Happy July friends! I can't believe that 2022 is already almost halfway over. My birthday is at the end of this month, and every birthday makes me reflect on seasons of our life. It's been almost three years since we visited this little town and knew that this was going to be our home. It's been over two years since we moved here, and this summer will mark the second year that we have experienced life on our little farm! What a better time to share our farming story, and to share that fun picture above! Our first blue egg! We are super excited that our Easter Eggers are finally laying, and now we have the most beautiful egg assortments!! It has certainly been a season of learning, of growing, of pain, loss and so so so many beautiful blessings! It will always be the story in our book called "Fluffy feet farm," which is what my daughter has coined our beautiful little project!
In 2020, the world changed for all of us. There was so much fear and uncertainty. So many things changed that it just felt like we were all suffocating. We desperately needed a new project to encourage us.
My husband and I went on a date one morning for breakfast. Afterward, we stopped by tractor supply. Somehow, the draw of the little peeps brought us back to the brooders. We came home with eight tiny baby chicks. Four Isa Browns, Three Golden Comets, and one little Black Astralourp that they said may not make it because she had been sick. My kids were so excited about this new project!
In 2020, the world changed for all of us. There was so much fear and uncertainty. So many things changed that it just felt like we were all suffocating. We desperately needed a new project to encourage us.
My husband and I went on a date one morning for breakfast. Afterward, we stopped by tractor supply. Somehow, the draw of the little peeps brought us back to the brooders. We came home with eight tiny baby chicks. Four Isa Browns, Three Golden Comets, and one little Black Astralourp that they said may not make it because she had been sick. My kids were so excited about this new project!
The chicks grew much faster than we thought they would grow! But the kids absolutely adored them all!
In January of 2021, we also added two Boar goats to our little farm, Silas and Leah. That summer, my kids became absolutely in love with Lord of the Rings, so Leah became Arwyn.
In the spring of 2021, we decided that we would be brave. We researched new breeds and decided to expand our flock. Sadly, in doing so we somehow introduced MG into our flock. This is a disease that never goes away, and can spread not only through your flock but to other flocks in the neighborhood if not contained. So we learned the first rule of responsible chicken owners- and we had to cull the entire flock.
We cried buckets. These girls were like family to my kids. It was a hard lesson to learn- but one that made us much stronger in the end.
Later that spring, we decided to start again. We began with a flock of bantams and some orpingtons. Once again, we learned a sad lesson that summer. While we were away at camp, some animal got into our coop and we lost seven of our nine silkie chicks, and our protective orpington mommy named Candace. Coming from the loss we had experienced just a few months before, this was devastating as well. But again, it made us stronger for it.
The rest of our flock grew and thrived. We had roosters for the first time, and got to awake to their calls in the mornings. Our flock that originally included only breeds from the feed store now included silkies, orpingtons, Easter eggers, astralourps, polish, cochins, wellsummers, and even a frizzle! My kids have experienced watching a chick hatch in an incubator, gathering hatched chicks from eggs that were incubated by a Mama chicken, and the hard work of chicken keeping and selling eggs!
With the growing flock we saw the need for our Boar goats, who had grown to a very large size, to find new homes. We did rehome the boar goats and went for a smaller breed, the Myotonic goat... or the "Fainting goat".
So now that you know our story, here are some photos I wanted to share of our little farm. My daughter coined it "Fluffy Feet Farm" because of our fluffy footed bantam chickens that live here!
In the spring of 2021, we decided that we would be brave. We researched new breeds and decided to expand our flock. Sadly, in doing so we somehow introduced MG into our flock. This is a disease that never goes away, and can spread not only through your flock but to other flocks in the neighborhood if not contained. So we learned the first rule of responsible chicken owners- and we had to cull the entire flock.
We cried buckets. These girls were like family to my kids. It was a hard lesson to learn- but one that made us much stronger in the end.
Later that spring, we decided to start again. We began with a flock of bantams and some orpingtons. Once again, we learned a sad lesson that summer. While we were away at camp, some animal got into our coop and we lost seven of our nine silkie chicks, and our protective orpington mommy named Candace. Coming from the loss we had experienced just a few months before, this was devastating as well. But again, it made us stronger for it.
The rest of our flock grew and thrived. We had roosters for the first time, and got to awake to their calls in the mornings. Our flock that originally included only breeds from the feed store now included silkies, orpingtons, Easter eggers, astralourps, polish, cochins, wellsummers, and even a frizzle! My kids have experienced watching a chick hatch in an incubator, gathering hatched chicks from eggs that were incubated by a Mama chicken, and the hard work of chicken keeping and selling eggs!
With the growing flock we saw the need for our Boar goats, who had grown to a very large size, to find new homes. We did rehome the boar goats and went for a smaller breed, the Myotonic goat... or the "Fainting goat".
So now that you know our story, here are some photos I wanted to share of our little farm. My daughter coined it "Fluffy Feet Farm" because of our fluffy footed bantam chickens that live here!
Nebuchadneezar is our billy goat. Sawyer named him after the king in the Bible that went crazy and ate grass. We call him "Nebby" for short.
The girls are Zoey (Callie's) and Mellie (Hudson's) They are so tiny and very sweet! And super funny when they faint, I'm just being honest lol.
Hudson captured this hilarious shot of Zoey!
Bilbo Baggins is our Frizzle Rooster
Our Easter Eggers have beautiful feathers!
Charlotte is our Silkie Hen. Have you ever seen a chicken that looked like a teddy bear? Now you have!
A newly hatched baby chick! This one is named Splash I believe? They have so many I lose track... haha!
Our silkie Rooster named "Fili" and Charlotte on the day the children decided they wanted to let them get married... lol
All in all, its been a fun journey, and an enjoyable season of life. My kid have learned so much
through raising these animals, and is been a true blessing!
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