R.I.P. Deliah

We lost Delilah yesterday to (we think) another hawk. Her poor little body was found last night. We first thought it was one of our rooster chicks, but found this morning that he was in the coop and she was not. Not that I wish to lose any of my silkies, but we have three roosters and only two hens; now one. Delilah was a wonderful girl. She was ridiculously broody, something silkie hens are well known for. She hatched and raised two clutches of eggs this year and was the best mom a chick could hope for. Each time she'd finally get them off on their own, she'd be right back in the box waiting for more eggs. She lived to be a momma hen and will be greatly missed.

This morning when I left for work I found a hawk standing over what was left of Delilah's feathers (we picked her up last night). I walked right up to it and could of picked it right up. Seems weird for a hawk to let someone get that close. We stood and stared at each other for a good long while before it finally flew up to the fence post only 5 feet away then up into a nearby tree when I told it to leave my chickens alone. Not that I think it'll listen. In September I had 12 silkies; I am now down to only 4. I guess they are just easy prey. I keep thinking that the hawks should have migrated by now. However, when I checked in my Peterson Field Guide there are still a few that are year-round residents. I hate to keep them all "cooped" up. They love to be out free-ranging, but don't want to lose anymore. Any suggestions??

Victorian Farm - A MUST See!

I've just finished this series, and it was absolutely wonderful! If you, like me, have an interest in living a simpler life, a life of old, seemingly long and forgotten, you will love this. The documentary was shown on BBC in 2009, spanning six, hour long episodes. However you can find the series on YouTube broken into 36 roughly 10 minute segments.

The story follows a British team of three who recreate the lives of those living in the mid-19th century for one year. They must learn to farm, cook, and survive only on the resources available during this time period. You get to share in their struggles and triumphs, watching them grow crops, raise livestock (sheep, pigs, chickens/ducks, a dairy cow), cook, clean, and fellowship with others of this era. People were so connected to the land, their animals, and others; something I think we've unfortunately lost over the years.

We're Expecting!

Okay, so maybe not it the way you think "expecting". Meet Bracken! The newest addition to our 'farmily'. She comes from one of the many beautiful animals at Highland Alpaca. And she is expecting her second cria in September of 2011. The gestation for an alpaca is about 11.5 months. Her first cria, Blayberry, is a gorgeous bay black. We can't wait to see what this cria will bring. Her herdsire, Enzo, is pictured below. He's such a handsome boy. It's really going to be hard waiting another 9 months to see who pops out.

Life on the farm hasn't been dull. It never is. Each weekend is always packed full of something. Last weekend I plucked both of my angora rabbits. I'm getting much better at it. Poor Mr. Buns no longer loses ALL of his fiber. And I've finally figured out how to keep all the fibers going in the same direction; just in case I want to sell some of my angora in the future. It's a learning experience. And if you expect to go into it knowing how to do everything perfectly, you'll be sadly disappointed. It's certainly not rocket science, but it does take a little practice.

In my 'spare' time, I've been working on knitting a shawl that I saw posted on another blog that I enjoy (it is also available as a free download here on Ravelry). I've been using the alpaca fleece below to spin and knit it from. It's the fleece I picked up at a fiber festival in Ohio this summer and is absolutely wonderful to work with. I'm hoping to have it finished by Thanksgiving so I can wear it. I'm down to the last set of rows before I start the border. I will need to spin up some more fiber for it though, so it is taking a bit longer than I had hoped. I'll post pictures once it's done.

It's been hard to believe that winter is upon us as we've had a late Indian Summer. This weekend has been beautiful (except for today's rain) and the temperatures unseasonably warm. I have a feeling that this isn't going to last too much longer. I'm okay with that. I don't mind that changing seasons. Sure winter can hang on longer than we like some years, but it's a nice time to rest, slow down, and focus on the things that really matter.