Our Big Announcement......Our newest addition!!!

The Old Five Notch Farm is thrilled to have a new addition!

As any farmer knows, having the proper equipment to do the many jobs around the farm makes the work so much easier.  Well, we invested in a piece of equipment today!

A Kabota 3200L series with a front loader :0)

Our newest addition!  On the trailer so I guess it's ours!

Our salesman at Greenwood Equipment & Sales making sure our new tractor is secured

My Farmer Man with his new toy...er....tool ;0P

The first "load" for the new tractor....25 pounds of grass feed beef we picked up at the Greenwood Farmers Market! He was coming up to the house anyhow and said he'd help! lol

We are so blessed! Kabota had 0% financing and 0 down. Nothing like having 5 years to pay for something and not paying any interest!! AND Mr. Farmer AND I got new Kabota caps....and mine is PINK! lol ;0)

Scott has already put 1.7 hours on the tractor "working" around the farm today.  He pushed up the pile where we had burned the trees and stumps we took down to make room for The Chick Inn II, moved some old logs around the outside of the fence in the backyard, cleared all the brush and limbs from around the outside of the fence and started to fill the trench back in where we have run the electric and water to The Chick Inn II. 

This investment will pay for itself in time saved on many upcoming projects...and you know how long that list can be!

I'm so happy for my Farmer Man...this is something he has always wanted...his very own tractor.  He works so very hard not only at his "real" job, but here on the farm as well. I'm hoping this new addition will make his jobs here on the farm a little easier or at least a little more enjoyable :0)

We have been blessed with friends and neighbors who have always been so very generous in either coming and doing the work with their tractors and equipment or allowing us to borrow a tractor and equipment.  We are ever so grateful for their generosity and their help!  We hope we can repay some of that kindness now that we can help others.

We'll have some more news, more additions!, later this week....so stay tuned!  

Landscape Shopping, The Turkeys in Their New Home, and Hungry Ducks...

What a wonderful day today!  I had the opportunity to go to Park Seed Company in Greenwood, SC for the Master Gardener Day.  I found many wonderful plants, shrubs and trees to help landscape our farm.  There was so much more I could have bought, but we have to pace ourselves and the pocketbook. 

Here's this haul for today from Park Seed and Lowe's:

Red Twig dogwood, Yellow twig dogwood, Pygmy Japanese Maple, Lilac bush, Gingko Trees, a couple different Hosta, Rhododendron-several varieties, Dwarf  Navel Orange tree, Dwarf Lemon tree, Dwarf Mandarin Orange three, Several varieties of Butterfly bushes, a Bay Laurel, assorted annuals for hanging baskets, honeysuckle, and more!

This is where the Woodland Garden will be...still need to clear some scrub trees and get it ready!  Some of the plants I bought today will be used in this garden. I want to add some azaleas too.

The Square foot garden is coming along quite well...

The zucchini (top left) and the winter squash (bottom right) is too. Blossoms on the tomatoes :0)

The turkeys are slowly settling in to their new home.  They have separation anxiety and peep loudly when we leave the coop :0(  They are getting a little better each time though.  They are growing so quickly!

"Tommy" is getting so big! I really need to keep the camera close...he was strutting yesterday :0)

 A turkey baby aka "The Buzzard" :0) perched on top of the waterer

 

Here's the inside of The Chick Inn II and the partition for the turkeys:

Mr. Farmer Man did an awesome job...as usual!

 The Chick Inn II aka The Maximum Security Poultry Palace is almost completed!

The Turkey Babies have the small coop on the front left and the chickens have the large run.  As soon as we figure out which two hens we are going to keep with "Tommy" and they are big enough that the chickens won't pick on them, we will allow everyone to have full access. 

We will add an outdoor roost shelter to the larger run for the turkeys when they are all allowed to be together.  I don't think the turkeys will be able to go into The Chick Inn II once they are larger.

The ducks are becoming quite the characters!  If you are late getting down to the pond to feed them they will meet you either at the barn or come running across the field towards you.  On evening, Scott was at the barn after work and I hadn't fed up yet.  Next thing he new the ducks came FLYING down the driveway, banked a right and landed in the field, just before the pond. LOL  They were hungry!

Here's the crew tonight as they came to find me:

Two of our Mallard Drakes :0)  Such handsome boys!

It's always fun here on the farm!  The critters keep us entertained and we aren't ever bored...there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done. We are so very blessed to live in the country and enjoy the farm life. <3

This next week we are hoping to finish the wiring for the electrical and running the water to The Chick Inn II, finish securing the fence around the top and plant some more muscadines and scuppernog grapes around the runs for shade.  Have a great week and thanks for stopping in!

You know you live on a farm when....

There are often so many stories of living on the farm and farm life that just make you smile.  The simplicity and joy of everyday living on a farm puts everything else in perspective.  Here's my little farm story for this week:

Since we have had so much rain lately, I have been on hold getting our field mowed and the neighbors yard mowed as well.  This allowed me the wonderful opportunity to work on a scrapbook for a dear fellow firefighter who is recovering from a violent, senseless attack on him and his date while they were on a date at the Augusta Riverwalk.  We held a BBQ Benefit Supper to raise funds for him and his expenses and I wanted to get all those photos in a scrapbook for him to see just how many people love and support him.

I was in The Scrapbook Nook working away when I heard the Turkey babies aka "The Buzzards" calling....a little louder than usual from their temporary brooder on the screened porch.  I thought to myself, Ok, they are hungry and wanted their boiled egg in their food. I'll get to them in a minute. Another "sweet, sweet, sweet" from babies and something said to me.....that's a little too loud.

I walked into the den and was headed for the door to the screened porch when I found 5 not so little turkey babies curled up in front of the TV Cabinet! Apparently the door was not latched well and they had let themselves in!

Here they are:

All five turkeys in the house!

 I went to get the camera and this little one followed me :0)

I rounded everyone up and took them the egg they were wanting.  I have no idea how long they were in the house before one of them decided to see if anyone else was home.  Thankfully, our Boykin Spaniels were asleep in the kennel room when these little ones decided to join the family.

We have almost completed the large run for the chickens so hopefully this weekend we will have turkey brooding area completed in The Chick Inn II and we can transfer these little trouble makers to the coop.  I think they will be happy to be able to be outside and have more room to roam around....although I will miss their antics!

We are also double checking the security of the outside runs.  We found raccoon scat in the nursery pen area the other morning....a little research about all the seeds we found in it suggests is was a raccoon. He/she wasn't actually in the pen, but on top of the pen and left us a present.  I should have taken a picture of it! I'm so thankful that Mr. Farmer Man is so diligent in securing the coop and keeping everyone safe.

I had another wonderful farm moment this morning :0)  I went to feed our ducks, who will meet you half way between the barn and the pond, loudly demanding that you feed them NOW.  After they had their crops full and a drink to wash it down, 6 of the ducks flew across the pond and made a graceful landing.  They swam over to the far corner where the Wood Duck Momma and her 6 ducklings live.  I wasn't sure what was about to happen..... a mom with babies can be very protective.  Our little pod of six slowly swam to the corner where Momma Wood Duck swam out with her 6 babies.....one of the hens in the pod quacked loudly and then the Wood Duck Momma and all the babies swam over and blended in with the pod!  They all swam over to the other corner were the pod tends to hang out among the reeds.  It was so peaceful and beautiful to see these different ducks watching out for each other. I really need to remember the camera when I feed up in the morning!

Living on the farm never ceases to amaze me...the beauty in everyday life if just amazing.

The sun is shining so I will finally be able to get mowing today!  I love the smell of a fresh cut field or yard :0)

We've been busy.........Our little farm is growing!

Wow!  A lot of work going on around the farm :0)

We were chosen once again to be a release site for 6 more mallard ducks from Izzie's Pond!  It looks like there are 3 drakes and 3 hens :0)  They are wonderful for our first little pod of ducks!  Our first pod was a little apprehensive about swimming more than about 5 feet from the bank....not these new ones!  Right out into the middle of the pond!  It wasn't long before pod #1 was joining them. Yahoo!  Our ducks have figured out they CAN swim! lol

Here's some pictures of the newest "pod" of ducks enjoying our pond :0)

Happy, Happy, Happy!

One of the new hens in the lillies

The drake is in the middle and a hen either side...he's a handsome young lad!

We are very happy with our new residents!

The chicks will be 6 weeks old tomorrow...hard to believe.  They are growing so quickly and we have figured out which two are our roosters "Fred" and "Jerry".  "Fred" is buddies with another sweet hen I have named "Woobie". If I go out into the pen or coop and stoop down, Woobie will be on my arm or back instantly and Fred is right at my feet! LOL  They are too cute!

Here's a few recent pictures of them:

They have grown so much.

Testing out the new perches Farmer Man made them <3

Breakfast Treats! Soft banana, fresh peas, strawberries and a little Swiss chard!

LOL I thought I'd put a board out in the run so I had something clean to sit on....it's not clean anymore!

We also have added 5 new turkey poults!  I asked for 3 and my sweet Farmer Man brought home 5. His reasoning behind bringing home 5 was so we would have a better chance of at least on Tom in the bunch.  Well, from the pictures I took today will they were out of the brooder and running around the screened porch, I do believe we have one, possibly two, Toms! 

Meet "Tommy"!  Isn't he just adorable!!!  Just a little over 2 weeks old and already strutin' his stuff <3

"Tommy" the ladies man ;0)  Just look at the little, cute tail feather fan!!!

 My dear sweetie also installed two 4 foot by 8 foot raised bed gardens for me!  We built them together and I stained the outside of them after we got them in place.  He went by "Bricko's" in Augusta and picked up some nursery mix soil to fill the beds.  I am SO excited to have the chance to have a garden once again!

First raised bed going together!

Viola! Frame completed and installed

Stained, on the outside only...the stain will darken with time...it matches the house ....the corners are pressure treated and will fade to a nice grey color

Tada! Filled and ready to plant.  I managed to grow 3 zucchini and 3 spaghetti squash in the greenhouse...not much success with anything else :0/...I'm still trying to figure out how to grow things in the greenhouse...whole different ballgame!

As you can see, we have been busily adding to our farm and working to be more self sufficient.  It will be September before the chicks lay eggs, the bees are working away, building comb and bringing up brood to build the colony, the turkeys will be pets, although if we have two Toms we'll probably find another home for one Tom and a Hen leaving us with a nice trio....hoping to breed and sell poults. 

We have enough soil left to build a 4 foot by 4 foot raised bed.... Just need a little more lumber. Our dear friends have offered their asparagus sprouts that have grown outside their raised beds so I think that's what we'll designate for the next bed.. Between now and then I'll be working away on the square foot gardens :0) I can't wait to have homegrown tomatoes and green beans!!! 

Thanks for stopping in and seeing what we have been up to!  I hope you enjoyed a little taste of The Old Five Notch Farm :0)

New additions, The Chick Inn II update, and the chicks venture outside!

We have 9 new additions to The Old Five Notch Farm!  We were chosen as a release site for 9 wild mallard ducks that had been cared for at Izzie's Pond in Simpsonville, SC. I had the privilege of meeting Angel who owns Izzie's Pond this past week.  What a wonderful, beautiful place!  If you are looking for ducks, geese or swans and would like to rescue an animal and help out a wonderful organization, please consider Izzie's Pond.

Our little mallards are adjusting quite well to their new home.  They are so cute and I love just sitting down at the pond and watching them.  They are not totally tame so they won't come right up to you, but they won't fly away either.  We are hoping with continued contact from feeding that they will stay around our pond.

We are hoping that we will be chosen to take some wild Canadian Geese when they are old enough to be released! 

My sweet nephews, Gideon and Patrick, came over last weekend to help out with some construction.  Patrick was a huge help while working with Scott on the top of the coop pen.  Scott "designed" a cool fence stretcher and Patrick was the force behind it! LOL

The chicks are doing quite well in The Chick Inn II :0)  We have finished the nursery pen area and they have now ventured out into the big, wonderful world.  They are so funny!  They rush the people door of the coop when they hear us coming in the morning.  Just as soon as the nursery chicken door is open they all rush out.  It's a chicken stampede!

 
More pics soon of the completed nursery and pen area :0)

Update on The Chicken Inn II and Our Babies!!

Today is a rainy, dreary day on the farm...a good day to post and update!

It's been too long since I updated the progress on The Chicken Inn II.  We've been busily working away on the coop and many other projects here on the farm, but here are the last pictures I have taken of the coop.  We have done SO much more since these were taken!  I need a good sunny day to get some current photos :0)

The Chicken Inn II coop is all painted :0)  Notice the 2 x 4 railing....this will stabilize the fence and provide a good place to staple the fence.  We will add a decking board to the top for a nice finish.

You will notice there are two chicken doors....the one in the front will be the Nursery Door and they will have their own little run.

All Posts are In....now to tackle that 200 ft of fence lying here!

Since these pictures were taken we have put up all the 2 x 4 top railing, all the 2 x4 welded wire fence, and the decking board as a top railing to finish it off.  We turned the fence out at the bottom to keep predators from digging under and have added cypress mulch all around the perimeter.  It looks really nice :0)

We still have to underpin the coop, build gates, and install a top on the coop!  More pics to come :0)

Now to the babies :0)

They are now two weeks old and just way too cute!  Here's a few pictures I took this afternoon while they were out of the brooder, running around on the screened in porch.

Golden Laced Wyandottes

Eating strawberries :0)

This may be one of the the roos :0)

Such beautiful markings

I have something stuck on my foot!

So very pretty!

What's up.....fluffy butt :0)

I think this is one of the roos :0) He's so sweet!

Just beautiful babies

 Looking forward to completing the coop so these little ones can spend some time outside in the sunshine :0)