You can't have a farm without animals!

We had certainly not been looking for a Christmas tree farm when we stumbled upon beautiful Bramble Hill. We had been looking for a place with enough land to fulfill our dream of having a workshop, gardens and a wide selection of animals. We found that and more! We now have a 24 strong 'official' menagerie.

In addition, the farm supports several flocks of wild

turkeys, a roving peacock, some grouse, a couple of large deer families, returning swallows, a determined family of trash pandas and a couple of wild trout! Come and meet the Bramble Hill Barnyard!

We started with a little timid black and white cat and a very friendly big black and white dog. Emma, the lab is our greeter and takes pride in making sure everyone who visits can have a chance to pet her! Noodle is less sociable and like to hang out in the barn, except when it gets cold! Along with the farm we inherited 7 goats. We had never had goats before and I tell you - they are an experience! Sweet and funny, affectionate and endlessly entertaining. They are also scheming underhand escape artists, an effective demolition crew, feed bin destroyers and a guarantee that no flowering plants will survive on your property. Or the neighbors for that matter....

Our boss goat, Annie, is an old lady now. Sadly she has cancer and so we make sure her days are pain free. I wish she would do the same for us! She is the instigator in all food related shenanigans and uses her ample girth to bully her way through a crowd or sometimes a fence. She is smart and a more than just a little Machiavellian and leads the rest of the herd into all kinds of mischief.

The horses are a big part of the farm. Lawnmowers, fertilizers and friends!

Mokelumne (Moke) named for a local mountain, is a very sweet laid back kind of guy,

but spent much of his youth in the high country riding fences, so he is very sure footed, but a little nervous of new things and loud people. Archimedes (Archie) is named for the fact that he can solve any problem (being on the wrong side of a gate, not being allowed to eat all all the grain, having an itch etc) in a creative way that usually creates havoc for all those around him (us). We ride them round the farm and out onto neighboring trails - a perfect way to spend a cool evening. When we went into quarantine early in 2020, the timing was perfect to start our chicken project! Our local tractor supply had day old chicks (going cheep!) and the children and I spend a long while with a very helpful lady who curated us a colorful mixed breed flock. We kept them inside for the first month or so and that was so much fun - I highly recommend it! Little fluffy peeping chicks are about the sweetest thing ever. Watching them grow was fascinating as well, each with a different personality. Now fully grown, they free range round the property and have started providing us with more eggs than we know what to do with.

Lastly we have our fish! Goldy lives in a livestock tank and keeps the mosquito larva at bay and we have a trout that has taken up residence in the ditch flowing through the front yard. We can watch him playing from the front window so we don't have the heart to fry him!