slow and steady.

We're getting ready to bring the alpaca home, slow and steady. Now that the snow is gone (can I get a collective hooray!) and the ground is ready for digging, we're starting the process of building the pen inside the barn, and the paddock / field area. I've also started spinning alpaca roving (and even got my own wheel!) to prepare myself for all the fiber that is to come.

We are all quite excited to get "our boys" home. It's difficult having them at another farm, and not getting to see them as often as we'd like. But alpaca live to be quite old- so we'll have MANY years to come enjoying their company :)

I'm not sure Aaron has quite realized this - but since I've done all the planning on the size / construction of the pen / paddock / field for the pacas, I've made sure we have plenty of room for two more animals . . .so I'm sure there will be even more fiber in our future ;)

yes. I rock.

Nova is doing great, and getting all her "big girl feathers"

I'm happy to share my "chick healing knowledge" without anyone who's crazy enough to give a chick warm baths, syringe fed meds, and tummy massages.

chicken doctor

Last weekend, Aaron and I finished the chicken coop, and put the two dozen pooping machines outside. (and, as a side note, Aaron and I worked quite well together on chick-u-topia, as we so appropriately named it) It's a good thing, they are much easier to care for. . .in other words, no poop in my basement. . .when they are outside. Plus, they LOVE their new space, they fly all over the coop, in their awkward new-wing flight patterns.

We soon noticed that one of the Ameraucanas is quite smaller then the others, and having a hard time passing stool (what we call a "blocked vent" in the chicken community) this is usually a sign that the chick isn't going to make it. Well, I'm certainly not going to let a blocked vent ruin my streak of "perfect mama hen" care. So, for the last few days, I've been giving Nova (yes, we've named quite a few of the chickens- and yes, after all the girl names that we like, and have no other opportunity to use) warm baths twice a day, and hand dropping a mixture of yogurt, molasses, and olive oil into her beak- three times a day.

Each morning, I go to check on the chickens, fully aware that I might find Nova dead. Every morning, she's still kicking around. This morning, her little vent actually looks pretty good (well, as good as a chicken ass can look, right?) so it seems as though the chicken doc is actually doing a pretty good job.

If this chicken doesn't make it, I'll tell you, it won't be for lack of trying!

alpacas? bring it on!

We've decided. . .we're going to be alpaca people :) After a whirlwind week of visiting alpaca farms, we've decided to go local, and get our new family members from Clark Summit Alpacas here in Deering. The owners are great people, and seem truely happy that their (well loved) boys are coming to live with us. We've got a lot to learn (and do!) before we can have them here, and James from Clark Summit Alpaca has been awesome giving us tons of information and tips about raising alpaca. Here's a link to the farms website, with pictures of our beautiful boys, Julian, Santana, Sabre and Mikey.

http://www.clarksummitalpacas.com/males.html

if anyone is looking to get a good workout. . .well be installing lots of fencing once the ground thaws :)

farm life?

So, I get a call from Agway that there are still chicks that need homes . . .so of COURSE I go pick up another six, giving us a nice round two dozen little fuzz balls. That should do it, eh?

Aaron knows how I long to turn our little family into a small farm. For a while I'd been thinking goat, but after the realization that I'm really not a big fan of goats milk (good reason not to have a goat) we've turned out sights towards other creatures.

I want Alpaca.

So now, chickens, Alpacas, soon enough I'm going to feel like we've got an official farm. We just need a farm name. A unique quality of our property is that it's lined with oak trees. I'm thinking something like Acorn Acres, or Oak Wood farm. . . . .any ideas?

february peepers

I know, I know. . .who gets chicks in the middle of the winter? Apparently, we do. Our "Easter chicks" arrived early- like, super early. Well, the manager at Agway did say they would be in by Easter. Oh well, I guess this just means that we'll have eggs sooner.

Needless to say, the kids are quite excited. Bless their hearts, they are being very gentle and loving to the chicks. I have had to stop Tagg from putting books and toys in the brooding box (he told me "mama, but the chickies look like they need something to read") but just caught him with his little face over the box, singing "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor to them. (I can hear the collective Awwwww's when you read this)

Cooper is certainly the most excited, as he's known for a while that collecting the eggs is going to be his job. Last night, before bed, he told me

"I'm SO excited to collect eggs this weekend!"

I didn't have the heart to tell him how long it will actually be before we're collecting eggs.

The one in the house least excited about the new additions is Carlos, our 85lb golden retriever. He is absolutely petrified of the chicks. I guess I don't have to worry about him eating the them. He's scared of the basement now. . .I just watched him walk by the door cautiously, and scoot by real quick when he heard the smallest "peep"

my big ol' watchdog :)

ít's a bird. . .it's a plane. . .

It's COOPER MAN!!!

Ahh, the time honored tradition of jumping off high places, and into the snow. If you grew up in New England, and never jumped off a low roof line, deck rail, or at least a picnic table in the winter, well then- you must have had a boring childhood :)

This took a little talking into. Cooper was really unsure about his first leap, but his father reassured him that it was perfectly safe (well, as safe as jumping off a deck railing can be) and that once he did it- he'd want to do it over and over again.

Aaron was right.