn
- Repair horse barn roof
- Yard clean up
- Current garden shed improvements
Heritage Chicken Breeds
Silver Gray Dorking
I am planning to add additional birds from a different farm in the month of January. I will be adding a new line and creating a second pen of Silver Gray Dorkings.
The plan is to purchase both roosters and hens or pullets. The new roosters will be crossed on the current pullets and the current rooster will be crossed on the new hens. I make up a pair crossing also to increase diverse options for future crosses.
Swedish Flower Hen
In the next 2 months I plan to update information on the different breeding pens. in 2021 I put a second crested pen together. Crested pens here at CG Heartbeats Farm are crested crossed on non crested. The was it works out for now. Pen #8 has a crested rooster on non crested hens. Pen #12 has some crested hens, but the rooster is not crested.
Crossing crested on crested in the Swedish Flower Hen breed lends to producing vaulted skulls. I do not know of anyone who has worked with the breed in an attempt to breed away from vaulted skulls when crossing crested on crested.
Lemon Cuckoo Niederrhiener
For the beginning of 2022 my single purebred LCN is crossed with 2 of the yellowest looking crossbred pullets. The pullets a large percentage LCN but not full. This is an experiment to see what I get. I also have the 5 pullets I purchased from a hatchery with him.
2 or 3 of those 5 are for sale. I have not advertised them yet at the time of writing this post. I will not sell them as LCN for they are an extremely poor representation of the breed. If I can locate pure LCN chicks this year I would like to add them to the farms flock. They are difficult to locate. Now that a hatchery is selling chicks as this breed it is even harder to find true Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners.
For additional information on Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiners click on a link below:
Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner – A Country Girl’s Heart -Beats that Matter (dontclipmywings.com)
Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner Chickens | Facebook
Crossbred Project Goals for 2022
In the wee morning hours waiting for chickens to be processed I was given an idea for the crossbred chickens. Flower Lemons was the name suggested. I am now deciding between Flower Lemons or Lemon Flowers. Leave me a comment below if you have a suggestion for me or a vote for one name or the other.
Nigerian Dwarf Goat Goals for 2022
Bonney, Dixie and Ariel are breed for April and May kidding. I am beyond excited to freshen Nigerian Dwarf does. I plan to retain a doe from each if the opportunity presents itself. Goat Math. 😊
Brian and I laid out a plan for a small buck or pasture shelter. The boards are mostly purchased and cut. We need a break in the weather to start construction. Our plan is to build the walls and the floor in the barn before putting the shelter together outdoors.
Other goat goals are:
- continue to lay out goat pasture ideas in my mind.
- attend 2 to 5 shows in 2022 with some of the goats
- sell the Nigerian Dwarf kids I choose not to retain
As one additional goal for 2022 I desire to milk test Dixie, Bonnie and Ariel. Will I be able to do all three in one year? There is additional research I want to do to plan for milk testing the does. Peaches and Grace will likely not be bred until September or October of 2022. Grace would be ideal for fall kidding. I am undecided if I want to milk through next winter. On one hand, I like the idea of having milk all winter. On the other hand, I wonder if I will need a break by the time winter rolls around. Likely, the act of milking will take me back a few years to days of childhood and provide enjoyment.
There are new skills I need to learn and equipment to purchase. My dad always tattooed and dehorned the babies. Now these jobs are on me since I have my own goats. The tattoo equipment I have, but the dehorning box and iron still need to be purchased.
Learn more about the Nigerian Dwarf goats at CG Heartbeats Farm by clicking below:
Horse Goals for 2022
I strongly desire to spend time working with the horses in 2022. Training Drifter to drive would benefit the homestead. If we put a stone boat together or a wooden sled for him to pull, he would be useful in hauling fire wood from the woods in winter months. One fact about Drifter, he is strong!
I am certain Cider had the potential to be a nice riding horse, she needs wet saddle blankets to get her there. If you are unfamiliar with the term ‘wet saddle blankets’ it simply means lots of hours spent with a rider on her back.
Dusty has a home here as long as she lives. I raised her from a foal. Bo puts a smile on my face. But my goal is to raise a foal with her in the next year or two.
Gardens
My mind continues to play our different ideas for laying out the gardens this year. I know there are certain plants I desire to raise again. Last week, the seeds I ordered from Baker Creek Seeds arrived.
Cats
My one goal for the cats this year is to have all the females and some of the males fixed.
Great Pyrenees
Our heeler Champ is aging and I see a need for a second LGD. Before realizing I needed to focus on structure for 2022, I seen a need to get on a wait list for a male LDG to assist Aneta in her duties here.
I definitely want to be better prepared for a new puppy than I was for Aneta. She is an amazing dog. Today she made me proud. I looked up to see her running in the woods, far behind the deer ahead of her. At my calling and sharp No she turned (not immediately) and ran to me. I praised her greatly. It is thrilling to see her responding better compared to a year ago. I will not be leaving her out unsupervised though.
In Conclusion
Likely the goals will shift a bit as the year plays out. I am excited for our 2022 goals and look forward to seeing what all we can accomplish. I would love to hear about our goals for 2022. Leave a comment sharing yours whether on your homestead, farm or in your life.
