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

[BWKatz]

Hi Monique. I just finished all 68 pages. What a wonderful journey u are having with all its ups & downs. U have such a gift for writing ..u really should do a book. I don't know how u keep up with all ur threads with all the "projects" u have going on. It's amazing how much u have accomplished in 2 yrs. I feel like I know u and ur wonderful family...people and animals. U are really an inspiration to all. I will be keeping u in my prayers. Blessings, Joy

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thank you so very much. I have been pretty busy and haven't updated much, if any, lately. So where to begin????

We finally leased our home in Covington so I guess there's no going back - at least not any time soon. It was a real blessing to be able to finally get it rented and to great tenants who are actually going to be making some improvements on their own. It's been pretty much vacant since we moved here to the farm Christmas 2007. We've had two floods there over that time. Once when a real estate agent was showing the house and the person left the upstairs toilet running and it flooded through the downstairs foyer. No sooner got the foyer torn down and rebuilt when winter hit and a brand new a/c unit in the master bedroom attic space had a pipe they forgot to wrap and it froze and broke and flooded the master suite for three days till discovered. Entire wing had to be torn down to 2x4s and rebuilt. They had to cut out the beautiful heart-of-pine floors we had laid ourselves because we had glued the tongue&groove seams and they couldn't get the floors up without cutting them to shreds. So.....finally got it rebuilt, which took months of us having to go back and forth for the 3 hour drive, trying to do a lot of the work ourselves - and got it leased at the end of August.

So now, we can focus on this house. This old house that we started renovations on and had to halt to go work on the house in Covington. The work crew is supposed to start again next week.

In the meantime, I just got home from Tractor Supply. Had to buy deer netting for my vegetable garden. Seems after two years the peacocks have finally discovered my garden and are flying over the 6 foot fence and eating everything. I'm going to try putting stakes around the raised beds and cover them with deer netting. So far they've wiped out my transplants of cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, and peas. They don't seem to like my lettuce patch so they've left it alone. They also ate my cantaloupes.

My goats seem to be Fertile Myrtles and Fertile Merls and we always have new babies which I love. I'm loving the fresh, rich, creamy, sweet goat milk and drink a large mason jar of it every night at bedtime while working my crossword puzzles. I find they help my mind unwind from the day and between the puzzles and the milk, I sleep very soundly. Of course, the 12 hour days of hard physical labor usually in hot sweltering heat also make for a hard night's sleep. I can't seem to eat enough. I'm burning through calories like never before in my life.

But, it's all good. We have lots of family and friends that come to visit and everyone enjoys themselves. They still haven't wrapped their brains around the fact that I'm working a farm and milking goats, but they're getting there. This coming weekend we have a large tour group coming for a day on the farm - for a tour and pic nic so I have a lot to "tidy up" around here before then. So, like I said, never a dull moment here on the farm.

Take care everyone.....................

 

[ruth]

I know it's been a while since I last posted and I haven't kept very current but it has been super busy here on the farm. Animal head count grows by leaps and bounds. Yesterday we had an ice storm and I'm really ready for Spring. I did just get off the phone with a phone call I just had to share with all of my chicken loving friends. As most of you know I used to live in Covington, LA, and had my first small flock of backyard chickens and their Chick-Shell-A coop in my backyard. We moved to this farm three year ago this Christmas. In September I leased my Covington home to a wonderful couple. I originally offered her some chickens since there was a coop but she wasn't interested. However, about three weeks ago she called and said that she had changed her mind and could she still take me up on the offer of a few chickens. She said that somehow living there has sparked her Pioneer Spirit because she also had a dream where God told her to also raise bees - so she's ordered some bee hives even though she's terrified of bees. I just laughed and said that God and that home have a way of doing that to you and that she should watch out because "just a couple of chickens" aren't going to be enough. So, she's so excited she comes to the farm to get her chickens. I gave her a Blue Orpington Rooster, a Blue Orpington hen, a Buff Orpington hen, an Ameraucana mix hen, and a French Black Copper Marans pullet. Off she goes all excited after having me answer lots of questions. Fast forward......

Two weeks later (last weekend) - John and I are gone for the day and we come home and there are two messages from our tenant. Since we've had so many problems of pipes leaking and water lines breaking and pumps going out, as soon as we heard "hello...this is Bruce...." we both groaned and thought "Oh Dear God not again...." but he went on ".....listen, Deb's out of town and we've got eggs. What do I do? Do I eat them? Do I hatch them? Please call me." As we laughed, we punched the button to hear the second message. It went like this..... "I know you guys are going to be laughing about this, but I called Deb and she said they are plastic eggs that she put in the boxes to make them lay. So, nevermind."

Funny, right? It gets better.

Today, also Saturday, we are off having a day off and get home and there are two messages from our tenant. Same thought process..."Oh Dear God what now?" But, instead it was my laugh for life.

First message went something like this: "Hey Monique, guess what, I got my first eggs today and I got 15. What a shock. 15 from the same hen. The Buff Orpington laid 15 eggs today!!!!"

Now you know we are laughing our butts off and can barely hit the play key to listen to the next message. Her again...."Please call me, I'm so excited, 15 eggs and I need to know how to tell if they are fertile or not."

So I call her back, stifling a laugh and she comes to the phone all excited. "Did you hear my message? The yellow hen laid 15 eggs today." I couldn't help but laugh out loud and said "Deb, hon, someone, probably Bruce is playing a prank on you - maybe to get back for last weekend......it's physically impossible for her to have laid 15 eggs today". So she goes on to explain that they were all different colors and shapes and sizes including some blue green ones and did mention that she hadn't checked the box in at least 3 days. So I explained that they were all laying and the different colored eggs were from the different hens so yes, in 3-4 days it's possible that 4 hens laid 15 eggs but no way, no how, did one hen lay them all in one day.

Seems she thought since they were all in the same box she had seen the yellow hen in that that meant the yellow hen must have laid them all. Then she kept me on the phone for the longest with the next series of questions. Seems she has already put them all in an incubator. She said they ate one and it was so delicious but she was so excited she put them all in the incubator and proceded with the standard questions you get from someone who has never raised chickens. I answered each one as best I could. Here's a few highlights:

1. How do you know if they are fertile?
A. Well, you can break them open and look for the white bulls eye spot

2. How do you know without breaking them open?
A. Well, you can incubate them and then candle them after about 10 days. (That led to a whole other series of questions)

3. Can you eat the egg if it is fertile?
A. Yes.

4. How long can a chicken live and still lay eggs?
A. There was a woman on BYC who had one that was over 20 years old.

5. Will all the eggs hatch since you are saying some might be 2-3 days old?
A. Yes, possibly if incubation is done correctly.

6. Don't you have to put them in the incubator as soon as they lay them?
A. No, you can hold them up to 10 or more days.

7. Won't they all hatch at different times then?
A. No, they will all hatch 21 days later.

8. Do you think I will get any roosters if they all hatch?
A. Yes, most definitely.

9. What do I do with them after they hatch?
A. See my Journey thread on BYC.

Nite all - hope you have a good laugh. God love the new chicken owners. I told her they would grow on her.

From life on the farm at Bethel Farms,

Love,
Monique "Ruth"

 

[speckledhen]

LOL, it can be exhausting being a chicken mentor, can't it, Monique?

Another one bites the dust--more chicken addicts coming right up! I look forward to seeing some new pictures from your farm soon.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thanks Cyn - good to hear from you. I'll get around to posting some new pics soon. It's just that the weather has been so dreadful. Hauling water to animals while all water lines are frozen is no fun and lots of work. But I have to say I enjoy it and I love seeing someone new get all excited about her chickens. John and I will laugh for a long time over the hen that laid 15 eggs in one day.

 

[CATRAY44]

That story really made me smile. As excited as she sounds, she will be a good chicken wrangler! How cool about the bees. I am hoping to do the same thing this spring, with a Top Bar hive.

 

[ruth]

It's a new year and lots of things to catch up on. First of all, we've had lots of baby goats and more on the way.

The peacocks reproduced last spring so I'm hoping for lots more this Spring. The males, who will be 3 years old this 4th of July are really getting their beautiful tail/trains:

Remember, Lucy Goosey, the mama goose that hatched 10 baby ducks and raised them? Well they are still together as a Flaggle (Flock & Gaggle). The ducks think they are geese and hiss at the other ducks. They stay with their mama and follow her everywhere. When she goes back into the stables with the goats at night, they go with her. If one gets left on the wrong side of the pen, they carry on like nothing you've ever heard before, duck on one side, mama on the other, until someone goes out there and lets them in.

And chickens. Yes, let's not forget the chickens.

We have our award winning egg laying French Black Copper Marans - who's eggs won Best in Show, First Place, Peoples Choice, and Best of Breed at the Ohio and the Wisconsin National APA shows:

The French Black Copper Marans:

Our Welsummers:

And, of course, our ever popular Olive Eggers:

My eggs are the row on far left:

And our beautiful Blue Orpingtons:

So, that's a start on a pictorial update from Bethel Farms. I do sell and ship day old chicks and hatching eggs. If you're interested, just send me an e-mail at the farm: [email protected]

Or, visit us at our website:

www.bethelplantation.com

Or send me a PM through BYC (though my box tends to stay full).

Blessings to all as we start a New Year. If you are ever in our area, we'd love to have you stop by.

Monique "Ruth"

 

[BWKatz]

Monique so glad to see ur post and that all is well. Had lots of laughs over 15 eggs. I'm thinking about bees too, but first have to finish new coop & covered run...tied of emptying water off tarp.

Have started getting eggs from all of my pullets but the EE quit with the snow and hasn't started back since xmas. She's a lazy but.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Thanks. Most of our birds, even our regular layers, stopped or slowed down significantly this winter. They are all just now starting back up. For Thanksgiving I actually had to buy a dozen eggs at the grocery store just in case I didn't have enough for company because all of my regular layers had stopped laying. Luckily didn't have to use them. However, did have another funny story.

I have a grown daughter who has not and will not eat eggs (in her adult life). She is now pregnant with her first child. She was visiting for Thanksgiving. I didn't want to serve the store bought eggs so we cooked the Marans eggs for breakfast. Everyone was raving on how good they were. So, I had to tell them that they were eating the eggs that I sell for $70 per dozen. I went on to explain that Marans eggs were the only eggs James Bond and Martha Stewart ate. My daughter looked up and said "Isn't James Bond a fictional character?" I said "Yes, but just like how he wants his martinis stirred not shaken, he wants his eggs to be Marans". Anyway, after a little discussion and everyone raving about the eggs tasting so good (of course these were guests who had never eaten farm fresh eggs before) and everyone talking about how expensive the eggs were - my daughter decided she would try them. I was shocked and astonished. Not only did she eat all that she put on her plate. She got some more. We were all amazed. She laughed and said now "It's James Bond, Martha Stewart and ME who only eat Marans eggs". She swears they tasted different than "other eggs". Might be so but might be because she hasn't actually tried an egg, cooked any way, in her adult life. But, hey, I'll let her believe that Marans eggs are different. I'm just thrilled that she's finally eating eggs again.

 

[coloradochick]

Hi Ruth, as always I love to read your posts and the pics of all your babies are beautiful. I love Lucy Goosey and her story, made me teary eyed it's so sweet.