Thursday, February 16, 2012
Some of our feathery, winged, and four-legged friends.
So today I decided to take my camera outside with me to snap a few pictures. I thought it might be nice for you all to see the animals I've been talking about! Here are our chickens! They are looking, pecking, and scratching for any bit of seeds or an unfortunate bug or worm. These are the ladies that will be laying the eggs this year.
The big white chicken in the middle of this picture is our lone rooster named Homer. He's quite content being the only guy in a sea of women.
As I was walking back up towards the house I heard some buzzing which told me some of the bees were out. I got this picture and you can see three bees on the outside of the hive. At this point the bees are starting to put up brood (baby bees) and cleaning out their hive from the long winter. I will be giving them supplemental syrup for a while yet until we get a nectar flow. The bees are eager for this to happen too!
Last but never least, here is our big farm dog, Orion. He's a wonderful guard dog and lets us know if anything is off around the farm. He takes guarding the chickens very seriously. At the end of the day he is tired and hungry, ready to come inside for his food and warm bed. Our other two little dogs, Ziggy and Zoe, were off exploring somewhere when I was out with the camera. Of course!
Now the only ones I need to get on here are the sheep and the goat! I'll have pictures of them coming soon! Until next time!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Is it Spring Yet?
It's been awhile since I posted last! To start, I have some very sad news. Our world was turned upside down two days after Christmas when my father, Richard, died very suddenly and tragically. He was very involved with the farm and all the goings on here. We've been trying to get back on our feet and pick up the pieces. We'll get there!
We have been getting all our seeds and onion plants ordered for this years garden. It seems like I was just getting seeds started and transplants taken care of the other day. It's amazing how fast a year can go by. We order most of our seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I absolutely love this company. Their selection of heirloom seeds is simply unbeatable! I have to get all our seed starting soil and organic fertilizers yet, but thankfully there is still some time!
I am happy to report that we are on track to sell free-range eggs at the Grandview Farmers' Market this year! We have a couple more things to get lined up before we call for our inspection (mainly deciding on the egg cartons) but we should be able to get that taken care of in the next month or so. The chickens are happy and healthy. They are loving the warmer weather we've been having. It makes it easier for them to want to wander around the farm. Although, I think my chickens would be out foraging even if there was a foot of snow on the ground!
Our bees have been taking advantage of the warmer weather, too! On all the nice sunny and warm days we've had this past week, the bees have been out of their hives. They've been taking cleansing flights which is an important part of bee health. I've even been able to start giving them sugar syrup to help supplement their winter honey reserves. This basically helps give an extra layer of protection to help ensure (hopefully!) the survival of the hive. This time of year we're also busy getting honey frames put together and ready to go for spring, summer, and fall. One less thing to worry about!
I don't want to forget the newest additions to the farm. We have sheep! I am the now the caretaker of two Lincoln Longwool sheep named Gandalf and Razel. They will be one this spring. I purchased them from my spinning teacher, Kathy Cunningham, out of Sardinia, Ohio. She is the owner of The Black Sheep Fiber Farm. Such a nice lady! Lincoln Longwools are used primarily for their wool. They grow very long fleeces, sometimes up to 15 inches long! They are an old breed that originated in Lincolnshire, England. They are believed to be the largest breed of sheep in the world with adult rams sometimes exceeding 350 pounds!! Gandalf and Razel aren't little, lets put it that way. They are still growing, too! Gandalf is white and will produce the fleece that I will be using to experiment with natural plant-based dyes. Razel is dark. She will mature to a beautiful dark gray. I can play with some dye with her fleece, but more than likely I'll just leave it as God intended. Her fleece will be lovely on it's own. They will need to be sheared next month and then the whole process of fleece washing, picking, carding, spinning, and dying will begin. I plan on a nice long blog post and picture tutorial of that process when it comes.
There is never a dull moment here and as spring approaches, life will get more and more busy. It's okay though. Spring also brings longer days, green grass, the first of the flowers, and new life. I can't wait.
We have been getting all our seeds and onion plants ordered for this years garden. It seems like I was just getting seeds started and transplants taken care of the other day. It's amazing how fast a year can go by. We order most of our seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I absolutely love this company. Their selection of heirloom seeds is simply unbeatable! I have to get all our seed starting soil and organic fertilizers yet, but thankfully there is still some time!
I am happy to report that we are on track to sell free-range eggs at the Grandview Farmers' Market this year! We have a couple more things to get lined up before we call for our inspection (mainly deciding on the egg cartons) but we should be able to get that taken care of in the next month or so. The chickens are happy and healthy. They are loving the warmer weather we've been having. It makes it easier for them to want to wander around the farm. Although, I think my chickens would be out foraging even if there was a foot of snow on the ground!
Our bees have been taking advantage of the warmer weather, too! On all the nice sunny and warm days we've had this past week, the bees have been out of their hives. They've been taking cleansing flights which is an important part of bee health. I've even been able to start giving them sugar syrup to help supplement their winter honey reserves. This basically helps give an extra layer of protection to help ensure (hopefully!) the survival of the hive. This time of year we're also busy getting honey frames put together and ready to go for spring, summer, and fall. One less thing to worry about!
I don't want to forget the newest additions to the farm. We have sheep! I am the now the caretaker of two Lincoln Longwool sheep named Gandalf and Razel. They will be one this spring. I purchased them from my spinning teacher, Kathy Cunningham, out of Sardinia, Ohio. She is the owner of The Black Sheep Fiber Farm. Such a nice lady! Lincoln Longwools are used primarily for their wool. They grow very long fleeces, sometimes up to 15 inches long! They are an old breed that originated in Lincolnshire, England. They are believed to be the largest breed of sheep in the world with adult rams sometimes exceeding 350 pounds!! Gandalf and Razel aren't little, lets put it that way. They are still growing, too! Gandalf is white and will produce the fleece that I will be using to experiment with natural plant-based dyes. Razel is dark. She will mature to a beautiful dark gray. I can play with some dye with her fleece, but more than likely I'll just leave it as God intended. Her fleece will be lovely on it's own. They will need to be sheared next month and then the whole process of fleece washing, picking, carding, spinning, and dying will begin. I plan on a nice long blog post and picture tutorial of that process when it comes.
There is never a dull moment here and as spring approaches, life will get more and more busy. It's okay though. Spring also brings longer days, green grass, the first of the flowers, and new life. I can't wait.
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