Last Looks. Lasting Memories.

This has been a difficult past couple of months.

Budding blueberry bushes

Mostly because it has been difficult to have to say goodbye to so many friends and to the farm that we have grown with - and helped grow - for the past ten years.

As we continued to the last days as if we would be there forever,

Can you see the egg?

...the hens continued to entertain us with their antics like hiding eggs in silly places.

The cats got along with the hens;

the dog got along with the cats;

and with the chickens;

but the cats couldn't get along with themselves

(Look in the background)!

I think it was my neighbor Karen who said that if we weren't On the Pond Farm, we would be named Harmony Farm, because everyone gets along - usually!

It some ways, I am glad the weather became cold and the skies dismal, so that it was no pleasure to venture outdoors.

But the last few days of our stay at the farm brought the blue skies, the warm breezes and dry air that would drag anyone outdoors.

The days became gorgeous.

Moments to cherish.

And then the tears came really close many times.

A barn swallow takes over the blue bird house.

I took my camera out in the fields again, as I had been, but not sharing because I didn't know how to end our stay at this beautiful place. 

Our last Sunday breakfast

Hill of bluets

It all came together beautifully on its own.

Here are the last glances and happy wanderings for me at On the Pond Farm.

The farm's reputation and pride and joy has been the Boer goats. I would love to take them with me, but the last four girls stay with the farm to carry on the herd with the new owners.

Blue gill came to visit in full force

The striped bass were the biggest I've seen in the pond this spring

Blue, green and barn in the middle. My favorite combination.



Jock has his last run of the farm. He is joining us in the move to Connecticut.

 Our final farm memory in Ligonier, taken by the new owner Kris, as we lingered one last time.

Drinking Chickens

If you've been around chickens, you know they drink water anywhere, and the dirtier the better. Well that may not be true, but its seems that way.

Water on the dirt barn floor is as greedily drunk as clean water out of a bucket. And speaking of drinking out of a bucket, the hens gave a demo to show you how its done. Quite laborious actually. 

Listen for those cute swallow sounds!

This Side Of Fall

 

 Fall is moving slowly into our woods and fields.

A few trees are yellow tipped, and one or two are showing some lovely orange, but we have yet to see an eye popping landscape.

In the background, you can see a bit of color, and the chickens add some Fall color too.

Mia just wants to get in on the act.

I have a small supply of pumpkins and gourds to decorate in and around the house, even though I feel certain we will loose the pumpkins to a hungry animal (called deer).

I am "feeding" them one at a time so that we can stretch the enjoyment as much as possible.

 Nature is adding its muted color too, adding to the "antiqueness" of the farm.

I hope you are taking in the beauty of the season while it lasts.

Twenty Three Eggs

For days I've been wondering if the hens read the post where I bragged about their production. 

Since that day, their production declined to the point where today there were NO eggs in the nests. Tonight, Julia and I searched all the usual hiding places and found nothing. 

We got to work putting down bedding and getting the stalls ready for the goats tonight, when I turned around and LOUDLY exclaimed, "OMG!". I scared the heck out of poor Julia!

To the right is a stall door that is propped open with a cinder block, and to the left is a side wall.
In between the two were...

TWENTY THREE EGGS!

And you know what is going to happen to those eggs?

They all have to be thrown out!

Actually, I likely will toss them in the compost pile a couple at a time and let the hens eat them. But no human consumption of these eggs.

So now we have to look back here for eggs while I try to make the hens move back to their nests.  I'll have to stuff something in here to make their lives uncomfortable! Suggestions my chicken experts?

Hen Productivity

We have had hens since the first Fall we were here in 2003. We started with four.

They roost every night in this side of the barn, and this is where they lay their eggs - most of the time. They do have a very nicely decorated home don't they?



For all I know, one of our current eight hens is still from the original four, but we have lost one hen here and there to heat, cold, and a hawk strike one January. 

Every couple of Septembers, we made the trip to Myersdale to get a few more hens to replace and expand the flock.

Carlene and Truffles at two days old in 2005

We also raised a couple day old chicks, and we still have Truffles who must be seven years old now. Pullets start laying at 20 weeks old. Hens best production is during their first two years and then they taper off. Hence the reason to replace them as they age.

What is impressive is that just a few days ago, during all this awful heat, all eight hens gave us an egg. And they are huge.

Not large.

Not Jumbo.

HUGE!

I'm betting it has a lot to do with being free range, pastured hens with about the best life ever.

Hand Feeding Hens Or How to Get Fat Chickens

We were talking about Science Fair experiments this week-end. I have decided that an interesting experiment would be to see how long a chicken will eat before it pops or stops eating.  These chickens do not ever stop looking for food to eat. At least goats stop to chew cud and nap. I think chickens only stop when the sun goes down and its lights out.

Here they are getting my father-in-law's dinner leftovers from the night before.  We bring home the so called doggie bags for everyone but the dog.

Cultural Diversity Skips the Nest

Just a short and late follow up to the blue egg in the chicken coop. 

I'm afraid the dream for a robin born in the barn under the tutelage of eight hens was short lived. On the third morning, the egg was fractured, though still in the nest between hens eggs. By evening, most of the evidence was gone. 

Accident? Sabotage? One can only guess.

Only Time Will Tell

Last night I thought perhaps we had a pullet egg, but no, that egg was definitely blue, and way too small.

The barn swallows are back, rowdy, and nesting like mad. But they have white speckled eggs. This sure looks like a robin egg. I'm leaving it in the nest to see if another shows up and also to see if the hens hatch it.

Oh! Yes. That is a golf ball. It is to remind the hens where to lay. Otherwise we find eggs all over the barn.

Kids and Kids (and Chickens)

Its great to have kids visit and I usually take lots of pictures, and I did on this visit, but these were taken by the (human) kids mom, Elizabeth.

Its nice to see the interaction though other peoples eyes. This is so dear. 

I think these photos are special.

We just don't know what Zola found so delicious looking about the camera, but she couldn't resist trying to get a taste.

The hens will do anything for corn!

 It was great to have such enthusiastic kids.