A Journey Through a Different Way - Funny Story Pg. 69

[Reinbeau]

Monique, as Cynthia said, your, your daughter, your granddaughter and your mother are all lovely! I also enjoyed the goat with the dogs - aren't animals surprising. Of course I am absolutely in love with your lovely home and look forward to seeing more pictures from you

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thank you. We moved here two years ago Christmas. It's been quite a journey these past two years. We came with 13 chickens, 4 cats, and 2 dogs. Last count - 200+ chickens, 35+ ducks, 1 goose, 24 guinea, 6 dogs, 3 cats, 11 goats, 1 lamb, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

 

[shadowpaints]

wonderful read!! i finally finished reading lol . i loved reading your every poest ( and everyone elses too!) we have been called the local petting zoo here and i imagine some day our 25 acres will have critters roaming everywhere! ill keep reading as often as i can!! thanks again for the inspiration!

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Hey gal it was great reading an update from you. I sure have been praying for you and yours. Saying extra prayers for your son, please thank him for me and mine for the sacrafice he is making to keep us safe.

And thanks for all the picks, you sure have been blessed with a beautiful family.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thanks Jean - it's always good to hear from those who have been following my journey from the beginning - like hearing from old friends. Tink sent a sweet PM the other day reminding me I hadn't posted in awhile so I thought I'd give an update. You can tell from the number of animals alone that I must be extremely busy, plus the garden, and not to mention all of the restoration work this place requires - and - we still have our home in Covington that we are trying to get emptied, cleaned up and leased. Anyone interested in a large home on 7 acres in the woods with a pond, creek and a Chicken Coop in Covington, LA?????

 

[Zookeeper9000]

WOW nice place if my Grandbabies where there I would move in a minute but instead they are in the UP of MI and today we are sitting in about 1 1/2 feet of snow but at least it stopped snowing sometime in the night. Now it is just colder than a mother in laws heart.

Stay warm

 

[tazcat70]

Monique,

So glad to see an update. Sorry to hear about your gander. Sebs are just gorgeous!

Your family is absolutely beautiful!

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thank you.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and your encouragement. It means more to me than you can know.

Monique

 

[hensplease]

update us

 

[ruth]

Well here's my first of the year update. We've just finished our second full year here and have started what is our third winter. It's been a hard winter thus far for this part of the South. We've been without water in parts of the house, and all of the yard, for a week. Temps have been 20s-30s - rare for here so we are not prepared. This old home just can't get warm so we are freezing. We're heating and hauling water out to the animals and pouring it on frozen troughs of water that within an hour are frozen again.

But.....since this thread started as an introduction into how I raise chicks (i.e. the more "natural" way) - I thought I'd take this opportunity and show you how some of the broodies running around right now raise their chicks.

This little Araucana mama has six little babies and has had them out running around the farm, in this weather, since the day they hatched:

So has this Buff Orpington mama - who originally shared the chicks with a BCM broody (who went broody and hatched chicks at the same time, butt to butt, with her) but the BCM has now given up her duties and the Buff raises the four babies.

What I love about freeranging chickens is that anytime I walk outside, they all come running. All I have to do is toss some scratch down and it's feeding time for one and all. Everyone gets along. At last count, there were over 200 chickens.

The peafowl are growing and sleep in the highest trees. They are always up high and can startle you when they come flying down like pteradactyles. They're sort of like gargoyls the way they are always above your head, peering down:

The quad baby goats are growing. Litte Jack Junior has his little horns. I'm still bottle feeding them to help Confetti keep them full. But they eat anything and everything and are never full.

We do have a new member of the family - the feline type. This is Meow (named for what she's does non-stop):

Simba, our older male, has taken quite an interest in her:

Our Welsummers, from Whitmore Farm, have started laying and they are ever so nice as to lay in our carport, near the back door, so I don't have to go out in freezing weather to gather their nice brown eggs:

Well that about sums up my New Year's update. I can't believe it's been two full years already. The farm and its inhabitants are growing by leaps and bounds and it certainly has been a journey. Thank you all who have read and followed and written asking for updates. It helps to know that there are those out there who are encouraging us and cheering us on - we need it.

Monique