Rain On The Farm

Rain on the farm is almost always a wonderful thing to have. 

It helps to water animals, keep the dust down, moisten the ground for working, keeps flowers, gardens, and trees watered.

The smell of rain on a farm is just an amazing smell. Rain, hay, and grass smells mix together to bring about a tempting aroma for the nose chanting wildly for a person to come outside and enjoy the beauty and showers.

My Boer goats, normally happy and amusing creatures, are not near as fond of the rain as I am. That might be because it is 40 degrees outside verses the 70 degrees it is in the house.

Hannah just looks like she is aggravated at not being able to leave the barn. Holly is staring out at the hay manger as if she just can't muster the energy to get past the barn doors. Charleston is happy to have all the girls in the barn with him and would be happy if it rained all the time so he could keep them close. Daisy is trotting and playful in the barn, making the other goats a tad bit mystified. Sally...she is just Sally...whatever goes is fine with her. She is content searching the barn for new things to get into, eating her baking soda, smelling cabinets, and letting my chickens ride on her back.

The ducks, naturally, are completely okay with the drizzle and rain. They are prancing around the yard as if they own something special...making their way steadily around the side yard to see if they can find any insects to eat up before the evening is over with.

The chickens, unsure of the rain since this last year hasn't brought much, are trying to figure out just what to do and how to go about getting the wonderful worms that are moving about in the mud by the pond. The chickens are curious and pecking feverishly trying to get the little boogers in their mouths as quick as they can find them.

Oklahoma needed some rain. It appears we had the driest year in recorded history in 2012. Crops wouldn't grow, animals were dying on farms everywhere. The heat allowed for an extreme amount of mosquito's which brought fowl pox to farms across southern Oklahoma causing havoc for many of us as we watched our birds get weak and unhealthy. 

Tonight, on the farm, we are having Lemon-Garlic Chicken roasted in the oven, cheddar broccoli casserole, green beans, and some wonderful hot rolls. Cooking is one of the things I enjoy doing. It makes me happy to see my crew set down and devour what is for dinner. I find my heart is much happier when I know my family is happy.

I have started my grocery shopping list for this week. It will require me going to several stores to maximize my coupons and sale ads but that it will be a day where I am able to get away from the house, enjoy lunch out, and have some time to rest my mind. 

Since moving to the new farm, the snow, and obviously very low temperatures, and shorter days, we are not getting eggs. Well, I say that. If we are the chickens have found somewhere other than their coop to lay them in. I went on an egg hunting escapade yesterday but was unable to find any that were hidden strategically on the farm. It appears that we will have to barn them for a few days to get them used to the new area and then let them back out for the free range after we get our bearings straight again. Occasionally, I have had to do this, especially when we have added new flock members. 

We placed 4 dozen Buff Orpintgon eggs in the incubator on the 1st of January. They weren't eggs of our own hens but rather some we acquired from a friend. I tried to candle some last night but wasn't having much luck....my hubby is much better at this than I...so I eventually just gave up and figured he could do it.

We have a building we will be using as a brooder pen which will be climate controlled for the little ones. It is one of the many upgrades from the old farm. With the summers getting so hot and the winters being so cold we have decided it is better to have a controlled climate for the brooding area.

I receive my Murray McMurray catalog yesterday and I am excited to see what it is I will be ordering this year.I would like to have an order in by February so that I can make sure my juveniles are of laying age just as summer is ending and the weather is getting a little cooler and more enjoyable.

Dishes need done, chickens need closed in, and the goats need checked. It is getting dark so I suppose I better go do my chores.

What kinds of chickens do you enjoy keeping? Do you ever have problems with them wanting to lay eggs in places other than their nests?