Driving Team

We saw this exhibitor driving his team along the farm festival roads. He was hauling an antique manure spreader.

Gravel Time

With all the heavy rains we have gotten this month, our driveway washed away. We hired our towns cement mix company to drop several yards of limestone in our path. It was neat watching how the driver, Rich, pulled up, rose and drove off leaving an even spread. This is a skill in time saving and labor saving. No need to blade the rocks nor shovel out the load. The dump truck does all the work. I have lived all over the states and have never seen this kind roadwork skill. I thought this would be an all day ordeal with our tractor. There was no need. Rich saved us all from time out in the heat moving rocks. We are expecting more loads to raise the level of our overworked drive. Nothing is more neat than a fresh driveway of gravel.

High Clear River

This Monday we went to Van Buren, MO to our dentist. We saw the Current river moving fast, cold and clear. Even though it had risen and left tree debris everywhere, there was no trash anywhere. No empty cans, styrofoam cups, clothes, shoes, boxes. We saw just water, trees, sand, fish and rocks. It was beautiful to see just nature and not others peoples garbage. Missouri works hard to keep its rivers clean. We love living here in the Ozarks.

Old Hen has a Chick

After three months of setting, not setting, lice and abandoning her nests, this old hen had a chick. Now she is still setting on a clutch of 10 eggs unhatched. And she has this single chick to keep her company. This hen was older when she was given to us. We were told she would make a good broody hen. I think the rain storms kept her off her eggs. Hens don't do well in thunderstorms and we have had a lot this spring. I have learned to take a broody hen and her eggs and keep them in a brooder box until the eggs hatch in 21 days. Give the hen food and water and keep her away from the other hens in peace. My other hens like to try to lay an egg right on top of a broody hen. This causes abandoned nests and cracked eggs. I am quickly learning how to be a good chicken farmer. I have made 2 additional brooder cages for broody hens to live inside our chicken coop. Now I have no broody hens and should have more egg output from the freed up flock.

Duckling Lineup

Here are our 4 ducklings inside the house in a plastic tub with a 100 watt bulb to keep warm. The tan one is a Khaki Campbell and the blacks ones are Cayugas. The runt is the one with the scar on her head. We call her Shelley since the breeder said her head must have stuck to the shell too long. I think of Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein is a more fitting. But Shelley has a personality and is unafraid. We have moved the ducklings to our outside brooder box for now. Baby ducks are messy and smelly and are happier outside. They love the water and get water all over the place. Our next step is to allow them time in a shallow pool to swim in.

Raining Snappers

While riding our horse through the pasture my husband spotted a snapper close to the coop. So he moved the turtle far away from the horses and the chickens. You can see she was not happy to be moved.

Fried Ducklings

We attended a Farm Fest in Cabool, MO this past weekend. Along with horses, tractors, plants there were baby ducks and chicks for sale. I always stop to see what varieties are for sale from other farmers. These are 2 Khaki Campbells and 3 Black Cayuga ducklings we bought at the end of the hot day for cheap. The breeder put them in the fried chester chicken boxes as an inexpensive way to hold these babies. We ended up with a runt since she had so much personality among the 60+ mixed ducklings in the box.