Not your average day off

Today was my day off. A day of rest before the business at the bank that is friday and sat. My plan was to have a girlfriend up this morning. The afternoon found on the schedule- picking up ducks and selling a bunny. Sounds simple, right? Well, my girlfriend came up around 11, with her two kids and Nana. We walked around the farm playing with the animals and feeding the goats. When it came time for them, her 5 year old declared she wanted to stay here forever. Quite a compliment! We agreed that she would miss her mom too much, but she could stay for the afternoon. I didnt mind if she tagged along to get the ducks. Her mom, her nana and her baby sister all went shopping. Not exactly sure what I should do with a 5 year old for the whole afternoon, I called another girlfriend. Maybe she wanted to join us on our duck outing. She did, lured by the idea of a road trip and lunch out. The 5 year old and I drove to girlfriend M's house. We picked up her and her two boys (4 and 2). My truck found the backseat crammed with 3 carseats (they all fit!). Together we drove up to PA to get some ducklings. Kid conversation is hilarious! They entertained us the whole way up.

When we got to our destination, the kids were super anxious to see the baby ducks. We were taken back to a barn, where the girl explained why she was selling her flock. Apparently a fox broke into their barn 2 nights in a row, killing over half their flock. Roosterless, the flock has no protection. She decided to cut her losses and sell the remaining chickens and ducks. Our ducklings were born on 4/5. They are Welsh Harlequin and super adorable. As anyone who has read even one post of my blog knows, I am a sucker with a capital "S" when it comes to animals. Did I want any chickens she asked? Well.....ok. We picked out 3 banty (mini) chickens that will lay green eggs! We stuffed them all into the duck carrier and headed back home. The new additions rode in the cab in the back where the kids kept a vigilant eye on them. The 4 year old kept exclaiming he saw an egg. We told him he was wrong, they wouldnt lay an egg on the car ride...never tell a 4 year old he is wrong unless you are dead sure. When we were home and unloading everyone, there indeed was an egg. A green tinted egg that matched the 5 year olds sweater. Strike one for the smart adults. The kids were all passionate about holding the ducks.

Once everyone was settled in the barn, we all played outside before retiring in to make cookies. A guy stopped by to buy a bunny for Easter. I made back half of what I spent on the ducks/chickens (did I mention they came with a bag of feed? awesome!). We had a grand afternoon of baking cookies and talking. Dinner was made, Hubby came home to spend time with the kids before everyone left.

Hubby and I are now exhausted and its not even 9. Having kids around sure made the day go by fast. I still got my to-do list checked off and had fun doing it. It was priceless to see the kids in the goat pen feeding everyone hay and treats. I am sure the animals had a blast too. Tonight is supposed to be in the 30s, so I have the ducklings inside where they will stay warm. And I miss having cuteness in the office since the baby bunnies moved out...There are soft peeps coming from their cage as I type...

The Birds, The Bees and the ... Bunnies?

Our week this week has focused on three things (mainly). The Birds, the bees and bunnies. The birds- the chickens are developing like crazy. The chicks are huge! We are planning a massive coop redesign for the up and coming chicks. The bees- Our bees are scheduled to come next week. Up until yesterday, our hives still had not arrived. Me, being the self appointed stresser of all things, was worrying my head off. What am I supposed to do with a hive of bees, and no hive to put them in? I lost sleep over this one. Finally, they came in the mail. Today I rushed out to Home Depot to buy paint. The paint is fittingly named Araucana Blue. Which I take as a sign, since today we got our first blue egg from our Araucana hen. See? It all focuses on the birds and bees. You are wondering where the bunnies come into play? No new births or deaths in the bunny world. An angora did manage to escape but Hubby found/caught it. Bunnies make it on the blog because they are too darn cute. See pictures for any explanation.

Colors of Spring

sadness

It seems like death has been the theme around here recently. This morning I discovered my favorite chick, Little Guy, was dead. Little Guy, the chick that I saved and spent so much time caring for. I was extremely sad to see him go, but having no choice, scooped him up with the shovel and disposed of his body. In the past two weeks we have lost 10 chicks and a bunny. Not a good 2 week record. However on the farm, it seems when there is death, there is also birth. I posted last night about the baby bunnies who are thriving. If Marshmallow did impregnate the 2 angora ladies, they will be due this week. I am not sure how well he "worked", but we are giving the girls until next week before we put them in with Fluffy the new angora stud. Today we are also reintroducing the first mama bunny back with her baby daddy. Its a circle of life and I understand it. we would be completely overrun with animals if they never died. It doesnt make it any easier though... Poor Little Guy.

Family Photos and a Nervous Mama

Mama wasnt too sure about where her babies went...

All 7 babies survived and are healthy looking...

Tonight one of the babies opened its eyes for the very first time.

Check out the size difference. Note, these two are from the same litter born on the same day from the same mama....

They all snuggle up against each other no matter if they are in their nest, or out on a blanket. Their theory must be safety in numbers.

What a day!

Today started out with me digging a grave, and ended with a severe storm, with plenty of activities in between. This morning on my usual rounds, I discovered Marshmallow had passed during the night. As you know, this was expected, but still sad. So my day started off with me burying a bunny. At least now he can be in peace.

The rest of the day only got better from there. I spent the mid morning hanging out with my friend Michelle. It was good to catch up with her and her kiddos. I returned home to start knitting a hat for hubby (who always has a cold head). I was in the mood to watch Twilight, so I settled in with my knitting, the dogs and the vampires. This afternoon found me enjoying the 80 degree weather. I donned shorts and worked outside. We had a bunch of peony bulbs from Costco that I finally put in the ground. I cant wait until they are big and plentiful. They will look great with my hydrangeas! After gardening, I took my spinning wheel out to the deck to practice. My parents gifted me my wheel for my birthday, and I am ashamed to admit that I am not very good. Granted, when I look at the yarn I spun first off I definitely have improved. I still have a long way to go. The yarn I plied today is actually useable. My first attempts produced a product that would be embarassed to be called yarn. This afternoon? real yarn. There is not very much, but its a start. I think the setting and the view made the yarn come together.

Hubby and I did our evening rounds together checking in on the animals as we went. After dinner, we sat on the couch to watch New Moon, with Whiskey and Jack. As I type, Hubby is in bed and I am enjoying the "severe thunderstorm" they have been calling for all day. With today in the 80s and tomorrow not making it to 50, no wonder the weather is at odds. The wind is howling like crazy, slamming doors and whistling through the house. I am sure the power will go out. Its been so windy lately we havent bothered to reset the clocks. Every clock in the house is blinking a different time. We rely on our cell phones for the correct time. I personally like not knowing or caring what time it is (only on my days off). I wake up with the sun (and the roosters) and I go to bed when I am tired. I eat when I am hungry, and the rest of the day just is. I am going to go sit on the couch now, enjoy the howling wind and wait for the darkness that I am convinced will follow.

Thunderboomers

So people around here refer to thunderstorms as thunderboomers. A phrase I hadn't heard until we moved here, but I think is quite fitting. A thunderboomer doesnt allow one to sleep, unless you are Hubby who can sleep through anything. A thunderboomer shakes the house so that the glasses on the kitchen shelves rattle. A thunderboomer is amazing and what I am witnessing right now. Today was a normal enough day. It was slightly cloudy as we worked outside all day. Hubby emptied out the little red coop completely, down to the bare floor. We moved it across the yard (moving a 400+lb chicken coop is not easy) to be near the playhouse coop. We set it up with new bedding and moved all the chicks over. This time we put a heat lamp in "just in case". Today would never qualify as a warm day, but it was nice enough to turn off the heater. Tomorrow is supposed to be 81 at the highest temp. No wonder we are having thunderboomers tonight! Since we were home all day today, the chickens enjoyed free ranging. As we would move the little coop slowly, they would bring up the rear, pecking at anything they thought might be food. This includes my shoelaces. We moved the ducks into the goat pen so that their pen can dry out from all the mud. Their blue kiddie pool moved with them and they are quite happy. They are not too sure what the goats intentions are. Jackie, just wants to play and she jumps about. If she jumps too near the ducks they all quack and run. Jackie will stand still for a moment trying to figure out where all her new friends went. She gives up eventually and leaves them be. When I checked on them all this afternoon I wished I had my camera (which by the way is on vacation until I find the charger). Jackie, Billy and Kisses were all basking in the sun together. Billy's head was on Kisses' tummy and Jackies was on Billy. Super cute! Even the ducks were laying down enjoying the sun, and having peace of mind that the goats werent going to do anything as long as they were sleeping. On a sad note, Marshmallow the angora is not looking well at all. In fact, we expect he will pass any day now. He was old when we got him, complete with a broken back healed wrong. We figured we would just let him live out his days. He did see the vet about 2 weeks ago for his eye. Friday night he started acting super lethargic. He would fall on his side and couldnt right himself. He was still interested in his food and water, especially his hay. Today he doesnt even open his eyes. We know he is alive because his nose twitches. Poor guy. There is no point in taking him to the vet because he is a really old bunny. When we visited the vet last week even the vet admited that he was old, and no matter what tests we do, he is still going to be old. I explained to the vet that I wanted Marshmallow to be healthy, even if he is old. So the vet gave us medicine for his eye and gave Marshmallow a haircut. I am not sure if Marshmallow is reacting to the meds, or if he would be sick anyways. It is sad to watch him like this and we are doing our best to keep him as comfortable as possible. I will not be surprised if he doesnt make it through the night. Speaking of angoras, and to lighten the mood, we did adopt another angora, Fluffy on Sat. Fluffy came to us from another knitter who is moving and cant take him with her. Fluffy is 2 years old, litter box trained and loves playing with the cats. He had the longest nails I have ever seen on a bunny. They were so long that they would lay sideways . I trimmed them (at least 1/2 inch on each nail) so that he is comfortable and can walk. Each week we will trim them a little more, so that the nail and the quick return to normal size. Other than that, fluffy is extremely healthy and as handsome as can be. We intend to breed Fluffy with the two girls so we can have more fiber animals (or sell the offspring). I am so thankfully that Hubby lets me indulge in them, as they are not very practical. But Hubby puts up with me, and I love him dearly. Hubby and I witnessed Mittens, the cat, jump from the second story balcony to the ground below and run away. We have been wondering how in the world he gets off the deck. Now we know. Mittens was our troubled cat, who would pee on inappropriate places. Mainly the bed. Especially the bed with fresh sheets. So Mittens gained outside privedelges. On nice days we open the french doors and let the cats on the deck. Buttons hasnt figured out how to escape (yet). Mittens always escapes and returns later, sometimes a week later, sometimes days, or like tonight, sometimes hours. Mittens returned tonight just as it started to rain. Smart cat he is! This week will be a busy one here at Victory Garden Farm. We are hoping our tax return comes so we can put up more fencing for the goats. We have one roll of fencing up, and are waiting the funds to finish the real pen. For now they are in a chain link pen composed of many dog pens put together. While it works, its not very permanent. Hopefully we can get the fencing up next weekend. I have the next two days off, and am having fun planning knitting projects. If tomorrow is as warm as its supposed to be I might take my knitting outside for a spell. Hopefully I will find the camera charger tomorrow...

Dont count your chicks before....

As we flip the calander page to April, we are not starting out on a great note. Yesterday we discovered a dead chick in the chick coop. We didnt think much of it. Hubby cleaned it up, we put fresh bedding down and left it at that. This morning on my rounds, I opened up the coop and pee-eww! it stunk. All the chicks went running out to fill their bellies with food and water. All but the pile in the back corner. I counted at least 6 dead, together in the corner. There was no way I could clean up the dead, clean the coop, and move the chicks back in all by myself in the rain. Just wasnt going to happen. Their old brooder box was available, so I transferred all living chicks to the brooder, inspecting each one as I did. They dont look sick. Hubby's thinks they froze to death, which would explain why they were all huddled together. To say the least, the brooder is small, has a heat lamp and they should be warm. This weekend will call for some cleaning out of the little red coop. Just covering our bases in case it was a virus or something. We have 42 chicks left. Out of 51. There is a saying that goes something like "dont count your eggs before they hatch". well I am ammending it to say "dont count your chicks until they are grown...and not even then" Speaking of grown chickens, we have 19 hens in the big coop. 2 additional hens are completely free. Two Rhode Island Reds we named Rosie and Josie. They were molting when they came to live with us and we kept them in a seperate coop since the other hens would peck them bloody. Rosie and Josie had never laid eggs as they were molting. While hubby and I were cleaning out the barn last weekend, we found 3 eggs. They had to have come from Rosie or Josie, since they are the only true free range not caged hens. Rosie and Josie never bonded with the flock, and refuse to go in the coop with the others. Instead they sleep with the ducks. Yesterday Hubby and I went in the barn to get some straw. Inside a Rubbermaid container Rosie or Josie had made a nest of straw and there sat 4 eggs. I guess now we are going to play find-the-egg game. I am super excited that they are laying now. In a few months we will need to cull out the flock, and they were on my list to go, since they werent laying. Now I can remove them and they have secured their future with us. Every morning I open the back door to do my rounds. Rosie and Josie come running to me. They follow me to the big coop and wait outside while I go in. They follow me into the goat pen, paying no mind to the goats. They follow me to the shed, to the geese, to the chicks. And they follow me into the duck pen where they take their breakfast with the waterfowl. At night its the same routine so you can see why they are some of my favorites. I can pick them up, they eat out of my hand, and I have to admit I like having an entourage following me about. Everything else is going smoothly about the farm. We got snow two nights in a row (which I think is the cause for the deaths around here). Tonight's forecasst doesnt look any different. Hubby and I checked in on the baby bunnies last night. One is incredibly fat, and the others look like they are starving. Normally I dont like to interfere with nature, but I am not about to lose baby bunnies too. We fed them all (except fatty) on Mama. It is incredible to watch them suckle and latch on. They squirm and do acrobatic movements but never let go of the teat. There is a runt, who I doubt will make it. I am hoping she does, but I have learned not to count my baby bunnies either... A pot of coffee is brewing and a hot shower is calling before I have to go to work. I am going to snuggle on the couch with my coffee and lastest book. Just for an hour before I leave... PS

I had to add some happy pictures..check out the bean and pea seeds we started...

And our 6 meat birds who are living in the laundry room until thier brooder is available again....

Hello and Goodbye

This week there are a lot of changes going on around the farm. The chicks said hello to their new coop. Mama Bunny said hello to her babies. And the farm will say goodbye to Meanie. Today Meanie has her date with the butcher. In just a few hours I will load her into the truck and she will say goodbye to her home. Sad? yes. Part of life? yes. It may be her last day with us, but that doesnt mean she is neglected. In fact, this morning she had got herself tied up and couldnt stand. I dropped everything I was doing to go untangle her. She may only have a few hours left, but by golly, they will be good hours. Hubby gave the goats extra hay last night, and they got extra rations this morning. I dont think Meanie knows what is going to happen later, and maybe its better that way.

On a happier note, Mama Bunny is doing well. All 7 babies are alive so far. I realized last time that I can't count them as alive until after a week or so. If Mama bunny feels that one or two are weaklings, she will take care of it. And by that, I mean she will eat them, dispose of the evidence. I always thought it was horrible that a rabbit could and will eat their young. I guess if I look at it from the rabbits perspective, she is doing it to save the others. If she were in the wild, a predator could sense the weak babies and would be drawn to the nest. So perhaps that one weak runt would be the death of the whole litter. The mama would just be trying to put the best interests of the rest of the babies ahead of one baby. So far, all our babies look fat and healthy. I am hoping they all live and will keep you updated.

Today is another cold dreary day. I dont think its supposed to heat up much. I am layered in my farm clothes, drinking my coffee, with the heater turned down. Tonight Hubby and I are hopefully doing our taxes. It will be our first year owning a home, and I am hoping to get a tax break. Last year we barely got a refund, and this year we could really use it. We are still not using credit cards, and while its hard!, its also sooo much better. There isnt the stress hanging over us while we wait for the bill to come. If we dont have the money, we dont buy it. This is teaching us restraint, but also to be content with what we have. I have been knitting from my stash and realizing how much yarn I do have. We are cooking "from the pantry". We go grocery shopping for fresh veggies and fruits as well as coffee and milk. Other than that we are trying to clean out the pantry. We have a ton of frozen meat in the chest freezer and are going to try to thin it out. We are learning to adapt and use what we have. We are loving it! Once Kisses has babies (if she is pregnant), we wont have to buy milk at the store. We havent bought eggs since I cant remember when. We will have even more meat, after Meanie's date. The baby bunnies will fill the freezer too. When the chicks are old enough to lay, we will thin out our flock. Our meat chicks will be ready in a month. I want to buy as little at the grocery store as possible.

This post is getting way off topic...and laundry is calling. We are looking forward to what other hellos and goodbyes will happen here on the farm. Stay tuned!

Welcome!

Welcome Babies! After hubby and I returned from the movies we checked in on Mama-to-be. No babies. Hubby and I spent the rest of the afternoon working in the yard, planning extensions for the chickens and goats. We retired inside so hubby could be with the dogs downstairs and I could be here and clean upstairs. I just checked on the bunny, and lo-and-behold, there are 7 babies (at least). Mama was cleaning everyone off. She must have just delivered because it was all quite messy. Typical mom, she cleaned off the babies first, covered them up and then turned her attention on herself. Isnt that just like a human mom? taking care of the kids needs first. We have the lights out in the laundry room so she can get some rest. We will check in on them, but we are trusting her instints. She has plenty of water, pellets and fresh veggies. I will upload pictures later once everyone has settled in. Right now, I am off to plan dinner. Maybe ill peek in on the babies just once more...just once.

A day off

Working the farm is not a 9-5 job. You cant punch the timecard at 5 and leave it be until the next day. If an animal needs something at 2am, up we go. We are constantly checking on our animals and thinking about them. Mama Bunny still isnt officially a mama yet. We can see the wee babes moving in her tummy, but they refuse to enter the world. We are checking in with the mama to be every hour. We are always checking on the chicks, who yesterday moved out into the little red coop. The meat chicks are in a seperate coop but the 51 layers are in the red coop. Chicks require constant attention. They are always needing fresh water and food. We check on the big chickens in the big coop. We check for eggs. If we are not checking for "something" we are working on improving another. Yesterday while I was at work, Hubby put up fencing all around the garden. He is amazing, and such a hard worker. Not only did he get the garden fenced in, he used our goat fencing and nailed up a fence along the lane. To this fence we will attach the existing chain link, until we can afford to buy more real fencing. If I mention something, before I can blink Hubby has it done. Sometimes I take this for granted. So today, now that all the "checks" are done, the rabbit cages are moved, and the chicken brooder is cleaned, we are taking the "day" off. And by day I mean 3 hours. Ladies and Gentlemen, Hubby and I are going to the movies! Yes, this is a rare occasion. We hate how expensive it is to go to the movies. Luckily for us, I discovered two movie passes we were given two years ago. We will take our own snacks and drinks, and todays outing wont cost us anything (except the gas to get there). Todays date is much needed and will be much enjoyed. Hubby has a rough week coming up and I am hoping this will lighten the load. Off to the movies we go!

The waiting game

We are getting good at the waiting game...Yesterday we noticed one of the rabbits was pulling her fur. This indicates that she is going to kindle (or give birth). I was hoping she would go last night. No luck. This morning when hubby left at 5, I ran downstairs, sleepy eyed to see my new baby bunnies. No luck. I went to work at noon and came home at 7. Bunnies? Nope. Technically tomorrow is her 31st day from her date with the buck. Rabbits can give birth from teh 28th day to the 31st day. I will have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, you can bet I will be checking often. Hubby brought home damaged produce from the commissary today. All bunns got treats of cabbage, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes and carrots. Lucky bunns!

We had planned to fence in the garden this weekend. I found some fencing on craigslist for a super affordable price. Until we can fence in the plot, the chickens are penned up in the coop. Apparently fresh greens are irresistable to chickens. It looks like we are going to have to wait for our fence as well. Not only is the forecast predicting cold weather, but they are calling for 4 inches of snow tomorrow night. Which means snow on the ground, and the ground will be too frozen to work with. All our little plants are covered so they wont shrivel away.

So whats a girl to do while she waits for babies and snow? Today I registered our chickens with the state of Maryland. I also registered our bees. We are official farmers according to the Great State of Maryland! Not that we need them to tell us that... Hubby is napping, I might make some coffee and write to my new penpal. Sounds like a good way to spend yet another cold dreary evening.