Someone asked me recently how many chickens I have.  I could only guess. In winter, I take a nightly headcount of all the birds during evening chores.  Now?  A headcount is practically impossible with so many free-ranging chickens, ducks, turkeys, and guineas loose.  During the day they’re all out and about doing bird things.  At
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We had a little flooding problem here at the farm – not the kind that washes away houses and highways.  The driveway and some fences are a bit worse for wear, though. This dirt path to the little creek is now a gravel path.   I’m not sure whether to thank Mother Nature for that little trick
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After spending five months together in the womb, the twins are accustomed to togetherness. They stand together, move in tandem, and are rarely more than a foot or two apart when they’re out in the big, wide world. They’re a bit more independent in the comfortable safety of the barn.  Out in grazing pen in
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The mamas here at the farm have been busily adding to the livestock numbers.   Nona, a very shy ewe, presented us with twin lambs.  She’s a first-time mother, but managed the birth and cleanup duties quite well.  The trouble came later as her udder filled with milk. At the end of the first day, she had much more milk
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I found these two under a cedar tree at dusk Saturday.  That’s Lamb Chops on the left.  He weighed in at 7 3/4 pounds.  He’s more than double his twin’s weight.  We’re calling the little one on the right Tiny since she’s only 3 3/4 pounds.  I missed their birth by minutes, but got to
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This morning as I settled into position for the morning milking, I heard new voices complaining in the stall across the barn aisle. Hmm. Interesting. My sleep brain hadn’t yet grasped the significance when a scuffle began. The disturbance upset the cow, and that’s sufficient cause for me to set the milk bucket aside and
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