End of the Day

Back home after yet another full day in court,  after tearing off my lawyer suit and throwing on my barn clothes, in the dusk of early evening I rushed up to the hill to check on the farm which I had been away from all day and had left in the dawn of morning.  Usually my law work can be done from home or with brief jaunts away from the farm but this particular project has been taking me away for long days.  As I walked into the barn yard my breathing slowed and I felt myself relax. 

The ducklings peeped at me from their temporary outdoor pen and I saw that their down is slowly leaving for adult feathering.  Soon I can release them into the duck flock but not until I can be around to supervise.   I moved them into a pen in the barn for the evening for safety and they cuddled up to me as I carried them in, nibbling on my face.

The chickens and turkeys rushed at me looking for scraps from the kitchen.  I gathered a basketful of eggs from the chicken house, from nooks and crannies in the barn and from the woodland turkey nest where the hens have been laying but not sitting on their eggs.

I checked the goats in their winter pen and saw everyone was healthy and happy and no new babies had showed up in my absence.  I refreshed the waters in the interior barn stalls, filled the hay racks and prepped the evening grain feeding.  I let all the goats in except for Henry the meat buck and Bianci the guardian donkey who stay out in the outdoor shed all night.

With Delilah’s help, I shooed all the poultry into the chicken house and secured them for the night.

Farm chores done and I felt immensely satisfied.

Neglectful farmer

My practice of law has dragged me away from the farm and into the court room over the last few weeks (Hi Herbert! Hi David!).  I am lucky to have teenagers, some of whom love animals and some of whom love payment to cover for me.  I am also lucky that the next round of goat babies are not due until the end of next week.  I had a simple routine of care in place for the farm and was able to hand it over to others. 

I came home today from a day in court and found the turkey poults had flown out of their pen and had explored the basement for most of the day.  I have a turkey tractor on order which should arrive any day.  I need to move these little ones out onto the grass during the day.  They are very bored in the basement.

I delivered 18 fertile (hopefully) duck eggs to Butterhill for hatching in the classroom.  I have my second round of turkey eggs incubating.  I have five very pregnant goats.  Things will pop bigtime in April.

I was also lucky to have some help in last weekend for mucking, clean-up from the ice storm and yard work.  An amazing amount got done and I am hoping that I can have these guys come in once a week or so through the spring.  I need to improve my Spanish however.

I think the three bucklings will be gone for Easter.  I have a call to return to confirm their sale.  That will greatly increase the current milk supply and I can turn to spring cheesemaking.  I have five recipes down pat and would like to try a few new ones this season.

The two ducklings are feathering out and soon can join the duck flock.  They need to be moved out of the house too.

My heritage tomato seedlings are two inches high.  I need to start more.

Soon the forsythia will bloom and then everything pops and spring is here full force in Cornwall, New York.  This is the last of the winter lull.

Turkey update

You may remember I had the turkeys confined in the barn because Freddie Kruger had gotten out of hand with me and a neighbor.  Confining the turkey hens also allowed me to collect the eggs and I have been able to incubate and hatch them (more on that to come).  However, last week, I released the turkeys to free range again because of the change in weather and because they were loosing feathers.  Interestingly Delilah began to protect me from Freddie Kruger’s advances and to herd the turkeys back into the yard when they wandered to far.  Freddie thinks twice about attacking me now.  Problem solved!

The hawks have begun migrating through our skies again and have been harassing the chickens.  I heard a huge ruckus the other day and could see chickens fleeing wildly and I ran for the barn yard to see what was up.  I came upon a red tail hawk on the ground with my silkie rooster in his talons and standing in front of the hawk, challenging him was Freddie Kruger all puffed up.  The hawk flew off when I approached and Lucas was unconsious but unhurt.  He woke up squawking and strutted off in his usual way.  I am fairly sure that Freddie’s actions saved his life.  He may not be dinner yet.

More signs of spring

This morning when I walked the dogs I could not only hear the peepers peeping but I could hear the frogs croaking in the pond in the woods.  There is no question that spring is here.

Pea planting

Pea planting

Originally uploaded by edgwickfarm

Gabe helped me to plant some pole sugar snap peas. If we are lucky, we will be eating them by the 4th of July.

St Patrick’s Day peas

St Patrick’s Day peas

Originally uploaded by edgwickfarm

Mud Season!

This cartoon made me laugh today.  Mud season is fairly brief here but in Maine , where this cartoon is based and where I lived for a time, it can be unbelievable.

And it is mud season

And it is mud season

Originally uploaded by edgwickfarm

The flowers are budding

The flowers are budding

Originally uploaded by edgwickfarm

One week later….

One week later….

Originally uploaded by edgwickfarm

The snow is gone.