the growing rabbits and our laziness

Jonathan and I were fortunate enough to have a weeks vacation coinciding with his birthday and our trip to Massanutten resort for a few nights. It has been a great week, ending too quick of course, and we completely neglected any sort of farm work (unfortunately we couldn't neglect septic tank work, so there's that.) However the rabbits are still growing, the ducks are warm, firewood is being split, mushroom logs are still slowly being prepared. We are hoping to have lots of mushroom logs and rabbits for sale at the Catawba Holiday Market on Saturday, November 23, so we need to get to work- but not today.

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

our dear ducks

the garden - before the ducks

the newly covered duck house - on the garden

the garden - after the ducks. goodbye weeds!

the backside of the ducks house, with their door to the run and a little window for ventilation

The last week has been very windy, stripping the colorful leaves from the trees and leaving things looking much like winter, much too soon for my taste. This morning I recovered the duck coop with clear plastic, less drafty and more sunny. When I was doing my homework about preparing the bird house for winter I was pleasantly surprised to learn that ducks are much more hardy than chickens. They just need a semi-draft free space, unfrozen water, and some dry hay to keep their feet warm. Of course we try to give them more than just what they "need", like a brighter enclosure and access fresh grass. Stay warm duckies!

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

pretty pastured hens

goldie

checking out some cantelope

fresh grass = happy hens

the red twins really love our fruit and veggie scraps

and the ducks (the white ones are our two males, unfortunately)

We have been setting up a small chicken wire fence outside of the coop and letting our birds out during the day to get a little more open grass and feeling of freedom. We can't let them truly free range because the dogs would eat them, so this is a small step in a better direction. We are in the process of ordering an electro poultrynet which will give them MUCH more room to roam. They love fresh grass, bugs (we watched red take down a huge praying mantis today), their swimming pool, and our leftover fruit and veggie scraps. 

Caring for this small flock of poultry gives me a lot of joy, 

you can't be in a bad mood watching them. 

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

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Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

making chickens happy (and ducks too)

little yellow is always the most photogenic of our flock

pecking through the forest of grass

all the birds checking out their new nest box

The chicken coop got a few fancy renovations this weekend. We had planned to cut the five gallon buckets that were in there in half to make them more accessible as nest boxes now that they have begun to lay eggs, but that plan turned out to be entirely too much work, and a secondary plan was executed instead. We had two old closet doors lying around, so we took one, wired it up like a trough, and hooked it up inside the coop. Instant, free, repurposed chicken nest box. Success. We also set up a small chicken wire fence outside the coop, clipped wings, and let them loose. It's not a huge pen, but it does double the size of their space, with new fresh grass to scavenge through. This means lots of supervision for a few weeks, because we do not fully trust the combination of flimsy fencing, first time wing clipping, and ever curious puppy dogs. 

They seem to approve.

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

a late july garden

yellow squash

zucchini plants

gourds - the end of the garden in about the center of the photo

our first melon!

 The garden is going strong, despite being pretty weedy from all the rain and sunshine. We have had more yellow squash and zucchini than we can eat, plus some tomatoes and today I saw our first few melons hidden in the vines! The gourds have taken over and stretch out through the field past the garden's edge. This summer has been a great first year for our garden, we know lots of things to do differently next time, but had tons of good food to eat regardless. Life is in the adventure.

Live simply,

Angela

the mushroom business

our (messy) greenhouse, with new misting system installed

phoenix oyster mushrooms

blue oyster mushrooms

Zae the Protector

We are producing mushrooms, slowly. We are thankful that the demand is behind us, we sell out very fast when we do have mushrooms at market, and there are always more people interested.

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan