Category: Homesteading / Farming

Junk Pile Workout: A Cautionary Tale

~ Carrie

Junk pile scar

Yesterday, we took on a project that was as unpleasant as it was labor-intensive: dismantling and carting away a junk pile on our property. You may be thinking “Junk pile? I just can’t see you guys collecting crap and just letting it sit there” – and you’d generally be right, except for this eyesore junk pile. Read on…

It all began when we moved into our current home. It had these built-in shelves in the outbuilding that we use as a garage that were horribly dusty and blocked off parts of the garage so that it wasn’t fully accessible. Those shelves were knocked down and the heavy wood had to go somewhere, so they went “temporarily” in a stack near the outbuilding. The former owners had also erected an above-ground pool that was scummy and pretty nasty by the time we took possession of the property; that, too, had to go. It was dismantled and the pool liner and its 57 metal parts, the pump, etc., all went atop the wooden shelves stack. So it began.

Continue reading “Junk Pile Workout: A Cautionary Tale” →

Weekly Roundup: Chilly Weather And Several Integrations

~ Carrie

Rabbit tractors on a fall day

Well, it’s become clear that summer is over and winter is nipping at its heels: we’ve seen frost in the morning. The temperatures at night have gotten down into the low 30’s (from recent 60’s) and daytime temps are only in the mid-40’s to low-50’s. Shorts and flip-flops have been put away for another season and thermal underwear are at the ready! The change in weather means changes around the farm, too, for the health and happiness of the animals.

The precipitous drop in the mercury shortened the timeline to move the Cuckoo Marans pullet group (ten 14 week olds) into the main coop with the rest of the laying flock. We had hoped to wait until they were 16 weeks old, but the girls are nearly the size of the adult hens, with big attitudes to match. Continue reading “Weekly Roundup: Chilly Weather And Several Integrations” →

Guinea Fowl: What We’ve Learned After Two Hatches

~ Carrie ~ 1 Comment

Guinea Fowl

We recently added guinea fowl to the menagerie here at the farm. Hatching and raising our own has taught us some lessons we’d like to share. Never heard of guinea fowl? Read on to learn a little more about them.

While guinea keets (what young guinea fowl are called, like baby chickens are “chicks”) may look a lot like chicks, they are very different creatures. One of the biggest differences is that they’re tiny compared to chicks. So tiny that they can easily be trampled or get into spaces chicks wouldn’t. Our first hard lesson came when a keet inexplicably disappeared from the brooder room. Continue reading “Guinea Fowl: What We’ve Learned After Two Hatches” →

Farm Babies: Chicks Are Hatching!

~ Carrie

Hatching Chicks

We’re always excited when it’s hatching day…it’s really amazing that fully-formed chicks, ready to scratch and find food, emerge from eggs that seem much too small to contain them. They work so hard to hatch, too; sometimes, they’re exhausted after hours of struggle and they simply crash out on the incubator floor. That rest is well-deserved.

This round, we set French Black Copper Marans (purebred) and American Bresse x French Black Copper Marans eggs. The FBCM eggs are dark brown, sometimes speckled, and highly sought after by chicken enthusiasts. The chicks are very cute, black with little white bottoms and feathered feet. The Bresse/FBCM eggs are from our handsome FBCM rooster over our friendliest white Bresse hen. Continue reading “Farm Babies: Chicks Are Hatching!” →

Farm To Table: From A Few Doors Down Is Really Local

~ Carrie

Farm To Table

We have yet to get our raised garden beds in, and the summer’s waning…but we’re lucky to have a nice neighbor on our road who is also a Master Gardener. She grows all kinds of wonderful vegetables and fruit, and generously shares her harvest with others.

We recently picked lots of blackberries, which we made into many bottles of delicious and beautiful blackberry water kefir, as well as blackberry milk kefir and blackberry-infused kombucha tea.

Continue reading “Farm To Table: From A Few Doors Down Is Really Local” →

Farm Projects: (Finally) Putting Up The Farm Sign

~ Carrie

Forged Mettle Farm Sign

We know we live on a farm, but it’s not necessarily obvious to others…and sometimes visitors looking for us have trouble finding the farm. What to do? Put up a farm sign, of course.

Once we decided on the type of sign and size we wanted, we placed our order and started planning how we’d erect it. We get very strong winds out here, so a sturdy signpost was key.  Our county requires that signs be permitted, so we created our plan, including dimensions, and took it down to the county office for approval. The process was pretty painless, the county employee was helpful, and once we paid our permit fee, we had the green light to proceed with this project.

Our sign arrived quickly, so we purchased the needed timbers, gravel, cement,  and fasteners from the local home improvement store, and with the posthole digger we borrowed from our generous neighbor (thanks, SF!), we were ready to get started. Continue reading “Farm Projects: (Finally) Putting Up The Farm Sign” →