Surprise!

I have so much to write, but I also have other things that need my attention, too. For now, I leave you with this dose of WONDERFUL and a promise that I will buy out the time later to write a a proper post with pictures, explainations of the new names, meanings, weights and all the important things.

Enjoy!



Sonja ♥

Chick Photo Shoot

I love new chicks. I love the peep, peep, peep sounds they make. I love how they are awake one second and sound asleep the next. I love to cuddle their fluffy goodness. Smack in the middle of doing the work I was supposed to accomplish today, I had the unquenchable urge to take pictures of the little balls of fluff.

Since they bring me such joy, I want to share them with you, too. I dare you not to "awwwwww".

 

After a few minutes of posing, a rest was in order.



Thanks for visiting!
Sonja ♥

 

New Additions and More to Come~

When Sean and I gave the coop a good clean out a few days ago, several things came to light. One of them being that a couple of our ducklings have gone broody. This is good news since we want to hatch some ducklings to sell at this year's farm swap at the Tractor Supply Company (TSC) in Bangor, Maine. Another revelation was that the fencing was due for some repairs; winter had taken a toll on the chain panels we use. Most surprisingly, was the discovery of an additional 3 roosters in with the hens- no spurs yet, small, and previously crow-less, we had hoped that we'd separated all the lads that needed re-homing about a month ago. If their "interest" in the hens was not a clear give-away, the new ability to crow was. Ugggh. Did we hatch out nearly entire clutches of roos??? Shouldn't it, at least statistically, be a 50/50 ratio??? Adding to the insult, these roosters were ALL Cochins; 2 partridge colored and the gorgeous little copper one I was so pleased with hatching. Let's do the math. That makes a total of 11 roosters living in separate quarters awaiting sale, re-homing, or a soup pot plus our 4 breeding boys; Aloysius, Ruffeo, Sebastian, and Cooper, AND 3 more Cochin roos! 18 Roosters!!! Which means, considering the hens that are "retired" and the gang of 14 roosters all NOT laying eggs, we are down to only 30 or so hens a laying. We did not like those numbers.

Though I prefer to purchase chicks from local farms, I wanted chicks immediately; I was "jonesing" for a chick fix- STAT! Which is why I started to call around to our local TSC to see if their chicks were in yet. Being in Maine, local is relative. I checked Ellsworth, Bangor and when neither of these had chicks, I also called our local feed stores. Chicks are expected, but no one had them in-store. I planned to head into Belfast for some other errands, so I popped into Yknot Farms on Route 3. where we purchased our Wyandottes a couple years ago. I was in business, not only did they have chicks, but they had some 10 day old, Rhode Island Red, pullets. I bought 5 for $20 and happily brought them home.

I want to breed some black and white speckled Cochins this year. I plan on breeding Cooper with our 4 Lacey Wyandotte hens and 3 Barred Rock hens to see what comes of that. I ordered 6 Black Copper Marans chicks from Muddy Hoof Farm and will get those at the first chicken swap in April. The new Copper Marans and our Americauna hens will be bred with Sebastian to create more Americaunas and "Olive Eggers" for next year. Aloysius will cover our Cochin hens. And, that leaves Rufeo to remain in the main yard with the Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, and Australorpe hens- which we will use exclusively for collecting eating eggs.

So, with all these plans in the back of my mind, we purchased our first chicks of the year. We will need to purchase some additional Cochin pullets, too- because we have 3 less than we thought!

Since the ducks and geese have obliged us with eggs at a steady rate, we borrowed an incubator and set some eggs. We are trying a little experiment. We set 24 duck eggs in the incubator along with 8 geese eggs. The remainder of the eggs collected over the last week were placed back into the duck nest in the coop- 10 in all. Our experiment is two-fold. First, we want to compare the hatch rate between the incubator and what the ducks hatch out. Last year, we let a duck go broody, but her eggs disappeared from her nest until we rescued the final 2 and finished hatching them inside. We are hoping for better results this time around. Secondly, it is cold still. Today was only in the 30's outside with a steady wind. I am curious to see if the eggs are viable so early in the season or if the cold impedes them from developing. We'll candle the eggs in the incubator next weekend to see if any have developed. If broody duck cooperates and sits on the clutch we gave her, we'll attempt to candle some of those, too, to compare. I am interested and hopeful. It would be great to have a couple dozen ducklings to bring to the TSC "Chicken Swap".

Our goats are still pregnant and growing those kids! Ruby has gotten HUGE in size and ungainly with it. Her greatly enlarged udder is producing milk in anticipation of kidding, but when that will happen is any one's guess. Sean felt the kid(s) moving this morning, but there are no clear signs of impending kidding. Leah and Rachel are both smaller in girth than Ruby. We think they are several weeks behind her and won't kid until next month. But, who are we kidding? We do NOT have this down yet. I am just happy they are showing all the sign of radiant, impending motherhood; fat bellies, shiny coats, enlarging udders and good appetites. And, that I have my kidding supplies ready to hand, just in case.

An unexpected and pleasant addition to our homestead is Jane. We heard through a friend about a 3 year old, French Alpine doe in need of a permanent home. Sean called the owner to discuss the situation and then drove to check her out after work on Monday. She is lovely. Jane looks very much like our Oberhausli, except her coat is longer, her head is slightly different in shape and she has a wicked set of horns! Sean checked her eyelids for color, nose and tail end for discharge(s), her stance, hooves, and overall appearance among other things. Jane was a pet doe and thus is wonderfully friendly. She walks on a leash better than our dogs! She birthed a single kid last year and was milked a little. All in all, she was a great find. Sometimes "free" is code for a "very costly vet bill in the making". This did not seem to be the case with Jane and we decided to take her. She is in isolation for a little while until we make certain that she is not carrying anything nasty that could impact our herd, but I have every expectation of her being a great addition for us.

That is what is going on in our corner of the world this week. In addition to animal gains, we got started with planting some 6 packs of tomatoes. I worked on creating additional mosaic eggshell jewelry pieces and I tried my hand at sewing some grain bag totes. I prefer making our jewelry, soaps, and scents, to be honest, but the totes came out decently and will certainly be more useful in this form than taking up space in the "milk room". And, if I can sell them, all the better!

Thanks for visiting with us today, friends. We're glad for the company.
Sean and Sonja ♥

What's New???

I wanted to be productive yesterday, but I wasn't. Instead, I went to bed early with some strong pain medicines to attempt to sleep off the Migraine I had been fighting for 2 days straight- uggghh. Not good. Tucked into the recesses of my mind lay the inviting thought of "sleeping in"this morning and wakening to a quiet home in which to putter about and "work" on some pieces for our Etsy shop. Instead, at precisely 6:36 am, I woke to thump, thump, thump... knock, knock, knock... and the ever-dreaded, anxious cry of, "We missed the bus!" A fraction of my brain engaged, considered the unenviable task of dressing and then driving 40 minutes (round trip) to drop my teens at their schoolhouse for a few nano-seconds, and decided, "You're staying home today." As much as I love my daughters (and I do with all my heart), the shattering illusion of my quiet day home was almost more than I could handle. I fell in love all over again when Sean said, "I'll take them to catch the bus. Go back to sleep." No lovelier words had ever been uttered in all of human history.

Of course, once awakened, sleep alluded me. At least my Migraine was reduced to a dull ache- much more manageable! Rather than lay in bed, awake, I dressed and went upstairs, ready to help Sean with the morning's chores. We took care of our routine haying, graining, and watering of the hungry hordes. Everyone looked in good health and fine spirits, despite the rain that threatened.

As, we collected the morning's eggs, I noticed one of the Mallards has gone broody in the corner of the chicken coop. Poorly placed, her backside was splattered with chicken droppings. I added Sean attaching a wooden guard to cover her area to my list of things to do today. Sean assured me it would be a relatively quick and easy thing to cut a board to fit over her nest, giving her some privacy and protection. Once that is handled tonight, I will return 10 of the duck eggs we've been collecting to her nest and we'll see what happens!

Chores completed and plans for the evening firmed up, Sean headed off to work and I began my day. First, I settled some housework that needed my attention. Then, it was time to tackle some projects that needed doing. These included:

 

Inoculating milk to make a fresh batch of cheese.

 

Starting seeds of 5 non-GMO, organic varieties of tomatoes. We planted 12 each of Soldaki, Hogheart Paste, Amish Paste, Heinz Paste and Cherry tomatoes today.

 

Additionally, I took some pictures of my latest eggshell art projects, updated the look of our blog,and attempted to sew my first grain-bag tote. That was a little rough, as my sewing skills are rusty, but the project is coming along and I certainly learned a few things not to do! I'll post more about the tote bags later. For today, I want to share some images with you of the wooden eggs I created over the weekend.

Crimson Mosaic Goose Egg & Teal and Cimarron Blue Mosaic Egg
 

Look carefully to see how the shades of teal change to cimarron and then to
 marine blue. The bottom is painted marine blue, signed and numbered.

 

Teal, Cimmaron, & Marine Blue Mosaic Egg next to our
fresh hens' eggs. ♥

Crimson Mosaic Goose Egg next to our fresh goose egg. ♥

I use the same technique to create these unique Mosaic Eggs as I do our custom jewelry pieces. First, I have to boil our hen's eggshells and peel both membrane layers from the inside of the eggs. These must dry overnight. Once they are ready, I use a quality glue to carefully mosaic the eggshells to the outside of the birch wood form. This must dry completely before I begin the multi-layered process of painting with watercolors and sealing each egg with glaze. From start to finish, it takes about 2 days to create each egg.

I am very pleased with the results. Each egg is hand painted with water-colors I mix specifically for that individual egg. No two will ever be exactly alike. Also, I personally sign and number each one.

You can use them to decorate your home for Spring, place one as an interesting paper-weight for your farm fabulous desk, or group them for a stunning county chic table centerpiece. I am betting you creative readers can think of several other ways to display one or more of them in your home or office. ♥

Our Mosaic eggs will be available for purchase shortly on our Etsy shop and listed with full details as to exact sizes, weight, and colors available and of course, we'll have more images! Come on over to browse our selection of items.

Remember, if you use the code: FARMCHICK, you'll receive 10% discount on any of our hand crafted goodies until March 31, 2013.


Sean just called and he is on his way to pick up a new addition for our homestead. We received a call yesterday about an animal needing a home. After talking with the owner and asking some questions, it seems like we might be a good fit. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag just yet, but if this new creature does come to live with us, I will spend some time taking pictures and posting about it tomorrow. Anyone care to guess what it could be???

Thanks for stopping in for a visit today, friends. We're glad you came.
Sean and Sonja ♥

Also shared with: the-backyard-farming-connection-hop-23 &

 

Inspirations and misplaced memories

Sean here.

     For those of us who choose the seemingly never-ending uphill battle that IS a farming life, it is probably a good idea to look back every once and again at where this desire really originated in the first place.  Yes, yes, we all wish to know where our food comes from and avoid GMO's and save the environment and the joy of working the land and ladidadidadida......and I'm OF COURSE not putting any of these reasons down. All excellent justifications for breaking one's back and bank account; howsoever, many of us could probably jump into our way-back-machine and discover that our desire to "live on a farm" reaches into our roots of mental development.  Back when we were bodies of energy and skulls full of mush, this idea was implanted.  Thus, it has always been sitting there, deep in the back, while we lived out our normal, boring, non-farming lives, waiting for a chance to leap out at us again, full of teeth and adventure.  It grips us with a tenaciousness that will not be sated by any sort of ration or reason because there's no grown-ups to tell us, "Sean, we don't have the land to have a farm", or "Sean, chickens are smelly and where would we keep them?" or even "Sean, goats can't just live in the basement you know..." Au contraire.

     I spent the majority of my first decade of life in a little spit of a town named Waldo, Maine.  And don't even try, I've heard it all my life.  If you need to ask "Where's Waldo?" check google maps.  Smartalec.  In a little house in the woods,  I had it all.  Acres of dark forest to explore, a local pond to catch bullfrogs, and a Nintendo Entertainment System when the weather wasn't aggreeable to either exploring or bullfrogging.  However, in my six to nine-year-old (skull of mush) brain, it was nothing compared to my friend Billy's homelife.  Because Billy "lived on a farm."  One with all the bells and whistles.  Barn, silos, tractors, hay lofts, sharp pointy implements that could skewer you at any moment - a young boy's Xanadu.  Every chance I had, I would be over at Billy's place.  Weaving amongst the cows, burrowing through the hay, chasing the chickens through the yard -  this was the life I was meant for.  Of course, Billy, knowing the Truth of "living on a farm" that being that no one just LIVES on a farm, sought out every opportunity to come to my boring old non-farm house to play on my NES.  Why is it that children are typically so desirous of a change to their daily routine, where as adults, a small change can lead some to a nervous breakdown?  That sense of discovery and adventure in children sometimes transfers over to a nastier adult situation called "wanting what we can't have."  And it's a much less desirable trait after the bloom of youth has passed.

     This, I believe was my first conscious exposure to the lure of the farm.  It was not the last though.  Through the years, whenever it was encountered in the wild through a random barn on the side of the road or the unsmistakeable smell of a cowfield, that farming memory would awaken and tweak the rest of my brain.  Not a big tweak, but just enough to let me know that the child inside of me that still didn't want to listen to reason was still alive and kicking.  And he wanted to chase chickens again.

Also shared at:
the-backyard-farming-connection-hop-23

Black Fox Homestead Home Acre Hop

Coop Hop #4

Bath Time for Geese

As self-serving as it is, one of the things I love the most about our pair of China Buff geese is that they still like to be with me. When the weather cooperates, which has not been frequently, I can loose them from their yard. Dutifully, they follow me to the flooded part of the lawn to get their "bath". (We are hopeful to have the money to have a proper pond dug for them in later summer or early in the fall.) Not as friendly as the goats or chickens, our geese will stay in close proximity to me. They like me to be within 10-15 feet of where they are. When I get further than that, they begin honking and tag along to wherever I am heading. If I want them to follow me, I just begin walking away. I can get close enough to touch them, but they prefer if I merely keep them company and keep my hands to myself. They tolerate my picking them up, but they certainly do not like it.

 

 At bath time, our geese dunk their heads to wet them. They slosh water down over their backs, wetting their feathers. Then, it is time to preen each feather into place. Once preening is complete to their satisfaction, they open their wings and flap madly to dry themselves.

It is a little sad that our geese do not know they can fly. They have never really tried to and we have never clipped their wings. Once last summer, Caitlin took off running towards me, caught some lift and managed what amounted to a very long leap across the back yard. She managed to get about 5 feet into the air. She looked as startled as I did. We watched to see would they continue, but flight was abandoned for policing the other yard occupants.

 

Can you tell them apart? Justin's bill has a bright, orange nub on the top of his. Caitlin's bill is smaller and colored black. Justin is slightly heavier than Caitlin, too. Caitlin's more vocal of the two. If there is any doubt who is who, Justin will be the one with his neck straight out, hissing, and charging towards Sean or any unsuspecting stranger nearing his nesting site.

Which do you think is which?

Thanks for visiting us tonight.
Sean and Sonja ♥

Also shared with: Black Fox Homestead: The homeacre-hop

Miss Orpington Returns Home

We still have snow covering the ground, but Miss Orpington has been doing so well inside over the past couple of weeks, that Sean and I decided that the time had come to return her to home in the coop.

 













In preparation, we fed all the chickens an extra ration of food in the early evening, very close to roost time. The additional feeding helped to keep the other hens, roosters, ducks, and geese occupied with something other than asserting their place in the "pecking order." And, adding new chicks or reintegrating birds into the flock in the evening, just as they want to roost, cuts down on the amount of time they have to pick at each other, since their instincts are telling them to find a place to sleep for the night. It has been our experience that come morning, the newbies are accepted into the flock with a minimal amount of fuss.

And, so it was with Miss O. She returned home without any drama.