by Susan | Nov 8, 2012 | Ducks, On the Farm
After yesterday’s rude surprise of a frozen pond, the ducks proceeded with caution on this morning of the first snow. They didn’t race to dive in this morning. Instead, they walked around to the high side of the pond taking stock of things before diving...
by Susan | Nov 7, 2012 | Ducks, On the Farm
Wintry cold set in over the past two days. Yesterday, Paul fired up the outdoor wood boiler for the first time this season – a week later than last year. The wood boiler is not something you crank on just to warm things up. Once it’s running it goes...
by Susan | Nov 5, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
We tossed the two Jack-o’-lanterns from Halloween out into the yard and let the chickens and ducks nibble away at them. Here are Miri and Gilfy taking a turn. Aren’t they pretty chickens? The next moment, Willow (a Plymouth Barred-Rock hen) walked up and...
by Susan | Nov 3, 2012 | Chickens, On My Mind, On the Farm
The Girls are looking a little rough around the edges lately. At 17 months old, they are going through their first molt. I had no idea they’d look so ragged. We have some bad feather days ahead! Miri and Gilfy, on the other hand, at six months old, are quite...
by Susan | Oct 29, 2012 | On the Farm
This morning, I stood looking out the front window watching the trees sway with the coming of Hurricane Sandy. The activity at the bird feeder is frenetic – as if even the birds are preparing for the big wind to come. Suddenly, a massive object glided down from...
by Susan | Oct 28, 2012 | On the Farm
A little Chickadee was the bird feeder visitor caught on camera today.
by Susan | Oct 27, 2012 | On the Farm
Today felt like a gift. The last week of October and the temps on this sunny day hit 65 degrees. We took advantage of the glorious day and spent it outdoors doing “get ready for winter” chores and just enjoying what may be the last summer-like day of the...
by Susan | Oct 23, 2012 | Chickens, On My Mind
Miri and Gilfy are the Barred Rock/Buff Orpington chickens we hatched in the incubator earlier this year. Since leaving the brooder, they’ve been sleeping in a little dog kennel set up next to the chicken coop at night and free ranging with the big Girls by...
by Susan | Oct 22, 2012 | On the Farm
A few pictures from the weekend. A Dark-eyed Junco. These little birds have been flitting about lately taking refuge in the shadows along the edge of the woods. I captured this little squirrel perched on a branch of a dead tree. They’re so cute that sometimes...
by Susan | Oct 17, 2012 | On the Farm, Turkeys
Freezer camp has commenced. The turkeys have been with us almost 17 weeks. Three of the six chicks purchased in June departed for freezer camp – an average of 15+ pounds each. There’s something endearing about the turkeys that makes dispatching them harder...
by Susan | Oct 8, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Shadow, a sweet little bantam hen, is broody again. She’s feathered her nest and is sitting on a clutch of ten eggs. She hatched her first babies back in May. My best guess is that she’s been on the nest for about ten days now. She’s such a gentle...
by Susan | Oct 4, 2012 | On the Farm
We uncovered a piece of farm history. While identifying trees that need to be removed from the woods around the house we found this evidence, that long before our time, someone else was farming the land. A fir tree, 13 inches in diameter, has barbed wire running...
by Susan | Oct 2, 2012 | Garden, On the Farm
Intellectually, I understand the value of a greenhouse, but this is the first time I’ve really put the theory to test. In mid-August, when summer was still in the air, I planted a second crop of green beans. Then September came and it was as if Mother Nature...
by Susan | Sep 27, 2012 | Ducks, On the Farm
Hannah was the first to notice that our baby ducks, now full grown, have developed their curly tail – indisputable evidence that they are males. Of course, the recent morning nookie happening on the pond was a giveaway, too. Here’s Puddles (see the little...
by Susan | Sep 25, 2012 | Chickens
I found Miri and Gilfy looking in the window this afternoon!
by Susan | Sep 16, 2012 | On the Farm
It was a gorgeous Sunday in our little corner of Maine today. I tried to spend as much time outside as possible. I helped Paul cut and stack wood, made bean soup, puttered with projects and parked myself by the pond or the porch every spare moment. Here are a few of...
by Susan | Sep 15, 2012 | Chickens, Ducks, On the Farm
Miri and Gilfy are our Buff Orpington and Barred Rock mix chickens, hatched in June. They are now living (temporarily) in a dog crate next to the big girl’s coop where they’ve spent the last few weeks becoming familiar with the Girls, the Banties and the...
by Susan | Sep 10, 2012 | Garden, On the Farm
My first potato harvest started in the spring when Hannah helped me build this basket for growing potatoes. I planted Kennebec and a red variety of seed potatoes. Excited when the potatoes sprouted, I dutifully layered the plants with straw and compost as they grew....
by Susan | Sep 8, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Meet Clover and Klee, our father and son roosters. Hatched on May 1, Klee has grown into the spitting image of his daddy. This morning I heard Klee try his first crow. Kids, they grow up so fast!
by Susan | Sep 5, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Clover, the bantam rooster (stage left) has been feeling his oats. I don’t think he realizes that The Colonel (stage right) is at least three times his size. Maybe he has a Napoleon complex. In this rare rooster face off, Henrietta senses that all is not well...
