Animals
- Winter Survival The Sustainable Way
Sustainability is something we strive for here on the farm.We want to leave this land a little better than we found it...that is, we want to keep our footprint as small and as lightweight as possible. As a way of achieving that goal, we try not to waste...
- Trans-species Friendships
I find that so many of my posts have a common theme...peaceful cohabitation of different species. For example:Horses and chickens....the chickens have no fear of the horses and often walk about in between the equines legs.The horses seem to just...
- Dust Bath Anyone?
Is there anything more satisfying than a communal dust bath? Now that the snow has melted,my chickens look forward to their daily free ranging.Once eggs are layed for the day, the gates to the henhouse yards are openedand the girls come running...
- Smoochie's Fascination
For the past several days, when I am out for the morning feed, I have noticed that Smoochie (one of our fainting goat bucks) has been blubbering at the fence beside the chicken yard. "Blubbering" is a mating ritual for male goats. When they are desirous...
- Not All Chicks Are The Same!!
Last week we had a chicken tragedy. It seems, that at some point in the evening as the chickens were out free-ranging, two of the neighbors' dogs came onto our farm and had a killing spree. Several of our beautiful layers fell prey to these frenzied,...
Animals
I Love My (Darned) Chickens!
I love my chickens.
You know I do.
But, I swear, these gals make me crazy at times.
If you have chickens, then you will agree with me...
they can be the most destructive birds ever!
Put simply....chickens and gardens do not mix!
We have painstakingly (twice already this year) mulched around
our orchard and our 100 blueberry plants.
Why twice?
Because the chickens have removed the mulch....twice.
So, now we must do it again.
Hubbs had the idea to put a fence around the blueberry field to keep the chickens out.
I fear they will find the end of the fence and find their way in...
given enough time.
We shall see!
Chickens love dirt baths and will dig around the roots of an old tree to find fresh dirt.
We placed about a foot of mulch around the base of Job, our 200 year old pine...
in an effort to thwart this destructive process.
And the apple trees in our orchard....
darned chickens!
So when I'm not doing regular chores, or seasonal chores,
or cleaning up after these chickens,
then perhaps you will find me doing a fun project like...
painting a new entrance sign, or working in our newly remodeled greenhouse.
I've even found enough time to make several new aprons for my Etsy shop.
Now, if I could just find the time to photograph them and get them into the shop!
Time....it's something of which I am always a little short!
- Winter Survival The Sustainable Way
Sustainability is something we strive for here on the farm.We want to leave this land a little better than we found it...that is, we want to keep our footprint as small and as lightweight as possible. As a way of achieving that goal, we try not to waste...
- Trans-species Friendships
I find that so many of my posts have a common theme...peaceful cohabitation of different species. For example:Horses and chickens....the chickens have no fear of the horses and often walk about in between the equines legs.The horses seem to just...
- Dust Bath Anyone?
Is there anything more satisfying than a communal dust bath? Now that the snow has melted,my chickens look forward to their daily free ranging.Once eggs are layed for the day, the gates to the henhouse yards are openedand the girls come running...
- Smoochie's Fascination
For the past several days, when I am out for the morning feed, I have noticed that Smoochie (one of our fainting goat bucks) has been blubbering at the fence beside the chicken yard. "Blubbering" is a mating ritual for male goats. When they are desirous...
- Not All Chicks Are The Same!!
Last week we had a chicken tragedy. It seems, that at some point in the evening as the chickens were out free-ranging, two of the neighbors' dogs came onto our farm and had a killing spree. Several of our beautiful layers fell prey to these frenzied,...