Skip to main content

Snowy Farm

IMG_2671

 

We got our first snow of the winter this week on the farm... four inches, which makes for pretty pictures, but doesn't help much when chores have to be done.

IMG_2676

The goats and horses stayed hidden inside for the most part, except for an occasional glance outside to see if they were missing anything.  They would peek out but quickly retreat back to the shelter of their stall once they determined that Playing In Snow really isn't on their To Do List for the day.

[gallery columns="2" link="none" size="large" ids="672,671"]

I can't say that I blamed them one bit. If it weren't for me having to go out in it every couple hours to check on all of the animals (including 30 baby chicks), I wouldn't have gone out there either.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMngRdaBA-o[/embed]

I did manage to get out and take a farm tour video for our new YouTube channel.  In this you can see bits and pieces of the farm including the goats, chickens and horses.  Once the weather clears (and warms up a bit), I will make more that show aspects of our farm in more detail. If you have anything in particular you would like to see or know about, please let me know! You can email me at TheFarm@BeamansFork.com or subscribe and send me a message on our YouTube channel. By subscribing to our channel, you will be notified when our new videos are available.

[gallery link="none" columns="2" size="medium" ids="667,668"]

Today we are getting rained on. A cold, dripping rain that is turning all of the snow into a muddy, slushy mess. It was pretty while it lasted, but I have to admit I am more than ready right now for it to dry up and go away. I have Spring on my mind.

IMG_2655

Pig, one of our barn cats, hasn't even noticed the winter at all I don't think. (Yes, before I go any further, his name is PIG. He is HUGE.) Pig has a massive coat of fancy long, thick, insulating fur. I've found him sleeping in the bushes, outside, in the sleet before with a layer of glistening droplets covering his black coat. He didn't even  notice it was sleeting until I woke him up and told him to go get in the barn. And even then, I only think he followed me to the barn because I am the Food Lady around here and he is a Bottomless Pit.  Oh Pig. Stop growing, please.

So the great thing about eastern North Carolina is that last weekend it was 65, and come this Monday, it will be back in the 70s. I guess I can tolerate this chilly stuff temporarily, but it is a messy, yucky, slushy, muddy world over here right now.

photo
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

I have a virtual open door policy for thoughts and suggestions, and I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Popular posts from this blog

Team Greta

Friday, February 9th started off as a normal day in the barn, but as I was doing chores and feeding the horses and goats, I quickly suspected that Greta, one of our La Mancha goats, was showing early signs of labor. It was her due day, so I wasn't surprised. I removed her from the herd and placed her into one of the three kidding stalls in our barn so that she could have some peace and quiet. Four hours later at 10:46am, she delivered two beautiful big twin boys. As per her normal (this is her third year with babies), she was quite proud of herself and insisted on showing them off to me nonstop. The twins were up and wobbling around in no time and Greta was a busy mom fussing over them. Saturday morning was uneventful and Greta and her twins were comfortable in their kidding stall, but by early afternoon, something wasn't right. Greta wasn't finishing her meals and she just seemed tired. I took her temperature at 3pm and it was normal -- 101.9 -- even though she
4 comments
Read more

Walking In On The Unexpected

This past Saturday was going like any other -- I had just gotten home from selling soap at the local farmers market, my car full of the stock I brought back with me, I was a hot and sweaty mess, and ready to relax. It had been a busy week and an equally as busy market day and I had been looking forward to putting my aching feet up for a couple of hours of quiet time. I got out of my car and before I went inside the house, I remembered that the horses were in their stalls because severe storms had been threatening to blow through, but the weather was clearing and they could safely go out and stretch their legs for a few hours. I walked down the long aisle way of the barn to the stalls in the back where Pebbles was sticking her head over the gate watching me and quiet rustling noises were coming from Snow's stall. And that's when I saw it. Snow, our miniature mare, was facing the back of her stall, wobbling on her back end, and jerking her head rhythmically up in the air, almost
Post a Comment
Read more

Here a chick, there a chick... and dealing with burn out.

After taking more than a year off from raising chicks, our first little fuzzy munchkins arrived last week via USPS from a hatchery in Iowa. I ordered them late last fall for their first 2017 delivery date, and instead of going with our usual production layer breeds, I opted for the rare breed section and pretty much just kinda sorted ordered two of everything. Looks like we will have an interesting flock this year but that's not really what I am here to talk about. Living on a farm of any size, especially with livestock, is a lot of work every single day. Goats, chickens and horses don't take holidays off and neither do you; you have the same morning, noon, and evening chores no matter if Santa is flying in or a hurricane is blowing through. Throw in elderly animals with special needs (we've got two horses well into their 30s and a blind dog with congestive heart failure), and you've got an additional element of care and attention on your list. Sometimes you ne
Post a Comment
Read more