Thursday, April 09, 2015

snow---birds

Oh goody... I awoke to a few more inches of new snow!!! Well.. at least a "snow" doesn't seem to mean "feet" now... this is where we New Englanders begin to look for better places to visit, and in fact, the kennel is booking up, because people are looking to get out town.....
I got a funny phone call from Kass... she found a place that has some silkie chicks for sale, and she called to ask if I might be interested in splitting some of the flock with her. Our Kassy... she has come to like chickens.. of all things and has at her house, a little coop with a few birds.  I have always like the little silkies, even though they make better pets than laying birds.. but I told her yes, and today we planned on going to get our birds...
What's even "stranger" is I know the gal who has the birds for sale. She is a boarding client of mine and we have taken dog classes together. She only lives a short distance from our farm... so Kassy came today, and we went over to Larrissa's to pick out our birds.... 
Larrissa raises all  kinds of birds... these are some of her turkeys. I'm thinking that I might get some turkey chicks from her this year and try raising these instead of the standard white turkeys. She says their meat is better,and that they are a bit smaller than the traditional white meat birds, but I may give them a try and see how it goes...
They seem like a hardy lot... these guys were out in the snow.. showing off for the ladies.. she says this is her breeding birds and she has had some of them for quite a while....
While the birds were fun to look at... the kids (Reagan and Abi) were, by far, more interested in all the baby goats. Larrissa also raises milking goats, and it's kidding season. She invited us into the barn to see all the babies.. some of them were just days old...
The "kids" loved the kids... Abi thought they were the best and couldn't wait to get in there and play with them....
I thought Reagan might be a tad overwhelmed, but I guess living with big dogs has made him pretty used to being bumped into and climbed on. He even knew how to tell them "no" and to back off a bit.... 
Some many children are afraid of animals..
I'm glad that's not the case with ours!!!!
Let's play.... follow the leader!!!!!
and when it was time to go... I think the babies were almost sad to see everyone leave..... Kass thinks our farm could use a few goats... right now (with the winter weather still outside).. I think... not!!!!
But then, it was time to get what we had really come for... our little silkie birds. Larrissa had the kids "pick out the ones they liked" .. though they basically all the look the same right now. 
But, Abi seem to know which ones were going to be "hers"...

We boxed them up, and headed for the farm. Because they are still so little and have to be kept warm... we decided they would all stay here on the farm and I can raise them up a little and then send some down to Kass.

Abi is just thrilled to have some more chickens....
And Reagan found a couple that he seems to like as well....
We got them all settled in under a heat lamp in the tack room in the barn. I told the grands they can come and play with them whenever they like....
Warm and cozy... 
and time to grow...



and on a snowy spring day... getting birds that will grow to look like this... seems kind of fitting!!!!

4/8

Our heating project is nearly done... I still find it so hard to believe that this little wall unit is what will be heating our whole house. I think back on the big furnaces that we all used to have in our cellars, and now it has come to this. 
From what I understand, this will be high efficient and will do the work well. It's kind of like the windows we have in the house. I remember asking our builder about the "storms" for the windows... every house in New England has storm windows, and he replied that the kind of windows we bought would not need storms. I couldn't believe it and told him the first time I see snow slipping under the window, or feel a draft I would be calling him to come and put the storms up. Well, we have been here a few winters now (and come threw some pretty big snow storms) and I must report... we do not need storms on the windows!!! So, technology has caught up... even with heating systems.....
April has been playing her funny games. One day is almost spring like... with the snow even melting some.....












and then we awake.. and there are a few new inches of snow..... I guess around here... we can't think "spring" until May....






Sadly.. the "pretty" side of snow went away weeks ago.... but I still take the photos.. maybe in the middle of August I'll think this looks nice....
Mud season really isn't too far away, and then the drive to the barn will be in-passable for a few weeks.....
but, at this point... I think mud is going to look good!!!!