Spring Gobbler Junior Hunt Day

It's amazing that we had snow on Wednesday.  This morning is absolutely gorgeous and will hopefully provide a wonderful day for hunting.  Today is Eliza's first turkey hunt. She's ecstatic to say the least.  This morning I touched her arm and said it's time to get up and she jumped out of bed, ran over and jumped on our bed, scaring the living daylights out of her Daddy!  I'm glad she's so enthusiastic.  Her Uncle Chase is also with them today, he is the official caller.  Regardless of whether a turkey is bagged, the time they get to spend together is priceless.

This thing called Spring Break...

Around here everyone is pretty much in shock because the kids actually got an official Spring Break this year.  Most of the time we have had so many snow days that they are contemplating writing lessons plans for the 4th of July!! Our girls are enjoying the fact that they are getting spend plenty of quality time with their rabbits.

Yes, we have rabbits.  I'm not sure what conniving went on but a friend of ours bid on three rabbits for the girls.  Needless to say they were ecstatic and Aaron was their hero!  I think we are going to have to keep them separated when we go to the sale again or we will be bringing home the goats the girls have been eyeing.  Since everyone's first reaction to having three rabbits was that we would end up with babies, I did some research and low and behold we have two males and a female.  If the pictures to identify them were right and I'm not blind, we will have bunnies in approximately 30 days.

The chicks are growing like weeds.  We have had them for two weeks and it is absolutely amazing to see the changes that they have made and the things that I have learned.  My mom still laughs at the fact that I spent one morning cleaning chick butts.  After adding some grit to their diet I think we have the pasty butts under control.  Their feathers are quickly coming in, right along with their urge to fly.  We had to build lids for their brooders to keep them from flying to the top and sitting on the edge.  It's going to be interesting to see their personalities develop too.  There is already a Speckled Sussex that seems to rule the roost!

We have also been able to start the coop or as my friends on Facebook call it, The Chicken Mansion.  It looks huge ( 12' x 12') but I still think it could be bigger!  Chad's cousin has been a huge help with the actual work as well as teaching us a thing or two or three. We've used rough cut lumber to construct it, mostly hemlock and pine.  We found some windows and a door that we will be able to give new life to.  It's always nice to be able to reuse something rather than buy new.  We were even able to reuse nails to put the flooring in.  It amazes me how Chad can straighten a nail so easily. I will have plenty of pictures to post when we are finished.  Until next time!!

And our journey begins...

Never in a million years would I have ever imagined that we would be raising chickens but as I sit here and think about the 43 little fuzzy bodies that are cozily sleeping downstairs, I must say I’m ESTATIC!  I feel like a new mom again, checking to make sure everyone’s breathing, not too cold, and not too hot!!  They are absolutely amazing and a blast to watch.  I seriously think the girls would sleep with them if they could!

                You are probably thinking, who is this crazy, chick obsessed woman?  I’m just a regular person trying to do what is best for my family.  My name is Jessica and I have been married for 9 ½ years to my husband, Chad.  We have been blessed with 3 beautiful girls, Eliza (8), Aurora (7), and Jorja (4).  They are the main reason that we have decided to embark on a little bit of homesteading.  Amazingly they love the fact that they know where their food comes from so why not embrace it.

                Our first project of the year is chickens.  I have poured over magazines and the internet for months while the girls have looked over my shoulder.  My husband would say “so you have a breed picked out?” and I would answer “yes, definitely this one for sure,” only to change my mind the next week!!  Luckily, Chick Days finally arrived at Tractor Supply and Southern States making the decision making process a little less difficult.  Our flock will include 12 Barred Rocks, 12 Red Sex-Links, 5 Speckled Sussex, 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 12 Cornish X broilers.  Funny how I originally planned on having 12 layers and 12 broilers! 

                So in last 24 hours I have learned that they sell those convenient feeders and waterers for a reason.  Rowdy little chicks quickly make a mess of open containers of food and water.  I have also learned that no amount of reading prepares you for having the real thing!  In another bout of unpreparedness we need to build another brooder for the broilers.  The next major project here on the “farm” is expanding the shed into a barn and coop.  Until next time!!