Pears, Eggs, and Wolf

Despite our best efforts we lost all the kits. We have gained valuable information and found a contact who can help us in the future. Jason bred the two rabbits on Sunday so with any luck in about a month we will get another try and raising some meat rabbits. 

The pear trees didn't produce like they have in the past. We are disappointed that we won't be having pear sauce all winter. We did manage to pull a few squashes out of the garden and we intend on visiting a local farm to get some pumpkins and apples to put up for the winter.

This is Wolf, our new pet. He is an angora-jersey mix. He was a gift from a friend. Isn't he just the cutest thing! He is just what our hearts needed after loosing all those kits!

The daycare kids are thrilled and keep asking us when we are going to put him outside with Sarah our other pet bunny.

A couple of weeks ago we spied Fluffernutter and a couple of his gals out front of the house. Too close to the road for us! The chickens were all ushered back to the barn where they spent their first few weeks of life and given a few nesting boxes, just in case they might lay.

And they did! We have found four small little eggs so far (the white one is a store bought egg). We estimate that in a few more weeks everyone will be laying normal sized eggs. Yum! We are so encouraged that at least one thing is working right!

Rabbits

Saturday morning Jason came back in the house from doing chores, and I could tell that something bad had happened.

"What's wrong?"

"Stupid rabbit died giving birth."

"What?"

"She bled out."

"Are the babies alive?"

"Yeah, six of them. I put them in with the other mother, but I don't think it's going to work."

He then left to attend some training, while he was gone the rest of us wondered if anything could be done.

That afternoon Little Sister asked if Jason would mind if she kept one as a pet. He could breed it if he wanted to, but it would be her pet. I thought that'd be fine. I suggested she take two so that they would keep each other warm and to hedge her bet. I told her to take the two livelest ones. She went down in the the barn with my parents to help her.

When she came back she had three.

A few minutes later my Mom came up with a sheepish look on her face and said; "My sweatshirt pocket is moving."

"How many?" I asked.

"All of them."

"You do realize that even if they survive, we will still be eating them."

"Yes. I know."

We did some research and warmed a bit of cows milk for them and fed them with droppers we happened to have (sometimes it pays off to keep things--sometimes). We put their mothers fur from her nest making in a bucket with straw and a piece of flannel for them to crawl under. We put numbers on their back with a non-toxic washable markers and made careful notes on how much milk each took in. We fed them, put a warming light over them, and hoped for the best.

That was four days ago.

Their fur is coming in, they are peeing on their own, and taking a teeny nipple we borrowed from a friend. We are so surprised at how well they are doing. We all assumed that we'd loose them all in the first day. As far as we can tell all six are going to make it.

The question Jason keeps asking us is, "Are you sure you will be able to eat them when it comes time?"

"Yes, all but the one we keep as a pet."

Fall

For those of you following our little farming journey I'm sure you have noted the lack of progress reported. That is because there is little to report.

Thankfully the pear trees produce with out any help from us. We have been enjoying fresh made pear sauce and are hard at work fighting the bees for the pears. The bees like the pears as much as we do it seems. We also made a batch of pear jelly from the cores and peelings of making pear sauce. It is a little tart, but very tasty!

The horse, ducks, and chickens took care of the weeds in the garden for  us. We let them in to clear it out. We declared the garden a bust. That being said we did get a few things out of the gardens: peas, green beans, carrots, beets, turnips, tomatoes, and a few squashes. Jason's grandparents gave us a bunch of cucumbers that I pickled and a five gallon pail full of green peppers that I sliced up and put in the freezer. 

We harvested five ducks and one rooster. Jason and his friend wound up skinning them after attempting to use the de-feather.  The ducks are tasty but not as economical as broilers. Our poultry count is six ducks and fourteen chickens. The two rabbits have been bred and are expected to have their litters in a few weeks. 

We are keeping busy preparing for the winter. The chickens will need a space in the basement and some nesting boxes. A new to us wood boiler needs to be installed, wood stacked, and blankets shook out. In a couple of weeks we will be hosting our annual harvest party. Before we know it, winter will be here!

Farm Sitting

Jason's boss has a small dairy goat farm. He also does a lot of 4-H stuff. As a result they have accumulated a lot of animals. The problem when you have a lot of animals is that when  you go away you need to have someone come and care for them all. Luckily we don't live that far away and Jason was happy to help out. Twice a day over Labor Day week-end he'd go over and tend to: ducks, geese, sheep, dogs, goats, pigs, cattle, horses, and bunnies. 

Twice a day the goats would need to be milked. Thankfully the girls are old pros and didn't mind someone new caring for them.

And since no body died or ran away I'm sure he'll be asked to do it again. I think that there might be a dairy goat in our future, later though, not before we're ready.

Chores

Come Along, it's time to do our evening chores.

First we feed the chickens. Mommy goes first, and then I can help.

Next we feed and water the ducks. Mommy feeds the ducks and I water the ducks.

Ooops, water goes in the bucket!

Now that our work is done, we can go back to playing!

Saturday Farm Journal

The ducks and chickens are enjoying roaming around the grounds and we are enjoying watching them. Both the boy and the dog are learning not to chase the birds, the dog listens better than the boy, but we are learning.

We let the chickens into the blueberry bushes to clean them up, fertilize, and eat bugs. It's funny to watch the chickens jump up to snatch a berry. The chickens continue to be friendly, sometimes a little too friendly (they jumped up on the picnic table in search of bugs). Yesterday the poor things got caught in the rain and tried to hide under the bushes, I don't think it worked out too well. Fluffernutter is growing steadily and getting more and more handsome. Fairly certain that he is a Buff Cochin, what do you think?

Blueberry season is over. We gathered seven or so gallons of berries from our three bushes. There is about four gallons in the freezer for the winter. The pears will be ready very, very soon. In fact a few of the daycare kids have been eating the small hard ones that have fallen on the ground.

I am hoping that the tomatoes ripen soon as the hot peppers and green peppers are ready to make salsa. When the tomatoes do ripen we are going to be in canning mode. We will make tomato sauce, tomato soup, and salsa. 

Saturday Farm Journal :: Green Tomato Relish

The batteries in the camera died right before I could show you the two gallons of relish I made Friday night. All the green tomatoes are from our garden. The peppers in the photo are from our garden, but the onion is from the store. I ended up purchasing onions and peppers from the store, but maybe the last batch of relish will have some from our garden. The story is the same with the garden, many weeds, few things to report. We are fairly certain we are not going to get the 5lbs of seed potatoes back in produce. We are hoping to break even. The good news is that the ducks are now taking care of the potato bugs for us, check out  this post for the all the waddling fun!

The tomatoes are doing awesome, regardless of their floppy, bushy state. Jason did manage to stake a few. He tossed some branches into the horses paddock, which is beside the garden, believing that the horse didn't like tomatoes. Wrong! The next day the horse helped himself to some plants and ruined some tomatoes! Gah! Luckily, there are tons of tomatoes so the horse can have a few.

Mom did manage to weed one row of potatoes in the last week. We have picked green beans twice, but haven't been able to put any up for winter because we're eating them. We have stored up four gallons of blueberries in the freezer. My sister in law picked about a gallon of blueberries yesterday and we have probably have eaten a gallon. That's six gallons of blueberries from three bushes! God is good! 

Last weeks list:

• weed: cabbage and tomatoes
• stake tomatoes
• pick tomatoes
• make relish
• pick blueberries

This weeks list:

• pick blueberries
• pick green beans
• weed something
• stake tomatoes

Adventuring

A few years ago my sister had two ducks, one named Snow. The bigger one (not Snow) would lead that foolish duck all over the yard, down the street, across the road, and into the trailer park; waddling and quacking as they went. We'd look out our window and sure enough there would be Snow dutifully following her leader across the neighbors yard, across the street, and back into our dooryard. Eventually the big duck was eaten by some wild thing and a few years later, Snow as well. My Dad did not wish to repeat our mistakes and so a plan was carried out to keep the ducks on our property. 

We fenced in a small area by the duck's house near the shallow end of the pond. The goal: ducks in the pond or in the fence; not in the yard, garden, or trailer park. For the first few weeks they refused to leave the fenced in area. Then last week the littles plopped down into the water and a day or two later the big ducks jumped down in too.

Today Mom was in the garden weeding the potatoes and I was in the daycare yard with the kiddos. I could hear the little ducks making all sorts of racket, but I ignored them, because ducks make noise. Then I noticed that they sounded louder than usual. They didn't sound like they were in the pond any more. In fact they sounded like they were out of the pond.

I stood up from where I was watching the kids and walked to the white fence that marked the end of daycare and the beginning of farm. The big ducks were very loud and making a noise that sounded like "come back here" to the little ducks. As I got to the fence I saw seven gray and white ducks happily wandering around nibbling at the grass.

Mom said to me from the row of potatoes, "I think the big ducks are calling the little ones back."

We watch the little ducks for a time. They circled back and headed back into the pond. I walked back to my spot on the swing, but not for long. About three minutes later I heard the ducks making a racket again and so I rose to my feet to take a peek. Sure enough the little ducks were out again foraging, and the big ones were calling them back. After a few minutes the little ducks obligingly went back into the pond.

I returned to my spot in the daycare yard, and picked up my knitting. Not even five minutes later I hear my Mom bellow, "Delia!" I come trotting over, camera in hand.

All eleven ducks were out of the pond and walking through the garden! They waddled over to the chickens nibbling and munching on tasty bits. I was able to snap a few close ups, previously they ran from me, so that you can see the beautiful coloring of our seven "little ducks'.

The question now remains: will they end up in the road?