Belle Rock Farm

With all of the critters here, it’s definitely busy–but also fun. Morning chores are taking longer than I expected, and I can’t say that Nellie and Casey are fond of the milking process (neither am I!), but we’re getting the swing of things. Nellie likes to kick, and as soon as Casey runs out of feed, she sits down. It’s more or less going to come down to a battle of the wills, I expect. At this point I am still hopeful that I will win!

The kids are doing well. We had them disbudded last week, and after they forgave me for that, we’re becoming good friends with the help of a few raisins. The goat tips from Molly Nolte at Fias Co Farm have been a real help as we learn the goat ropes.

This is the third year we’ve done meat chickens, but it is the first time I’ve ever had chicks pick at each other so much. By the time I noticed what they were doing, one had a completely bloodied rear end. I moved him out and put him with the ducks, figuring the ducks wouldn’t pick. Sure enough, they didn’t–they were completely terrified of him! I ended up putting another weak chick in with the ducks to keep the first one company, since the ducks kept running away frantically whenever he approached. As of tonight, the ducks and chicks all seem to have made peace with one another, and I don’t see any more getting picked.

My cat Taffy and her five kittens also seem to be doing well. The wild cat abandoned her kittens after a tom cat attack, so Taffy has been stuck in the old chicken tractor most of the time to keep the kittens safe. At least there will be plenty of felines around to protect the poultry food this summer!