The Flock and the Yak

So, this is about all that's been going on lately. It has been raining on and off, and we haven't had any sun since my last post. In the mean time I've been setting down and clearing out spaces for our new greenhouses to be built on as well as spaces for our future Orchard to be planted on. Other than that, I got a chance to take some photos of our flock of hens. Just a little note though - These photos show maybe half the population. Not shown are my Easter Eggers, Olive Eggers, Buff Ameraucanas, and a few others. . .

We first start with the beginning. Cloudy day, middle of winter, yet there's still always chickens foraging about out there. So, I decided to take a peek. . .



So, getting a little closer, I can see a New Hampshire, a Brahma, some Wyandottes, and a Black Copper Marans. (who's the only non-hatchery bird there, and sadly bigger than the Brahma)



So, I decide to throw some sunflower seeds out there, attract some more. . .







Now remember, this is the middle of winter. . . Normally what you're looking at is solid greenery of grasses, daisies, thistles, blackberries, etc.

So, after that little get together, I finally decide to let our Yak, Djimon, out to graze the pasture. . .





After a little run-around behind their coop, I led them downhill and out to where Djimon the Yak was.





The big ugly pile of wood in the back is what happens when you cut down some forest and have yet to burn, chip, or simply move away the left-over stumps and twigs.



And, they've gone as far as they prefer for the day.

Now, time to fight over food!



For those of you who are curious - The black and white spotted chickens are Silver Laced Wyandottes. The white one with the black neck and tail is a Light Brahma. The orange ones that pop in and out are a New Hampshire and her crossbred daughter. The really light solid creamy brown ones are Wheaten and Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas. The light creamy brown ones with big fluffy bodies and dark orange heads are Wheaten Marans. The black ones are Black Copper Marans. The gray ones are Blue Ameraucanas and Blue Jersey Giants. There's also a couple others who pop in and out, such as a splash Araucana (white, no tail, has black polka dots on her body) and the solid white looking one is a splash Jersey Giant.


And, way over on the other side of our whole property, are some other free ranging, umm, birds? Raptors? Cross between people and chickens? . . . This here is our Shamo named Godzilla, though we often like to call him Gojira. He really is a sweetie though! Follows you everywhere, always wants treats, and always chit-chats with you. His mate's eggs are currently in the incubator and will hatch next week! His own crossbred babies are also in the incubator and they too are due to hatch next Monday.

Goodbye Goats - Hello Sun!

So, just a few days ago, Saturday January 15th, we sold two of our goats.

Our beloved and beautifully patterned Coral Belle, who gave me some amazing, rich, sweet milk and out of this world cheese as well as plenty of great personality and conversation. . .



And another beloved doeling, Marguerite, who was quite shy but very beautiful. We never had a chance to try any of her milk though.



Marguerite is on the far left, Coral Belle on the far right.




We sold them last weekend so that we have more room for the pasture to grow and not get over grazed. If it were really up to me, I would have kept Coral Belle, she was an absolute sweetheart and had amazing coloration, but at least we still have our colorful Nubian buck, George. He'll now be the sire to the remaining two doe's kids. Hopefully he'll throw a LOT of color and sweet temperament!





George, despite being a buck, is a very sweet, odorless, mellow, and quiet goat.


Well, beyond the sad news of loss, we must move on. . . And today was a perfect day to show for that. We had some rare sun show up!

First up is a Black Copper Marans hen who is really, really busty! This girl has a lot of size to her, bigger than my other lines of Black Coppers, and this photo perfectly shows how meaty she can be. I'm certainly going to use her next for our Shamo x Marans meat-bird projects.



After that, there's another kind of size. . . This here is a splash colored Jersey Giant basking right behind a rather small looking but normally sized Wheaten Ameraucana. The splash Jersey Giant still has a lot more growing to do, too!



And, her sister, another behemoth still with some time left to continue growing. Behind her is an Araucana hen.



And, on the smaller side, the Araucana. . .



Also wandering around is a rarely seen Silver Duckwing colored Araucana.



And, in relative subject, here's a gorgeous Blue Ameraucana.



Wandering more in the shady times of the day is another beauty, a Buff Ameraucana.




Well, that's it for now. This sun only lasts so long, and then it's just a bunch of long, large shadows cast by the trees. Winter is a dark time of the year, but when the sun does come out, it is a very nice advantage. Also, you might notice, but some of the birds are just finishing up on molting, so their feathers aren't looking in top condition.

Spring's slowly coming!!

Despite the fact that we just recently had some snow again, I just KNOW that spring is right around the corner! And I've been doing a lot to prepare for it. . .

First, the snow beat me to my first "preperation." Among all this lovely 3 inch thick snow that fell then melted overnight, one of my PVC Hoop-Houses got crushed by the weight, and collapsed inward. Sadly I'll have to start over, but at least I now know that plan isn't strong enough for our weather. . .





Rest in Peace, hoop-house.

We had some very nice snow that night though, I'll admit. This is looking out to the "Tolbunt Pen," an enclosed area of grass, shrubs, and an apple tree for all my Polish.



And this is looking at some wood laying around. The snow stacked up to about 3 inches. Not much, I know, but for out here it is impressive.



This is looking out to the "Breeding Pen," what you're seeing is snow piling up on poultry netting.




But, INSIDE the house, is a whole other story! Here's the Shamo eggs and Marans/Shamo eggs we're incubating. All of them are fertile. The Marans/Shamos will be our meat project. They'll be a wide, muscled, long lived breed with decent growth rate and amazing size.



And then, there's the plant life! We've been planting hundreds of Tomato and Pepper seeds indoors to allow them to grow ahead of time, then get transplanted out to the Greenhouses around May when all is ready. But for now, they'll be carefully watched over and babied in here. There are a total 220 seeds in all, with a total 24 varieties of Tomatoes and Peppers total - All of them heirloom, too. ( Non-GMO, Non-Hybrid )





Next to all these seeds are three grown pepper plants I started last year. Last summer I brought them in, and they were only inches tall. They've been living indoor throughout the time, and this summer will be a year old when brought outdoors again. They're also an heirloom variety, however I have little clue on what variety they are. We planted a lot of peppers last year, a lot didn't make it, and these popped up later on in the garden as an unknown group of triplets.





So, with the tomatoes and peppers ready, we've also been planning out large areas for crops like Quinoa, Amaranth, Tef, and heirloom colored corn. This will all be for both the livestock and for us. We want to go completely self-sufficient! We also want to go Gluten-Free, too, so all four varieties of "grains" will help that.

And to add on, we'll be ordering nearly 40 different fruit trees to plant in the back of our pasture, splitting it off to the "West Pasture," "East Pasture," and inbetween will also be our new orchard.

This won't distract me from our current trees though. . . We still do have some extremely old pear, plum, and apple trees here as well as some newly planted peach, plum, apple, pear, and almond trees from last spring.

COLD outside.

George, our one and only buck, says - "Happy New Year!!! It is FREEZING so far!"


Yes indeed, it is freezing. . . That photo and the following is really what it looks like throughout the farm lately. It has been beautiful, sunny, and clear. . . But also freezing, frosty, and completely shaded. Across from our farm, on the other side of the road, is a huge line of tall trees that always blank out our sunlight for the winter, and so in tough times like now, the only areas that get sunlight are the far end of the pasture and little tiny temporary strips through the Bachelor Pad, the Polish Pen, and the main lawn. Anywhere else, it is an almost eternal darkness, constantly coated then re-coated with thick blades of frost.







Even our Yak is frosted! And no, this isn't snow. .. It's frost. It doesn't bother him though. Yaks are originally a species originating and toughing out the cold Himalayan mountains.





And yes, he had the opportunity to sleep in a warm barn. . . He tends to enjoy the cold weather we don't often get, and spends a lot of late night time out in it.

But, in the short moments and small spaces of sunlight, even the least cold hardy animals survive. . . Our Shamos, for example, are naturally a desert-type chicken, and do not do well in cold, however our pair is doing pretty well.





And, the next breed of chicken to not like the cold sadly doesn't get much of a chance to get out in the sun, but when they do, they really enjoy it. . .




Well, I hope you're doing well and warm wherever you may be reading this! It normally isn't snowy or icy here, but we do experience what you're seeing for a few days to a week per year. We normally get frost, yes, but not this heavy except in a coldsnap or two per year. This is our second one. Well, technically half of it is in the new year, but. . . I count a whole winter in one year.