Seasonal eating

This summer I bought a dairy cow — a Milking Shorthorn named Freckles. She’s noisy and pushy, but such a great milker. Stands quietly and loves being brushed. We grafted an orphan Hereford calf of our neighbor’s (I call him Bronco) onto her since I wasn’t quite ready for the daily milking. But come Christmas, when she’s due to freshen, I’ll be ready to make butter, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, cheese, you name it.

And our Delawares are laying! Just started over the last two weeks. We’re now getting 4-5 eggs a day. No more store-bought eggs! And the difference is amazing – better flavor, richer colors.

The previous owners of our home planted crab apples, pears and apple trees, so the sheep, Freckles and the chickens are getting buckets full of fruit each week, supplementing their pasture. The chickens are also enjoying the overflow of tomatoes from the garden. Soon we’ll be harvesting the squash growing on the compost pile — a great late fall and winter treat for the sheep.

feathers

Our little Delaware chicks are really feathering out, and just four weeks old!

I offered them their first treat last night — a nice juicy leaf of lettuce — and boy, let’s say I have a new understanding for the story about Chicken Little. Absolute terror followed by absolute stillness, not one peep, as their little chicken brains assessed whether that lettuce was going to eat them or not.

I finally put a little piece in my hand with some feed crumbles on it and they eventually started picking at it a little.

Here’s the terror:

One little brave peep is checking it out — the sacrificial lamb?

Chicks!

Our 15 little Delaware chicks arrived Wednesday. Aren’t they cute? All seem to be doing great, and they even look dressed up for Easter with those blue and green stripes on their heads!

I’m greatly amused just sitting and watching them. They fall asleep on their feet — eyes slowly close, head starts drooping, legs eventually fold. Such little babies.

cute little sleepy chick...