the weekend lens

we arrived home on the farm Friday evening and I can't even explain to you how comforting it felt to pull into our yard. My dogs were happily barking and chasing our truck and I understood then how much this farm means to me. this weekend we were blessed with beautiful Spring-like weather, to which we played outside as much as we could. playing with our flock of chickens, cleaning up our yard from winter, swinging off the old tree, cooking meals on the bbq and getting my hands in the dirt to begin seeds again for this summers garden. the birds are happily chirping, the snow has almost disappeared (for now, at least) and our farm smells of musty earth and wet grass..I find myself looking for robins and meadowlarks..knowing that this could all too soon leave us for another wintry spell. but for now..I'm soaking up this sunny Spring weather. here's a look at our weekend thru my lens..

the week in farm photos - February 2nd to February 8th

Happy Sunday, friends!!!

This was a crazy good week for us here at the farm!! We honoured & celebrated my dads life on the 2nd anniversary of his death on Tuesday, on Wednesday we celebrated 31 years of my life (I still feel 25, is that odd?!?), we have had snow this week, rain, and sunshine..everything has been thrown at us but one thing is for sure - it definitely feels like Spring today and I am LOVING it!! A few weeks back, Adam left for the city while Hudson and I watched over the farm solo. It was a good week but I ended up having one too many problems with a few coyotes so I asked Adam to teach me how to properly load, carry and shoot a firearm..and this week we finally got to it! I'd say for a newbie that my aim was pretty dang good ;) Today we culled the last 2 roosters from this Springs hatching..its been a long time coming and today just felt like the day! We have been wandering around outside with our rubber boots on and light jackets. I have all the windows open in our farmhouse and I am dreaming of Spring! Today I ordered seeds and made plans for my clothes line and cutting gardens..have I mentioned I love living on a farm? Or Spring? or gardening? 'cause I do! I really, really do!! Here's a small peek at life here this week..

it never fails..the skies over our farm get me every time!!

this little man marked 1 month post op this week and I couldn't be more proud of him and his recovery..such strength babies have!!

as mentioned above..this week I learned how to properly shoot a rifle..I don't appreciate coyotes going after my chickens one bit and this should help!!!

 not bad aim for a former city girl, eh?

my ladies have ramped up production and this week I sold my first 10 dozen eggs..so excited!!

the stores are stocking up on tulips and I am biting the bullet hard these days..love filling our farmhouse with fresh signs of Spring!!

most definitely the biggest part of this week is that my farmer has been taking a lot of time out to work on a big, very special project that is just for little old me...anyone want to take a guess as to what that might be?!? (photo below is your hint!! More to come soon!)

so that was our first full week of February! As I type this the wild birds are chirping on all four sides of our home, the sun is slowly setting and I am enjoying a cup of tea and taking in the beauty of this Sunday..hope you all enjoyed your weekends!!! Here's to another full week on the docket...

This week on the farm

Welcome to my new, weekly photo post that wraps up our week here on the farm! As February turns into March, our thoughts go heavier into Spring. Farming season will soon be upon us as well as myself getting back into the garden and we are so excited for the warmer weather! This week, we had mostly cold days except for Wednesday...the cold weather blew away for one warm, sunny day that seemed to whisper, "Spring is on its way!" We were in the city that day for my 6 week check up at the drs as well as a check in with Hudson's pediatrician and I kept commenting over and over again about how much I loved the weather that day and how, if we lived there, I would be walking Hudson every day (no snow, no ice!) All in all it was another busy week for us here at the farm..and I highly anticipate that every week from here on out will only get busier!

This week on the farm..

Spring has sprung! In bulb form, by our kitchen windowsill. 

My ladies are laying eggs like its their job throughout this Winter. Every day I am collecting at least 7 eggs from my 10 hens!! I am so impressed and so thankful for these amazing little pets of mine. There is something so comforting in raising chickens, knowing that, even if we ran out of money tomorrow..we'd always have something to eat thanks to them. Its such a good feeling!

Country drives with my farmer have always been a favorite way to spend a morning and this week was no exception. We drove all over our land, showing Hudson where we live and, checking our fields. Planning and anticipating Spring!

Jumping off hay bales 6 weeks after a c-section? I never thought I'd see the day but here we are!! And so happy that I'm feeling back to my old self so soon again

Adam got our blue tractor going and our auger set up to accept loads of fertilizer this week! It was awesome to hear the equipment going again and knowing the loads of fertilizer were going in to the bin for Spring made Winter seem that much more bearable..whew! Spring really is around the corner!

Fresh from the farmhouse, I made my first attempt at baked donuts and let me tell you, these did NOT disappoint! YUM!

My baby is 7 weeks old this week..please, someone tell me how this happened!!?!

This week, Mr Fox struck again and took one of my barred rock hens. I was devastated! She makes #4 of hens lost this winter to a predator..my first ever winter experiencing this kind of loss. Enough is enough!!

  

 

 

My herb seeds I planted last week have begun sprouting!!

 Hubby surprised me with a potting bench this week!! More details in a future post to come!

This week I played in the dirt and sowed my first seeds for this years garden. So far, sweet peppers, asparagus, strawberries, blue corn, heirloom tomatoes, onions and a few perennial flowers have been seeded!

 And that wraps up our first Week on the Farm wrap up!! Have a great Sunday everyone!!

I'm a Momma Hen

On Friday afternoon, I went to randomly check on my chicks in their brooder after feeding my big girls their treats as I often do. I came across a very happy brooder minus one poor little Buff Orpington that was laying off on it's own, I thought for sure she was dead. I picked her up immediately and when I realized she was still alive, I carried her inside and set her in her own little brooder with a heat lamp so that I could carefully observe her. She was completely limp & lifeless, couldn't move nor walk, couldn't even lift her poor little one month old head. I thought for sure she wasn't going to make it. But I knew that at least this way, she could sleep peacefully without being stepped on or pecked by any of the others. At bedtime, she was fast asleep..not moving or opening her eyes but still fighting...

I asked Adam to check on her in the morning so that he could take care of her before I saw anything.

Saturday morning I got up and was shocked to see the heat lamp still on and Adam drinking coffee beside her, surely she hasn't made it thru the night in her condition? But, she did. She hadn't moved much and when she did it was painfully obvious she couldn't walk as any movement was abrupt and ended with a scootch backwards. Her eyes were still closed and the poor thing..she broke my heart. Dying in little chicks is very common but I hate when they have to struggle. I cried and not because she was dying but because she was just laying there, fighting to live and there was nothing I could do. And then it hit me, I had nursed chicks back to health before without knowing a thing about what I was doing. I just went with my gut and it hadn't failed me yet! So I held her close and I filled the cap of a pill bottle with water and I forced it in her face. She had no interest at first, but I didn't give up. Eventually, she took a sip..and then another, and another, and another

After a little nap I noticed my little girl had perked up a bit, I couldn't believe it. After texting the breeder, I decided to add a tablespoon of brown sugar to a gallon of water and fed that to her and she wouldn't stop drinking it up! She amazed me at every turn..

 

Saturday night, although she had shown so much progress in 24 hours, I again didn't know if she'd make it thru the night. Her right eye still appeared paralyzed as she could barely open it and she could barely lift her head let alone stand..but I had faith that I was doing the right thing. I fed her some more sugar water before bed and I asked my sweet Daddio to help me out. I asked that if she was to go be with him, to please take her..or help her get stronger, then went to bed.

 

Sunday morning, I walked out of our bedroom and was greeted by this..

 

 

Her eyes were open, she was chirping, she was holding herself up and walking {shakily}, she was drinking and when I gave her food, she couldn't stop eating. I couldn't believe it. If I hadn't followed my gut and helped her, she could have either still been lying helpless at the bottom of this box or, worse, she could be dead. Now, she's far from being out of the woods yet..Lord knows anything is possible! But today, shes walking and flying and showing true signs of recovery.

 

 

 

After a full day of showing recovery, I could see my little girl was quite lonely. Whenever I checked in on her she would come as close as she could to me so that I'd pick her up and take her with me. She'd fall asleep in my hands {made me melt} and I had to laugh when our "family" took a Sunday afternoon nap..what a sight we must have been! Adam sprawled out on one couch..Jakey sleeping at his feet and myself sprawled out on our other couch, Honey sleeping on my chest :)

 

But because I cannot be her constant companion, I went back out to the brooder and brought home another Buff Orpington that showed signs of being pecked on..{a small bit of dried blood on her comb, completely natural} and, although at first they stood frozen, unsure of what to make of their new situation, within minutes I found this..

 

 

The two of them, snuggled up next to each other. Made my heart melt :) Chickens by nature are very social creatures and are stressed when they are alone for very long. While its very important to confine them when they are ill or injured, its also important {in my experience} to either have them in a box right next to their fellow flockmates or reunited when in the clear. Because I am keeping an eye on her for at least a few more days, but knew she wasn't going to contaminate any other birds, I knew this was the right thing to do. Just this addition alone has helped little Honey perk up even more..its truly amazing to see!!

 

Saving an animals life is powerful and I feel so grateful that I was given the chance to take care of these little babies and raise them on our farm so that they can grow up and happily provide our family with fresh eggs daily. Its a blessing for a former city girl like myself to be able to experience.