We are celebrating our 10-year Farmiversary this weekend. We hope you can join us at a little shindig on the farm to celebrate!
In the meantime, here is a little walk down memory lane, and some of the changes we have seen along the way.
The first thing we started with on the farm were chickens. Literally hundreds of chickens. We had never raised any birds before in our life, and instead of starting with a few, we dove right in. Here is a picture of me with one of our first meat birds. My hair hasn't changed a bit in 10 years!
We ended up getting a line on a couple of Great Pyrenees pups that needed rescuing shortly after, which brought us to getting these two dudes. Atlas and Goliath also turn 10 this year, and they are moving slowly into retirement.
But with the sudden acquisition of said puppies, we had to get our hands on some sheep for them to be raised with, which brought us to Laverne and Shirley.
Suddenly, by the end of 2007, we were full-fledged farmers.
Along the way we added Turkeys...
Ducks...
and even steers...
In the last 10 years:
We have raised:
203 lambs
36 ewes
3850 meat chickens
800 egg laying hens
450 turkeys
50 ducks
20 guineas
6 calves
5 kittens
5 barn owls (Ok, we didn't raise them, but they were born on the farm)
118,000 chicken eggs!
We've hatched
474 chicks
536 turkey poults
266 ducklings
8 guineas keats
We've said goodbye to:
5 dogs: Ditka, Grish, Hobbes, Athena and Nina
More than a dozen cats have gone missing, but we have said goodbye to Boo Kitty
16 Ewes: Laverne, Shirley, Pretty Princess Penelope, Lucy, Gertrude, Daphne, Velma, Carol, Alice, Jan, Pebbles, Trouble, Veronica, Vixen, Clarice, and Sprite
Over time, we have added equipment and gear to the farm:
3 grain bins
1 chicken truck
1 greenhouse
1 tiller
3 chicken tents
1 hay storage area
1 hay feeder
2 duck coops
4 freezers
2 refrigerators
1 Truck
1 flat bed trailer
1 livestock trailer
1 lift gate
1 tiny coop
1 turkey shed
2 pluckers
2 scalders
3 chill tanks
3 stainless steel tables
2 pop-up tents
5 brooders
3 thermostats
1 cabinet incubator
1 mini incubator
1 backhoe/loader
1 sheep chair (this is a thing!)
1 sheep ramp
1 sheep trim stand
1 trampoline
dozens of chicken waterers and feeders of many varieties, a handful of specialty knives, and piles and piles of twine
We have fixed fencing, added fencing, torn down fencing. We have ruined lawns, planted trees and grown food. We have made ice cream, jams, jellies, salsas, pies, deviled eggs, home made bread, fresh pasta and have eaten entire meals from our farm.
We have stayed up all night taking care of sick animals, we have processed thousands of pounds of meat for food, we have made lasting friendships, and changed our entire way of life. It's been a fun journey! Here's to 10 more years!