The Front Porch Swing

[heartsizedfarm]

Our chariot awaits!

Look its even named after you!!

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Just popping in again to say hi and share more pictures! I haven't been able to keep up lately, so I hope everyone is doing well! Prayers for those that need it! Good news about Kendra! It has been a crazy busy week around here. I put eggs under a broody, picked up a new puppy, had to take the Great Dane to the vet because he got into a fight, and found out that he also had Lyme disease, had 2 cookouts (one at our house and another the next day at my uncle in laws).... Shew, busy busy. Zauk (dane) showed up Tuesday all muddy with wounds all over him. We cleaned him up, but over night he started having some neurological symptoms, so I took him to the vet. They kept him for 2 nights, and he has to have medicine for a month, plus his wounds cleaned and medicine put on them twice a day... My kids begged and pleaded for a new puppy, and wanted to use their birthday money to get it. We agreed because since Parker was hit and killed, we have put our oldest to bed crying because he was gone. We thought that maybe a new one would help her cope. So, I went to pick up a 5 month old parti-colored yorkie female. She is the perfect puppy so far, and isn't small enough that I really have to worry about the two littlest ones hurting her on accident. So far, no barking, chewing or any of the normal bad habits puppies tend to have. We are working on potty-training, but even that is going well! Since Zauk tested + for Lyme, we decided to go ahead and get her the vaccine, and she did have a reaction to that, and had to have some Benadryl. We caught it really early, and other than some mild swelling and being drowsy from the benadryl, she was fine and is back to normal. We saw this in a fresh cut hay field on our way to a graduation cook out! I have only seen 1-2 ever in the wild, and this was amazing! Broody jumped off the nest to grab a bite to eat, so I snuck a picture! Our new puppy.... Paisley Happy Fathers day!!!!! This is my hubby and all our kiddos! Miss Harriet.... the broody Golden Comet (RSL) Salmon Faverolle chick, 4 weeks Mystery chick 4 weeks Mixed chick, 4 weeks old, suspected roo

Beautiful family! And welcome Paisley!

 

[LBejaran]

Hey everyone! I've been away for awhile again, but you know how busy life can be! We've been busy with getting Stevie (my little brother) ready for college and making sure he has enough money (let's just say that his one semester is college is more than I owe in student loans currently

). Beware everyone, this is a super long post, haha!

That and I've been losing chicks for a couple days. It seems that the ones I bought at the feed store were so accustomed to being locked away that they were very unused to being out with the rest of the flock, even under the protection of their broody mama hen. I guess it's to be expected. Bantam chicks, even when several weeks old, aren't very sturdy when young. Of course, none of our little mutt chicks have died. Those little boogers are just fine, walking around like they own the place. All those little Naked Neck mix babies are perfectly fine and are ruthless in their fight for food. They don't shy away from the feet of the larger chickens, climbing on into the mix to steal away all that they can. Their crops are always full. It's pretty cool, even though I really didn't want anymore Naked Necks, haha!

Out of the seven ducklings that we hatched, we only have four left. The two muscovy babies are fine and are so cute to watch. They just run along the flowers and grass, low to the ground, catching any little bugs and mosquitoes around them. They are super cute and I'm really hoping that they make it to adulthood. The three ducklings that didn't make it had seemed perfectly fine before, but I found two the other day in the coop, dead and dying. The last one just disappeared. I think a hawk might have gotten it. I've looked in all the holes and hiding spots that other chicks have used, but I didn't find it. It might show up, but I really doubt it. Instead of waiting to see if anything else will happen to them, I locked them away with my bunnies. Speaking of bunnies...

Our rat terriers have actually been working lately! Yesterday, Kimchi (the youngest dog) was trying to dig her way into some old tires, yipping and growling as she tried to move some heavy pieces of metal rod that were lodged in there. Deciding to help her out, I moved the metal and saw nothing, but I lifted the tire for her. As soon as she put her head in, a big rat ran out, but Kimchi didn't see it. She was still obsessed with the tire, so I just shrugged and let her have at it. I left and came back a minute later. All three dogs, including big old Sandy the German Shepherd/Boxer mix, were around the tires, sticking their noses in try to scratch out whatever was there. Instead of waiting to see if they could get whatever was in there, I just overturned the tired. As soon as I did that, something was dislodged and Sandy reached in and grabbed a baby rat, still pink. She took off with it. After that, all three dogs had rats in their mouths and proceeded to pridefully show off their kills.

It's progress! That's one bunch of rats that won't be coming back in a few months to eat all the leftover chicken feed. It's way better than the last kill Kimchi made (a baby rabbit that she brought me while I was hanging out with the chicks). She got a little spanking and spent some time with me in the coop with my two rabbits. I keep her in there with me for about thirty minutes with the bunnies/chicks/quail/ducklings/keets loose for her to see. They walk around her and she is expected to be calm or she will get a pat on the bottom for misbehaving. I do that every time we bring a new set of animals into our flock. She quickly learned that if a quail gets loose, she is to leave it alone or stand nearby it and wait for me to notice. She actually barked at me the last time a quail escaped and I was able to go over and just pluck it up. It was safe and sound, not a feather out of place. Kimchi got a tasty bone for behaving. If only I could ensure that the dogs stopped killing those wild baby bunnies. They've found a new way to hunt them: Kimchi goes between the fences and runs back and forth, scaring out the bunnies. Sandy and Rosie catch and kill them. That happened today and I was so sad. At least the bunny died quickly. It was so small, though.

Oooh, good news! Mama has begun to realize that she's finally gotten over Grandma's death and has let her go. In lieu of this change, I've seen a drastic improvement in her drive to get work done. She went to Lowe's, bought some spray paint and a lot of small plants. She went to Tractor Supply, got some organic gardening mix for clay/sandy soils and is actively looking for a wheelbarrow (for carting around our compost from the chicken coop) to buy so we can get to growing some wildflower seeds in the old duck pool. She wants to paint it red and paint all the lawn furniture to match.

Just this past week, she has been talking to me a lot about starting our own business. She wants to open up a little shop out of our garage. In high school, I never went to prom. Besides the fact that I wasn't very social, we also didn't have the money to buy a plus size prom dress for me. She wants to find plus size dresses (or make them) and sell them locally. The body types around here for plus size girls are a bit different because of the mostly Hispanic population. We're not super tall, and the weight congregates in certain places. Apparently, we're going to make a dress form based on my body.

Honestly, I'm not eager to get undressed and plaster myself, but Mom wants what she wants. It's going to be really embarrassing, haha! We've also been hitting up garage sales and just today went to an estate sale down the road from us. The lady there sold us Civil War era chairs that I'm going to do some research on. The ultimate goal is to get the full value, but as long as we can break even, we'll be okay. They weren't super expensive because the original owner was desperate to sell most of her stuff. Yesterday, the chairs were $75 each, but today she sold the pair for $75. We also bought a set of hand-painted chairs and a set of normal chairs that I really want to sand down and revarnish (or paint entirely). It was an investment, but it'll be worth the experience at the least.

 

[TexasLisa]

Our chariot awaits!

Blooie I am so excited for you! Have a wonderful trip, I know you will WOW everyone!

Lisa

 

[Triple Willow]

Ponies are either good or very very bad.... LOL.  I love em. 

Till I was twelve I rode my moms saw horse with chaise lounge cushions fastened on and a broom for a head.  We never lived any where that had horses.... 

When I was about seven or eight we went to visit my aunt Lucia at my grandpas place once.  she had this beautiful bay Stallion Called Apple polisher... Oh I wanted to ride him sooo bad.  The next morning I got up before any one got up and went out to the corral.  He was standing next to the fence...  Barefooted I climbed the fence and I could see him watching me out of the corrner of his eye...  I stretched one foot out over his back and was reaching for his mane to get on when he took a quick step sideways and Boom I went into the dirt at his feet.  I must have climbed that fence in about two seconds and was back in the house in less than thirty...  When everyone got up I was watching cartoons on TV.  no one found out till much much later.  I was afraid I would get in trouble... LOL  I guess that would be my very first "dump"... 

I never knew 4h had a horse program....  I would have loved it.  I wonder if they had a horse program in the late 60s.

I was fortunate my first stable owner got the whole barn involved with Equestrian Trails...  Which was a trail riders association.  I think we we belonged to corral number 80 ish back then.  We would go to meetings once a month and there was a guest lecturer usually we would  learn about the parts of the horse, Or the types of equipment and their uses and the proper names to call everything.  And laws about riding on city roads...  How to do first aid...   then we put on Horse shows and Gymkhannas....  All to support the club.  I believe the organization was also involved with retaining access to trails for horses.  So they did some lobying and working with communities.  There is one community in Norco California that has trail access through out town.  The zoning in town is quarter acre to have a horse or two.  Most of the town fit that bill so instead of alleys there are bridle paths.  Communities like Poway and Ramona have some of that set up...  but not as much as Norco.

deb

Deb, as far as I know, horses have always had full rights where I live (even though they can't be kept in the city limits unless on a really big lot). I have seen horses going through the McDonald's drive-thru a time or two. The rider might should have received a "RUI". lol Several years ago Mennonites and Amish moved in so it is pretty common to see the Amish in their buggies. Several of the businesses in town have hitches out in the corner of the parking lot for the horse and buggies- Walmart, the groceries, the banks, etc, etc.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Hey everyone!  I've been away for awhile again, but you know how busy life can be!  We've been busy with getting Stevie (my little brother) ready for college and making sure he has enough money (let's just say that his one semester is college is more than I owe in student loans currently ).  Beware everyone, this is a super long post, haha!

That and I've been losing chicks for a couple days.  It seems that the ones I bought at the feed store were so accustomed to being locked away that they were very unused to being out with the rest of the flock, even under the protection of their broody mama hen.  I guess it's to be expected.  Bantam chicks, even when several weeks old, aren't very sturdy when young. Of course, none of our little mutt chicks have died.  Those little boogers are just fine, walking around like they own the place.  All those little Naked Neck mix babies are perfectly fine and are ruthless in their fight for food.  They don't shy away from the feet of the larger chickens, climbing on into the mix to steal away all that they can.  Their crops are always full.  It's pretty cool, even though I really didn't want anymore Naked Necks, haha!

Out of the seven ducklings that we hatched, we only have four left.  The two muscovy babies are fine and are so cute to watch.  They just run along the flowers and grass, low to the ground, catching any little bugs and mosquitoes around them.  They are super cute and I'm really hoping that they make it to adulthood.  The three ducklings that didn't make it had seemed perfectly fine before, but I found two the other day in the coop, dead and dying.  The last one just disappeared.  I think a hawk might have gotten it.  I've looked in all the holes and hiding spots that other chicks have used, but I didn't find it.  It might show up, but I really doubt it.  Instead of waiting to see if anything else will happen to them, I locked them away with my bunnies.  Speaking of bunnies...

Our rat terriers have actually been working lately!  Yesterday, Kimchi (the youngest dog) was trying to dig her way into some old tires, yipping and growling as she tried to move some heavy pieces of metal rod that were lodged in there.  Deciding to help her out, I moved the metal and saw nothing, but I lifted the tire for her.  As soon as she put her head in, a big rat ran out, but Kimchi didn't see it.  She was still obsessed with the tire, so I just shrugged and let her have at it.  I left and came back a minute later.  All three dogs, including big old Sandy the German Shepherd/Boxer mix, were around the tires, sticking their noses in try to scratch out whatever was there.  Instead of waiting to see if they could get whatever was in there, I just overturned the tired.  As soon as I did that, something was dislodged and Sandy reached in and grabbed a baby rat, still pink.  She took off with it.  After that, all three dogs had rats in their mouths and proceeded to pridefully show off their kills. 

It's progress!  That's one bunch of rats that won't be coming back in a few months to eat all the leftover chicken feed.  It's way better than the last kill Kimchi made (a baby rabbit that she brought me while I was hanging out with the chicks).  She got a little spanking and spent some time with me in the coop with my two rabbits.  I keep her in there with me for about thirty minutes with the bunnies/chicks/quail/ducklings/keets loose for her to see.  They walk around her and she is expected to be calm or she will get a pat on the bottom for misbehaving.  I do that every time we bring a new set of animals into our flock.  She quickly learned that if a quail gets loose, she is to leave it alone or stand nearby it and wait for me to notice.  She actually barked at me the last time a quail escaped and I was able to go over and just pluck it up.  It was safe and sound, not a feather out of place.  Kimchi got a tasty bone for behaving.  If only I could ensure that the dogs stopped killing those wild baby bunnies.  They've found a new way to hunt them:  Kimchi goes between the fences and runs back and forth, scaring out the bunnies.  Sandy and Rosie catch and kill them.  That happened today and I was so sad.  At least the bunny died quickly.  It was so small, though. 

Oooh, good news!  Mama has begun to realize that she's finally gotten over Grandma's death and has let her go.  In lieu of this change, I've seen a drastic improvement in her drive to get work done.  She went to Lowe's, bought some spray paint and a lot of small plants.  She went to Tractor Supply, got some organic gardening mix for clay/sandy soils and is actively looking for a wheelbarrow (for carting around our compost from the chicken coop) to buy so we can get to growing some wildflower seeds in the old duck pool.  She wants to paint it red and paint all the lawn furniture to match.

Just this past week, she has been talking to me a lot about starting our own business.  She wants to open up a little shop out of our garage.  In high school, I never went to prom.  Besides the fact that I wasn't very social, we also didn't have the money to buy a plus size prom dress for me.  She wants to find plus size dresses (or make them) and sell them locally.  The body types around here for plus size girls are a bit different because of the mostly Hispanic population.  We're not super tall, and the weight congregates in certain places.  Apparently, we're going to make a dress form based on my body.    Honestly, I'm not eager to get undressed and plaster myself, but Mom wants what she wants.  It's going to be really embarrassing, haha!  We've also been hitting up garage sales and just today went to an estate sale down the road from us.  The lady there sold us Civil War era chairs that I'm going to do some research on.  The ultimate goal is to get the full value, but as long as we can break even, we'll be okay.  They weren't super expensive because the original owner was desperate to sell most of her stuff.  Yesterday, the chairs were $75 each, but today she sold the pair for $75.  We also bought a set of hand-painted chairs and a set of normal chairs that I really want to sand down and revarnish (or paint entirely).  It was an investment, but it'll be worth the experience at the least. 

Ibejaran, did you ever pick up that little black duckling those owners were thinking of releasing into the wild?

Love to see pics of your civil war chairs.

 

[LBejaran]

Ibejaran, did you ever pick up that little black duckling those owners were thinking of releasing into the wild?

Love to see pics of your civil war chairs.

Nope! She responded that they were too far away but she would try and rehome it. To be honest, though, I think she felt insulted. However, she did have a questionable idea and I responded how any other somewhat knowledgeable duck owner would. That being said, I'm glad she listened and would try and rehome it. Releasing domestically-raised ducks into community ponds just smells like trouble - for the duck.

I'll try an post pictures soon! I'm going to look into cleaning them up and getting them appraised. They are super nice and well made, despite a couple little issues I noticed.

 

[ducksanddoxies]

Hi! I want to visit the front porch. I'm Randi. I live in Arkansas with my husband and two sons. We've kinda started doing the Hobby Farm thing and just living a simpler life. We have dogs and ducks and a turtle. We love on the same property as my parents and grandparents. It's good to be close to them for several reason. We are here if they need help (no one is getting younger) and they can teach us what they know. Plus I think it's great for my boys to be close to their parents, grandparents AND great grandparents! I hope to make some nice friends on here.

 

[Triple Willow]

WELCOME RANDI... Ducksanddoxies!! Make yourself at home and jump in whenever you feel like it.

 

[Beekissed]

Hi! I want to visit the front porch. I'm Randi. I live in Arkansas with my husband and two sons. We've kinda started doing the Hobby Farm thing and just living a simpler life. We have dogs and ducks and a turtle.

We love on the same property as my parents and grandparents. It's good to be close to them for several reason. We are here if they need help (no one is getting younger) and they can teach us what they know. Plus I think it's great for my boys to be close to their parents, grandparents AND great grandparents! I hope to make some nice friends on here.

Hey, Randi!

Welcome to the Porch! Shout out to Arkansas!