Spring has Sprung!

Well, this week is going to be a big one! Full of fun, new life, and family ranch time!

First of all, my new little sister, Charlie Ann, is due any day and we are anxiously awaiting her arrival! Darren and I will be heading to good ol' Nevada to meet her and see the Family's new ranch as well...we will also be heading to the Farm Chick's Show in Spokane to check out some great junk, goodies and gather idea's for our own homestead!

I will be sure to gather lots of pictures to share on here with y'all of our road trip!



Here at the Homestead we are busy with Spring time projects and chores, as well as all our new additions to our mini farm. Now that chick season has come and gone at my work, I have quite the collection of poultry this year...My husband and I started with a few golden sex link hens and a french copper maran rooster we purchased last Spring....it has expanded to include 2 Banties, a Barred Rock, another Golden Sex Link, two Ducks, 9 Meat Birds, two Golden Laced Wyandottes and last but not least two little Turkens...yes, Turkens! What is that you may wonder? Well let me show you....

A naked neck, fuzzy headed, feathered bodied, half chicken and half turkey...

Their so ugly, their cute! In a creepy sort of way.... So when they came into the farm and ranch store I work at, they were so tiny. Since they have no feathers on their necks the other "normal" chicks started picking on them...so bless my little heart, I took them home to raise. What am I going to do with them? I haven't quite figured that out. However, according to my research they are supposed to be decent layers and/or meat birds. We shall see!





Above are the meat birds we purchased this year....so when we get back from our vacation, we will be slaughtering and butchering them. Sounds horrible, to the faint at heart, yes. However, we know everything  that they have eaten and we raised them in a clean and natural facility. Much safer and healthier than any store bought chicken, that's why we raise and butcher our own poultry. One of the many ways we get back to our roots and keep living in what seems to be a dying lifestyle.
 This will be our second batch of home raised chicken meat...Last fall we butchered 16 birds...by hand, plucked and all! This year, however, we are practicing some tried and true "MODERN" tricks of the trade. With a rented machine from the local Farmer's Supply/Co-Op, it should make the gruesome job a bit easier. This machine does all the plucking of the feathers so we don't have to, praise God!


On a lighter note....

Here are the latest batch of baby bunnies! We had a batch of 13 this time...Mama bunny, Lucy, does a great job raising them. Nothing says Spring like babies...chicks, bunnies, little sisters, and even baby Turkens!


Until next time, May God Bless You and Your Family! Thank you for reading my posts!

Sincerely, 
Cowgirl to Homemaker, Loagan