Part Two

Yes, you guessed it...
I was (and still am) an only child.
I learned very early to be happy with my own company...
so, solitary farm life works ok for me.

Let's continue...

Rebecca:  "I would like to know more about your chickens. How many do you have? 
How long do they live? Can you tell them all apart? How many eggs a day do you get? 
Do they lay eggs all year long?


Currently, we have about 100 hens free-ranging in our pastures. 
 Each chicken belongs to one of three henhouses and returns to that henhouse nightly to roost.


Each henhouse has a waterer (heated in the winter), a food dispenser,
and a heat lamp for warmth and extra light in the winter.
Each henhouse has two roosters.  All of my "extra" roosters live closer to our home...
far away from the hens in a "bachelor pad" and free range around our house...
our morning alarm clocks!


 In early April, 40 more chicks are arriving.
I will grow them in our brooder house, located closer to our own house.
When they are full grown, they will move in with the other flocks.


Our chickens live anywhere from 2 years to 6 years...
We house hens from each year together....so it's hard to tell the elders from the layers.
At any given time we have about half layers and half retirees
happily roaming our pastures.
Right now we are getting about 3 - 4 dozen eggs a day.
For the most part, our girls lay year round (except when they are molting)
due, in part, to the heat lamp in their henhouses...which provides some 
additional light for them during the short winter days.

As for telling the girls apart....
the unusual breeds each get named, as well as the roosters.
However, when I purchase a group of one breed...say a group of Rhode Island Reds...
they all receive the same name... like "Lucy".

Otherwise, I might have to make each one a name tag!!!
(Don't tempt me!)


Jaz@Octoberfarm:  What is going on with your bees? are you getting new ones? is a new puppy in your future?



Well, sadly, our last hive perished with the cold winter.
I have ordered 4 new packages of bees with new queens.
They will arrive in early May and will be installed in these hives.
It will take a couple of years to grow the hives enough to produce enough honey to harvest...
so we will keep our fingers crossed...and hope that next winter is milder!

A puppy?  Well...life is great with Sam and Oakley right now.


And although I cannot resist puppies...co cute and cuddly...
I am leaning more towards another rescue.
So...when the right one (farm-worthy) comes along, we will most assuredly adopt.
Unless, of course, a puppy just happens to land in my lap before that time!

Lauren:  "I'd love to know about the way you care for your goats. 
I know they favor ritz crackers lol but maybe some of the more specifics of your routine with them.."

Our goats are the easiest of all of our animals.  


In the summer, they have pasture grass to munch on, however in the winter
they rely upon hay in the hay rack.
(Truth be told, I think they are a bit lazy...they prefer hay in the summer, also.)
I feed them a pelleted goat feed twice daily to round out their nutrition.
Heated water buckets and plenty of fresh clean water are supplied daily.


We trim hooves several times a year.
Dr. Becky worms them and vaccinates them on a regular routine.
And abundant Ritz snacks are given as a reward for cuteness!


As for your comment, Patty Sumner, about the neatness of our farmyard...
I really try to keep everything around here looking spiffy!
However, this time of year when mud abounds,
I am careful to keep the pictures "looking" clean...even though reality is anything but!

I have the type of personality that requires a neat and tidy world around me,
or else everything feels out of control...
so a lot of effort is put into keeping things orderly.
Thanks for noticing!!!

I have really enjoyed our "conversation" this week...
feel free to throw any questions out to me at any time...
I will try to get your answers into a blog post.

As for today...it is finally supposed to warm up just a bit...
so I will be out doing some garden chores.
Hope spring has made an appearance in your neck of the woods!
Enjoy!

Comments

jaz@octoberfarm said…
these were really fun posts! and btw, your place is the tidiest farm ever! i should have mentioned that too. i am a neat freak and keeping things orderly is a lot of work!
Country Gal said…
Another awesome post ! Lovely photos to ! Thanks for sharing . Have a good day !
Lynne said…
I have enjoyed your 'answering questions' posts . . . I learned even more about Bee Haven Acres, and you. If the hens produce 3-4 dozen eggs daily . . . who benefits from the eggs?
Unknown said…
I, too, am an only child and love my days with only my animals for company! Love your farm stories. Thanks for the background information!
Junebug said…
Thanks for all the answers with pic thrown in! It's been great to know a little more about our blooger friend. I would say your farm is at the top for neatness. I only have one small chicken coop and it is work to keep it up. As for you chicken waters I'm open for help. Mind won't use it. It has been 6 weeks now and the water level doesn't change except for me changing out for fresh. I open the coop up in the morning to free range and they dive for a water puddle from the rain, Maybe this summer when there is no puddles. Hugs!!
I liked this answer post! I am sorry to hear about the bees... I hope you have better luck next time.
How I would like to sit in the middle of all those baby chicks! They are so sweet!
blessings,
Penny
mrscravitz said…
Loved this post. Every once in a while, I see a photo with a Blue, trimmed in green shed on your property. I LOVE THE COLORS and it really stands out in the photos. We are buying a place, with a shed that looks very similar. can you blog about it, and what you use it for? More closeups please...:)
This N That said…
Nice post..informative..I guess I have that "neat and tidy" thing going on as well..just never knew why..Sounds like more mud in our future but next week looks better...xxoo