Hawk...Yikes!

As I pulled up my driveway today, a huge bird flew from next to the coop up into the woods.  It was a hawk.  I think I now know what happened to my poor silkie roo :(  I decided to let the chickens stay inside today.  It was amazing to observe how the chickens reacted to the hawk.  When I got out of my car, even though the hawk was gone, there was not a sound coming from the coop and not a chicken to be seen.  After about 5-10 minutes, a rooster (Tito) slowly stuck his head out of the coop and looked around. After feeling fairly sure the coast was clear, Tito slowly walked into the protected part of their outdoor run, scanning the surroundings for signs of the hawk.  Once he had been outside for a couple minutes without further incident, the other chickens began to emerge.  I will have to keep my eye out for this hawk as she seems to know where she can find food now.

I Love Weekends!

I now officially own 1.5 sheep!  Halfway there!  This weekend was our annual spinning retreat and I made my second sheep payment there.  I also was able to spend some time relaxing and spinning yarn for my shawl project.  I have also been taking the chicks outside to give them some time in the sun.  Below are some of the most recent photos.  My goals for the next 2 weeks are to purchase the fencing for the sheep and put it up, clean out the basement so items from the shed (which will be the new home for the sheep) can be moved into the basement, and begin preparing the garden.  So far I know I want to grow lettuce, collard greens, green beans, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and beets.  I also need to begin saving up money for my CSA share!  So much to do and so little time!  Enjoy the photos and I will post more as I make some progress this week :)

Our B^3 (B-cubed) chickens...this is our own new breed.   They are part Barnevelder, Bantam, and Buff Orpington.  Bred for great egg production, heartiness to the weather, and all around friendliness.

A close-up of Chipmunk, one of the chicks.

One of the guinea hens decided to fly up onto the roof!  These guys are amazing!

I got my first mosquito bite

Today I decided it was time to do some reorganizing and cleaning of the chicken coop.  I went and purchased straw from one of our local farms and got right to work spreading it throughout the coop and in the secure outside run.  The chickens were in heaven!  They loved scratching through the straw!  I also let them free range for a while today and I sat out there and observed them.  They are so much fun to watch! The roosters pester each other, competing for the right to mate with all the ladies.  The guineas seem innocent enough, until a chicken gets into their personal bubble, then they chase the chicken off.  The ducks are on the hunt for slugs, one of their favorite foods!  As I sat on the lawn, sharing some bird seed with the chickens, they surrounded me, jumping on my lap, trying to get a bite.  They seem to really enjoy bird seed!  So, I spent a good hour sitting on my lawn, surrounded by chickens, watching the sun set.  A more enjoyable evening could not be had!  Below are some photos I took today.  I hope you enjoy!

One of the lambs at Longmeadow Farm

My lamb Dozer!

Another Longmeadow farm ewe lamb

One of the first B-cubed chicks that hatched!

One of the ducks, Righty

Inside the coop

Hens dustbathing

Some chicken sex

Tito crowing!

Sandy's sheep

A mohair goat

This ram is what my ram will look like when he is older.

Righty in all his glory :)

Some Photos

Some photos...

The sun setting at Whimsical Spirit Farm

My first Guinea Hen!  These guys are awesome and very entertaining!

Tundra and I.  Tundra is an injured rough legged hawk.  She lives at Black Creek Wildlife station and is one of our teaching birds.

A little opossum that I rehabilitated in the summer of 2011.  In addition to beginning the farm, I also do wildlife rehabilitation.

My silkie Olivia.  She is a funny, friendly bird!

A Tough Weekend

This was a rough weekend.  Two of my chickens passed away this weekend.  Both of these chickens were ones I had been nursing back to health the past few months which makes it even harder because I was in close contact with them multiple times a day.  The first was my little silkie roo who didn't have a name but who I referred to as Sir.  On an afternoon in mid February I came home to find Sir sitting outside in the yard in a very stoic manner.  It was unusual for the silkies to be outside the coop, so I approached Sir slowly so as not to startle him.  From the front all appeared to be normal.  However, as I rounded the back of him, I noticed the reason for his stoic pose.  His entire back was ripped open, an apparent attack by the other birds.  You see, chickens have an almost obsessive fervor when they see blood and they continue pecking ruthlessly at the source of the blood.  This is what I can only assume happened to my poor roo.  So, he came to live inside and I began an intensive regimen of antibiotics and ointments to prevent him from getting an infection.  He healed up quite nicely and I began to let him free range in the afternoons just this past week.  On Saturday, I let him out with the other chickens while I went to my hand spinning guild meeting.  When I came home, all the birds came running to greet me.  All that is except Sir.  I was worried as it was unusual for him to wander off.  However, I let myself believe that he might be foraging a little ways into the woods and he would return that evening to be tucked into the coop with the rest of the chickens.  However, that evening, I searched and search all to no avail.  The Sir could not be found.  I checked everywhere for a sign of what might have become of him but my search was in vain.  The next morning I had a glimmer of hope that he had tucked himself away for the night and had found his way home in the morning.  However, I was saddened to see that he did not return.  Another search of the property yielded no clues.  I do not know what happened to Sir, I just hope it was quick, painless, and that he wasn't scared.  You will be missed my good Sir.  Your ridiculous crowing is a sound I yearn to hear and miss terribly.  Rest in peace my good man.

The second chicken was a buff orpington who I noticed seemed a bit down one afternoon approximately 4 weeks ago.  When I picked her up, I noticed immediately that she was very underweight.  I brought her inside immediately and tube fed her some pedialite to get some electrolytes in her.  I set her up in a crate on a heating pad hoping once she got warm and relaxed she would start to eat.  However, this was not to be.  She refused food, picking it up and dropping it, scattering it about.  So I began a regimen of tube feeding her three to six times a day.  Slowly she began to gain back some of her weight.  As the weather improved I put her out on the front porch for some fresh air.  I always offered her food, but she consistently refused to eat.  Then yesterday, when I brought her out onto the porch, I set down the tray of food fully expecting her to continue to turn her nose up at it, when suddenly she began to peck at and eat the food!  I was so excited!  It appeared we were turning a corner!  This was a bright spot in what had otherwise been a tragic weekend.  I tucked her in for the night, hopeful that we were on the upside of whatever disease had struck her.  However, this morning when I went down to bring her up onto the porch she did not open her eyes.  In fact, at some point during the early morning, she had passed on over the rainbow bridge.  I buried her in the rain this evening.  I hope she didn't suffer and that she enjoyed this past year of life.

I know it may seem silly for someone who is interested in farming to get sad over the loss of two birds who, for all intents and purposes, were not producing, and by some farming standards, were wasting time and resources.  Although I can respect and understand (to an extent) that philosophy, I cannot live by it.  I want to be known as a farmer who cares deeply for all living things, not just for what they can give me in terms of product, but for the joy I get from sharing my time and energy with them.  I am not in this to make money, in fact, at this rate, I will be lucky not to lose a small fortune.  But that is nothing compared with the joy I get from spending time with my animals and observing them and learning about them.  There is a time for sorrow and for joy on the farm.  I look forward to what this new week will bring.  

So...I am doing it!

So, I am doing it...I am almost 30 and many of the things I have wanted to accomplish up to this point have happened, but many have not.  I can rest in the fact that those things that have not happened are things which are out of my control, but that makes me that much more determined to accomplish those things which I can control.  One of my dreams is to have a small farm.  I began working towards that dream when I purchased 5 acres of land in a very small, rural town in upstate New York.  Now it is time to start working on turning it into a farm.  The name, Whimsical Spirit Farm, is courtesy of Debrah, the previous owner of this plot of ground, who had a deep connection to this land.  I feel a similar connection.  I began with greyhounds, a nontraditional farm animal, but great companions none the less.  Eventually I got some chicks which I raised to adulthood and I have now begun a very small egg business (calling it a business is very generous).  Then, this past week, I got to meet some of my sheep which were born at the beginning of March and who will be joining me here on the hill in May.  I look forward to keeping a blog of my adventures as I begin to realize my dream.  My goal is by summer 2013, to be able to live purely off of my land for a minimum of a month.  It shall be a grand experiment, and one that I look forward to sharing with whomever find it interesting to follow.  I am off to make dinner, and I have a full schedule of classes to teach tomorrow, so I am signing out.  Peace ~Jessica