Raising Australian Spotted Ducks

I can remember our first experience buying chickens. We were at the local Tractor Suppy store during “Chick days”. All of us gathered around the large metal stock tanks just full of all kinds of chickens. peep peep peep peep!!! it was so cute and so fun.

My daughter was 6 or 7 at the time. She gravitated over to the tanks with baby ducks. I said “No ducks, We came here for chickens.” I meant it… yes I did. We left with 4 ducks.

That was the beginning of Continue reading Raising Australian Spotted Ducks

Bottle Tree: Whimsical Fun on the Farm!

Walt Disney Animation Studios presents the musical THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. One of their characters is Mama Odie. She lives in a tree that is so fun! This tree is full of whimsical wonder and bottles. Of course with Disney the bottle tree is way OVER THE TOP, but for us here on the farm we can have that fun in a more realistic fashion.

Check out how I make the bottle tree and how beautiful it is in the morning sun.

We’ve been collecting the bottles for a while from friends and family. This has been on the list of projects to complete for a long time too. We finally had a moment to sit down and do it. I’m so glad we did. These pictures give a little idea of what they look like in the morning sun.

Wildlife on the Farm

Living on the farm has been a wonderful experience! There is a lot of things to do, and some of it is hard work. It seems like the project list is never ending. There is always a fence to build, a garden to weed, trees to plant, chickens to feed… and so on.

But…., yes but sometimes we get to experience something wonderful. Wildlife abounds here on the farm. It’s nice when we get to see it up close. I’ve documented a few encounters. I hope you enjoy them as well.

Baby Cardinal Bird Hatching in Nest

We have a hanging planter on the front porch that attracted a family of Cardinals to build a nest.  We were fortunate to be able to catch a few minutes of the babies hatching on video.  We love seeing nature here on the farm!

Releasing a Hummingbird

This humming bird found it’s way into my hoop house in the garden but couldn’t get out. I caught it and wanted to let my sone release it. We learned how to handle and release the birds at one of our home school field trips to a local bird sanctuary.

Releasing an Inca Dove 

Sometimes birds fly into the chicken coop and can’t find their way out.  The kids like to catch and release them.  This is a good opportunity to see the different birds on the farm up close.  I’m pretty sure this one is an Inca Dove.

Fresh Baby Bunny Rabbits In Nest

While discussing where to mow we noticed several rabbits hanging out in the tall grass.  I went to check it out and found this!  We steered clear of the area and left the grass tall.

Spider Caught A June Bug! 

One night we noticed this big spider had made a web near our front porch.  While we were watching it spin it’s web a June Bug flew in and got caught!  Miss Spider got to work right away wrapping it up for dinner.  I got my video on as fast as I could.

Baby Wrens in Propane Tank 

We opened the propane tank to check the levels to find this beautiful scene.  The baby birds seem to be quite happy and not at all bothered by us opening the lid of the tank.

Photos From My Walk: April 18th

Sometimes I get the pleasure of just walking around the farm to enjoy the beauty. Yesterday was one of those days. It rained for a little while that morning. The ground was moist, the air was cool, the sky was blue. Life is showing it’s signs all around. I paused to admire the young fruit and blossoms on the trees. The chickens were curious about me as I sat and admired them. The flowers in the old red wheel barrow were sitting so perfectly. Here are a few photos for a glimpse into the moments of that short walk.

Daddykirbs Farm: Red Wheel Barrow Flower Arrangement

Daddykirbs Farm:  Open Apple Blossoms

Daddykirbs Farm:  Unopened Apple Blossoms

Daddykirbs Farm: Wild Red Salvia

Daddykirbs Farm: Peach Blossoms

Daddykirbs Farm: Young Peach

Daddykirbs Farm: Thistle Flower

Daddykirbs Farm: Layers Flock

Daddykirbs Farm: Two Red Chickens

Daddykirbs Farm: Layers Flock

My Orchard 2013: Updates

April Update

If you saw my video back in January, you know that I was quite timid about how I was pruning the young bare root trees.

See Video Here if you missed it.

I would like to post this video update to show that my trees do not hate me. They have forgiven my brutal ignorance  and seem to be loving life. All the trees: Apple, Pear and Peach are coming out and soaking up the sun. They appear to be happy where they are. Continue reading My Orchard 2013: Updates

Hi! I'm Blake. Online I go by "Daddykirbs". My farm and blog is a place to learn about my journey with Permaculture, Homesteading, Gardening and more. Thanks for visiting!

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