farm

March 1, 2014

Spring Is In The Air Again

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More babies!!  Steve, my husband, bought me an incubator last month. We are striving to become more self-sufficient, so why not hatch our own chicks? Many chickens are not broody. Most of ours are young, 1st year hens and I just don’t trust their mothering instincts. We have an assortment of Australorp, Americauna and Buff Orpington hens, and an even larger assortment of Blue Copper Maran roosters, an Americauna rooster who live in the chicken coop and an Australorp rooster and a New Hampshire Red Rooster who live in the barn with their respective barred rock and buff Orpington hens. We have another Copper Maran rooster and his lovely Australorp hen who have decided to take residence under the back deck. They love to sit on the back steps and gaze at the stars at night. He’s such a romantic. That will be changed as soon as I can catch them, clip their wings and re-deposit them in the chicken run again.  

Last week, I opened the incubator to find 2 chicks, one soft, fuzzy black feathered imp and the other, a tiny reddish blonde wet blob, just finishing it’s emergence.  Fortunately I was able to capture most of the blonde chick’s hatching on film. There’s nothing sweeter than seeing new life come into the world.

We’ve since added turkey eggs (from our Bronze turkey) only because the cannibalistic chickens raided and broke the first clutch of turkey eggs, and yesterday, my husband brought in two palm sized eggs from the white pilgrim geese. I asked him to please leave these eggs alone, unless the chickens were bothering them. Most geese (and ducks for that matter) will lay their entire clutch before sitting. He wasn’t sure, so brought these two eggs into the house to be added to the incubator population. Geese will take about 30 days from egg to hatching. I’ve marked the lay date on each of the eggs with a pencil so that we’ll know about when to expect the hatchling to arrive. Since we’ve so many different type of eggs in there now, on each egg is also listed the expected hatch date…about 21 days for chickens, 30 days for geese and 28 days for the turkeys. Next month, hoping that they are fertile and we have a good hatch rate, I should have more pictures to share with you.

We’re so looking forward to spring on the farm!!

                                                                    

 

                                                                                                      

 

 

 

December 5, 2013

Baby’s 2nd Snow

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This is my Baby Kitty. Actually, she’s one of 10 living here at the farm. Until last week, we only had 9, but we inherited someone’s cast-off kitty. I will feed that one and love it, just the same as all the others. Hopefully that little tan colored youngster will, in time, let us hold it or pet it. Right now, it’s painfully shy.

Baby is just a little over a year old. Last year, she was newborn and really didn’t care about snow, or being outside, or anything much other than her mama’s warm fur and constant flow of milk. She shared her mom with 3 siblings. We also adopted Baby’s sister, Martha.

Baby is unlike any cat we’ve ever had. She has a personality, that I swear, is half human. She is a talker. Some of ours are silent, this one is extremely vocal. She has haunting looks, piercing looks, sweet loveable looks, feed me looks, and one that there is no mistaking for anything other than sheer contempt for whatever it is that’s ailing her at the moment. She has never failed to let us know when she wants attention, or does not want us to even look at her. That’s right. There are times when we can glance in her direction and she will snarl, growl, or wag her tail in a mean manner, promptly get up and leave the room. If we laugh, there are no vocal tones, she will leave our company in a mad hurry. Do not laugh at Baby, do not tell her no she knows what that human word is and does not like it. No one puts Baby in a corner.

We have a nightly ritual. My husband will gather the two housecats, bring them into our room. I think he thinks we have our own private foot warmers on the bed. It’s gotten to be such a routine, that I actually miss them when I’m away. But, bring in Baby, she will growl, grow wide eyed like her eyes are going to pop out of her head, we do all we can not to laugh because it only enrages her more. Let her out of our arms, and she’s off and gone like a wild cat, only to return 5 minutes later, purring, looking at you with half-closed eyes, and has her happy tail wag. (those of you who are cat lovers will know what I mean). Going to bed has to be on her own terms, not ours. It doesn’t take long, it just has to be of her own free will.

Since we had her spayed (we have all our cats spayed or neutered as soon as possible), we have 2 younger cats whom Baby has adopted as her own. When their mother first gave birth to the boys, Baby couldn’t stand the sight of them. Hiss, spit, snarl. It didn’t take long until she decided that since they were going to stay, she might as well use them for play toys. And that, she’s done. She is the one who taught them to bypass the couch in 1 leaping bounce or how to hide behind curtains. She’s taught them to hunt feathers that mysteriously appear from the bottom of the bird’s cages. She taught them to roll with her in a huge fur ball around the front room floor. Now, that she is Aunt Baby, she loves and protects the boys from the other cats. Funny how time changes the most hardened feline into one of a gentle nature.

Don’t get me wrong, Baby isn’t a monster baby, she’s mama’s baby. She wouldn’t mind being an only cat, but that probably won’t happen in her lifetime. We’ve learned to give her special moments and that keeps her satisfied. She loves looking out of the windows. Tonight, she actually saw her first snow (at least one that she recognized as being something different). I caught her behind the aloe plant, couldn’t get a clearer shot of her, but the one above speaks for itself. I almost wish I’d had the camera on video because she was turning her head from side to side, had a soft cooing type of meow, kept looking at us as if to tell us that something different was outside.

I love watching our animals. Every cat, every creature here at Dusty Rose Farms has it’s own special, very unique personality. In time, I hope to introduce them all to you. Tonight is Baby’s night. She’d love it if she only understood.Speed Star 1.0505326 00 This is Martha, Baby’s sister

October 26, 2013

Putting up Fencing.

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     My husband and I spent the day yesterday working on fencing. He worked on the north side of the new cow pasture, I worked on the south side.  One would think, awww, that not all that bad, but I double dare anyone to fight wild rose bushes, untangle cut barbed wire, straighten it out, splice it, stretch it, and restring the blasted stuff.

 Our neighbor is the most wonderful man anyone would ever want to know. C.B. was born and raised on a farm, knows just about everything anyone would want to know about farming and animal husbandry. We ask him lots of questions, and while he snickers the whole time, he always has an answer for us, teaches us how to be the farmers that we think we are. Who ever would have thought we would have to repair fences this early in the game? We’ve been here on this farm for 3-1/2 years now. C.B. rented this 10 acres for many years before we bought it, put all new 4-strand barbed wire fence around the entire farm that should have lasted for decades. Instead, we bought the place, and within the 2 months after we signed the contract on it and moved our camper on it to begin building our farm, someone (not C.B.) cut the first 3 strands of barbed wire along the south side of the property. We could see 4-wheeler tracks coming from that area, so I suppose that fence line was impedance to someone. Never-the-less, we’re getting ready to buy 2 tiny, mini Jersey bulls and must have the fence intact and ready for the 2 little guys. We’ve not been too concerned about it until now, and, procrastination has it’s good…and bad points. It’s a part of farm life…fence repair that is.

  But, it’s a first for me. In the 2 weeks from the time C. B. lent us the fence stretcher and showed me how to use it, and now, I’d forgotten which end of the wire goes where, how to get the fence stretcher back down from the all the way up position and then, didn’t remember that the little hook on the back is actually for hooking around a fence post to help hold this 10 pound piece of metal and pull the wire

What does a blonde headed woman who knows nothing about this do when first faced with this situation? I sat down and cried, then prayed for God to please show me how to use this piece of equipment. After the face wash, it was time to get up off my behind, figure out how to use the fence stretcher that C.B. showed me how to use several weeks ago. It’s taken this long for me to get the ambition to actually fix the dern fence, and now, having 2 weeks before we go get our little men, it has to be done. God answers prayers. I remembered how to use the fence stretcher and was able to get the 500 foot section of the top wire done and half of the 2nd wire. Tomorrow, I will go out, finish the 2nd row, do the 3rd row and it’s done!  Fortunately, the bottom row of fencing wasn’t cut and is still nice and tight.

 

Of all of this, there were many lessons that I learned today that I’d like to share with you.

 

  1. Pay attention the first time someone tells you something. If you need to, take  notes. It saves tears, frustration and a lot of time.
  2. I have learned the importance of those barbed wire roll holders that farmers put on the sides of their tractors. Trying to unroll a roll of barbed wire loaded in a wheelbarrow, trudging through knee high grass is not an easy task. Nor is it fun, even with heavy gloves on. 
  3. Have the right tools for the job. Barbed wire does not cut easily with a small pair of wire cutters. You need BIG, heavy-duty cutters. You also need large pliers. The channel lock pliers that my husband brought me to use,  don’t work.
  4. Take a set of branch cutters with you to remove wild rosebushes, scrub brush and  tree branches that are in the way of the fence repair. Rosebush thorns go  through the heaviest of sweat pants. I won’t show you pictures of my legs.     
  5. If      your dog goes with you, have an understanding with the dog that the tools  are mom’s. They are not the dog’s play toys. Mom does not have time to  play retrieve the tool from a smiling dog who likes to steal things.  Either have this understanding with the dog, or wear a jacket with deep pockets or a tool belt. I finally had to put the pliers, wire cutters and  fence ties in my pockets.
  6. The dog must also understand that when mom is working, it is not time to play “shake hands”. An 80 pound weimeraner has big paws, and it does not feel good when you get smacked on the head with a dog who does not understand  the concept of work vs play.
  7. If you have to work next to other animals, specifically goats, be absolutely sure that you do not back up against their paddock. They pull the ties out of  your jacket, untie your shoe laces and will nip you in the butt, then look at you like :I didn’t do that”. Sure!! Right!!!
  8. No  matter what time of the year you are in the fields, use insect repellant.  I will not show you pictures of the no-see-um bites along my ankles.
  9. Wear shoes with good tread. Walking in knee high grass with slick soled shoes is like walking on ice. Slip, slidin’ away….
  10. Barbed  wire is not your friend.
  11. And neither is a stretching tool.
  12. Today I leave the dog in her pen.