Guess what we found today?

 Our very first eggs!  Hooray!  I can think of about a thousand things I can't wait to make with our very own eggs!  Mmmm...

~Kiah

A Naming Dilemma (in which we ask a favor)

These are our two roosters.  I would introduce them to you, except that they don't have names yet.  And that's a problem, at least in my mind.  Names are very important to me and they always have been, even when their owners are only chickens (or stuffed animals).  So, we need your help on this one.  You see, we were trying to name them today and were having a bit of trouble.  Each member of the family put out their suggestion, but we couldn't make up our minds.

Isaac's suggestion:  Luther and Calvin  (My immediate reaction to this one was, "Oh, please no."  Isaac, however, loves the idea.)
My suggestion:  Tertius and Felix  (Names from the Bible)
Dad's suggestion:  Tony and Ray  (You can really only understand this one if you watch a show by Living Waters called On the Box, which we love.)
Mom's suggestion:  Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley  (If you know my mom, her suggestion doesn't surprise you a bit.)

After a bit of discussion, Isaac said, "I know!  Kiah, you put a poll on your blog and let your readers decide."  So that's what I'm doing.  And now, if you would please vote on the poll to the right we would all be very indebted to you.  We are placing the (oh so important!) decision of naming our roosters in your hands.  None of us will vote, and we will name the roosters whichever set of names you choose.  So, dear readers, please vote!  Right now!

~Kiah

The Farm Has Grown

Meet our two newest additions to the farm: Betty and Bess!

Betty

Bess

We just got them last Sunday!  Actually, they are Isaac's goats so perhaps I should not say "we".  Mom and Dad paid for one of them for his birthday and the other he bought with his own money.  We are so excited to have them!  Isaac spends a lot of time out there with them, and when he's inside doing school he wishes he were outside instead.  :)  They are Alpine goats, which give the largest quantity of milk out of any milk goat.  We are expecting to have about two gallons of milk each day when they are both milking!  Bess is a really sweet, curious doe.  She is only a year old.  Betty is a little less friendly, because she was not bottle-fed. (Bottle-feeding kid goats makes them bond with the feeder and therefore much more friendly to humans.)  She is getting better though, and is learning to like Isaac since he brings her a carrot every day.  They are both pregnant, so we are eagerly awaiting baby goats in the spring!  We are also greatly looking forward to the fresh supply of milk that will follow, and can't wait to make our own cheeses, soaps, etc.

Bess was very curious about the camera as you can see from both the picture above and the one below.

Oh!  That's Orangie!  He is one of the three barn cats that came with our place.  He decided to join us while we were with the goats.  I guess since I'm on the subject I'll go ahead and introduce you to the other cats as well.

That's Brother.

And this is Sister! (By the way, I know that the names are very original.  :)  They were actually named by our landlord's daughter, who was only 2 at the time.)

Oh, look at how big our chickens are getting!

Dad and Isaac fenced in a small section outside of the actual coop, as you can see above.  They worked on it for a very long time and built it like a fortress!  Daddy says that if anything manages to get in there, it deserves to eat every last chicken!  :)

~Kiah

Chickens!

To start off our mini farm we bought 50 chicks this week! We got three different breeds: Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, and Welsummers.  We had chickens many years ago, but it's been awhile and I am so excited to have chickens and fresh eggs again!

These little guys are just as cute now as they were when I was six years old.  I'm ten years older now and I should be more mature, but I still have so much fun playing with them and holding them.  That may sound silly of me, but I really can't help myself!  :)

Sleeping!  :)

Off the topic of chicks, this is a picture of Isaac reading his new favorite book. It's called The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals.  Mom and Dad bought it for him at the last homeschool convention. This book contains a wealth of information on all sorts of farm animals from chickens to goats to cows to bees to rabbits to pigs (and more). Isaac has really enjoyed reading it, and he's learned so much about raising farm animals. I like to call him our expert on all things farm.  :)

~Kiah