MEET ELLEN.
I told you we had a new member of the farmstead, and here he is: our brand new Black Cochin rooster, Ellen.
Although it may seem strange, Jesse and I actually want a rooster in our flock. We wanted a little protection for the girls, plus, we simply prefer fertile eggs. We assumed that at least a few of the pullets we bought a couple months ago would end up being boys.....but we got all girls! So when some dear friends and shareholders offered us a rooster, we were intrigued. We weren't sure about how our small, young hens would do with a full-grown rooster, but shortly after meeting him this past weekend he was in the backseat of the car, on his way home with us. As you can see, he is super friendly....characteristic of the breed. He is getting along great with the chickens, although Wendell isn't quite sure about him yet. Now, hopefully having a man around will encourage our ladies to finally LAY!
- Hannah.
FARM SITTERS.
While some of our CSA members are away on vacation, they asked us to do a favor for them in watching their own little farm. We happily agreed, because this is truly more of a favor to us! We LOVE their farm - especially the sheep and donkeys. Jesse and I worked with sheep at Bugtussle, and they are wonderful animals. We cannot wait to have our own - to raise for meat and fiber. And donkeys - I mean, just look at them. We're probably gonna need a few of those, too.
SWEATY ANIMALS.
So, I don’t want to jinx it or anything, but it is SUPPOSED to rain in the next few days (I am knocking on wood as I type this, just in case). And as much as we are looking forward to this possibility, we are also hoping for a drop in the temperature! As uncomfortable as this heat wave has been for Jesse and I, it has been truly hard on the animals. I had to skip the delivery this week, simply because the animals need constant attention. By early afternoon, the rabbits need ice rubbed on their ears until they revive. We freeze bottles of water and lay the delirious rabbits on top of them. The chickens need new water every hour or so and huddle in the shade, panting and holding their wings out to the sides for ventilation. Poor guys! I feel terrible, wishing I could explain to them, apologize. We ourselves don’t have air conditioning, so I can do little to lessen the heat for them. I can only provide fresh water, fan them, ice them, and hope for a break.
Even the bees are struggling! Early evenings, they can be seen “bearding” on the hives. Bearding is what occurs when the bees are too hot - the bees huddle along the outside front of the hive. Hives need to maintain a temperature of 90 to 95 degrees, but when they OVERheat, the bees come outside the hive to lower the temperature, fanning their wings and creating ventilation. This usually occurs at night, when all the bees are inside the hive and it is more crowded then midday, when half the bees are out working the fields. For our hives, this has been happening pretty much EVERY night. I added empty super to the hives, and some extra vents on the top, but it is hard to compete with these temperatures.
Is it fall yet?!
- Hannah.
ANIMAL FARM.
So, for those of you waiting to find out what brand of creature Hannah and I were preparing for this week...we'd like to officially introduce you to Johnny, June and Reba––our new RABBITS! We drove to Lexington on Thursday and purchased two young bunnies and a pregnant "doe" as they are referred to in rabbit terminology. They will be our breeders and, according to the wonderful people who sold them to us, we will have baby bunnies from Reba on July 16th, or thereabouts!Between the chickens, the new bunnies, and Wendell, it's nice to finally have a variety of animals around. Animals are the heartbeat of a farm, the life, and they give your day routine. They are the first thing you tend to in the morning––even before yourself––and the last thing at night. And even though they do require sacrifice, because you have to be around to feed, water and shelter them seven days a week, they also reward your sacrifice ten-fold. The chickens will soon give us eggs for food and shells for compost. The rabbits will provide us with manure for fertilizer, along with meat and bunnies to sell for more income. Wendell will help protect them. And they all make us laugh and smile. With the addition of the rabbits, Hannah and I are beginning to feel as though, even if we don't own the land, we have our own little farmstead going. And it feels lively.- Jesse.
