12.28.2011

these feathered friends.

it occurred to me today that i haven't spoken much to the consistency of our farming here in boston. it hasn't been the most structured of traditional farm time for me as there is quite frankly not a lot to Do on this particular farm in the winter. instead, i've been helping out at the farm store we opened up in town. which has been a blast. mainly because my favorite farm co-worker...aside from nick...is the store's captain. but i've felt more like a shop girl during the past month than a farmer. and this concerns me. worries me. beats down my brow into a crumpled mess.


for, i don't want to be a shop girl. as much as i don't want to be an astronaut. or a cyclist. or a chef. or a banker. all i want to do, with my entire being, is farm.

but right now, we take money where money is being made. and so, for me, that is at the farm store. in the Big City. i take the train into town in the morning and come back the same way in the dark of night. it feels closer to the Old Life than the one i have since chosen.

since this is, more than likely, the last time nick and i will live so close to such a big town, i figure i might as well Lap It Up. so i buy scones from the bakeries. i indulge in cheeses from the fromagerie. i visit clothing shops and hat shops and bobble shops on my lunch break. i wear dainty shoes and the occasional frock.  i keep my hair combed.


this week i wasn't feeling my prettiest or my most energetic...post-christmas exhaustion i reckon. so the past two days my darling boy has taken my place at the shop. and i've taken his at the farm. and so i spent a good portion of today, after all the necessaries were completed....lying on my stomach, camera affixed to eye, observing and capturing my chickens.

did you know that we are raising 200 chickens for this farm? have i ever told you that? have i really been such an uninformative blogger? this is the beginning of this farm's livestock program. these 200 beautiful little birds. they make me so proud. watching their personalities develop. knowing that nick and i did this on our own (mainly nick, with a sprinkling of Me). we've raised these birds since two days after they hatched (shipping time). building their coops. building their perches. sourcing the best local feed. mixing that feed. introducing them to the Big Outdoors. they are nearly two months old now and are becoming such little people-chickens.


so i wanted to introduce you to Them. i plan on writing about several individual chickens (and of course, the ever-present duck) with whom i am in love over the next few weeks. to show you what is happening on this dear farm. and to remind me that i am still a farmer.....that these creatures are still my life.

so prepare yourself for a NewYear of feathered features.

8 comments:

  1. So fun! I love farm animals. Have a great New Year! xo, rv

    http://aneclecticheap.blogspot.com/

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  2. I truly envy your ability to be stern about what you want. In fact, I was thinking about this today as I considered what goals to set for 2012. You inspire me, Kate! :)

    Happy New Year!

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  3. They are beautiful. I have a soft spot for Barred-rock hens

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  4. Thank you for sharing such beautiful animals with the blogger world. I am an animal lover who unfortunately moves around a lot with the hubby for work and therefore limits our (my) desire to form my own menargerie of animals. At present I have a guinea pig and a fish. Most adaptable animals for the renting life. One day I will end up having my chickens, ducks, goat :) But for now I love reading about your animals and seeing their faces. So thank you.

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  5. lovely feathered friends! what is the mixture that you are feeding them? We have the luxury of hitting the throw aways at our produce markets, but when it's low I'd like to mix our feed as well. We have 50 now...arent Speckled Sussex grand!?

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  6. ooo I'm so excited to hear more about them! I actually grew up with a flock of about 20 chickens (as well as other feathered friends and animals) and we hatched our own quite a few times. I actually am looking at getting 2 ladies of my own this spring:)
    love your blog!

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  7. I've spent today reading your blog and looking at your beautiful photos and I admire you. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

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  8. @megan so glad you are raising chickens! we feed ours a mixture of 50% ground corn, 25% ground wheat, and 25% ground soy....that is for our young pullets, so it is higher in protein. we feed our layers food scraps and our own mix of 10% whole roasted soy, 25% whole oats, 25% cracked corn, 40% whole barley. they love the whole grains so much more than the ground in our experience.

    we found a great semi-local grower of non organic, but close to organic, grain in upstate new york...so we buy pallets of grain from him and drive up there to get it. i love knowing our grain grower!

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