busy spring days

I love spring … but I do wish it came with extra hours to get everything done! For the first time in a month, the brooder room is empty. The last chicks (for now) went to their new home this morning. There are ducks set to hatch on Sunday and Monday, as well as some [...]

babies, babies, everywhere!

We’ve received word from the vet that a form of sinusitis was at least partly to blame for our poultry losses last month. While relieved to know something, it’s hard not to feel impatient to learn what the missing pieces of the puzzle are. In any case, the chickens continue to recover, put on weight, [...]

my silly geese

This morning while Pip was busy making the perfect nest (that she’ll later walk away from, leaving the egg with nothing more than a thin layer of straw over it for protection): Priscilla was giving Sprott a makeover. True to the adage that boys’ hair is always nicer than girls’ hair, Sprott has thick, soft [...]

some new faces

Brr! Time for a sunbath! It was in the low 20′s this morning, making chores a bit hard on my fingers and toes. Brrr. But in the house, some of our smaller friends were enjoying the extra warmth of their heat lamp – our “miracle Marans” are enjoying their first experience with chick starter, as [...]

the three Rs

We got our Christmas tree a little earlier than usual this holiday, and left it up a little longer … I was making jokes about turning it into a Valentine’s tree. But I knew all along where the tree would go when we were finished with it this year – out to the barnyard! The [...]

my morning in the barnyard

We’ve had a lot of rain – I should’ve taken a picture that shows how high up my boots the mud now reaches – and it’s been a busy time, so I haven’t spent as much time with the animals as I would like to. This morning, I could finally remedy that situation. When I [...]

where, oh where does the time go?

(and how can I slow it down?) Flying through October … so much to do and so little time, but it is (mostly) a joyous sort of rushing. Despite heavy rains, drastic temperature changes, and strong winds, everyone in the barn remains in good health. We lost one stubborn Plymouth Barred Rock hen last week [...]

when even I succumb to gender clichés

I don’t know how many times I’ve cringed at the jokes about how you should never send a woman shopping because she’ll come home with (1) something entirely different from what she set out for or (2) several times more of everything than she actually needs. You know, like the woman who went out for [...]

we didn’t christen it with champagne

But the fence was open for use yesterday – which, coincidentally, was also my birthday. I felt a little guilty about opening the door for the animals without Tigger, Lauren and David present because they did all the really hard work – but neither did I want to delay the animals’ use of their new [...]

catching up? oh, puh-leeze!

Last week saw me busy trying to organize the fence – determining the layout, measuring the perimeter, getting Tigger here with the cedar stakes, ordering the fencing … all with it raining day after day. The fencing arrived – or at least 2/3 of it did. They “forgot” the other roll, which will now be [...]