Purple Martins vs Hawk

Well this morning little man and I went down to do our daily morning chores - feeding and checking on everyone. As we were walking up to the chicken coop I noticed a Hawk flying very low coming towards the pin. I started clapping real loud to scare it off and then realized it was being chased by the Purple Martins. It was a sight to see ;-) They chased the hawk around the pasture and then it flew up towards the house and they were still going after it. So besides taking care of mosquitos apparently they take care of hawks as well. Luckily the Purple Martin houses are close enough to the chicken coop that they can keep a watch on our flock. The chickens were smart they were hiding in the shed when the air show was taking place. Smart chickens ;-0)

One more pix. of Rhinestone & the kids on the Boulder Mountain - Playground

Pix. of Black Pearl enjoying the view from a top of the Boulder Playground

"Rock" playground

Here's a picture of a Rock playground that our neighbor Joe helped me build. The small boulders were in the hill side by the barn. I first pulled them out with the truck using a loggingchain and then dragged them into the pasture. Most of the rocks we moved around by hand the top one we pulled with the chain once again - up a ramp and then pushed it to it's final resting spot.

The goats love it sometimes they even use it as a spring board to see who can jump the farthest.

shelter construction

The post were old guardrail post weighing about 100 pounds. Once I got them in their holes they didn't budge. The Shingles were laying behind the tractor shed and the wooden floor were from used pallets that I got from a local carpet store.

Shade Shelter aka The Lazy Shelter ;-)

For the past couple of weeks we have been working on a Shade Shelter for the goats. The roof is roughly 8'x9' and about 5' high. It has a deck to keep them off of the ground. The nice thing is all the material was reused so nothing is going to waste. The post were actually old highway guardrail post.

The goats like it so much and use it throughout the day maybe it should be called the "Lazy Shelter"

The Legacy

This is unusual for us - blueberries in the early part of June.  Normally they start ripening close to the 4th of July.  These are from blueberry bushes that Dad planted 12 years ago or more.  Ben and our neighbor Joe have been working on them since last fall, clearing out privet, honeysuckle vines and thornbushes.  They fertilized them this spring and put out some compost around the base.  This is our reward.  The first berries were picked a few days ago - we have one bush that is ripening far ahead of the others.  I filled my pocket with fresh berries and we ate them while we stood in the pasture watching the goats.  This is what we want - to be good stewards of the legacy Dad left behind, to enjoy the land the way he did, and to use it the way it should be.  We will pick berries, freeze some, bake with some, eat some fresh, and make jam with more.  It looks like it will be a bumper crop this year.  I picked up some books on canning and supplies last year - I made freezer jam with part of last years harvest.  I hope to can some this year in a hot water bath.  We'll see - it may be the freezer again.  But there's no doubt we will enjoy them....

Life on the farm

We have decided to start a blog to keep family, friends, and those interested in our animals (and family) up to date on what is happening around our little farm.  We have been keeping free range chickens for several years now and currently have a flock of Silver Laced Wyandottes, Araucanas, and Buff Orpingtons.  We hatched out some chicks of our own this year for the first time.  We have started a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats, looking to produce milk for home and family.  Our first doe freshened with triplet doelings this April - we felt like we hit the lottery!  Our next project is to finish the goat playground and upgrade the fencing in their pasture so the little ones cannot slip through - right now they are only allowed out when we can watch over them.  We will update you as things progress...  Kristi, Ben and Max