Our Favorite Salsa Recipe

Our garden was planted heavy on the fruits and veggies that our family will eat the most of and those that we can preserve through the winter, like tomatoes and peppers, both hot and sweet. I have been waiting (read that drooling over) to have enough ripe produce to make my first batch of SALSA. The wait ended tonight while Sean finished tiling the kitchen corner, Daddy Dale worked on taming the field where the pond is going to someday live and then washed my car for me (thank you. Thank you! THANK YOU!!) Momma Twombly and I created SALSA. Sweet, Hot, Spicy, Delicious Salsa.

This is the recipe:

MILD SALSA

1 white onion, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

6 pounds fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 jalapeno, serrano, or red rocket hot pepper, chopped*

3 banana peppers, chopped*

3 colored sweet bell peppers, chopped

3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

10 pint canning jars with lids and rings

 

* Add hot peppers to taste. We use this recipe for mild. After we fill 6 mason jars with the mild salsa, we add 2-3 additional hot peppers (use jalapeno, serrano or other hot pepper variety you like.) seeds and all to the pot, stir, and fill the remaining mason jars.

 

 This recipe is simple. Everything goes into a large stock pot and simmers for 1-3 hours on the stove top. The longer you cook the salsa, the softer the ingredients and the more your salsa will thicken as it reduces. I generally only cook mine for just an hour. I like my salsa both chunky and firm in texture.

I think I will make Chicken Quesadillas tomorrow for dinner as a delightful and delicious reason to crack into a bottle.


If you decide make this recipe, let me know how it comes out for you.

  

A word of caution. Salsa includes tomatoes, a highly acidic ingredient, and onions and peppers that are low-acid foods. Recipes may call for adding vinegar, lemon or lime juices or other ingredients that also will impact the acidity of the overall recipe. It is imperative to correctly measure and/or weigh the tomatoes and peppers when preparing Salsa. This is because failing to balance the acid level when mixing ingredients in the salsa can create an environment in which food-borne bacteria – including Botulism can grow. You can safely substitute tomatillos for tomatoes or kinds of peppers for one another, but be very careful to keep the acidic ratios balanced.

 

It has been a very long weekend, but a lot of projects got accomplished. I took lots of pictures and am looking forward to writing a long post about it... tomorrow.

Also Linked to Dining With Debbie. Check out the GREAT recipes you'll find at Debbie's site.

 

7-9 Days to Go...

I candled the chicken eggs, as promised, on Friday. I did not snap pictures, though because I wanted to do it quickly so the eggs would not cool too much and also there was only my set of hands to work with.  (Sean and Dale are currently occupied installing a new water heater to live in the basement. I am sure Sean would have helped, but I thought his project more pressing for his time and attention.) Add to that, my camping girls absconded with my good flashlight, so it was harder than usual to see through the shell. Is that enough excuses for my lack of photos?

I think the news is mostly good. With just over a week to go, I only removed 2 eggs that were definitely NOT developing. There are another 10 or so that are questionable, but all the rest seem to be growing and developing from dark, Chickie "globs" into the fluffy peeps we are hoping for.

On Thursday, we decided it was time to move the 2 month old chicks into the main coop where they belong. We had never really intended on them living in the chicken tractor for a long period of time, but it became a necessity while they were small enough to walk through the coop fencing. Having grown sufficiently that this was no longer a problem, we made the move. This freed the tractor for Rufeo (our Rhode Island Red Rooster) and his hens. With the hopes of being able to breed sex link chicks from him, we rehomed 2 Wyandottes and 1 Barred Rock. This arrangement was problematic in that 3 hens would not be suitable in numbers to avoid their being balded by Rufeo's romantic attentions. The 2 Australorp hens in the main coop were being exceptionally territorial to the new chicks; plucking feathers and chasing them mercilessly. So... we added them into the chicken tractor population, which worked out quite nicely for everyone. (The broody hens will also join Rufeo- once they are done sitting on their nests- bringing the ratio of hens to roosters to 7:1, a much better situation for them.)

The new additions to the main coop are settling in just fine. There are still some issues deciding who gets to eat first among the group, but by and large, they have at least been accepted, if not enthusiastically welcomed. They are developing lovely individual coloring traits, which means these will get their own names. In this photo you can see in the fore, a couple of (what we think are) pullets with interesting feathered crests. They are the black facing forward and the white with speckled feathers to the right of her.

Added to the list of unique traits, we hatched a gorgeous pure Americauna with ear tufts (that we suspect is a rooster- No!), a couple of blacks with gold markings and two blacks that resemble nothing so much as mutant crows! Check out the one pictured on the left. What do you think?

In addition to the eggs in the incubator, one of the Wyandotte hens and one of the Barred Rock hens have gone all broody on us and are each sitting on clutches of 10 eggs in separate nest boxes out in the main coop. We have never allowed our hens to hatch out their own chicks, but we thought to give it a try. We were remiss in informing Miss Meaghan of our intentions before she very helpfully collected the eggs for us Thursday afternoon. Sean returned them to some very annoyed hens who were not shy about pecking his hands and squawking their displeasure as he sought to return their treasured orbs. Unbeknownst to the ladies, they are sitting on a variety of eggs from the coops. It will be interesting to see what kind of assortment these hatch to be... if they hatch, that is.

Broody Wyandotte has since become confused about her nest and has moved herself three times. The first time I caught her in the wrong box, I put her into the correct one and she settled in nicely. Later Saturday afternoon, she was back in the wrong box sans eggs. So, thinking she just preferred that box more, I candled the eggs in her first box for evidence of life and put the viable ones under her in her new box. Broody hen moved them into the position she wanted them in and settled herself. When I visited the chickens on Sunday morning, she had moved once again- to a completely different box. The eggs in the nest were stone cold and it was pretty clear she hadn't been sitting on them at all during the night. Since the chicks had already started to develop inside the eggs, I think it is a pretty safe bet that they are no longer viable after many hours of 50 degree temps. This is sad, but sometimes, what happens. I suspect that in Broody Wyandotte's case, the idea of sitting on eggs was -and seems still to be- more interesting than the work actually involved in sitting on eggs. At least, Broody Barred Rock seems to be vigilant in her efforts to hatch a clutch. And, Wyandotte can move to the tractor, instead.

Broody duck(s) are sitting single-mindedly, too. This broodiness seems to be contagious. What started with one, quickly turned into two ducks sharing sitting duties. A third invited herself to the party under the guise that it takes a village. But, when a fourth hen and a drake tried to join the mix, one of the geese stepped in to moderate the debate and get everyone sorted. I captured this exchange on video. No musical soundtrack, though-


For those who cannot see this on a Kindle, try THIS LINK, instead:

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

Thanks for visiting with us today!
Sean & Sonja ♥

Kitchen Sinks, the Perfect Place for a Bath

The black chicks survived last night with no problems. They are still much smaller than their counterparts, but they are thriving and doing well. I have moved everyone into an empty parrot cage. The floor is lined with newspaper, which makes changing it easy. And, there is plenty of room for the chicks to settle under the warmth or move to the cooler side to be comfortable and for their food and water containers. Plus, as the chicks grow, they will use the wooden roost at night. To help control the temperature, I have pinned a white towel to 3 sides of the cage and hung a heat lamp from the ceiling- far away from where they can reach and injure themselves- and placed a thermometer at chick level. The whole arrangement is very satisfactory.


 

When I had finish settling the chicks to their new home, I ran some warm water in both bays of my kitchen sink for the ducklings and goslings to bathe in. Each morning, we wake to find their water container (which holds over a gallon of water) empty and the nice fresh shavings soaked with water. Ducks are messy little beasts! Kristen and Meaghan stood guard over the bathers while I scooped out the wet pine shavings and added fresh dry shavings. This would be the goslings first foray into bathing, but they seemed to enjoy it and know what to do about preening. Guards are necessary because neither breed of fowl seems to be afraid of jumping out of the sink and onto my counter, falling to the floor or into the very interested mouth of Fenn... lots of dangers to watch for!




The ducklings have grown and no longer both fit into one hand. They are just over 2 weeks old and are filling out nicely. The goslings are only about 1 week old and are just a little bigger than the ducklings. They are still very friendly, though they do not follow me in the same way the ducklings did. The ducklings are growing more bold of being on their own and become less frantic if I walk away from them, which is how it should be. In no time at all, they will be ready to live outside all the time.

I have marked my calendar and plan on putting the next batch of 36 eggs into the incubator. I will hatch out a mixture of americaunas, cochins, rhode island reds, and black sex links. I am planning on having them hatch for July 6th, while our niece, Abby is visiting us. (I think she will really enjoy playing with the new peepers.) This is perfect timing, too, in that our inside housing will be empty by then and ready for new occupants- after a good cleaning, of course! 18 of the new chicks are already spoken for, but I still have (potentially) 18 available for purchasing. If you are interested in adding to your flock, feel free to email me and we can connect. You can read about buying chicks and our pricing on that tab at the top of my page.

The rain is coming and going, but the sun is shining through. I hope that tomorrow clears so I can mow this lawn!

Thanks for visiting!
Sonja ♥

The New Chicks are Hatching!

I knew it was bound to happen (under the premise that anything that can go wrong in your absence, will) but still I was hoping I was worrying over nothing. I wish I was worrying over nothing. But, alas! No. *Sigh* Our animal-sitter texted me that apparently Jasmine noticed our absence almost immediately and made an escape attempt. Daniel (our animal control guy) got a phone call at midnight last night that Jasmine was running up the side of the road. He went and put her back in her field. We know this because he kindly left a note in our door to inform us. When our farm-sitter, Charle checked on Jasmine this morning, she was outside her fencing again, munching on grass in the growing orchard. At least she wasn't off our property, so Miss Jasmine is locked into her stall for the night and we hope she will remain there until our return.

And, two chicks decided to hatch 48 hours early! They weren't due until Sunday night!!! Then, another chick hatched this morning and six more have external pipping on the eggs indicating their immanent hatching, too! This is what they looked like when we left on Friday afternoon. Sneaky peepers! I will worry about them until I am home to check them personally.

I don't have any pictures to update of the new chicks, since my camera is with me. But, I will tomorrow night. Only 24 hours before we will be back on the homestead. I am enjoying all the wonderful spiritual food from our convention, the new releases, and associating with the brothers and sisters, but I will confess to looking forward to getting home to our critters and my own bed tomorrow evening!

Goodnight, all!
Sonja ♥

Gardens and Goslings

I am of two minds. On the one hand, the idea of going away from the farm for the weekend, especially to a Christian Convention with over 5,000 of my dear brothers and sisters from the New England area is exciting, soothing, and just plain wonderful. No stalls to muck, no llamas to tame, nothing to build. On the other hand, we will be away. And, though we have a capable friend caring for our homestead in our absence, we will be... away. No pigs to love, no goats to greet us, no goslings snuggled in my shirt. And, I am completely sure that in the 60 hours of our being away, all the fencing will fail, the basement will flood, the bunny will escape, the chickens will revolt and stop laying their eggs, the ducks will make off into the wild... you get the picture. I am not a pessimist by nature, but I have some little experience in these things. It is almost guaranteed. Things will grind along just fine, as long as we have nothing else on the agenda. But, the second we have plans... that is just asking for trouble.



A sampling of the 36 sweet and hot peppers started and living on our porch.

I was planning on updating you all to our gardening and how the water fowl residing in my living room are faring in great detail, but I still have to pack and get this show on the road. So, for now, I will leave you with some pictures with the hope that each of them speaks the 1,000 words they are rumored to and hope you all have a bright and sunny weekend.

See you soon!
Sonja

Last years onions wintered over in a garden bed. We'll eat the greens, since we have never had any success in growing the onions themselves to full size after a winter's rest. They will be delicious, though! And, I might count this as our first harvest of 2012.

I was playing Momma duck/goose with the babies. They all snuggle into my arms and settle to sleep.

Save the Drama for Your Llama...

Sean has wanted a llama forever; to guard the does, to sell the fleece when sheared, to go hiking with, as a companion... because it's a LLAMA.  And, it does make a kind of sense. Take our decision to separate out our bucks from our does, (so we can control the pace and heritage of our kids) add that to our intention on keeping both turkey and goat paddocks further into the wooded portion of our land (to clear out the underbrush and provide more grazing land) and you come out with our does living relatively unprotected from predators. Additonal reasons to keep a llama, is for fiber. Llamas appreciate a hair cut in warm summer months and their fleece can sell for a small sum of money, which helps defray the cost of keeping the llama. Also, llama manure is so fully digested, it can be added directly to a garden without needing to compost it (according to this website HERE). A less important reason to obtain a llama is that Sean dreams (literally) of hiking with his llama up Mt Waldo, to the quarry nearby and in the woods. And, of course, of riding his llama (which I stand firmly against.)

And... it's a LLAMA.

On the other hand, most llamas are expensive to buy by my standards. A previous Uncle Henry's ad had one priced at $450, which is on the low side. Depending on training, lineage, sex, fiber quality, you can expect to pay from $600 to over $1,500 for a llama. That is not in the budget. Even considering that we can get along with purchasing a lower priced animal since fiber production (we don't expect huge amounts of money from the fiber of one llama) and lineage are not as relevant to our needs (we won't be breeding our llama), but $450 is still more than I can reasonably spend at the moment- with our main barn still in need of finishing.

Enter "Mr. Farmer" from Waldoboro and his brown llama, named Dilly.

Mr. Farmer is retiring from a life of farming to settle into a smaller home with his wife, to enjoy his grand kids and the rest of his days. When we spoke on the phone, he gave me the impression of my Grandpa George- hard working, rugged, capable. He recalled how he has kept goats, geese, ducks, turkeys, chicken, and cows throughout his life, for milk, eggs, and meat. Now he's selling them off. He acquired Dilly at a farm auction about 2 years back for his herd of dairy goats, age unknown for certain. His neighbor, who keeps a small herd of llamas, looked the boy over then and placed him at about 5 years old, which makes Dilly about 7-8 today. Dilly loves his goats and his people. Mr. Farmer sounded quite sad to let him go, saying how he'd miss Dilly running to see him and thrusting his nose in Mr. Farmer's face in greeting each day. Dilly walks on a halter, but most of the time is content to follow Mr. Farmer around as he completes his chores. We talked for about an hour with me asking questions and Mr. Farmer patiently answering them. At the end, Mr. Farmer offered us a price we could afford and we set a time for Sean and I to visit his farm on Tuesday night to meet Dilly.

Then, the serious thinking, discussing and research began. Our llama needs to be 1. healthy, 2. friendly to humans, 3. affectionate with our goats, and 4. reasonably willing to protect them from predators. Sean and I read no less than 10 websites devoted to care and keeping of llamas. We discovered that many people have their llama's fighting teeth sawed off when young to prevent fighting among themselves, that they can live to be 20-30 years old, depending on how well they are cared for, that they thrive in cold weather and require a 3 sided shed to be comfortable and get out of the wet or cold. We read that 2 llamas can live off  1/2 acre of land well and that they do best in herds of other llamas, sheep, or goats. Contrary to common belief, llamas only spit as a warning. Llamas are generally good tempered, but will defend their herd (when the does are in heat, especially) by head butting or pushing humans away. Llamas can be fed for less than the cost of keeping a large dog. They need a variety of shots to prevent rabies and tetanus, like other livestock. (This reminded us that our goats were due for their shots, too.) All in all, we were very encouraged by our reading when we settled into bed for the night.

This morning, I contacted a friend about the possibility of her accompanying us with a truck and trailer on Tuesday for our visit. KelLee readily agreed. What a blessing to have someone in our lives who not only has been farming for a while, but is willing to help and share her knowledge with us! We thank God for her, often.

So... the best I can tell... we may have a guard llama sooner than we anticipated. But, that is how things happen around here. Animals have a way of finding us at just the right time for where we are in this journey. I am only glad that we planned an extra 10x10 stall in our barn blueprint!

We'll let you know what happens!
Sonja ♥

Let's Talk Turkey

With all the work we do... to get animal housing finished; fencing installed, moved around, and secured; feeding and watering accomplished; hoofs trimmed and animals inspected; manure scooped and composted; garden boxes built, filled, and planted; lawns mowed, garden beds weeded, goats milked; eggs collected... and so on... around here adding another breed of critter might seem incongruous to our goal of simplifying our lives. And, if we were going to begin breeding, say peacocks, or parrots, or llamas, I would agree. But, let's talk turkey.

Does THIS look like free range?

Most families in the United States roast, at least, two turkeys each year; 40 million turkeys are the center piece for thanksgiving celebrations alone. Since the 1970's, commercially raised and processed turkeys have been selectively bred to create excessively large bodies with lots of white breast meat. These hybrids can't fly, can't naturally reproduce, and are often prone to horrible health issues. According to efowl.com's website, " The Broad Breasted Bronze Turkey and the Broad Breasted White Turkey are the two main breeds of today's commercial turkey industry... these particular breeds have been strictly managed and bred for maximum meat production and minimum cost. The two strains of Commercial Turkeys that we offer will not reproduce naturally and are specifically developed for their efficient feed to breast meat conversion rate. They are the perfect choice for farmers looking for the most efficient turkey meat production." Additionally, nymag.com states, "...these birds are typically raised in factory conditions, sometimes thousands to a barn, and may be treated with growth hormones to enhance their size and antibiotics to prevent disease... Many factory-farmed birds are injected during processing with a solution that might contain water, stock, butter, or other seasonings to make the bird plumper, and more flavorful." These birds may be labeled as "free range" since they are not kept in cages and are allowed to roam, though often with no more than 3 sq ft or space each. Put that way, it doesn't sound very appetizing to me.

Top Left: Butterball turkey; Top Right: Young pastured turkey;
Lower Left: Wild turkey; Lower Right: Mature pastured turkey

Our plan calls for us to buy and raise a small number (for breeding stock) of heritage turkeys much like how their wild counterparts live, minus the worry of predators and attack. Sean and I are planning on fencing off some of our lightly wooded land, (not currently in use between the goat pasture and raised garden beds) adding a out-building for shelter. First, we will rotate some goats to live there for a week or two to help clear out some of the brush undergrowth to open it up for pasturage to grow to this new area. Then, we will inspect the area to make sure it is suitable to our new additions later this summer. When our poults are fledged out and ready to be outside, they will move into their new home. We will not be eating our new turkeys. These, like all the other animals on our small and admittedly dysfunctional farm, will live out their days in peace and safety. But, they will earn their keep. We will, collect their eggs and hatch batches of heritage turkey poults to sell to neighbors who want to raise their own turkeys to feed their families. Heritage turkeys take longer (at 24-28 weeks) to grow to maturity, but every review I've read agrees they taste better and they are not treated with any of the chemicals or additives described above.

Bourbon Red Toms

Sean and I have thought it through, researched the benefits and costs in terms of time, care, and our ability. With all that in mind, our new breeding stock of six Heritage Bourbon Red Turkeys have been ordered from Muddy Hoof Farm in Lubec, Maine. According to our research, mature toms weigh about 30 pounds; hens, 12 to 14 pounds. The Bourbon Red is ranked No. 2 for taste. They are curious turkeys. Anything in their area is subject to close examination by them. They are calm, friendly and often underfoot during feeding time. They’re good sitters and mothers, but also tend to go broody early, so we'll need to keep an eye on that. We will be driving to pick up our guys from the farm on August 9th. I can't wait to meet our new guys and for this new adventure to begin.

Sonja ♥

Marvelous Creation

I am amazed by all the processes programmed inside a tiny little poultry egg to change it from my family's breakfast to a perfect miniature replica of the parent that laid it. I suppose other birds develop in much the same way, but I have no first hand knowledge of their doing so. As I have been sitting and talking with various friends these past few days about our hatching ducklings and the miracle of their creation, I am once again just dumbfounded by the design involved.

Putting aside the fantastic transformation and journey that occurs inside the reproductive tract of female fowl, which allows fertilization to occur and eggs to be laid, in the first place, (You can read an in-depth and scientific report of that HERE.) I am talking about simple timing. Think of this, an average hen lays an egg about every 28 hours. This hen will lay her clutch of, say 10 eggs over a period of two weeks, adding one egg at a time. Only once she has laid all the eggs for that clutch, and she begins to sit on them (to keep them warm) and turn them (so they'll develop inside the eggs correctly), do the eggs "wake up", as it were, and begin to develop. And, ALL the eggs will hatch within hours of each other. So, Mr. Egg laid on day 1, significantly older than MS. Egg laid on day 10, begin to develop and grow at the same time. Marvelous engineering!

And, here is another part that astounds me. When it is time for the eggs to hatch, a remarkable change takes place. The veins carrying a blood supply, spidering around the inside membrane of the egg, stops pumping blood through the exterior of the egg. The blood is pulled back into the chicks body through its umbilicus and closes off to the exterior egg membrane. The yolk that is the chicks source of nutrition is absorbed completely. What sets this chain of events into action? The chick does, after it breaks through to the air sac and begins tapping the inside membrane of the egg with its egg tooth. As the chick pips around the egg, signals are sent to the circulation system that hatching will occur soon and the necessary changes ensue. Just completely fascinating! It is for this reason, you cannot simply crack and peel baby chicks out of their eggs before they are ready. To do so, runs the risk of the chicks bleeding to death.

I am finding great joy on this path that my husband, children and I are on. And, I guess, that is, in part, one of the reasons for our writing this blog- to share the joy that is bubbling up in our lives with you. Farming is hard, back breakingly hard, some days and spiders aplenty *shudder*, on others. (And, we are just a small family farm!) There is tragedy; sometimes hard losses. We are new to this; we make tons of mistakes and do things twice as hard as they need to be done, simply because, we don't yet know better. (But, we will. In time... and with a lot more research and practice.) But, there is also JOY. Joy in growing delicious, untreated, healthy foods for our family and neighbors. Joy in seeing hard work's reward. Joy in knowing we did our best when their seems to be no reward forthcoming. Joy in watching my girls grow into capable young women. Joy in depending less on supermarkets and stores and more on each other. Living in some small way closer to how my grandparents were raised and their grandparents before them.

Thanks for stopping in! I hope you have a blessed day.
Sonja ♥

May 22 Update on ducklings

I will update this post later in the day with video and pictures.

Both ducklings are fine and thriving. They are alert, active, preening, sleeping, peeping, and doing all the normal things baby ducks do. Comfort zone, Oh! How I welcome thee back! There was even signs of two droppings on the towel near the water dish! I know, kind of strange to get excited about that, but it is a great sign that these little ones will thrive so long as we continue with the right conditions!

My other job beckons me this morning, but I will be back later tonight with more updates on all things farm related. For now, have a good day for yourselves!

Sonja ♥

More pictures and video, as promised.

He's not looking! I could be held now?

The one in the back is the one that hatched solo. The striped one in the front was assisted by us.

And the new feather weight wrestling champion is...

Vigorous signs of life!

And, Then There Were Two...

The 2nd duckling had a lot harder time being born. It tried and tried with an open hole, almost the size of a half dollar piece, to free itself; with its membranes drying out more and more as time passed. Finally, at 5:30 tonight, Sean and I made the decision to help it along carefully. I started to peel away the hard outer shell bit by bit until it was open (video above). There was no trace of any fresh blood- which is a good sign. When we got to this point, little ducky decided to meet us after all. (video below).



I helped dry and warm new little ducky by wrapping the new duckling into this warmed towel and slipped it into my shirt. It peeped for a few minutes and settled to sleep while I petted it's head and neck.



A couple hours later, both duckies are in the brooder, alternately sleeping and peeping. The older duckling has eaten a little and had a taste of water. I introduced the younger duckling to the water by slowly dipping the tip of its bill into the waterer, but it did not seem interested in drinking, yet. That's normal. They may not eat or drink anything for a day or even two after hatching.

I was excited to see the older duck preening itself  only 4 hours after hatching and both ducklings have gotten to their feet to creep about a little. I am still worried for the younger duckling and will keep a very close eye on it, but for now, we have 2 of the sweetest little ducklings that I have ever seen.

And, now, I can finally get some sleep.

Good night, friends.
Sonja ♥

One Duckling Arrives: Video

Meaghan was eager to show me when I arrived home from work just after 1:30 pm today, to see this! One duckling, (not the one that was further along last night, mind) had worked its way already out and was very nearly dry! The other duckling is peeping away, but seemed uninterested in finishing the business at hand.

I grabbed a clean, warm towel and cuddled the duckling to help warm it- sure wish I knew if it was a drake or a hen!- before placing it in the 10 gallon tank we are using as a brooder. Meg and I added the water dish and I dipped its tiny beak in the water, to show where it was located. Then, I left it alone, meaning, I did not touch it, but I took lots of video and pictures!

"Little hatched duck" was peeping up a storm one second and taking a siesta, the next. The tank is set to 98 degrees at duck level at the warmest side. "LHD" stumbled around the tank, peeping as it went . I felt so badly, that it has no Momma to cuddle up under or bond with and no brother or sister to snuggle with, at the moment. Eventually, I gave in to its insistent, little peeps, wrapped it in a cloth and tucked it gently into the top of my shirt. It settled down almost immediately, after attempting to taste my neck a time or two, that tickled!

As I write this it is 3 pm. Other duckling has made slightly more progress, but is not budging outside that egg, yet! It is so hard not to just go over and peel it out! But, I am controlling myself and bonding with "little shirt duckling" instead, who is napping right now contentedly warmed by my body heat, listening to the sound of my heart beating. Time enough to cuddle "new duckling" tonight.

We've got to get these "peeps" some names! Any thoughts?
Sonja ♥

As a side note: You may notice in the pictures and video that the incubator has some unhatched chicken eggs in the automatic turner. When the ducklings began to hatch, we turned off the automatic engine, and began turning the chicks by hand. Once the other duckling hatches and is dry, we will remove it to the safety of the brood tank. I do not recommend hatching in this manner. We were in a bind when the duck eggs began disappearing, so we used our incubator very cautiously in a tandem hatch for a few days. As an additional precaution, we removed 2 rows of egg turning yellow brackets, so the ducks would have more room to hatch in safety. Again, it worked this time, for the ducks, (any success remains to be seen for the chicks) but I would not recommend doing this, if you have any other option open to you.

Ducks Enoying a Bath: Video May 20, 2012

I should be in bed, but I can't sleep until I have some kind of resolution for the ducklings to be. I suppose I should also be concerned about Sean, who has bravely disassembled the drain to the kitchen sink and is currently persevering trying to unclog the pipe amidst water dripping on his head, in the basement. I would lend him a hand, but other than passing him a bucket, he does not need me and has requested I not assist with this mess. I was not about to argue the point! It looked nasty when I peeked down there a few minutes ago.

At 9:58 pm, we have a few pips in the eggs, some white membrane showing through, but no ducklings, yet! This is almost as bad as being in actual labor with the waiting and pacing and watching for progress. My biggest fear is that they will tire, won't be able to break through the inner membrane and die so close to the end, suffocating inside their eggs. This waiting is just awful!



10:50 pm, No progress on the sink, but both ducklings  pecked several cracks in the outer shell of their eggs, but had not gotten through either the outer of the inner membranes. We were now past 24 hours from the pips. I had to help. I was just sick with worry. Carefully, I candled the egg, to see where the duckling was. I could see the outline clearly, so I cautiously and gently just poked the membrane with a tiny sewing needle. No blood. I slowly and very, very tentatively edged it open, just wide enough so the duckling could breathe. I could see the tine beak! At this point, Sean joined me and we assisted the other duckling in the same manner and replaced them into the incubator to keep them warm. Now that I know they have air and can hear them peeping, I feel much better.

Now...  more waiting! This is going to be a lengthy night.

12:31 am, no hatching yet, plenty of peeping and a trace of blood on the inner membrane where the ducklings beak is moving about. We are sleeping in the living room upstairs tonight. Me, on the couch and Sean, on the floor, so we can check them frequently. The brooder (This being currently a 10 gallon aquarium, which will be easy to regulate the temperature and stay free from drafts, until they graduate into the wire cage we've used for chicks with good results) is all set up and waiting complete with light and soft towel to receive any babies. I am knackered! I can barely type. I have to get some rest. Sean is playing his game boy. I don't know how he can do that, but right now, I am glad for it.

5 am, no ducklings, still, but we are up an extra horse, courtesy of our across the street neighbors. Their lovely lady, Cowgirl wants to be friends with Jasmine in the worst way. This is the third day in a row that she has jumped her fence to visit us. We don't mind, since our animals have sporadically decided to forsake their intended homes to explore the vicinity. It happens. I do feel badly for them. I know what it is like to try, in vain, to constrain the sometimes wanton beasts of our field. Sean kindly, walked Cowgirl home and then, got up to start the wood fired furnace, so our girls could have hot showers before school.

I feel like the walking dead. Early to bed tonight, I think.

Sonja ♥

Kristen & Meaghan -VS- 2 Cord of Fire Wood: Video

We have been picking away at the pile of fire wood living on the front lawn, a little at a time. Today, Kristen and Meaghan pitched in (again) to deliver another five trailer loads to the wood shed, where they stacked their haul. While this was taking place, Sean watered the animals and then, worked on building a new gate for the Doe paddock. I helped him by feeding the critters, collecting and caring for the chicken eggs, and then busied myself re-potting the variety of  36 pepper plants which had overgrown their starter pots. They are almost ready to go into their spots in this year's garden beds.

I am so proud of how well the girls worked together to help with this necessary chore. It makes life better for the whole family when everyone is eager and willing to pitch in. Or, at least, can be bought for the small price of being allowed to watch a TV program and roller blade in the basement un-nagged by Mom, once this chore was complete. However you want to think of it, I appreciated the attitude with which the assistance/assignment was carried out. :)

Kristen learned how to drive the riding mower, too. The blade was not engaged, but she got the hang of handling pretty quickly. In no time, she could turn it on, adjust the choke, put it into gear and was zipping around the lawn.

That's my girl! Sonja ♥

The First Official Milking

       Sean here.  As Sonja and I are working closer and closer to running a functional farm, we are confronted with numerous "firsts" to deal with.  Today was a rather important one.  After spending a couple hours building a milking stand, we were rewarded with our first "goat-milking" experience.
       Firstly, everything that I expected was pretty much thrown out the window.  Our doe, Ellie, actually knew a lot more about the procedure than either of us.  After I brought her out of her stall, she eyed the milking stand and made a bee-line for it.  After popping her head in the holding slot, I secured her and we took our positions.  Sonja was in charge of getting everything cleaned and sterilized and was wonderful as always, while I would be doing the hands-on business.  While she was contendly munching on her grain, Ellie scrunched down so I could get to it.  I will the first to admit, it's going to be a while before I get really good at milking a goat.  I pictured the process in my head before, thinking I would be a milking fool with no training at all.  Well, of the little milk that I was able to coax out of her, the majority ran down my arm and didn't go near the 16" opening of the bowl that I was aiming for.  After about 10 minutes of trying different finger positions and techniques, we ended up with about a quarter of a cup of milk to bring into the house.  Far from the 4-6 ounces that we are hoping for.  But we will persist!  After reading some online, I feel better prepared for tomorrow morning where we will hopefully have more success.

--Good night all!

The Ducks Are Chirping Inside Their Eggs!

After a long day of work around the farm today, we came in to enjoy dinner of chicken on the grill and some rice our daughter, Meaghan prepared. It was delicious and I thought it a fitting end to our day, but the evening had more excitement in store for us. The ducks began chirping inside their eggs. The process of them exiting their eggs and entering our world has begun. So exciting! This can take a day or two before the ducklings completely emerge or as little as a few hours! I can't help but check them every few minutes to see if they have begun pipping through the eggs hard shell with their egg teeth yet. Thus far, they are rocking, but that is all.

I raised the humidity to 70 percent by adding more warm water to the basin below them. This will help the shell membranes to remain soft enough for the little guys to free themselves. It is difficult to just watch and wait, but that is all I can do for now.

Our delight at the thought that we might have our ducklings before morning overshadows all the work accomplished today. But since, I need something to do to occupy my hands and mind, I will tell you about our day, anyway. Or, at least of our achievements:

1. Sean was able to finish the roof for the chicken coop and it looks wonderful! Just perfect! I am so proud and happy that this was able to get done today. I know our girls appreciate it, too. Bring on the rain now, the chickens are ready!

2. Sean and Aidan emptied boxes of superfluous items taking up valuable room in the wood shed and consigned them to the bonfire we had crackling and ready. Meaghan, Kristen, and I, with help from our friends, Aidan and Cherie, loaded and stacked five wagons full of wood in the newly acquired space in the wood shed.

3. I wrote up the information and forms for our Egg Share CSA. I couldn't help but candle the duck eggs to show Cherie and Aidan the progress of the ducks. We heard them tapping inside the eggs. Then, Cherie and I heard the ducks chirp inside the eggs!

4. Sean built a new milking stand. It looks wonderful. We couldn't help take it for a "test drive." I sanitized all the milking equipment, made a cleaning solution to sanitize Ellie's teats. Sean lead Ellie to the stand and she jumped up all on her own! She knew what was what. At least one of us did! I washed her udder with a warm cloth, dried it with a clean cloth, then dipped each teat into the solution and let it dry, while Sean washed and sanitized his hands. Careful, not to touch anything but Ellie, Sean set to work milking. Before we collected milk for our own usage, Sean squirted 5 streams of milk into a waste bowl for the cats to clear the teat of any bacteria or clots in the milk. Then, he started collecting the milk for us in a stainless steel bowl. While Sean was busy milking, I stood with Ellie at her head, talking to her, petting her and watching her enjoy an additional treat of grain today. We did not collect much tonight, but with practice, we'll do better in the days to come! I strained the milk through a clean cloth into a sanitized mason jar and washed the milking equipment. The jar was immediately placed into the refrigerator. We'll add to it in the days to come. I can't wait to begin making cheese!

We did not get to work on the new pig pen today, but there will be time for that tomorrow. I consider this day a success.

Good night, friends!

Sonja ♥

Morning Musings

Even with the alarm set to 7am, in an effort to "sleep in" a little this morning, my natural clock has me awake by 5 am. I laid in bed, awake, but thankful for the shared body heat trapped in a cocoon of down quilts and blankets. It is a marked contrast to the chilliness of our room, with its window open, letting in the coolness from the night before. The dawn is starting to break and the sky is lightening. As if on cue, the roosters begin their cacophony of "Cock A Doodle Dos!" emphatic that everyone be as awake as they are. I am not ready to be awake yet. I'd rather go back to sleep. Instead, I read in a book from my night stand and listen to the soft sounds of Sean's breathing. At least, one of us is enjoying some more time dreaming. I don't begrudge him his rest. He is certain to need it for our planned work day around the farm today.

Our last Saturday was a blur of activity which produced very little accomplishment. Today, should be much better. The roof to the chicken coop has been weighing heavily on our shoulders. We will both rest much better with it finished. Then, Sean is going to built a new milk stand from a design in one of my books. I am very excited about this. The goat kids are already 6 weeks old, and we have yet to milk Ellie with any effort to regularity or use the little milk we have gotten.With the addition of the milk stand, that changes today.

A small bonfire to burn more of the construction debris and broken wooden furniture stored in the wood shed will help to clean out unusable things and make room for stacking the rest of the 2 cords of new cut wood living currently on the front lawn. And provide a space to keep the riding lawn mower under cover when it is not in use, instead of stored under its tarp.

Then, it is time to finish adding rails to the new pig yard and to move the pigs down to their new home. They are going to love their new digs with its 8 ft x 8 ft building and its 625 square footage of yard for them to dig up and sun bathe in. Their new home is getting fresh siding of cedar shingles later this summer and a brand new door, but I don't think they will mind the construction noise, too much.

If all that gets finished, we may have time to reconfigure the hen yard and add the last two 15 ft fencing units to expand the size of the chicken and duck yards. That should not be a very difficult project in terms of time or strength and will be a nice ending to an honest day of work.

Sean's alarm is going off, signalling that it is time for us to pull our lazy bones from this bed and get cracking on our day.

I hope you all enjoy the sun!
Sonja ♥

There's Never Any Shortage of Things To Do!

Unlike Saturday's LONG day of accomplishing very little, today has been a whirl wind of industriousness!

The day started with candling the duck eggs living in our incubator. We also checked three random chicken eggs in the incubator and we saw tell tale "spiders" inside all three eggs! (These resembled #3 in the illustration to the right.) We will candle all the eggs on Sunday and remove any that are not growing by then. Sean headed out the door to his work. That accomplished, I started the 2nd load of laundry and then, settled into the morning's animal chores. I fed the chickens and ducks, goats, & horse. Sean watered all the critters. 

In my egg collection round, I got 12 eggs this morning before 10am! When I checked later in the day, I found 4 more chicken eggs and several duck eggs. The duck egg production seems to have suffered since several of our ducks decided to live with the pigs instead of the chickens last week. I am worried that our porcine residents are enjoying an addition to their diets as a result. This means, that since the weather has truly broken here in Maine, our piggies are just about ready to move to their Spring/Summer/Fall home, down over the hill in the back yard. I am sure they will enjoy their new neighbor "Backyard Bunny" very much. Mental note to add that to our chore list for this weekend, if we get the other chores finished.

My long path to the wood stack.

After I washed the eggs and refrigerated them, I headed back outside to start mowing the front lawn. In an effort to be more efficient, I mowed in a very large pattern. My trail allowed me to load the lawn mower trailer full of cut fire wood from the front of the house and mow all the way to the back yard. I stopped briefly to unload the trailer cargo of wood near its new home before mowing down through the rows of grapes beginning to come alive for the season at the far side of the house and around to the front wood pile again. I took 3 trips total this morning before I cut the lawn far enough that getting wood was out of my mowing path. It is not much, but I added another 100 pieces of wood to the wood shed in this manner. Then, I finished mowing the front yard and returned to finish the back forty. The front lawn is looking very nice, with the exception of the bits needing the weed-whackers attention around the edges. The back lawn is looking a bit ragged, since this is the first time through with the mower. After my next round in a couple of days, it will start to green up more and look much better. The black flies were not biting while I was mowing; I was very pleased with that.

Pig pen partially fenced. Bunny yard in background.
Lawn NEEDING to be mowed!

When Sean returned from work today, he checked the fresh water for the animals, adjusted a fence in the goat pasture, moved Jasmine to a new fenced in area to help with my mowing responsibilities around the pond, and then, started working on the chicken coop roof. It looks hopeful that the roof will be finished by tomorrow morning at this rate, which is good news for everyone. The hens will enjoy their water-tight home and we will enjoy not needing to change muddy, soggy litter after each small shower that passes through.

Since Sean did not require my help with the roof, I decided to make myself busy by attempting to mow the fruit tree area. I may start calling it our orchard in future writings. In truth, we planted a variety of seven fruit trees 2 years ago in a nice area near the horse paddock, but as the largest of these is only 5 feet tall, having a real orchard is still very much in the dreaming phase. I was able to get about half way through this task before I was reprieved with the untimely breaking of the lawn mower drive belt (again!). Even mowing slowly and carefully, cutting grass that is already growing a foot tall is hard on the equipment. Once, we initially tame the areas, though, we should have no trouble keeping them to a manageable height.

It is my hope that we will be able to add to our fruit trees this year. At present we have 2 pear trees, 2 plum trees, 2 cherry trees, and 1 peach tree planted. I would like to add another peach tree and 2 apple trees to the mix. It is nice to think of the future day when we will be able to pick and eat the fruits of our plantings. I can easily picture the making of various pies, jams, and other goodies future Sonja will bake. If that dream is to become a reality, we are going to need to replant 2 of our existing trees to a higher level and add a top coat of compost to each tree base. More work for another day.

For today, it is enough. What this tired couple needs is food, snuggle time, and a good night's rest. Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to sign in on our member page or drop us a note; we love hearing from you!

Goodnight friends,

Sonja ♥

"Death from Above!" Video of Hens Roosting

At night, the ladies put themselves to bed in the highest point available to them, which happens to be the rafters of their coop. It is both really cute and a little creepy to walk in at dusk and look up to see them all staring down at you!

Also, it can be dangerous to your personal cleanliness. Thus far, I have avoided this nasty disagreeable situation. Sadly, Sean cannot say the same.

Sonja ♥

Chickens Enjoying a Dirt Bath: Video (May 13)

I couldn't help it. I had to take some footage of this.

The hens have dug out the corner of their yard, inconveniently in the way of the entrance gate. When the weather is dry, they pile into the hole, fluff up their feathers and wash themselves with the dry dirt. They never understand the concept of when the hole is full and often pile all together, squawking loudly as a hen occasionally gets dislodged from the best spot.

Buff Orpington has a magnificent red comb & wattle.

Since I was already attempting to video this, I thought to attempt to capture a good representative picture of each breed of chicken currently kept at our farm. Photographing chickens is not an easy task! They are clever, fast, and disinclined to sit still or remain looking at the camera for even a second!

Buff Orpington (back) Americauna (front)

Buffy had already enjoyed her dirt bath for the day and was busily preening her feathers into place when I caught this picture on Saturday.

Americauna Hen

Our Americauna named Jovi was the most difficult of the hens to photograph. She is extremely skittish of humans. Still fairly young at nearly 10 months old, we are hopeful that in time, she might settle and at least, tolerate human attention. At the moment, she prefers to be "hands off!" Besides the beautiful blue eggs she lays, I love her striking brown and black plumage. We have two of her eggs in the incubator just now. I sure hope they are fertile and hatch!

Black Sex Link or Black Rock

Black Sex Links or Black Rocks are a crossbred between two breeds of chicken, wherein you can tell the male chicks from the female chicks at hatching because of their difference in coloring. There are many, Many, MANY combinations that produce these useful hens. I think the black hen on the left with the lovely brownish-red feathers on her breast are quite lovely. She lays medium sized brown eggs nearly daily because as one of last year's chicks, she is still young. Sean wanted to name her, "Newt." but I was not convinced as that name did not resonate with me. Instead, I call her Penny.  

Australorp Hen

You can compare the Black Sex Link chicken above with the Black Australorp Hen on the right. In contrast to the multi colored feathers of the Sex Link, the Australorp is completely black. The comb, wattle, and red around the eyes also differ. The Australorp hens are very friendly. They will settle onto my lap or Sean's arms and allow themselves to be petted. In the sun, their feathers are so black that they appear an almost iridescent quality to them. These are some of my favorite hens.

Barred Rock Hen

The Barred Rock above is named Emma. She is a lovely, old fashioned type of breed, very gentle with the other hens and doesn't often get involved in any "pecking order" disputes, preferring to scratch the afternoon away looking for bugs. I love her variegated feathers. Emma lays smallish almost round eggs. She is a slightly older hen and doesn't lay each day, but no matter, she is a

beauty.

I still have yet to capture good pictures of a Rhode Island Red, a Lacey Wyandotte, and a Buff Cochin. I will continue to try and post them when I get some!

Have a great day!

Sonja ♥

Hurry Up... And Wait!

Hurry Up and Wait seems to be the name of the game for us today. The rain (finally!) cleared out to give us beautiful sunny skies. Even with the wind picking up, which disallowed us the possibility of the small bonfire I was hoping for, it promised to be a good day for working. We had an orderly list for this Saturday's work, with (maybe) some odds and ends to finish up on Sunday afternoon. It looked like this: 1) feed and water the animals. 2) feed ourselves. 3) pick up some peppers and new soil for the raised garden beds. 4) get the riding mower started. 5) Sonja mow and Sean roof the chicken coop 6) burn the things in the burn pile while these activities are taking place. 7) build some "A" frames for our peas 8) get the peppers, peas, onions, & carrots planted. Somewhere around item number 4, things fell apart. It is now 3:00 pm and so far, we have done a lot, but accomplished nearly nothing!

While Sean switched out tires to the "new" old riding lawn mower in the hopes that I could mow, at least, the back yard today, I cleared out the dead foliage from one of the large planters by the deck steps and replanted some pretty flowers in it. That accomplished, I walked the back yard for any items that needed moving before I could attempt to mow; among these were several 12 foot 2x6 lengths of wood, a few 12x12 landscaping tile pieces, and some metal clips which belong to the chain link fencing. These I put away in their respective homes. Once the tires were finished, we next needed to start the mower, which... did... not... work. Sean tried his battery charger and also to jump start the battery, but no success. It looks like we may need a new battery.

While Sean was valiantly trying his best to get the mower started to the taunting sound of one of our neighbors out mowing his lawn, I checked the incubator temperature and moisture content. I researched the logistics of moving the duckling eggs inside to finish our their hatching. I also brought the containers of patio tomatoes to our deck, along with six 6-packs of sweet and hot peppers and watered all of the tomatoes we are growing. We have ten 6-packs of these, all needing to be replanted, already! Visions of delicious homemade salsa, marinara sauce, and boursin stuffed grape tomatoes make me excited for  the day when the fruits of our labors are realized and the cooking and preserving begin! But, that will be a story for another day.

One of the things on our mind for this weekend, was to try to solve the problem of the duckling egg nest living inside the pig enclosure. We've been debating the "pros" and "cons" of waiting for the eggs to hatch to take the baby ducklings inside with us until they fledge versus leaving them in the nest to be cared for by their Momma. We are concerned about the possibility of the ducklings hatching and getting promptly eaten by Patches, Ebony, a field rat, or some other predator. Another problem of letting the eggs remain as they are, is that the baby ducklings will be small enough to roam outside the chain fencing, but Momma duck, isn't. Naturally raised ducklings will also, by nature, be less friendly to human contact and more difficult to catch, ducks being a rather skittish sort. We also discovered at least one egg that may have a dead duckling inside, already. (It strongly resembles one of the pictures posted online of an egg that began developing, and then, died. This particular egg is also slightly cracked on the surface.) In the "Pro" column of leaving the eggs with Momma Duck, we won't run the risk of the incubator malfunctioning and all the eggs not hatching properly. It would be just terrible for the baby ducklings to die inside their eggs, unable to hatch and that sad outcome IS a real possibility. Many people online seemed to agree that keeping ducks with the pigs would be disastrous to the ducklings. So, we are going to move them to the incubator, watch them, and HOPE we did the right thing!

As I write this, Sean has gone to Bucksport to bring the bags of soil we need to top off the raised beds in the front of the house. I declined to go along. I am watching the empty incubator's temperature and humidity level... and writing this. When Sean returns, we MUST pause on the lawn mower and START the roof for the chickens. Right now, it looks like planting will be saved for Sunday, after all.

It is now 6 pm. The lawn mower has a new battery living in it and has had it's belts checked, engine compartment opened, spark plug sanded, gas and oil levels checked, and various other things done to it. It wants to turn over, but the diagnosis is that the spark plug is bad and needs replacing. This late, the local store is closed, though. So, maybe tomorrow after the meeting and before our volunteer work begins. Sean is putting the machine back together and picking up his scattered tools from the ground around it.

Kristen and Meaghan just returned home from their Dad's house. Meaghan and I went to retrieve the duck eggs from Momma Duck to inspect the eggs and place any that seemed viable into the incubator. I guesss whether we are doing the right thing or not, is moot at this point. We discovered that since this morning, when we counted the eggs while Momma Duck was eating, something stole 5 eggs from the nest; 2 chicken eggs and 3 duck eggs! The only viable suspects to this horrible deed are the pigs or a rat. We left the lone chicken egg and the cracked duck egg in the nest. Momma seemed to appreciate it and settled back into sitting on them. We'll still watch the duck egg for any sign of hatching, but it seems unlikely.

I did get 2 of the 7 front raised garden beds weeded and fresh compost added and mixed into the beds in anticipation for some peppers to be planted therein. And, Sean is now ready for my help with his roofing of the chicken coop. Kristen and Meaghan ate at their father's house, but, at some point, lunch or dinner must be gotten for Sean and I, I think.

I hope you have all taken advantage of the day and its sunshine!
Sonja ♥