Now that the pig pasture is mowed, it’s time to get some pigs! This year we have four, and they are all girls or gilts. (They become sows after having a litter and male pigs are always called boars.)

One brave girl is the first to step out.

After eating some rocks (pigs love to chew on rocks!) she convinces her buddies to come out.

Soon they are all out!

They quickly discover the feed trough. We feed them pig mash mixed with water to ensure they get all the correct nutrients. They will also get food destined for compost, chicken and duck eggs, and all the grass and weeds (and rocks) they care to eat.

They may be sticking close to their shed for now, but soon they will be roaming all over the pasture. Stay tuned!

Spring as always sneaked up on us and turned to summer before we knew it! The grass has really taken off. This is the area around last year’s garden. It has been my duty the past few weeks to get the high grass under control and mowed.

DR Mower to the rescue! It is a high-wheeled super-charged string trimmer. I highly recommend it! The chickens here are cleaning off some freshly cut grass from the mower. All of the animals have learned that our mowers are wonderful if loud salad shooters and provide lots of fresh treats.

Here is that field after mowing. Did I mention the mower is self-propelled? Very helpful.

I should have taken a before picture but here is the pig pasture after mowing. Its grass was as high as the previous field. We initially bought the mower to work on clearing fence lines — electric fencing needs to be clear of high grass or the charge will be affected — but as you can see it works great for mowing large areas as well.

Murphy enjoys a stroll in the orchard after it was mowed.

The new farm has a huge redwing blackbird population. The highest concentration is around the pond. They nest in the cattails as you can see here.

Some how, when we marked out and tilled the garden, we managed to miss this RWBB nest. It is less than a foot away from the garden bed. It took me a while to find it, but the angry RWBB mama who kept screeching at me whenever I was in the area clued me in.

Not too long after I shot the picture of the eggs, they hatched. The babies are fuzzy orange and gray… and silent, unlike their parents.

Then just this week, I managed to be working in the garden the day they fledged. Took about 2 weeks since the last picture. Isn’t he a cutie but such a fierce expression!

So watch yourselves as you mow – or even walk through – the very high grasses! There may be a nest or two in your path!

It’s our first at the new farm. We have been adding horse manure and other compost for a year to try to break down the hard clay.

Gary disked it with the tractor and then went through with the tiller. Unlike our other gardens, this one is not too rocky! It’s about 80×150 feet and already I want a bigger one!

So far we have planted onions, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, corn, green and yellow bush beans, peas, chard, carrots and beets. It’s odd though – I bought new green bean seeds this year and they never sprouted at all. The yellow beans seeds which are about 5 years old, came up in 3 days.

Took the day off yesterday to go visit Uncle Paul and cousin Andrea in the Mt. Morris area. We went out to breakfast to recognize the year anniversary of Aunt Marlene’s passing.

They indulged me by driving through Letchworth State Park.

We also caught a Civil War re-enactment event in the park.

It was a really big day for us all!

Muscovy duckling.

Mama with her brood.

Turkey poult.

Mama with her brood.


And there are chickens. Lots and lots of chickens!

At the new farm, we have a garage where we store a lot of odds and ends. Yes, one man’s treasure is another man’s junk, I know. This is all treasure, trust me. Well except for one occupant. Cna you see him?

There he is, little stinker. The very first year I kept chickens they were all killed by a weasel one day while I was at work. Tell tale marks include a puncture wound at the base of the neck. They can make quick work of a bird, and are ruthless and just evil. Pure evil.

I saw him where I will keep chickens soon. Then this past weekend, I spotted a weasel where the chickens live now. He was carrying what looked like rabbit parts. I chased him! I had my big boots on and was quite ready to stomp him. Too bad I lost him under a log.
Weasels are the bane of any chicken owner. There are rat traps, Havahart traps, poisons and guns. None of these are very successful against the weasel. A year or 2 ago, Gary got lucky with .410 birdshot when I had a white morph weasel in the barn. But that is the exception.
Seeing the weasel carry the food away (it probably found rabbits under the coops) makes me think there are young to feed. There are plenty of rabbits around here, but chicken is everyone’s favorite food. And worse, when we move, the little buggers will be waiting for us there too. Darn it.

Spring finally! I realize it’s been a while since the last post, but so little happens during the winter. If you look at our entries here during the winter, they are about this storm or that storm, or look at the snow today. I’d rather look at daffodils.

Temperatures today are said to be around 80 so I wanted to make sure I got some pictures of these daffodils before they melted. Aren’t they nice?

The turkey hens like to see them too.

GooseGoose appear to be very happy the pond has thawed.

The chickens enjoy the grass. This is Gracie the churkey, a chicken who was raised by a turkey. She thinks she’s a turkey too.

And here’s Murphy. He’s just always happy.