we’re still rockin’ and rollin’

Never fear, we’re still alive and well over here.  The farm is drying up with a lack of significant rain fall since the end of May.  Our pastures have turned brown, and the only thing growing well are the weeds.  I’m glad we were able to cut enough hay the first go-around to get us [...]

Read Full Post »

which one of these is not like the others?

Can you spot the chick that’s different from the others? Need a hint? It’s not based on color (we have a variety). It’s based on size. If you picked this guy, who in the first picture is the one standing in the corner, you are correct! When we received the latest shipment of baby chicks, [...]

Read Full Post »

Keeping chickens, a patriotic duty

Read Full Post »

In which I attempt to cover a month of events

Wow, there is so much to say with the latest events over the past few weeks since the last post.  Forgive me, dear readers (hello?  anyone?), but let me indulge you in the latest from Spring Mill. Chicken: It’s What’s for Dinner Two weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, we processed our old laying hens. [...]

Read Full Post »

it’s good to see some green

I guess the grass is readying itself for St. Patrick’s Day? We’ve been blessed with a week and a half of warm weather.  Overnight lows in the 50′s and daytime highs in the 60′s, sometimes nearly 70!  It’s wonderful!  I’m always amazed by how quickly the grass rallies when warm spring days begin to appear.  [...]

Read Full Post »

taking a moment

Today, work was just one of those days.  One of those days where you say to yourself, “I’m going home and drinking a beer.”  And here I find myself, not one, but two, beers later. Jenna wrote on Monday about a similar situation.  Maybe without the beer.  She didn’t mention it. I came home this [...]

Read Full Post »

one of those days…

Monday of this week was absolutely gorgeous.  Highs in the low 50′s, the sun shining brightly.  Despite the fact that I screwed up and went into work on my day off (and subsequently spent half my day off working as a receptionist to earn a little extra money), the animals and I took advantage of [...]

Read Full Post »

Signs of Spring!

*My horse, Huck, is starting to shed! *Jacqsonne is slowly increasing her milk production *The young does are starting to fill out their udders *The hen’s egg production is increasing *I can finally seen grass, not snow *The grass I can see is surprisingly green; maybe that’s because it’s  been hiding for two months? *Seed [...]

Read Full Post »

It’s quiet around here

Happy Valentine’s Day! We woke up yesterday morning to more snow falling softly to the ground – it’s amazing the amount of snow we’ve received in central Virginia this year. We did our morning chores while snowflakes chased us around the farm.  Luckily, the Chocolate Challenge was still on, just delayed a little bit.  I [...]

Read Full Post »

I’m whispering

Our hens have always been a bit off schedule.  We got them late – mid-July – and they began laying in December.  Trying to help them, we put a light in their coop on a timer to extend their daylight to help them through their first laying season. This winter the hens have been molting [...]

Read Full Post »