Back in the 90’s, I saw the Indigo Girls live several times. I knew and loved almost all of their songs, a glaring exception being one that they insisted on jamming out to for an extended version at every concert. I’m not sure exactly what it was about “Chicken Man” that rubbed me the wrong way. But fast forward a couple decades…
Read moreWin Some, Lose Some
A recent and new win for us was that we successfully hatched our first French Toulouse goose in an incubator this year. We called her Couscous the Goosegoose. She had a crazy sideways smile (scissor beak) and a long left arm (angel wing) and was sweet as Farley’s Key Lime pie (always a win!)
Read moreMath — It’s What’s for Dinner
People who have the misfortune of spending a lot of time with me know that I have a slight tendency to talk about chickens. One person even went so far as to call me an expert. Flattering, yes, but I don’t expect there are enough years left for me on this rock to truly attain expert status.
Read moreThe Best Chicken Breeds
The modern homesteading lifestyle has been trending in the U.S. for a while now and the internet is loaded with chum (I mean, uh, content) to help you find the best chicken breeds for your farmlet. I love research and data analysis so I frequently revisit this subject to see what the hatcheries, blogs, youtubers, and assorted advertising pyramid schemes are recommending. Over the years I’ve noticed a number of valuable chicken breeds that are never mentioned…
Read moreThe Cycle of Life
Farm life is cyclical, filled with ups and downs. Some are planned, others take us by surprise. And some weeks are more of a roller coaster than others.
Read moreNot Bad, For a Monday
Our first sheep had their one bad day today. As with our first pigs, I grew more anxious over the last week, mostly in anticipation of what could possibly go wrong. Sheep grow fast and local processors are perpetually scheduled a year out, so this time the labor of it could not be bought – it was up me to get it done.
Read moreThe Hard Decisions
Let’s start with the obvious: farming is not easy. Sometimes the heartaches come from Mother Nature— weather or wildlife ruining a crop or killing an animal. But then there are times where we have to make difficult decisions of our own.
Read moreYear of the Sheep
Another year, another lesson (or two, or twenty) in self-taught farming. The Sheng Xiao says this is the year of the Tiger, but on the Star & Sparrow zodiac it is the year of the Sheep.
Read moreMeetings About Meetings
I read an interesting statistic in early April claiming that white collar workers are now spending 250% more time in meetings than they were pre-pandemic. As I remember it, just about all my non-entry level white collar jobs involved meetings for at least half my time.
Read moreBe Careful What You Wish For
Last year I was doing a little tractor work for a friend and had to stop in my tracks several times for mother hens and their chicks. To the owner’s frustration, two free-range hens decided to sneak off and hatch out clutches of fluffy cuteness. It was a welcome intermission to a dusty job, and I found myself growing envious of their self-sufficiently reproductive chickens. Thou shalt not covet they neighbors chickens!
Read moreBelly Rubs
An hour ago I was saying to Farley “I don’t think I’ve been off the farm in over a week!” She then reminded me that I was in town several hours yesterday for an appointment. I guess my body was there, but my mind really wasn’t. Instead, I’ve been almost singularly focused on the culmination of our pig-raising efforts over the last 8 months.
Read moreEgg Hunt, Minus the Magic
This post was written in two parts, with a week or so in between. The first section came into being while I was bemused and cheerful, the second after I was hit with a harsh dose of reality. Such is farm life.
Read moreThe Measure of a Man
Not that any week on the farm is a slice of pie, but last week lobbed us problems and concerns from multiple directions. Bryon faced the main challenges head on, and we’re relieved to be on the other side.
Read moreTime for a Heavy Molt
From time to time, a bird’s feathers get tired and worn out. We call it molting, and it is a perfectly normal process for a healthy bird to go through.
Read moreRain on the Parade
These days I haven’t felt much like writing, or anything else for that matter.
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