Busy weekend on the farm

Well busy weekend on the farm.   Friday I saw two rabbits for sale on craigslist so I picked them up after work, took them home and placed them in their pen.   They seemed super nervous so I was a bit worried about them.  I went back Saturday and they were all settled down and seemed to be enjoying there new home.   We had a dozer onsite Saturday to work on our roadways.  There were several areas that had eroded over the years so I was anxious to have them corrected.   I spent this morning putting seed out on the newly disturbed areas and will place hay on the areas this week.   I am putting millet, rye, several varieties of clover, etc on the old roadways.  I also planted onions, snap peas, lettuce, etc.   I think I am going to order a little more winter wheat to put out.    I will try to get some pictures of the rabbits this week.  I also hope to pick up two more female rabbits this week.   

Lovely morning on the Natchez Trace Parkway

I never saw a discontented tree.  They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.  They go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far!  ~John Muir

Wildflowers - Ready for Fall

I am looking forward to the fall colors, but I am definetely going to miss the wildflowers.   I have not been able to spend as much time photographing them this year as I would like, but I plan on hitting it hard next year.  I am also planning on doing alot of fall and winter photography this year.

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” John Muir quote

Natchez Trace Parkway - River Bend Overlook

While in Ridgeland I tried to hit the road early and catch a few sunsrises.   It had rained the night before so the morning air was cool, crisp, and rather soothing.  I was surprised that no one else has wondered out to enjoy this beautiful overlook along the Natchez Trace Parkway.  

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. - John Muir

Chickens in new coop...

Well I placed the chickens in the coop and left them locked in the "house" for two days.  I was told instead of just putting them in the coop, to lock them in the house so they would learn where home was.  If you just let them loose they would stay in the run at night instead of going back to the house where they are more protected from the elements.    So this was right after I removed the plywood over the door.   They would stand in the doorway and look out, but were scared to try walking down the ramp.   After a day they got the hang of it and everything seems to have worked out well.   This photo was taken a few weeks ago and the chicks are a fair bit bigger now.  

Chickens and New Farm

Three Day Old Chicks

It has been a while since I posted on here but I have been working on my next project.   After hiking the Appalachian Trail I really wanted to try and be more self sufficient and continue to live a more simple lifestyle.   I am fortunate in that my family has 40 acres, 7 acres of which is field and the other 33 being wooded with a small pond.    My plan is to start with chickens and rabbits this summer and then plant fruit trees this fall.  I want to bring elec and water to the site over the winter and then next year I will add a few dairy goats and maybe a couple of pigs.   I currently live in an apt but I am anxious to set up a shelter on the site.   I will post more about it later.  In the meantime, I received my chickens and wanted to share a few photos of them.  I have 10 Rhode Island Reds, 10 Plymouth Rocks, and 10 Buff Orpingtons.   I had them in my apt in a brooder and because we have been having such warm weather I was able to move them outside at about 3 1/2 weeks.   

The first say out of the brooder.

It was interesting watching them be outside for the first time.  It took them a few minutes to really start moving around but chickens are very curious animals so it wasn't long till they were moving around pecking at everything.  Flying insects really seemed to get their attention though they are still a bit to clumsy/slow to catch most of them.