Author: Brian Hurlburt

Brian Hurlburt’s FaceBook Profile states he’s an Old Goat & Chicken Chaser at Briden Farm, so who are we to argue! Brian is the “Bri” of Briden Farm.

Nanna Will Soon Have Her Kids

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Nanna on the Milking Stand

The time is coming closer, and Nanna will soon have Her Kids! Today, 28 March 2021 was her due date, sort of! See, a Nigerian Dwarf Goat, Doe, can have their Nigerian Dwarf Goat Kids anytime from 145-155 days after being bred. So, today was the 145th Day, and that means Nanna will soon have her Kids, within the next ten days. 

Today I separated Nanna from our other Goats, our current Saanen Milking Goat, Eve, is in one end of the area we keep Does. Momma, also pregnant, and Snow White, her 8 month old Doeling are in the middle section, and Nanna is actually in the milking parlour, now become birthing area. 

We like to get the girls used to being on the Milking Stand, even before we start milking them! That’s because by the time we do start milking them, they’re already used to being on the stand. Thus having Nanna in the area we usually use as our Milkimg Parlour it gets her used to being there, and we feed her grain in the trough and she stands on the milking stand. So, by the time we start milking her, she’s used to it. However, before that happens she’ll have her kids and being separated from, but close to, the others does she is in a safer place, and will be able to have the time to birth and bond with her kids. After that we’ll thoroughly clean the area and return the birthing area back to our milking parlour. 

The whole thing should work out quite well, with Nanna at one end, Momma and Snow White in the middle section, and Eve in the section near the outside door, it allows me to go milk Eve, tend to Momma and Snow White as needed, and still have a safe place for Nanna and soon her kids! For more information please phone 902-907-0770.

Nanna is Due

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Nanna is Due

Nanna, our Nigerian Dwarf Goat, Doe, is due as soon as Sunday 28 March 2021. Of course I’d kind of like her to freshen and have her Kids today on my Birthday! Although I’d rather her go full term and have them be safe and healthy. She is likely going to go somewhere between March 28th and April 7th. Though I think it will be sooner rather than later as she is showing signs and certainly seems to be loaded. For more information please phone 902-907-0770.

Tapping The Maples At Briden Farm

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Making Maple Syrup

Tapping the Maples at Briden Farm means having beautiful aromas filling our Country Kitchen! It also means we’ll have our own Maple Syrup, and so far we have done up 12 Bottles! Mind You it’s 12 one cup bottles, but if all goes well, in another week we should have at least 18 bottles and that’ll give us enough for one bottle every three weeks for a year! With any luck we may get another week and bring us up to around 24-26 bottles and that means we can consume one bottle every two weeks! 

Now, it’s not all fun and games, it takes, on average, 40 Cups of Maple Sap for just one cup of Maple Syrup! So, when I say we have already made 12 one cup bottles, it means we’ve processed about 480 Cups, or 120 Quarts, of Sap! Not only does all that have to be gathered from the Maple Trees, it also has to have all the extra water extracted! While it’s possible todo it faster, we slowly steam off most of the water, then bring it to a boil at about 219°F or 103.889°C. This leaves us with a Grade “A” light to medium Amber Maple Syrup. The first time we made Maple Syrup was when we lived in Princedale and tapped trees here in Bear River. That resulted in a beautiful Maple Syrup that we entered in the competition at the Queens County Fair in Caledonia, Nova Scotia, where we took 1st Place for our Maple Syrup! 

Now, have You ever wanted to make Your own Maple Syrup? It is a lot of work, especially if You have to go out and tap the Maple Trees, hang the buckets, empty the buckets, gather the Maple Sap, also known as Maple Water, which has some incredible health benefits! Now, if You’d like to make Maple Syrup, but aren’t able to go tap the Trees, or perhaps don’t have Maple Trees, we want to give You the opportunity to do so! 

Whether You want Maple Water, also known as Maple Sap, to drink for the health benefits or to make your own Maple Syrup without having to tap the trees and gather the Maple Sap, let us know and We’ll get You Maple Sap that You can use to drink as Maple Sap, or for making Your Own Maple Syrup! We have a limited supply and are charging just $1 per Litre. Which is a great price if you’re using it to drink as Maple Water! Compare that with the prices at maple3.ca and You’ll see this is a savings of nearly 75%. Just to clarify, the product at Maple3 is Sparkling Maple Water, whereas ours is not sparkling, but in its raw natural state, the way We like it best! However, our supply is limited so don’t wait, at just $1 per Litre, what have you got to loose? If You’re wanting to make maple syrup with it we recommend at least 10 litres, since after boiling it down You’ll be left with about a cup of actual Syrup, and You’ll have the incredible experience of making your own Maple Syrup! Remember it is a limited supply at just $1 per Litre, so don’t wait, call now: 902-907-0770. (Plus when You buy our Maple Water, We’ll even give you tips, and answer your questions, as to how make your own Maple Syrup).