Animals

 It was hatch weekend again. Not as successful this time around. We incubated 24 eggs and only got 9 chicks. Our first batch we got 50% hatch rate so this 38% was very disappointing. But nevertheless we have 9 cutie little babies and I learned more about being a chicken mom. 

First: we have a chick with splay legs. It took some YouTube videos but I found a super easy, successful trick. Take one hair elastic, thread it through a cut piece of drinking straw to create one loop at either end, slip one foot in each loop with the straw bit between her legs. Leave it on for 1-2 days until her tendons develop properly. Looks good so far!!

Second: the last chick to hatch was taking forever to hatch, so while I had read to never interfere with a

hatch...I interfered! The sac the chick was in had hardened and it could not break out. We wet it down, and slowly began to peel off the membrane. She seems very weak now but hopefully she will be recovered by morning. 

While I am loving on the babies, let’s not forget our now 1 month old first hatches! They have moved to the barn and were all lined up on their perch for the first time tonight.

And of course our growing piglets. They are getting much more used to us and tolerant with my loving  and scratching everyday. 

After all this good news the piece of stressful news...we lost the ends of our garden fence in a wind storm this weekend. I spent today disconnecting the ends and securing the sides so I don’t lose anymore before I can go back out on a warmer day and rebuild it.

50

Wow! I used to think 50 was so old. Today, as the clock strikes midnight and I’m still awake (take that teenage self) I realize 50 is just the next chapter.

My decade years have been very memorable and I am really looking forward to this one as well. 

I honestly cannot remember my 10th birthday so I will start the reminiscing at 20. 

I spent my 20th birthday in Toronto in an 8 hour interview hoping for a spot with Canada World Youth travelling to Africa. Whether true or not, I felt my family would not support my desire to go to Africa and “save the babies” so I told no one that I applied, and I told no one I got an interview. It wasn’t until that birthday interview proved successful and I received an acceptance letter that I told my family. That birthday set in motion a series of life events that would help shape the next ten years of my life.

30 saw me celebrating with friends, a husband and my first born. I had always wanted a life with children. For years as a child, I asked Santa for a real baby. While this sadly never happened, having my own children has been the greatest joy in my life. 

My 40th birthday was amazing. It was a turning point for me. I was starting to find my independence, my strength, and to figure out who I was. I was fortunate enough to spend this birthday with my children, my parents, my brother and his family in Myrtle Beach. I surprised everyone with a limo that took us to a lovely dinner. My brother followed this up by surprising me with fireworks on the beach! Absolutely the best most memorable birthday to date! 

But now as I look at 50 I see myself coming to life. I feel passion and joy and peace that have eluded me for years. I know I am in the right place doing the right thing for this decade of my life. I am definitely slower and sorer then my 20, 30 and 40 year old self (and that annoys me to no end). But I can deal with it so long as I have the promise of "The Farm" to inspire me. Perhaps I am being selfish, but my 20's were for helping others, my 30's were for my children, my 40's were for "the job", I am so looking forward to my 50's being for me!!

Happy Birthday to Me! 

Ellie and Winnie

Hi everyone! Thank you all for your patience with me. I know I have missed two weeks of writing. My life has been very busy but mostly with YMCA work and while I enjoy my job, I want the blog to focus on the farm and the family. That being said, I will chime up when I have something, fun, crazy, sad, exciting, innovative, farm, family or friend related to blog about. Hopefully, as we move into spring, that will be more often!

The one event that did happen over the past two weeks was my dad’s birthday. Happy birthday to a man who has taught me so much. He has had a huge hand in shaping the woman I am. He has taught me to be proud of my accomplishments and to learn from my mistakes. He has taught me plumbing and basic electrical. He has taught me what a good marriage and husband can look like, and how I should not settle for anything less. He has shown me love and encouragement. He has supported me in my darkest days and celebrated me in my shining moments. I am such a lucky daughter. Love you dad!!

Farm news: we are growing again. Two Girls Farm has welcomed our first two pigs. 

Meet Ellie and Winnie. 

They are 13 week old Berkshire / Magalitsa piglets!!

We are so excited to finally have pigs. We have wanted pigs since the day we moved in, but in typical Shannon fashion, it never happened because we were never "ready". There was no place to house them. So as always seems to happen, we get the animal and then panic to get housing built for them. It only took two days and Zoe, Navy and I had an area of the barn cleared out, workbench moved, wall built, shaving laid and pigs eating out of our hands. We do still have to set up an outdoor pen for them but that will happen as the ground thaws. Actually....I really jumped the gun because this year is my 50th birthday and all I asked for was a pig. But, of the two pigs we have, Ellie is a girl and we are hoping that she will be our momma. So for my birthday, I have my eye on a one year old Berkshire boyfriend for her. 

Other amazing, exciting farm news...we had our first incubator hatch today. So far we have three beautiful babies. A black, a brown and a white chick have managed to survive my lack of knowledge about incubators and hatch despite the screw ups! The incubator I got for Christmas did not come with any real instructions, so I was doing my best guesses based on you-tube videos. I do realize I made a number of mistakes, but I have learned from them and know the next eggs we set will be more successful. But even so...we have chickies!!