Meet the Cast - From the Country Farm Celeste

From the Country Farm is pleased to introduce  From the Country Farm Celeste, born on June 29, 2012. She and Momma Venus are both doing great!

Meet the Cast - Barnam and Bale-e

 

Barnam, get it, Barn-am?

                                                                     Bale-e, get that, Bale-e?

And because my life sometimes feels like a three ring circus! hahaha! Not always, just some days.

These two have blended in with the rest of the herd so beautifully, I cannot believe it. When Spice arrived they pounded the snot out of her for weeks! But these two are actually leading the rest of them to the the best places on the farm to forage and are staying in the woods for a portion of the grazing time, it's amazing! They've been roughed up a bit, as expected, but absolutely nothing like what Spice went through. I just couldn't be more pleased with how they've blended in! I just love their little faces and those beards just kill me!

Or maybe I adore them because they look so happy.

I'm not exactly sure, but I am happy they are here.

Meet the cast - Orange Spice (for now)

This is the newest member of the From the Country Farm family! Since Katie and Strawberry did not take and I'd sort of planned a few things (details coming soon!) which require more than one milking doe and Venus not delivering until the end of June, I was sort of in a pickle! Sooo I found a 4-H family that was selling off their Nubian herd because they are more interested in the LaMancha breed; who had a Nubian doe in milk and brought this little lady home. She's not quite two yet and she's got a long life ahead of her and just freshened about two weeks ago! I'm excited to see where things go now! The kids are SO smitten with her that they are sleeping in the barn with the entire herd tonight. Oh my! Morning stories should be fun to hear!

Meet the Cast - Bridger

This is Bridger, he came with the name and is used to it and we're used to calling him that so I think we'll keep it. Though I may have called him Bigby, (Big B as in Bridger) once or twice or Brigadoon, but Bridger is what he knows...
He's just a wee pup! Weighing in about 185lbs. and will likely have another growth spurt before he's done growing. He's a Great Dane who came to us due to some major life changes for his previous owner and though it was not what she wanted to do she felt it was in his best interest. She had several options of places for him to go, but she chose us and we said we'd give it a try. As far as I'm concerned he's welcome to stay, he's an AWESOME dog! I told myself to try not to get too attached, as he may not stay, but I simply cannot help myself, this dog ROCKS! He's HUGE but is so gentle and sweet and well mannered, it's be really hard not to. Mom said "You're so smitten with this dog it's not even funny!" ::sheepish grin:: It's true, I am.
He's already bonded with us and had shown his protective side the other day. The kids were out playing and had him with them when Ron came home from work but Bridger didn't know that - yet. Well, Ron and I walked out to see them, but I went in front of the cars and Ron went behind them. Bridger noticed him and jogged up in front of the kids, between them and Ron and growled and quick low growl. Ron spoke to him and I told Bridger it was ok and then he recognized Ron and quickly trotted over tail wagging and greeted him. With the recent home invasion just up the road I was glad of his response.

The kids adore him as much as I do - ok, well almost!

I cannot figure out why my sister says that we spoil our animals..... hmmmm I don't see any spoiling going on here.....

Meet the Cast - Will and Kate

You'll have to pardon the names, the kids named them... but I'll have to say I think it's cute! We picked up two piglets today for the kids to do their 4-H projects with and then to fill freezers with when the time comes. I'm not ready to think about that now, as they are just babies. Aren't they cute? I just love pigs and baby ones at that! OH. MY. WORD!!! They were not sure they wanted to come out of the crate we brought them home in, new sights, sounds, smells and a whole lotta traveling today! When we got them here to the farm they were shivering so we got them into the barn and got the heat lamp on them, only a short while and just to take the chill off. (No mom we did not take your suggestion to bring them in the house and put them in from of the fire place despite how cute it would be...) So after a while curiosity got the better of him and Will was the first one out.

Then he was followed by Kate and much to their delight found a nice bowl of organic pig food and a warm light! Not to mention two very happy kids who'll lavish love and attention on them...
Then they turned around and found a bowl of milk! They dove in and drank it all up and wagged the little stubs of a tail and tried pushing each other out of the way to devour it all themselves.
And then Will was picked up for an official photo
or two
(This is Kate, sorry, but these are out of order...oops)

or three, he tolerated it much better than she did, she squealed and screamed most of the time, so I was the only one that got a picture with her -today. See Will's milk mustache, cute right?!

When we went out for barn chores we made a nest of hay for them in the place where they'd been sleeping and right before we left they were snuggled down in it like two peas in a pod, so Faith covered them up with a bit more hay and they went fast asleep with what looked like smiles on those sweet little pig faces!

Meet the Cast - Venus

Our newest cast member arrived on the farm tonight, she come from a long line of star milkers and is a very welcome addition to the farm.

pastured pork

Ahhhh, two HUGE extremely time consuming projects (hence the lack of posts this week...) done and I can now devote the time needed to other projects that need attention. What a welcome relief that is! One of those other projects was to move the pigs, again. Well that project got moved up to top priority today. Andrew and I returned home this afternoon only to find one of the two pigs was greeting us by the garage. I didn't see it at first, he did and my first reaction was oh crap! (Tying to keep it clean.) Then I thought I was in for a chase, turns out she was quite content following me back to the pen they were in. Upon inspection I found no reason for her to be out, still have no idea how it happened, but there she was following me around like a puppy tail wagging and making happy little grunting noises. Well, since I was thinking about moving the pig pen anyway and one is already out..... it seemed obvious to let the other one out. So we had two happy little, er, well not so little anymore! pigs running around the farm today while Andrew and I moved the pig pen to a fresh spot. Thank God for wellies! When the new pen was set up and ready to go they walked right in and promptly started squealing, eating, rolling, playing and rooting. Pigs' tails have never wagged so fast, well, except maybe on Joel Salatin's farm. :-) I was so pleased at their innate happiness I sat down to watch them, yes, in the pig pen! What a concept, letting a pig be a pig!

Freedom and Bethany enjoying their new digs.

Delighting in the happiness of our pigs.

Letting a pig be a pig! Wonderful concept! Almost like it was meant to be like that way huh?!

oi! you're such a turkey

Our newest additions to the farm, temporarily at least. Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys and a few more broilers.

Sound asleep standing up, I've had days like that.

Meet the Cast - Hyacinth

Here's the newest addition to From the Country Farm, Hyacinth.
She's an angora cross, my friend thought it was Nigerian Dwarf. Before arriving at my friends home she had been in a place that had abused her, I don't know what happened, but my friend said it was quite a while before she could have anything in her hand and walk near the goat.

So she's here now and will not have anything but love here. Yes, it's possible to love a goat, they are awesome animals! I say that honestly, but with some partiality towards them; I have to, we have 5 now, and started with only two... (grinning like a fool.) I was warned though, I was told that you cannot have just one, as they are herd animals and they need to be with other animals, like kind is good, what I think they meant was you can't have just one because the are like potato chips and you'll need more.

The kids and I arrived home last night about 11:30 and before we even went into the house to pee we got the goat unloaded and into the stall. I decided not to put her in with the other goats last night as 1. she thinks she's a horse I'm told, 2. I wanted her to get settled from the 1 1/2 hour ride home in the crate to a new barn, people, animals, life etc... and 3. a period of quarantine is always a good idea. So we put her in the stall in the crate, gave her hay and water and figured she'd come out when she felt safe. I felt awful this morning when I went into the barn and she was still in the crate we brought her here in, horrified would be a more accurate term. Had she spent the entire night in there? Like I said, it was a tight squeeze but manageable. I had to have the kids help me get her out because I couldn't do it myself, the crate is very large and bulky, we managed to do it but it wasn't her favorite thing to do. Now that she's out she's eating, drinking, pooping and peeing, so far so good. Dakota, our llama looked over the stall wall this morning and liked what he saw. He's intact, for now...... but they'll be on the chopping block shortly. My vet likes them to be a bit older before she gelds them for the health of the animal. I'm good with that.

So there you have it, our newest addition, I'm sorry the picture is a bit blurry, I only took a few pictures, I didn't want to freak her out and this was the best one. Oh, I almost forgot, she (and Blackberry for that matter) is already starting to shed her wool! I'm excited about that for two reasons, 1. hopefully it means an early spring and 2. I get to spin it, an oooo-la-la is it soft. Now for the spinning wheel......

Just a note for future farming/homesteading reference... don't wear chapstick to the barn during shedding season.

Life is good!

Tonight I finally felt like a full fledged farmer! A friend of mine is moving and needs to downsize some of her animals and for one particular goat she thought of me, of course I accepted and went to pick her up tonight.



The kids and I took the tonneau cover off the back of my truck this morning, went to pick up my sisters large dog crate did our usual Thursday things and went to meet this friend face to face (it's amazing how well you can 'get' someone via email. I think this girl and I are twins separated at birth! Though we do not look a thing alike.....) and pick up the goat, did things to a couple of her bull calves I never thought I'd do... (I'll post pics later), unloaded the dog crate and she was convinced to follow me using a bit of grain, we got her loaded into the dog crate, which was a tight squeeze as she's an angora cross and has a TON of fiber! Lifted it onto the back of the truck and wrapped the crate with blanket and secured them with bungee cords. Shut the tailgate with the cha-klink sound of authenticity, of my farm truck; the one I bought specifically for this purpose and headed back up to the farmhouse to warm up. On the way home I realized that I felt like an actual farmer for the first time since I started this crazy path I've chosen. I was doing what I'd wanted to do for a while; odd as it may sound, I was transporting my livestock in my truck to my farm and realized I felt like a farmer! What an amazing feeling to feel like you're living your life according to the plan that was for you. Like you're doing what you were put on Earth to do even if it's just a piece of what you're supposed to be doing.

I've had a busy day and another long one tomorrow but I'll post pictures of the latest cast member later, that and the bulls....

Meet the Cast - Jessica

Faith asked for a "Christmas Kitten" for Christmas and woke up to this little cutie on Christmas morning. She's named her Jessica and is doing an excellent job taking care of her! Wow, kittens are energetic! Jessica sleeps with Faith every night; on the foot of her bed, like a dog would do. It's cute.

This picture was taken in her hiding place; under the dining room table, on a seat cushion.

Our latest venture

Our local library hosted vermicomposting class this past Saturday, it was free, right up our alley and something I've tried doing in the past with partial success, so the kids and I went! Vermicomposting; also know as worm composting and/or worm farming is not for the faint of heart. (Warning: if you are squeamish you might want to skip reading this post.) The class lasted about an hour and we brought home lots of info and new cast members for From the Country Farm; red wigglers! (Side note, there are simply too many to name... I'm joking!) Below are the kids and the instructor talking about what to do, how it all works etc.

Our newest cast members in their new home, trying to settle in...

For those of you who are still reading, (I'm impressed!) the whole point of vermicomposting is for the black gold they produce; worm poo is great natural fertilizer! It's (supposed to be) about the easiest thing you can do, so I've armed myself with some new info and trying again, hopefully this time will be a success. I'll try to remember to keep you updated or at least post about it after a bit. Like I said it's not for everyone and truth be told I'm a bit grossed out by it but will push through it for the black gold...

Starring Role - My Husband Ron

Last but not least, my husband. Patient, patient, patient. Willing to milk once a week when I'm out of town with the kids, which is helpful and much appreciated. If you ask him he'll tell you that I'm the farmer and he's the banker, and that is an accurate statement. His j.o.b. and my labor is what allows us to live the life we do. Not much for mucking stalls or helping a hen with a plugged oviduct, clearly more farmer-type jobs, but he's willing to go to work every day and deal with the public, clearly something I'm not cut out to do. Ron is a self proclaimed computer geek, he is a whiz with these crazy machines we've almost all come to depend on; that is very nice to have when these things get bogged down and function like my friend does in the morning without her coffee! I love him dearly. My soft place to land. He holds me together.

Now that you've met all the cast members of this crazy life so far.... (that does not count all the robins, barn swallows, and other wild birds we've had the privilege to watch hatch, grow and leave the nest, or the red wigglers that we've got composting some of the kitchen scraps - the little bit that doesn't go to the barn...) I'd love to hear about the cast of your life.

Starring Role - Andrew

There are no words to sum up Andrew really, no lyrics, no poetry come to mind, he is what he is and I love that. He is the other reason I do what I do. I love him with all that I am.

Starring Role - Faith

Martina McBride has a song called 'In my Daughters Eyes.' The lyrics are as follows:

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna beIn my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and theworld is at peace
This miracle God gave to me
gives mestrength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about
It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes


Those lyrics pretty much sum it up for me. She is one of the two reasons I do what I do.
I love her with all that I am.

Meet the Cast - Girl Kitty

Rounding out the cast of animals (temporarily at least) is our cat. What would a farm be without a barn cat? I use the term loosely as she has not even looked at the barn much less been in it. She is however a fantastic mouser! Thankfully as we have plenty for her to chase, living on a farm surrounded by woods and field. She was given to us along with her brother due to circumstances beyond the previous owners control, like many of the cast members who share our lives. Unfortunately the first night we had them, her brother (the friendlier of the two we were told) popped out the living room window screen and took off in the night never to be seen again. We looked and looked, left food out and everything thinking he'd be back but nothing. We never saw him again. We felt awful about it but figure he's found another farm around here to be a barn cat in. She too jumped out the window that night but decided to come back and has settled in nicely. She's stuck with the name Girl Kitty because that's how we talked about them, not being able to decide on one, it stuck. Girl Kitty is a odd one as she has decided to keep the most inconvenient hours demanding to be let back in a 2am. She'll jump onto the porch, walk over to the sliding glass door of our bedroom and howl until she's let in. Occasionally she'll wait until I've just slipped into bed about 11 but most often its between 2 and 3 am. Did I mention I'm not a morning person?!

Meet the Cast - Blackberry

Blackberry, because when he's in full wool he looks like a blackberry or so the kids think.... He came to From the Country Farm as part of a package deal with Strawberry. He's a Pygora (a cross between a pygmy and an angora) wether and yes, his fiber spins like a dream!! When he first arrived he just stood in the corner of the barn and shook, he was so freaked out, he was in his 4th home and he's only 1 1/2 years old. I was told that he'd not been handled much by any of the previous owners (because of time constraints and his young age) and thought it was unfortunate given the fact that he's adorable as all get out and people want to touch him. We took it slow with him, we figured we had time, he's not going anywhere. we started out by going out to the barn and just sitting in the stall with him one at a time. Strawberry was fine, she's kind of nosey and an in your face type of gal, if you let her. Many times we'd just sit for a few minutes and avoided eye contact while he shook(he's a prey animal and did not want him to think we were going to eat him, we're vegetarians!), as the time that he shook got less and less, we could start talking to each other and to the goats and he really started warming up to us. This summer in fact he's started approaching us if we're outside and sometimes even follows us around like a dog! In fact he was so comfortable with a friend of ours that he walked right up to her and checked her out! He's come a long way and I'm so happy he's comfortable around us now. It was so upsetting to inadvertently be the cause of stress to him. I mentioned in a post about watching chickens run being very amusing, well when Blackberry (or B for short) runs it is equally amusing. He'll run and kick up his heels and toss his head like he's... I just cant think of an appropriate term other than to say ...like he's B.

Meet the Cast - Strawberry

Strawberry as she has come to be called, (well in all fairness she had that name even before we ever thought about getting goats,) is a purebred Nubian doe. Andrew again, he started saying shortly after we got Coreah that he wanted to live on a farm and have a goat named Strawberry and a pig named Scramble. (We had a pig for a short while and let me tell you, I do not see any in the near future, but that's a story for another day.) She belonged to my sister for a short while but she decided not to keep her as she wouldn't stay behind their fence, knowing what we have for fencing and all she asked if we'd like her, one catch, she was part of a herd that could not be seperated, she had a buddy, a little pygora wether that was part of the deal. I talked to my saint of a husband we decided we'd try it. So December 26th 08 they came to live at From the Country Farm. I really didn't think it would be an issue with all the herd animals getting along seeing at they are all herd animals anyhow. They all blended together nicely. FYI she stays behind our fencing... ours 'bites' a bit more than my sisters did.

Meet the Cast - The Golden Girls

Other than lots of poo, our farm was not producing much; one shearing from a llama cria is nothing to write home about. (I did though, as it was exciting for us.) The garden was at fledgling stage having just been planted, it would be a while before we were eating from it. So we opted for some laying hens. Well, technically day old chicks would be more accurate. I like options so to have choices as to what we could get was thrilling. I had raised and shown poultry in 4-H as a kid but what I had had been given to me so this was very exciting. I let the kids pick out 2 chicks each, thinking I'd cover the bases in case something happened to one of theirs... you know..... I figured they'd pick two of the same, (silly me) they are my kids, they like options too. Faith chose a New Hampshire and a Silver Laced Wyandotte, Andrew chose a Light Brahma and a Rhode Island Red. My niece also chose a Light Brahma, but it would live at Twistie's farm because their hens wouldn't accept it into their flock. Rounding out the flock includes a Buff Orpington, Golden Laced Wyandottes, Black Astrolorps, Barred Rocks, and an Araucana, for a total of 12. To make a long story short we do not have the Light Brahmas, we got the Araucanas instead, due to a mix up at the feed store..... I say Araucanas, but we are down to just one, the other turned out to be a rooster and has since been dispatched. My son was heartbroken, and we'll leave it at that. I call the flock as a whole 'The Golden Girls', but they are each named individually, we have Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, Knit, Purl, Gimp, Screech, Queenie, Merrily, Queen Hatshepsut, and Little Mouse. (FYI the rooster was named King Tutankhamen even before we knew he was a rooster! That'll teach us!) For over a year now we've been producing our own farm fresh free range eggs! The yolks stand up SO tall and proud and the color is almost an orange-ish yellow, far superior to those supermarket eggs in my opinion. Talk about local!

(On a side note: cage free does not always mean not-confined, <-my soap box for today!)

In addition to eggs, the girls provide us with entertainment, you have not see funny until you've seen a chicken run! They are also great recyclers, they turn kitchen scraps into delicious eggs! Yum!

Meet the Cast - Dakota

Meet Dakota, Garlic's buddy. The first winter we had Garlic seemed like it would drag on forever, and I think he felt that way too. We had SO much snow and ice that it felt like at any moment we'd start seeing polar bears! That said, I think Garlic would have welcomed the company, he seemed really sad and lonely, spending days in his stall with only his head poking out as if to say 'Damn, it's still here!' Wishing it away did not work for either of us. So in the spring we added a llama to our farm. Dakota (named by my daughter after a horse she dearly loves at another barn) was smitten with Garlic and I thought the feeling would be returned, it was not. Garlic could have cared less for Dakota, he was not the least bit interested in making friends, eventually Dakota's persistence paid off and now when I take Garlic out for a ride he'll whinny back to the barn for his friend.