11/24/23 Thank You
We have recently had so many good friends, neighbors acquaintances and new friends express interest in what we are up to at the farm. It’s wonderful when people stop by and we get to talk about our plans and what we currently have going on. We’ve been asked to keep sharing, and since the farm is my favorite thing to talk about, I decided to write a little bit about it every day. I’m currently studying to obtain my organic farming certificate and am feeling inspired to keep more logs of what we plant, produce, design and harvest too, so a daily journal sounds like a win-win!
Let’s start with yesterday, Thanksgiving Day…
I was hosting dinner for our family-a mid day meal- and needed to start cooking and baking early in the morning. By 8:00 I was already a little behind schedule, so Matt took care of the morning feedings. This always leaves me feeling relieved to have one less chore, and yet also unsatisfied for not having the chance to get some fresh air and be with my animals as my day got started. I grabbed a few extra minutes with our dogs and cat and stepped outside for a deep breath of chilly morning air, and kept cooking! As we prepped sweet potatoes and stuffing with veggies, all of our scraps went into our compost bowl (along with any extra fruits and fresh breads of the day). These would be for the pigs’ dinners. When our family meal was finished and company began to head home, it was only 4:00 in the afternoon. I still had over an hour of daylight and was so excited to have this time to spend on the farm. I fed everyone their Thanksgiving meals and spent some leisurely time with each of them.
We have 23 chickens on the farm, and while most of them did receive names I have to admit I struggle to remember them all. But there is one sweet girl-a New Hampshire Red with a large white star on her chest-named Beastie whom I can always recognize. And while they are free ranging, I can always find her. Rather, she always finds me. Beastie is usually near me while I’m on the farm and yesterday was no different. She greeted me and let me hold her and pet her for a few minutes, then ran off to eat with her sisters and neighbors. Ah, yes, I said neighbors. We have 2 separate flocks sharing one coop. There were 11 hens living in our coop while we raised baby chicks at home. When the chicks were old enough, we integrated them with that flock by separating the coop for a couple of weeks. This gave them a chance to get to know each other. We then opened the door between them overnight, so they would wake up to a shared space. Chickens don’t mess around with their sleep. They roost, close their eyes, and stay pretty still and quiet no matter the disturbance. This makes them especially vulnerable to predators in their sleep, but also makes it conveniently easy to integrate new friends. During the daytime they can be pretty grouchy and territorial if a new hen enters their space. While we did these introductions well over a month ago, they still operate as 2 separate flocks. They eat out of 2 different feeders, sleep in 2 different “rooms” and spend time with the own flock mates out and about in the woods and fields. Once in a while I see one of our littles with a few of the older girls, but it never seems to last for long. Beastie belongs to the older flock, and I am always so grateful for those chickens who decide us humans are more than just egg robbers and food givers. We seem to always have one or two who decide we are also good company and let us be friends. There is something so soothing about the silkiness of their feathers and the sweet noises they make when they are calm and cozy! Beastie followed me into the goat barn yesterday afternoon, and roosted while I took care fo feedings. This is a noisy adventure, as our 2 young kunekune pigs, Dolly and Waylan, are still living in a stall in the goat barn. We have been working on integrating them with our potbellies over the past couple of weeks by feeding them across the fence from each other or out together in the pasture, and giving them ample time to spend together outside of their runs and pens. We have even given the some visitation time one on one in each others pens. It’s all gone very well and there is an extra little house set up in the pig run in case the big girls don’t want to share their nest at night. The only reason we have not let them move in together full time is our nervousness that someone will get left out in the mud at night! We are hoping to spend some evening time to ensure everyone gets tucked in over the next few days to make this move complete. They truly seem to enjoy each other’s company. And, the stall in the goat barn will be a perfect winter home for our bucklings, Motley and Marley. They come into the barn in the evenings to sleep but their sleeping area is a temporary stall that does have access to outside. We therefore take them out each day to their pen, which has a small 3 sided shelter. It keeps them dry but isn’t large enough to play around in, so we want to make sure they have a warm(ish) place to play inside when the really cold winter days hit!
For now, feeding the animals in the goat barn means squealing pigs while I get the grains prepared. By squealing, I mean screaming. It’s quite comical how excited they are for dinner. I mixed their grains, sunflower seeds and veggies and scraps from home and avoided their attempts to jump into my arms as I filled their trays. They immediately dug in and quieted down, allowing me turn my attention to the goats and bunnies. Our goats have been ornery with their meals too, picking on the youngest roommate when their hay feeders are refilled. We put hay in 3 spots so little Myra can always find a place to eat in peace, but it’s still better for her if I hang around while she fills her tummy. Poppy and Travers know better than to bully her, so they only do so when I’m not looking. The actually will check over their shoulders before headbutting her away from the hay to see if I’m close enough to stop them! Rotten adorable goats! When everyone’s bellies were full yesterday, I spent some time grooming and snuggling with our bucklings. Marley, the youngest, is so incredibly soft this time of year that I could have pet and brushed him for hours! He loved it to and thank me with head rubs and his just adorable face. The other four goats took turns with getting brushed and tried to convince me I had enough hands to pet them all at once (I didn’t, but I did avoid getting knocked over by their snuggle attempts). Before I left, I sat in with Dolly and Waylan for some piggie snuggles. They give me pig kisses by pushing their snouts against me, and grunt so sweetly while I pet and scratch behind their ears and along their backs. They are the most affectionate and sweet little grunters! I could just sit with them for hours.
I finally headed home in the dark (after giving Beastie a lift to her coop) feeling so content and joyful. There is just so much love inside this tiny little min barn. No matter the day, the time, nor what is occuring outside those walls, there is peace, affection, warmth and usually antics that make us laugh always to be found. I am so grateful for the privilege of building this farm from the ground up. We have so much work in front of us to get it to be what we dream it will become, but just as it is right now is actually enough. Growing these animals into the helpers we hope they will be is slow process, but it brings such great rewards. I look forward to goat milk and piglets and more eggs, and to seeing how the pigs and goats can help us keep areas cleared and mowed, and to how the rabbits can help us keep the weeds at bay in the flower beds. But for right now, I am so grateful for the animals’ company, composting skills and for how they restore my peace and calm no matter the stress or joys of the day. This feeling is what I most look forward to sharing with others. I can’t wait to grow Songyard Farms into a space where others can benefit from all that we experience. I tell the animals this often, and encourage them to let all of our visitors pet and snuggle with them too. Friends and neighbors, keep coming to visit with us! Call us when you crave a moment of peace and laughter and we will meet you there. Bring your veggie scraps too and all the animals will think you are their new best friend. I hope you all found moments of calm yesterday and joy, and were surrounded by people you are thankful for. Thank you for reading!
