Animals
- The Pleasures Of Recycling
A damp, gloomy, drizzly day this close to Christmas is definitely just what I needed!And yesterday was just that. Farm chores, taking recyclables to the recycling center, and picking up our weeklypastured milk order from the local coffee shopwere my...
- 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...
- What Is It?
A question I have pondered for what seems like an eternity..... Just what is itabout a manure pile.... that attracts my dogs? After all, I feed them well.They get an egg each morning for breakfast.And yet,every chance they get,they are...
- More Projects For Spring
Each spring we add to our bluebird houses. We now have about 21 bluebird houses scattered around the property. Every February Hubbs cleans the old nests out of the bluebird houses. Invariably one or two become home to some mice during...
- Tomtom The Omnipresent
Today I received a couple of calls wondering if everything is ok at Bee Haven Acres. This question came about because of my obvious lack of blog posts these last couple of days. Yes! Everything at Bee Haven Acres is hunkey-dorey (is that really a word?)....
Animals
Manure and Other Fun Stuff
Living on the farm has given us many skills...
some we are good at,
and some at which we excel.
We grow our own food, grow hay for our horses,
keep bees and many animals...
but the thing we just may be the best at is making great compost!
We have an endless supply of manure (horse, pig, chicken),
which we store in piles which we turn with the tractor,
until such time as the pile has cured and become rich, dark, earthy mulch.
Added to the manure are kitchen scraps (plant-based),
dried leaves, and other organic matter from all over the farm.
The manure piles are a favorite hang out for the chickens.
Ole Roy fancies himself King of the Hill.
"This stuff is something to crow about!"
The temperate weather we have been experiencing these past two weeks
has allowed us extra time for outdoor chores
such as mulching around all of our young trees....
If only I could keep the chickens from then "un-mulching" them.
No matter how I spread it, the chickens always re-arrange it!
Each February we clean out all of out bluebird houses,
in preparation for Spring nest-building and egg laying.
Each of the houses has a thick, soft nest made from twigs,
horse hair, chicken and guinea feathers.
Occasionally a mouse will have claimed the house as its winter home.
With this in mind, Hubbs cautiously opens the house,
and tentatively reaches inside,
all the while knowing that a mouse may scamper out across his hand....
making him admittedly "scream like a girl!"
Lucky for him, this year there were no mice.
Tyler and his Mommy paid us a visit this weekend.
He is our first and only grandchild, and is now 20 months old.
Here are the pictures from his visit in a slideshow.....
- The Pleasures Of Recycling
A damp, gloomy, drizzly day this close to Christmas is definitely just what I needed!And yesterday was just that. Farm chores, taking recyclables to the recycling center, and picking up our weeklypastured milk order from the local coffee shopwere my...
- 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...
- What Is It?
A question I have pondered for what seems like an eternity..... Just what is itabout a manure pile.... that attracts my dogs? After all, I feed them well.They get an egg each morning for breakfast.And yet,every chance they get,they are...
- More Projects For Spring
Each spring we add to our bluebird houses. We now have about 21 bluebird houses scattered around the property. Every February Hubbs cleans the old nests out of the bluebird houses. Invariably one or two become home to some mice during...
- Tomtom The Omnipresent
Today I received a couple of calls wondering if everything is ok at Bee Haven Acres. This question came about because of my obvious lack of blog posts these last couple of days. Yes! Everything at Bee Haven Acres is hunkey-dorey (is that really a word?)....