Windyridge Farm
site updated: 4/22/08, created May '99 Windyridge Farm is nestled in the Otselic River Valley, Chenango County, in Central New York. In 1995 we moved here from Connecticut. We finished the house which was about 75% complete, built a run-in shed for our first horse, bought a border collie and then realized that we needed some sheep to keep the dog busy. Of course we then needed to build a run-in shed and barn for the horse and the sheep. It was also a good place to store the assorted equipment that comes with raising animals. We use the rotational method of grazing for our sheep and we sell lambs for breeding stock and prize winning fleece for hand spinners. This wool is especially suited for hand spinning and has garnered high praise from those who have worked with it. Check out wool for sale, testimonials and photos of the fleece and yarn as well as various projects on the Fleece page. New this year are two Angora goats for mohair who have sort of become pets and an Angora rabbit (another adorable pet). The fiber from these animals are frequently for sale also. We put a few lambs in the freezer each year. Our boys, now 11 and 13, have been showing sheep in 4H since they were 5 years old and had been doing well each year. Now they have moved on to other things (see the Kids page). Currently we have Corriedales, Corriedale/Romney crosses and registered Clun Forest and Clun Forest crosses in our flock. To learn more and see photos of the sheep and fleece, please go to the Sheep page. We tried our hand at raising a beef cow one year. She was a fun experience we are not likely to forget anytime soon. Her name was Beefcake. We recently finished our 7th year of raising chickens for meat using the pastured poultry method. This takes about 8 weeks from start to finish and provides us with a leaner healthier bird. Several years we raised a few turkeys as well. Photos of the chicks and equipment are on the Poultry page. We keep a few, sell a few and come out even. We receive the most correspondence regarding that page as many people are interested in raising poultry this way and want to learn more about the home made equipment.. Very Old Family News (for current news see my blog, Musings at Windyridge): Mike started playing the saxophone in September of '03 which he enjoys and was to play in his first All County Music Festival in 2005 as 1st sax, but the festival was cancelled due to a snow storm. He continues to play soccer and played both PeeWee and Little League baseball this year. Dan also played Little League baseball and had a great time. They made the playoffs but lost. Mike won the soccer shoot out for the county and placed second in the regional competition two summers ago. Dan still plays his trumpet and is taking private lessons. He also still plays his electric and acoustic guitars and is in his 3rd year of Tai Kwon Do as a green belt. He has several musicals and plays behind him now as an 8th grader and ended the year with a 95 academic average as did Mike. Both boys played their instruments in NYSMA. Dan got an "outstanding" Mike got an "excellent" rating. This is a judged test consisting of sight reading and a prepared piece. You need top scores to eventually play in the All State band. All four of us shot in several 3d bow shoots over the summer and an indoor league this winter. Dan skied with the school ski club again this year and this year both Mike and Dan will ski with the ski club. Tom still works for Quest (now Kerry Biosciences) and my position at Otselic Valley school as the computer tech was eliminated due to budget shortfalls so I am home with the animals again and reinvigorating my computer business! Please check out all the other pages in this site and drop us a line! Fall '02 Below
We added a gazebo to the pond area and the boys built a bridge in May '02. Photos at various stages of transformation of swamp to pond are here. (coming soon).
Here is a link to our friend and neighbors farm:. Swallow Valley Farm.
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Sheep | Fleece | Kids | Poultry |
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