New Year

Happy New Year Folks!

This will be the first full year at the farm and I hope a true year of production here.  The chickens should start producing eggs in March.  I hope the rabbits will have babies soon.  I am waiting for Camo and Miss to get busy and make little goats.  In the spring I will turn the garden into a living thing again and possibly enlarge its borders.

For now I need to get going on cutting down trees so expand the pasture beyond the backyard where the dogs run.

We had good holidays here.  Mom and Dad left this morning.  We saw lots of friends and family.  And much food was consumed.

I don't consider myself a christian or catholic.  I am more of a pagan.  I believe in the chaos of nature and each piece of nature having a spirit and connected to each other.  I might even hug a tree.

But that doesn't mean I won't harvest them for firewood or making animal shelters.  It doesn't mean I won't kill an animal for food.  What it means is I try to care and respect those things which I use to keep us fed and comfortable.  I thank the tree as it falls.  I keep the animals in roomy areas with as much fresh food and water as they want, and I try to keep them interested in their surroundings.  (I don't like battery cages stuffed with 3 chickens or more).

Some people don't see this season beyond Christmas and Hanukkah (or whatever holiday one may celebrate).  Some don't see any celebration but their own.  And some are curious about how other people enjoy this gathering time.

I see it as rebirth time.  The sun begins its climb back to dominance.  The weather will soon change back to the like giving pattern.   The renewal is coming, and it is a time to break from the drudgery of the cold and dormancy of winter.

2014 Will be the year of the Farm.  (and the horse according to the Chinese calendar ... so maybe for me to).

Defrosted

Well the world finally defrosted and we are in the mud.  But at least the critters can get to some grass now.  I even had the goats and rabbits on the yard yesterday so they could try and get some grass in their bellies.

I did some yard work.  I fixed the dog fence that I had broke when I ran over it with the chicken tractor.  The dogs did fairly well with it being down but they figured out it was dead and would visit me in the garage when I was getting feed and what not.  At least they never wanted to leave the yard.

I got the chickens onto a fresh patch of ground and they immediately went to pecking at the grass.  In a few months I will probably be sending roosters to the dinner plate.  I plan on keeping one to try and breed them so I don't have to buy replacement chicks.  I like my grey one but he is very skinny and I don't want those genes passing along.  I may just keep the barred rooster, he is quieter (so far) and is among the fattest of the chickens.

I pulled the goat cage out of the woods and have them up on the long grass I let grow all summer.  They can stay on one patch for at least two days before I move them and then the grass will be short enough for the chickens.  I keep hoping the little billy I have will grow bigger, so far he is still pretty small.  I hope he isn't some kind of dwarf or runt.

I did finally send the papers off for the goats, the doe to be transferred to me and the billy to be registered.  I would really like the doe to be bred soon but I think Camo thinks of her as a mom still and not a girlfriend, even though she isn't his mom.

I tried to cut some of the honeysuckle down so the goats could eat it (it was too tall) but all I ended up doing was getting the vines stuck in the suck and having the chain jerked off the bar.

The weather is going to change today from the nice temperatures down to freezing this weekend again.  hopefully the precipitation won't freeze too much.  For awhile there was ice wherever I walked cause the snow packed down.  It was not fun sliding across the yard.

We hope to be able to get some more wood this coming week and start heating with that again.  I don't want to have to buy more propane.

Oh and in WoW news: Unfinished Tale got back up to raiding strength and actually cleared a raid Wednesday.  Very happy and proud of all our folks.

Mom and Dad will be coming in for the holidays Monday.  Not sure when my next update will be with the holiday crazies.
Everyone enjoy yourselves and be safe.

more winter

It was very very pretty.

And two days later (this morning) it is fogging because the world is heating up so fast.  Please melt quickly!!!

Chugging along

The meager inch of snow we got still hasn't melted completely.  It has packed into a nice icy path leading down to the basement door.
The critters are all fine outside.  The chickens are chickening and the rabbits are rabbiting.  The goats I still have in the garage all the time though.  I just don't think it is worth moving their goat cage when most of the vegetation is covered in snow.  Maybe they would dig it out, but for now we're content.
Speaking of goats: I clipped their hooves today.  Not a huge chore, just something that needs to be done occasionally.  It was enough work to make me consider shedding my jacket though.

For not living in the house in St. Louis it is proving to be a lot of work.  Not much I want to discuss right here but mostly drudgery.

Also I didn't realize my virus protection was auto-updating and so it ate a lot of my internet usage for the month.  But this is one of our connections with our friends and family so we will keep using it.  Lesson learned.

Enjoy the view.

There is something magical about snow.
Don't get so excited, I still dislike winter, and the cold, and how it makes everything harder to do and makes the body ache.
But snow, when it is first coming down seems to have a mystical quality to it.  Something that changes this world into something new and foreign.
Until it is touched by mortal creatures.  Then it is dirtied in the streets, clogs the gutters, and turns into an ugly slushy mess.  And don't get me started on yellow snow, or any other color it turns...

But for the moment, I can sit inside a warm house and enjoy the view.

Snow!

View out the kitchen window.  It snowed about a half inch overnight and it started again later in the morning.  Still currently snowing near noon.  Down south by Mom and Dad the snow has been thick.

Chickens huddled together for warmth this morning in their chicken tractor.

 Hard to see them here, but you can see my gloves that I took off to take the picture!

So made some banana bread cause the store had 3lbs for a dollar.  (they weren't the pretty yellow anymore, but perfect for banana bread!)

Thanksgivakkah

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.  I did.
Parents came up for a few days and we spent most of them out at friends and family eating all their food.  Hanukkah as wrapped up somewhat in that at Jimu and Allie's.

Well there is a warm stretch of weather so I decided the chickens need to learn to live in the tractor.  I covered the openings so they would have a fully covered 3 sides and brought it up to the garage.  I used the lawn tractor to pull it since it was an up-hill climb and it worked like a charm.

I got all the chickens transferred and they began pecking at the grass.  I am pleased they will be getting some greens now.  The only bad thing was I broke the invisible fence wire for the dogs when I drug the chicken tractor over it.  But that should be easy to fix.

In rabbit land : Big Mama did not kindle.  I am wondering if I bought a dud of a rabbit.  I am thinking I did.  I will breed her again today and the next several days.  This will be her final shot at having babies.  If she doesn't give birth by mid-January I will butcher her for meat.  I don't want to waste feed on a dud rabbit.  I am just aggravated that I was swindled out of more money for her from the guy cause he said she was pregnant and now I can't even get her pregnant.

The goats are doing well, eating up the left over leaves in the woods (mostly honey suckle).  I just move their pen everyday.  I hope Camo (the male) starts getting bigger soon and does his job and gets Miss pregnant before too long.  I want her to have spring kids.  I may end up selling him if she isn't dropping a baby by June or so and trying to get her bred from someone else's billy.

warmth

After unloading a load of wood from the back of Goliath (yes I named my truck), I am warm.  Even out in the 30 degree weather the body is wonderfully crafted to get warm with work.  Even my round type.

Tom, the maintenance guy at Rob's work had some split wood he let us have.  In fact he has at least another truck load worth that we will probably get later.  Very pleased that we can warm our little house with the wood furnace downstairs.

I still have the propane heater set to go at 55 so we don't freeze any pipes if we are gone during the day or the night happens to get really cold.  But hopefully the amount of propane we have left should keep us good for the winter with that plan.

All the critters seem to be handling the cold.  I had a minor scare with my heated water font for my chickens.  I went in to feed and saw it had frozen and was upset that the brand new font was already broken.  Upon further investigation it was user error: plug in the extension cord.

The goats are fluffy and eating the last of the shrubs that are alive in the woods.  I move their pen almost every day that they are out (weather permitting).

Wednesday I put in the nest box for Bog Mama.  I hope she kindles.  I would really hate to think I spent 25 dollars on a dud of a rabbit.

Mom and Dad will be coming up Wednesday and staying for Thanksgiving.  Dad is bringing a new blade for the chain saw.

Yep, I failed at cutting down a tree.  Well, let me correct that.  The tree came down, but it scared me cause it didn't fall in the direction I had cut the wedge and it trapped the blade of the saw as it started to fall.  I didn't try real hard to pull it free, I was more concerned with ducking behind the big cedar near by.  So the tree came down and gave a slight curve to the blade of the saw.  I was able to get it running again but I don't think it would be a good idea to use it.

So one tree down and one chainsaw busted.  Hopefully Dad can fix it.  And the battle to clear some land will continue.

Old Dog

Well I suppose I can put up with cold weather for the sake of my old dog, Khain. In a complete affront to the common theory that cold weather makes you hurt more he seems to enjoy it. Maybe he is a masochist, wouldn't surprise me.  He runs around like a fool, can run up and down the deck steps and enjoys his frozen rabbit .... pellets.

 Me and Squire prefer the warm life.

 And Bone just wants to be with people.

Thank you Vets!

So Rob and my friends don't like the sound of Gumption Farm.  I am still thinking on the name.  I may stay with it and force it to grow on them like some awful grafting, but for now the name is on hold.

The goats helped clear the garden.

I did a walk about and now know exactly where I want my boundary fence.  I could have used another can of purple spray paint.  (Not because I have anything against hunting - I just don't want my critters shot)

Tomorrow the temperatures are supposed to dip real cold and there is a possibility for flurries.

Winter, how I loathe thee.

So I need to get to work on getting Rob's car a new oil pan drain plug since his was rounded off sometime in the past.  (maybe before we got it but I thought he had changed the oil since we did - maybe not).

We have the table set up downstairs so now we can host game nights (hurray!)

Also thank you to my dad and every other vet out there.  Have a good Veterans Day!

Learn by doing

Some people don't like that little motto.  I stole it off a friend that used to be in the Navy.  Not sure where he got it, but this is the only credit I am giving him. :)
We all start somewhere in learning to do things.  Be it walking, talking, or hula hoop.  Most things you have to learn by doing them.  I have yet to hear of someone reading about riding a bike and then getting on one for the first time and riding successfully.
It requires gumption - a favorite word of mine.
In fact I am thinking of naming the farm : Gumption Farm.
It has a lot of try in it, it is a funny sounding word, and yet it means so much in what I am trying to do (with Rob's help - and a lot of other people).
I know everything won't be rosy all the time, but nothing ever is; not even roses.

And what made me think that I could possible do anything like this?  Oddly a blog.  Coldantler farm.  (Beyond other people believing me in my hair-brained ideas)  This is what made me say "F it, you only live once!"

I would rather die trying than live never having tried.

So here she is, Jenna, and her scrappy little farm in New York.
http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/2013/11/perspective.html#links

Oh hey there November!

Seems like October went by way too fast.  Halloween didn't have the party like I had thought about having but we did get all the critters and Rob moved in, got them all housed, and have feed. (Yes for Rob too).  The chickens are growing like weeds.

 Developing their combs.  I am still not sure how many are cockrels but I know my favorite grey one is, so he will get to live on and be the rooster of the brood.  I hope the hens produce more grey birds like him.  I need to find a good picture of him (or take one).

 Since the chickens were growing so well we needed to build them a bigger brooder. So we moved them into what looked like a work room in the garage (now more barn).  It let them spread out more and I could put in a bigger feeder and waterer.  They were going through their quart size ones every twelve hours.

 You see that little gap all pallets have?  Did you know that if you put the gate on the outside of it the chickens can get through that?  I need to learn to think more like a chicken.  Only two escaped (that I know of).  They weren't too keen on going far.  The red one was sitting on one of the iron girders the room is built on and I caught it and put it back in.  The black one walked out will I was feeding and all I could do was stand there and stare as it wandered under the floor.  If I reached for it I knew it would just run further, it was in the two foot gap between the hay and the brooder..  I hollered for Rob but he and Kevin (thank you for the help again) were in the midst of working on stuff.  I talked, asked, begged, cajoled, and eventually the chicken listed (it was chirping for its buddies) and it walked back in on its own.  And I learned a valuable lesson about chickens and pallets.

Everyone is getting comfy and snug for the winter and we are doing well heating the house with just wood so far.  We will need to get some more wood soon though.  We have a little left up in St. Louis that is seasoned we can bring down but it won't last through the colder weather coming.  I am trying to decide what would be cheaper, a few cords of wood or some propane.  I will be cutting down some trees to start clearing the land and so we can have the dry for next year.

Hay!!

Just went out and bought 10 bales of hay.  Not a lot but the goats don't go through much since I usually have them out eating brush during the day (weather permitting).  So I am hoping the 10 last through the winter.  We will see, and if not I can get some more.  There are plenty of sources down here for it.

I plan on breeding Big Momma and Big Poppa Nov 1st, since she hasn't had any babies.  I took out the nest box yesterday.  She was supposed to be due the 26th and she had made no move to build a nest.  I hope she takes this breeding. If not we may be having rabbit soup soon.  First I would have to test Big Poppa on Lil' Momma though.  But she won't be mature enough until the new year or so.

busted puter

So I didn't get all the pictures and such that has been happening for the past week up cause my computer pulled a blue-screen-of-death on me.  It is currently at the brother-in-law's being threatened (thank you Kevin!).
BUUUUTTTT.... We did the move Saturday (Thanks again Kevin, and Jimu, Allie, and their girls!). So now I can commandeer Rob's computer and update.  Huzzah!

So a couple of quick pictures of the bedroom.

 The lick'n'stick floor doesn't look too bad.

We made a bigger chick brooder in the garage cause the chickens are getting BIG. (thanks Rob!  Wonderful hubby who indulges my ideas)  We invested in a bigger waterer and feeder too because they were eating through a topped off waterer and feeder morning and night.  But the new ones will last them through their life, and hopefully the lives of many other chickens.
The goats are doing well, performing their trimming jobs.

I did decide to get some cattle panels to make a movable pen for them.  They like it much better than tripping over the cable and it will make it easier to pen them up in the woods to eat down the scrub.

Big Momma, the rabbit who was supposed to be bred hasn't produced.  She hasn't tried building a nest in the nest box either.  I think either she was never actually bred or she aborted them because of all the moving around.  Come Halloween or Nov. 1 I will put her in with Big Poppa and hope some magic happens.

Our evenings are now spent watching some of the world series (Go Cards!) and recovering from the move.  But this little farm is coming together nicely.

Oh and update on Khain and his lump.  It hasn't grown and it hasn't gotten smaller.  It seems content to just be and Khain seems content with it.  So we live with our lumps.

Bedroom

So after three days of mudding and sanding the bedroom is ready for paint.

Will post the painted room when done - doing the primer today.  Then it is on to the floor.

More Workers

So I needed some brunch cleared....
This is the young buck.  I haven't thought of a name for him yet and I can still get him registered.  He was born in May.

 This is the doe. She is 3 and had twins the last time she was bred.  The lady who I bought her from said she stopped milking her about three weeks ago.

So for most of the fall these two will be my proffesional brush clearers.  I have a tie-out run put together for them (I will not have them on it unless I am home and can check on them fequently).  I also have a place in the garage set up for them.

The chickens are growing.  I am excited to get them outside in the next few weeks.

 

Also Allie and her girls came out to help paint the chicken tractor.

 

The rabbits tested it out but the little one escaped so once I caught her (wasn't a huge problem) I decided I need to redisgn the front opening that will let the chickens out.

 

 Action bunny shot!  (also were she escaped from - where I have the rope)

Sooo... very very busy month.  But now I need to make a priority of getting the bedroom done.  Next weekend is Deutsch Country Days (www.deustchcountrydays.org).  Allie and the girls will be going to that as well and it looks to be very cool.  Everything from beekeeping to blacksmithing to candle making to a gun smith.  I will take a lot of pictures.

Big news

Lots of stuff getting done and many things that need to hurry up and get done (like the downstairs bedroom).
Chicken tractor is finished - pictures to come later.
And more additions to the livestock (surprise pictures later).
Enjoy the anticipation!

Foiled again

I was making good progress with the chicken tractor over the last few days.  Today as I was putting the chicken wire on (the last step) I hit a snag.

OUT OF STAPLES??!!!!!

So tomorrow I shall go out and purchase some more.

As well as other stuffs I need like food etc, that I have been putting off cause I don't like making trips to town (oh no 5 miles away) for just one stop if I don't have to.

Anyways here is the tractor so far.

 In the holes will be the buckets for the laying hens to use for nesting.

 I should have used the 2 foot wide chicken wire there but I had a brain fart and didn't.  I refuse to rip out all those staples to change it.

 This will be the big lid on top so I can get into the tractor for when I need to get the chickens if they are sick or hurt or it is time for the dinner plate.

By the by : battery operated tools are fantastic!!  I love that we spent the money on them.  I love my little ryobi tools and my battery stapler (brad nailer).  This would have probably taken 3 times as long without those tools.  Granted I could have used a corded one but those aren't nearly as portable.

Draft horse and Mule day

Went to Gerald to the Draft horse and Mule day.  It was chilly and rainy but I had a good time.  Went on a nature walk during the hardest rain, which was a mistake - especially since it made sure I was soaked the rest of the day.

Here are some pictures.  Not much to really tell about it.  Just some booths for craft people and horses, mules, oxen.

Mini-mules turning the press for the Sorghum.  The juice from the cane is then cooked down for sugar or molasses.

carpentry

Been working most of the day on the rabbit/chicken tractor.  It will be the rabbits till I can build another one for them and move the chicks into it once they are big enough.

I plan on having chicken wire ove the wood and then in winter putting something to fully block the wind .  Likely some scrap carpet or whatever else is cheap.  The front will just be chicken wire - framed to be 2 feet tall.  The rear I will have solid plywood with 3 five gallon buckets for nests.
In all it is 10 feet long and 5 wide, the back five feet will be their weather shelter.
I will also put a drop down panel so they can walk out into the yard once I get my moveable fencing figured out.

Bunny don't care 'bout no dog!

This weekened is the draft horse and mule days in gerald MO.  It is only a half hour away so I plan on going.  I am excited to get back in amongst horses again, even if it is just for a day or two.  Hopefully next year I will have this place ready for a horse.  Both financially and with shelter.

Lands Alive!

First a video of the chickens that came in today.  I got a call from the post office at 6:30 and they were home within the half hour.

Now for some pictures of the rabbits

 

This is the buck : Big Pappa

 

 

This is the bred doe: Big Mama

 

This is the 7 week old doe : Lil' Mama

They are currently mowing the yard for me while I finish building their cages.  I need to buy better wire cutters - my hands are sore already.

cages being built

They are a bit big but they can be grow out cages once I build some more.