Henny Penny

We have a hen; we named her Henny Penny.  She is a Speckled Sussex, hatched last year.  The only noticeable physical difference between her and her sister, Stella, is that she has orange eyes, and Stella has grey eyes.  I figured this out a few days ago.  However, they have different personalities.  While both are the two friendliest hens on the farm, Henny Penny follows us around like a puppy.  Even right into the house.  If we're outside, she's beside us.  When we walk into the house, she comes in too.

New Life

I love to watch the new life come up in the spring.  I am so glad to see the greenness after a long, cold, and snowy winter.  This was especially true for this spring.  So I gathered my camera, my dog, and my husband (with his camera too) and headed out to capture some of spring's growth.  It as also a good time for me to brush up on some of my field botany as I hope to be teaching a botany class in the fall.

Trillium grandiflorum

Trillium erectum

Podophyllum peltatum - May Apple or May Flower

The identification of this one still eludes me.  I will keep researching.  All I can say is that it is low to the ground and found sharing soil with some wild strawberries.

Morning Sky

Rain, Rain, Go Away

{oh the colorful eggs - I particularly love the green ones}

It's hard to know when we transitioned from winter to spring.  Sometimes I question whether or not we have.  It was a balmy 45 degree today.  And yes, it rained.  If there is one thing we have seen A LOT of the past few months, it's rain.  We've had so much rain in fact, that none of the farmers around here have even been able to turn over their fields to prepare for planting.  Last year at this time we already had new corn peeking out of the soil.  This has many people concerned as the rain is supposed to continue all the way through summer.  So says the Farmer's Almanac, and they've been pretty close to right on this past winter and into spring.

Our garden sits on an incline and much of the soil has been washed away revealing many rocks and pieces of glass.  We planted on a corner of our landlords fields last year.  I'm curious as to why all this, for lack of a better term, garbage is in the fields.  If we're lucky, our compost pile will cover what we've lost.  I've also been putting the rabbit droppings over the soil.  It's funny to see that where I raked it over, is now growing greenage.  I am guessing that greenage is left over or spilled grain from their feed.  Either way, I'm letting it alone for now.  It's holding what's left of the soil in place.  I've still not decided if it is going to be worth attempting the garden this summer.  We're hoping to find and move onto our own property this summer.  It would be so disappointing to plant a garden only to leave it wasted.  Yet at the same time, if we don't find our 'dream farm' this summer, I will be disappointed that I didn't plant.  I can't stand the thought of not growing my own food this summer.  I'm considering some potted plants, but nothing's growing yet except my Bleeding Hearts (which I am so happy to see survived the winter).

The girls (meaning the hens) are also confused about the weather.  We had a week about a month back of warmer weather which got them laying pretty regularly; maybe 6 dozen eggs per week.  Since the rain and cooler temps returned, their egg laying has backed off again.  Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 60s and sunny; at least for the day.  It should do us all some good to get out and enjoy it.  It's not supposed to last for long.

4 Months and Counting

{my first 'alpaca hug'}

It's hard to believe that this time last year we had really just started to acquaint ourselves with alpacas.  It all started with emailing a few farms to schedule visits.  We visited 4 farms in all, but were sold the by the first one.  Now we are expecting our first cria (baby alpaca) in September.  Four months and counting....counting down that is.  I can hardly wait!!

Spring Chicken Activity

Spring is upon us (finally), and there's been lots of chicken activity on the farm the past few weeks.  Three weeks ago we bought our first ever Cornish-Rock crosses for meat.  They are four weeks old now and huge.  I would never have imagined how big these birds get so quickly.  So big in fact that we had to move them outside into the cage attached to the chicken coop.  They seem to be adjusting to their new living arrangements quite well and are enjoying a little more room to stretch their wings and legs.   They've even been moving around a bit more than their typical 'step-step-plop'.  Perhaps in another few days I will see if they would like out to free range with the rest of the chickens.  They sure do like to eat - and poop - and eat  - and poop some more.  It makes me wonder what those large-scale meat poultry houses must be like.  On second thought, I don't want to wonder about that.  It must be a horrible mess.

We also picked up 16 Americauna (Easter Egger) peeps this weekend.  Straight run only.  I guess this means we are going to have a few more chickens in our freezer come winter.  The first 10 peeps were found on Craigslist.  We placed them under Pearl, my white silkie hen who has been sitting on phantom eggs for about a month now.  They were already 4 days old but she too to them like they hatched beneath her fluffy little self.  She's not quite the mother that Delilah was, but she's doing her part.  The other 6 were found during a trip to Tractor Supply a few days later.  Since we aren't 100% convinced that Pearl's peeps really are all Americauna, we grabbed this half dozen just in case.  They are in the basement.  By this time next year my egg customers should happily be receiving some more greenies.  Everyone loves to see a green egg.  Including me.

31 Days of May

{Henny Penny - what a look!}

Life gets busy.  There are so many things that pull is in 100 different directions, and if we're not  careful, we can forget about the things that keep us sane and relaxed.  These things are just as important (if not more) as life's other obligations.  I wish I could homestead full time.  But alas, I cannot.  At least not yet. It is a big goal, a slow goal, a jump-in-head-first goal; all of this and more.  For now, I supplement.  And this supplement has taken quite a bit of my time lately.  However, my semester is a week away from the end, at which time I will get (almost) a whole month off!  So I am going to call this month "31 Days of May" and am dedicating myself to posting one thing each day.  It may not be big, but it will be something.   There's a lot going on 'round here lately.  And a lot more to come in the month of May.  So keep on stopping back to catch all the...err...excitement!