Another Life Change

We are in the beginning of another life change. Dewayne is no longer able to work his job. After all of these years, all of his injuries and ailments are catching up to him. We are now going from me staying at home and him being gone 60 hours a week to us both being at home. Of course, the income is about to change as well....that's the scary part. I know things will all work out in the end, it's just the in-between that is stressful. We've been through lots of things in the past, layoffs, injuries, illnesses, etc and we got through all of that, so it's time to do it again. Adapt and overcome.

Since we do what we do here on our little farm, I am not worried about going hungry. We have freezers stocked with rabbit and chicken that we have raised. We have our garden still and have some canned food, although I need to get some more done. I have already sold off 10 of the chickens, more can go if need be. Some of the older breeding rabbits that we have been giving one more chance to are do or die at this point. If they don't work, they go to the freezer.

I also know that we won't have to buy laundry soap, deodorant, soap, powder, salves for burns and cuts, even band-aids, since we know how to handle these things. Right now, we are enjoying the internet and you tube, since that may have to go in the near future. We haven't had cell phones for about 6 months and don't miss them at all. We can't do without water and electricity at this point but use the least amount that we can to keep the bills down. (Of course, we always do that since that is the way we were both raised, so I don't see those bills really changing much)

I know we will get through this time like we always have in the past,,,,,it will just take some time to make some changes and "Adapt and overcome."

It's Berry Pickin Time!

For only 45 minutes of Dewayne and I picking this morning, we got quite the haul. We'll be pickin a lot in the next few weeks and the wild critters will still have plenty to eat as well.

We got the rabbitry cleaned out today. It's been a while but the hard work is done for now.

We tattooed a few Cal does and sold them today as well. We don't sell a lot of rabbits, but it was good timing for these two. We got 21 processed last weekend and I felt these two as I was loading up the cart and liked what I felt. If the customer changed his mind, they would have stayed in our herd.

Rabbit Miscarriage

We have a doe that I have been keeping a close eye on for several weeks. She's been eating very little and not even drinking much considering how hot it's been.

I went to the rabbitry this morning and saw she had about five clumps of afterbirth under her pen. I also found a rabbit fetus. She was 23 days along. Obviously there was something wring with this pregnancy since they should have been a lot further developed than this.

Hopefully she passed everything she needed too so she doesn't have any further problems. 

I will put her box in when she was supposed to have it in and I will continue to watch her. 

The good news though, as soon as I put feed in her feeder she got right up to it and started eating.

June update

It has been really hard to keep up with things around here. I need to paint the barn and rabbitry this summer but things keep coming up.

We need rain! It's been a month since we have had any significant rain. I feel like I spend most of my time trying to keep our garden from dying. The zucchini are about done in. We've gotten maybe a dozen zucchini but the plants are done. The cucumbers are coming on but not enough all at once yet to make any pickles. The green beans are coming on nicely. I may be picking them in the next few days and the tomatoes, I have to say, look awesome! We should get plenty of produce from them (knock on wood!)

Dewayne has had a few health issues the last few weeks and he's been home a lot. I'm not complaining, just wish it wasn't due to his health.

We have been spending more time with our kids and grandkids.  We went on a fishing/camping weekend a few weeks ago and all had a lot of fun. Hoping to do it again real soon.

We have 31 fryer rabbits we need to get processed. We need this meat for the freezers. As soon as Dewayne is feeling better, that is the top priority. It gets expensive feeding all of these rabbits longer than we need too. We should also get some nice hides to do up.

It's almost July and I am praying for a better month....at least a healthier one!

I see it's been a while since I posted on here so thought I would give an update.

Our first Farm Stand in May went really well. I sold a lot of plants and goat milk soap. It actually surprised me to see how many people came to it with hardly any advertising done. The second sale in June didn't go as well since I only had the soap to sell, but It was pretty much what I expected.

All is going very well in the rabbitry. Litters from the first breedings have all been weaned and all does are bred for the second litters that will be coming soon. We have some nice bunnies out there! I am especially happy with the litter of Chocolate Havanas. Show potential in that bunch:) We will be looking and sorting through all bunnies for show potentials that will be shown this Fall, then added to the herd. We have several Cal does that need replacing.

The garden is in and growing nicely. We have a smaller garden this year so hopefully will be able to keep up with it better. Hoping for a productive year.

I've been selling eggs like crazy. The flock is doing wonderful. I sold the Buff Orpington rooster cause I got tired of him coming after me. He didn't do it all the time so I always had my guard up with him. I don't like that so he found a new home. I don't plan to raise Buffs anyway. The Columbian Wyandotte rooster has taken his place as the top guy of the flock. He is a really nice guy and handsome! I need to name him. The Cuckoo Marans are getting big. Turns out we had 3 pullets and 3 cockerals. They are NOT a smart bird. Hopefully it's just because they are still young. We have 5 new chicks that we hatched. First time hatching our own and it sort of flopped. Five is better than none. We will try again later on but I have enough to do around here and really don't want to mess with anything else.

On the personal side of our family, our youngest son just moved to the same county as us. I am very excited to have him closer to home. Half an hour drive is better than that 1-1/2 like before. We are all hoping we can do more camping and fishing soon as schedules allow.

Well, I guess that about sums things up for the last few months. The same ol thing around here....work, work, work.

Broody Hens

I have two hens that are trying to go broody. The one Black Laced Golden Wyandotte is the one that "grumbles" at me every time I go out to check for eggs. Usually I just reach under her and grab the eggs anyway. The second hen, a Buff Orpington,  just started sitting on the "community" nest that a lot of the hens like to use. I've noticed her doing it just the last few days. I took them both and put them in their own pen to keep them off the eggs. I don't want any of them going broody right now since they all have just really kicked in laying. We don't need any chicks right now either. This will also let me know if they are laying or not. I really don't think we've had an egg from the Wyandotte for a long time. The Buff, I think she's still laying. If she's not, she should snap back fairly quickly.

What the Crap??

Doing morning chores yesterday, Dewayne found a litter of new Cals that were cold. The mother had not made a nest or pulled fur. She just had them, in the box which was a plus, but still had not covered them. He promptly got them in the house and tried to warm them. He got 2 back but lost the other three. We kept the two that came back in the house for a few hours to make sure they were good and warm. Later, I went out and made a nest in her box and put the babies in. Fingers crossed that she would take care of them.
This morning, both babies are dead, but now she is building a nest. She pulled fur and everything. What the crap?? This is the second doe this Spring to do the exact same thing. None of the does were bred over the winter so it was early last fall that we had any babies. I wonder if their instincts get messed up or something. Maybe their memory sucks or something; they haven't done it in awhile so they forgot the steps involved. Regardless of why it happened, we will rebreed and give them another chance. Both of these does have had litters before so hopefully all will be normal again the next time.

Remember the "Little Guys"

I had an experience yesterday that helped me remember why I used to shop at a small "mom and pop" store.
Yesterday I went to a "box store" to buy our weekly critter feed. Every week we spend $50-$75 worth of critter feed. To us, that's a lot of money. That doesn't include the weeks that we need bedding or something else critter related. We have been going to this store for ages. When I went to get the meat bird feed, they were out. I asked a store worker if they could see if they had anything in the back, which she did and they didn't.  While I was still in the aisle, a stock boy came over and asked if he could go check the truck to see if they had any they hadn't gotten unloaded yet. Before I could answer him, a manager came over and in her helpful way, said they have a small bag of game bird feed at the end of the aisle. I'm sorry, that bag is about 5 pounds of feed. I'm feeding about 40 birds right now. That bag wouldn't even be enough to feed them all for one day. I felt the helpfulness of the stock boy change as the manager walked up, so I didn't think I should push the subject of him checking the truck as I didn't want to get him in trouble. The manager said I could leave my name and they could call when they get the truck unloaded if they had the feed. Again, I'm sorry but it takes us about a half hour to get to this store. I felt like she was being a little snotty by this time and had had enough. That made me realize why I needed to go back to the mom and pop store that I used to go to.
The mom and pop store actually appreciate the business they get. They go above and beyond for their customers. This store is a little farther for me to go to and is not really on the way anywhere, but is definitely worth the drive. They have always had feed and if they don't have it in the front, they tell you they have it in the back and will go and get it. I sincerely regret the times that I shopped at the big store and spent our money foolishly with people that don't care if you come there or not. You're just a face. To the mom and pop store, they know you by name and know what you need when you come in. It is so worth the extra gas money and the extra time to go to someone who cares and appreciates your business. When I make the next trip to get feed, I will let them know that their customer is back and it was never anything that they had done to make me go elsewhere. They can count on my visit and money every week.

The Little Green Wagon

Our little green wagon is hands down the most used piece of equipment on this farm. We use the wagon for EVERYTHING!!!
I would highly recommend getting at least one of these and if you can afford it, get three, lol.

Here is just a sample of its uses:
**Taking nest boxes from the rabbitry to the barn to get them ready for the does.
**Hauling feed, potting soil, etc
**Bringing firewood from the wood pile to the cabin
**Moving landscaping rocks
**Gathering rabbit bowls and feeders to be washed
**Hauling trash
**We put a carry cage on it to take animals to the butchering area

You get the idea. Don't waste time...go buy one right now. You'll be glad you did.

Homemade Egg Candler

New at the Farm

New here at the farm this year is Quail. We recently purchased 18 quail to see how we like raising them. While researching the benefits of the eggs, we learned that they are supposed to help with your HDL or good cholesterol. Dewayne has a problem with his, so that's enough for me to want to try them.
So far, we are still trying to figure out the best way of housing them. We have some stacking rabbit cages that we're not using so we tried them in the barn. That did not work! Quail are very messy. I don't need something else to do every day, so outside to the extra rabbit hutches they went.
So far, I think I like this set up better. We are having a terrible time trying to find the right food though. You would think game bird feed would be at every feed store with every other kind of feed. There are 17 different kinds of layer chicken feed but no game bird except for a tiny little bag of it. That would last about a day.
Right now they are on meat bird feed. I'll see how they do on that until I can find the other. They have laid a few eggs, but we haven't tried them yet. I plan to hard boil them this weekend when I fix the Easter eggs.

The garden is cleaned up and ready

Dewayne starting working in the garden the other day. There is a small spot for the first potatoes to go in.

Burning off the old stuff from last year. 

No tillers are used. Good old fashioned tools are all that's used here. When we get the taters, we'll work up this area with the rotary wheel before planting the spuds.

NEW BUNNIES!!

NEW BUNNIES BORN 3/23 AND 3/24


HAVANAS
Katie -- Wildfire's LC16(broken chocolate) x Bo-- Meyer's 5CB1 (chocolate)
Kindled 3/23/16
3 solids

Gemini--Dawnbeats Gemeni 2DH2T (broken black) x Wildfire--Wildfire's W193F (black)
kindled 3/24/16
2 solid, 2 broken

I'VE MISSED THIS!

OH HOW I'VE MISSED the sight of a momma rabbit stashing. I put the box in for Gemini, our broken black Havana, and she started her hay stashing for her nest. Woo hoo!

The Rabbits Think It's Spring

The rabbits must think it's Spring. I got 7 of the Cals bred today. All 3 of the Havana does were already bred and 7 other Cals were already done. One left to go!

We got the quail set up in a different cage lay out, so hopefully they will like it a little better.

Dewayne, Daryle and Camden got the garden burned off and we got the new greenhouse set up and moved the plants over to it.

We spent some time out around the cabin and had some lunch fixed out there. The grandkids enjoyed the day outside. Today is dreary and rainy and not a good day to get things done outside. Sounds like a really good day for reading and watching tv

I FOUND SOME CUCKOO MARANS!

I've been wanting to get some Cuckoo Marans chicks. They lay a very dark chocolate colored egg. They are a dual purpose for laying and for meat. I think I like the name the best, lol.

I brought home 6 from the local farm store yesterday. They have joined the 26 Cornish cross that we got on Thursday. Man what a size difference. They will be separated soon before the Cornish outgrow them any more than they are!

WHO NEEDS "ENERGY" PILLS? ALL I NEED IS SPRING....AND THAT'S FREE!

Today's project was the carport. Good grief, we have a lot of crap. Anyway, it's now organized. That took most of the day.

I've been seeing a lot of people posting about taking different Essential Oils, or other types of stuff that "gives you loads of energy". I have loads of energy......all I needed was Spring!

THE FRONT PORCH IS CLEAN!

Well, today I got the cucumbers, spaghetti squash, zucchinis, Calendula, and pumpkins started. I thought I was finished with seeds.....until I came in the living room to see a packet of cantaloupe. Guess what I'll be doing in the morning.

I didn't get much else done today. Most of the day was spent cleaning off the front porch. Sad to admit but it was a total disaster area. We acquired dozens and dozens of mason jars from several people and they were piled up along with all kinds of crap that we have gathered over the winter. It seems winter makes me lazy. Critters are always taken care of but not much else gets done outside. Spring means more around here than planting time....it's clean up the junk that I was too lazy to take care of when it was so stinking cold out. Now I'm so sore I can hardly move. Porch looks awesome though and I feel like I accomplished a lot. It was a good day. Special thanks to our son and daughter-in-law that helped me get a few of the heavy items moved.

THINK "OUTSIDE THE BOX" FOR YOUR PLANTERS

This is an old enamel pan that we used to use for feeding critters. They have all but destroyed the poor thing. The bottom is just barely hanging on. I lined the pan with burlap then added the compost. It is setting on a piece of rubber roofing to help protect the table. I don't know yet what I will plant in it....thinking flowers like Brocade Marigolds. May even plant Basil in it.....we will see!

Camden and I went on a scout out back over the weekend and found this. It's a hog feeder. Strawberry planter now!

We've been talking about this for a long time. Just finally got around to doing it. Dewayne cut this barrel open and bolted the ends together. He drilled a few holes in the bottom and then we put some burlap in the bottom. This will be our "Salad Garden". Spinach, leaf lettuce and kale will be started shortly. Radishes will be grown in the fronts as well as a cucumber that I plan to drape around the outside of the planter as it grows. The short barrel on the left will be for a cherry tomato plant. We thought the tomato would take over everything so decided to put it by itself. 

I CAN NOT wait for salad time!!

DON'T THROW OUT THOSE EGG SHELLS!

I save all of our egg shells. I let them dry for a few days, then crush them to make a powder. My weapon of choice for crushing is the mortar and pestle. 

Finely ground, you can add the egg shells to your chicken feed or to your plants for a boost of calcium. 

TODAY IS MARCH 7, 2016

Today is March 7, 2016.

Today I moved the started plants to the small greenhouse outside. It’s supposed to be in the 60’s all week so we’ll see how that goes. This is Illinois after all. If it cools down too much next week I can always bring them back in.

Today I also got the “chickery” set-up. That’s our inside-on-the-back-porch-set up for our new chicks that I will be picking up tomorrow or Wednesday. We just use one of our rubber stock tanks set on saw horses. The back porch temperature is cooler than anywhere else in the house, but easier to maintain then being out in the barn. They will stay in that for the week, then be moved to the big brooder in the barn. I like to keep them close for awhile.

Today I moved the quail. We had them in three different pens and I put them all into one. We just got them on Saturday and I still am not really sure what I want to do with them. They are outside in the rabbit hutches and are fine, but I might decide to move them to the barn. They are very messy critters I have discovered. That’s one reason I don’t want them in the barn. As messy and wasteful as they are with their food, I don’t want them to draw in rodents. The other birds are out there, but they clean up all of their food pretty good.

Today I moved the recent batch of meat birds from the brooder to the goat stall and kicked the goats outside. Don’t worry, the goats are fine. They usually love being outside anyway. They have their pasture shelter that they seem to prefer to being in the barn. I just choose to feed them in the barn during the winter so it’s easier for me. That way I don’t have to pack hay and water out through the pasture.

The Pasture House for the goats

I don’t know what else I will do. Times a wasting. Need to go.

We brought home some new Havana rabbits yesterday from the Pekin show. We didn't show anything and really didn't take any time to meet anyone else, since we had a lot to do at home.
We now have a black buck, a broken black doe and a broken chocolate doe to add to our little Havana herd. Looking forward to building on our Havanas. Thank you to Katie and Brad Boyce, and Tiffany Bohlmann!

We've been contacted recently about buying rabbits from us. We do not currently have any rabbits for sale. I will list them on this website and our Changing Winds Farm facebook page when/if we decide to sell any.

We are trying a new breeding program with our rabbits this year. We are putting one doe with one buck for a week, then taking them out. The date the box will go in is noted for the first day the pair is put together and we will watch them for the week they are due. We've never done things this way before, but know a lot of breeders that do this, so thought we would try it. It will save me a LOT of time trying to breed when they are not really in the mood, lol.