Wordless Wednesday: The New Tractor

Wordless Wednesday - Spring is Coming

Wordless Wednesday - Chicks

Chick Day at The White House Farm

We've been working the last few weeks to clean out our hen house and get it ready for our newest project on the farm.  After hours of shoveling, scrubbing and refurbishing, the hen house was ready for it's new tenants.

Today for school we calculated the cost, based on a local advertisement, for our chicks and our supplies.  We also figured out how much space we'd need for our chicks under the brood lamp.  After the math lesson, we took a field trip to the local feed store to pick up our chicks.  We'd planned to get a straight run of two dozen chicks.  I was hoping for Plymouth Barred Rocks.  When we arrived at the feed store we learned that they only had pullets.  That was  real disappointment for S9.  He had his heart set on a rooster and with a straight run there was a good chance we'd have gotten several. 

We also had to compromise on breed.  All the Barred Rocks were spoken for.  M6 fell in love with the little Rhode Island Reds and H12 selected two each of several other breeds.  We picked three extra Goldens and three extra Reds to round out our number to eighteen.  S9 is holding out for the roosters so we'll be traveling to two other feed stores tomorrow to search for a straight run or roosters.  I can already see that these chickens may not be the mixed group of roasting and laying chickens that I'd imagined.  We may have to wait for a later group in order to have any chickens to eat.  M6 has already announced that her red chicks will be great at laying eggs.  I have no doubt she's right.

After we brought the chicks back to the hen house, we spent several hours watching them closely.  The children were fascinated by chick behavior.  I think the biggest surprise was how active the tiny chicks were and how they bickered with each other.  They also liked the way their downy feathers felt.  I'm hoping the chicks survive the level of handling they'll be getting for the next few days.

I'm praying that everything works with the brooder and that the chicks stay warm through the night.  I'm also praying that we made the hen house as safe and secure as we think we did.  I never realized how much effort went into each and every animal on a farm.  Surely, sometime, something is going to be easy and take care of itself.

An Unexpected Goat

Last Sunday, we had a surprise visit from the farmer down the road.  He has goats and horses on his farm.  One of the mother goats had given birth to twins and had abandoned one of the kids.  Normally, the farmer would have just let nature take its' course but this time he thought he'd offer the unwanted twin to us.  If we could keep it alive, we'd have our first farm animal for free.  I was out of town so my husband was responsible for this decision.  And upon my arrival home I got to meet the newest addition to our farm.

We are probably the most unusual farm in the state, home to a piranha, a potbelly pig and a baby goat.  I'm not sure that any of this fits in with our vision for the farm but how do you say no to children and orphans?

Truth be told, the goat is adorable.  A year ago I couldn't have imagined that I'd own a goat, much less a goat in the house.  I remember reading a blog a few months ago where someone was listing things they'd have done differently on their farm if they knew then what they know now.  One of the bloggers statements was something to the effect of, "I wouldn't allow animals in the house."  Having had a variety of house pets I thought that was kind of strange.  Now that I have a goat in my kitchen, I'm thinking that she might have been very, very wise.  Yet, how do you put a tiny baby goat out of the house knowing that the kid requires warmth and security for survival? 

Our hope is the goat will give us all a glimpse of the responsibility and energy required for real farming.  Our hope is also that this baby will survive.  We don't have a stellar track record with animals on the farm.  It would be good to have a positive example of our husbandry skills.  So far, so good.  We've made adjustments but she seems to be thriving.  Only time will tell if I'll have a goat in my kitchen this time next year but for now, it's working.  I'm not sure if that's good farming practice but it's what works right now.

Wordless Wednesday - A Different View of The White House Farm

Of Piranhas and Pigs

When we bought the farm we talked about a variety of animal possibilities.  We've discussed, in no particular order and with varying degrees of seriousness, llamas, alpacas, bees, chickens, turkeys, horses, cows, dairy and meat, goats, also dairy and meat, deer, pheasants, beefalo, buffalo, sheep, ducks, geese, donkeys, emu, worms, peacocks, and rabbits.

Even before we moved we had two children, S8 and H11, campaigning for pets.  S8 wanted a piranha.  A red bellied piranha to be exact.  And he wanted it for his 9th birthday.  In February.  H was no better.  Her dream pet was a potbelly pig.  Preferrably a minature.  She really wanted it for Christmas, but like her brother she understood the wisdom of not pushing her parents too far and getting a permanent no.  It's better to lose the battle and win the war.  And they both did.

In February, our farm got it's first animal;  Rex, the red bellied piranha.  Last weekend we added our second animal; Paxton, the minature potbelly pig. 

I'm thinking we might be the only farm in the state that can boast both animals.  It's good to be unique.