"Critters" (part 3)

I could probably share hundreds of photos of our horses, dogs, and cats, but we'll save that for another time. Today, I introduce you to the world's most entertaining pig..........



guinea pig, that is!            

 This is Ema.  We've had her for nearly 2 years, now.  She is a very social creature!  Whenever you enter the room where she's kept, she "talks" to you.  In fact, if we are sitting at the dining room table having a conversation (just around the corner from her "bedroom"), she might just throw in her 2 cents.  She even has different little noises for each member of the family!

                                                                                                               
Ema must be quite the conversationalist, because we regularly find Lady and Mac visiting with her.

And, finally, we have our chickens:

At present, we have one rooster and 13 hens.  We've had a backyard flock for about 5 years now.  We like having a colorful variety, and have kept several different breeds from bantam silkies to leghorns to jersey giants over the years.

At this time, we have barred rocks, Rhode island reds, buff orpingtons, black austrolorps, one leghorn and one americana.

 We don't keep our own chickens to save money on groceries, because we really don't.  Our desire was for our kids to continue to have a direct connection to their food, even though we were no longer beef or dairy farming.  Our last home was less than ideal for gardening, so chickens were our best option.

Will is our resident "chicken whisperer".  He can calm and catch even the most flighty and frazzled bird in the flock!




Below, I am holding my beautiful rooster.  We actually raised him from an egg.  He is a cross between one of our buff orpingtons and a silkie-cross rooster.

My goal with the chickens is to double our flock by spring of 2016, and sell our free-range, farm fresh eggs.  We actually have an ideal location for a little farm stand.  We'll be getting our vegetable garden going this spring, too.....but, I digress........Let's get the maple syrup going first!

Very soon the conditions will be right for the sap to flow, so stay tuned.....