On the Farm - The Daily Life (Day #8)

1/11/12 It is kind of funny but not; the chicken, everyone knows have a "pecking" order.  The older chickens have always kept the others away even when they feed.  It's taken the new ones all year to get (there I go again) in the farm everything is Biggggg!; big enough to not get picked on.  They have to run around in their side of the place and always apart from the older group.  Now, even the old rooster has a match, cause we wound up with a new rooster and have another "Big Boy" in the block.  What is funny is that at evening time when they all want to roost in the hooch, one of the "banty hens" keeps chasing the new one round and round, until we have to come and rescue him, by chasing them both in.  What a big "wuss".  It is so cold out there that the eggs were frozen when we got them.  Any day when its 21 degrees but the wind is not blowing, is always a "Good" day. 

On the Farm - The Daily Life (Day #5)

     1/8/12 - Hey, we have a new little girl and Dad didn't even know the cow was pregnant.  We thought the heifers had all had their little ones for the winter.  We always hate the very late ones that arrive in the freezing part of the year.  Fortunately, it was a Great day for little "Joy" to be born, since the sun is out and it always makes it feel warmer.  I think she was over cooked because heifers are always such peewees, especially our Dexters, but this one is bigger than her sister who was born last month. I named that one "Tiny". 
     Everyone thinks I'm looney naming all the animals, but I don't care cause I think every creature born has a right to a name and for someone to care that it is alive.  Dad and Tofer went to check on her right away cause the cattle are pasturing on the wheat field.  He said that she was already trying to stand her big butt off the ground to nurse.  Her mommy is a good one, staying right by her baby.  Joy, just got under the electric fence, towards the tree line and Tofer had to go bring her close to their enclosed grazing area.  He always winds up getting "baptized" by the new one cause they either poo or pee on him.  What a kick, we'll have to keep an eye on her. 

On the Farm - The Daily Life (Day #2)

     1/5/12- Dad kicked in the big machines today to warm up the diesel engines, because in deep winter freezes they need it, so he says.  It helps the batteries and other "thingamagigs" involved.  I really think, just like a kid, he had to get on them and "play".  So, he got the dozer going after he finished w/the JD (I still need to find out what that stands for), and headed towards a dead row of old Honey Locust trees.  I forgot to show them to you when you were here, but they are covered w/thorns some of them as long as a finger, very thick and sharp.  I have often told Dad, that it is so dangerous because some animal (i.e. a deer who is taller than most short humans like me) could get their eyes gouged or injured.  I guess that is good old Mother Nature talking to me and an inner sense to stay away.  

     So, getting back to where I first began; I saw him push trees down and decided to keep an eye on him.  About an hour later, I was looking out the kitchen nook picture window, you know what a great view it has of the back, and I saw hm starting the John Deere (I figured it out now, JD = John Deere duh!!!) up.  Like usual he didn't ask me for help and I ran outside and cut him off as he rounded the front and he had to stop.  He 'fesed up that the dozer was stuck and was going to have to pull it out, because the root of one of the big locust had been too deep and created a wet hole where the dozer got stuck since the snow and ice just sit on the dense tree row.  

      The problem he had is that it would take two people; one to drive the dozer out and the other to pull w/the JD.  I've driven the smaller JD lots of times even by myself, but not this bigger newer one.  But, what the heck, ain't I a "country farm girl" now; I told him I would pull.  He hooked the big chain up and I only jerked it a little too hard once and he had to reconnect (the chain), but we got it out and just in time since I had to go to Adoration at St Joe Ost in less than an hour.  TaDaaaaa!!!!  I saved the day, Just got to love it.

      You know I always nag at him when we go to auctions and he buys all that "farm stuff" and I say, "Don't you have some of them already?"  He always says, you can never have enough of them, you never know when you'll need them!!!  Hence, the big chain that he had to use to pull the dozer out, you saw how big it is.  Later.....

On the Farm - The Daily Life (The Beginning)

Finally, something to share about "On the Farm - The Daily Life" as lived every day by special people I know.  I've been blessed to find and see what life really feels like.  Even though I'm a city girl and wouldn't trade that for anything right now, there are others that have a life they wouldn't trade for the city.  This blog will share the daily and not so daily journey of a farm in Kansas and all the fun you can really have.  It's real and country home if you want to call it, but you can't deny it!!! Enjoy....

1/4/12--Durango (Alpaca #1) didn't that good this morning, but for their evening feeding he was ready and did well.  Dad thinks that the 2 boys get carried away eating the "good" hay he feeds them and they "stuff" themselves after their first feed.  As you know Mitch (Alpaca #2) the "Big" one can do it but Rango can't and he fills up easier.  The girls (Alpacas #3, #4, & #5) are drinking water like crazy and its winter, so that has us puzzled??.  Is it that they are eating more hay or do pregnant Alpacas consume more water??  I guess we'll wait and see.  More to come>>>>>