Out with the old & in with the new

Well, most of our original first batch of hens that we purchased last September have stopped laying eggs...they were mature hens, already had been laying for over a year.  We were just so excited to get into farming that instead of starting from scratch with chicks we bought those ones already laying....we have only been getting 4-5 eggs a day from over a dozen hens.  SO...we had a butchering day!!  Some have been roasted with potatoes, carrots and onions, and others have not and were just laid to rest.  Now we just have the barred rock beauties.  So we took a "farm day" from school and we completely cleaned out the coop where the other hens had been living and freshened it up for the barred rocks. 

The barred rocks are now mature enough that we can tell which is a hen and which is a rooster.  We bought them from a local chicken farmer hoping for all hens....well, that's not quite what we got.  We have 10 hens and 10 roosters!  All we hear is crowing all day!!  So 8 roosters are for sale, and if they don't get sold they will be our dinner.  We went ahead and ordered 25 more barred rock hens from a hatchery (to be sure we get hens this time!) along with 25 cornish cross chicks.  Cornish cross are the birds bred for meat...they are what you purchase in the store.  Quick growth and lots of meat!!  We are excited to get them...all 50 chicks will be here the first day of Fall, September 22!  This weekend we are building another tractor so we have one for the barred rock chicks and one for the cornish cross....hope you all have a relaxing Labor Day weekend! 

Soothing Herbal Salve

We made these a few months back and forgot to let everyone know!

made with...

organic virgin coconut oil infused with calendula, plantain, comfrey & olive leaf

beeswax

essential oil of orange

vitamin E (natural preservative)

The coconut oil and herbs are placed in a glass jar and sit outside in the natural sunlight for 2-3 weeks before they are used to make the salve. Comes in a twist up tube for easy 

application...just rub on area of body you want it on!

The herbs used are all known for their soothing properties.

Go to our store if you're interested in purchasing one!  Not only will you be doing yourself and your family good by purchasing a healing agent that has God-given ingredients that you can pronounce, but you are also supporting our family homestead!  We are so thrilled to share with you all what we've made, and we are thankful for your support :D 

Some Summertime :D

It's been a long while since we've made any updates on our family...mostly because we spent all of July in Virginia where there is no internet! We spent some great time with Grama Jo, PJ and his family and Uncle Johnny in the Blue Ridge Mountains...

Then the week we got back home Grama Sonia, Uncle Jim & Taylor came to visit!!

I was concerned about the garden since we were gone for a whole month, but it actually did quite well in our absence....

romaine

watermelon (we actually had a bigger one but the chickens got it!)

tomatoes

peppers

Ben and his carrots!

Our barred rock chicks surprised us with major growth while we were gone...they are bigger than our red stars and americanas now!!  They have started to try and crow...we have at least 4 roosters.  They are gentle with the kids and love eating kitchen scraps! Ellison has  a good time with momma at dusk walking around watching them. 

Our rabbits had another litter already...3 months to the day after the first litter!!  This time 2 bunnies, both girls.  The momma rabbit handled her wee ones much better this time and they are both doing great!  Ellison LOVES to play with them!

don't you just LOVE those pudgy fingers?!?!

And lastly, our little chick is growing!  We can tell now since it's grown so much that the hen that hatched her is not her real mother.  They have different color skin on thier legs, and the chick has tufts on her face like the auracanas.  But the mother hen is so protective!  It's hard to get a decent picture because she won't let us near her baby!

Isn't she big?

We are ready to expand our farm but can't do much more on this property we're renting.  We have found a few pieces of land and are waiting for God's timing to make a move.  If we come to mind, please pray for us!  We need wisdom! Hope you all have had a fun-filled summer with friends and family like we did!!!