Farming Isn't Always Fun

The week didn't start off too good.  First thing Monday morning I had to dispose of a dead calf which is never fun.  All indications are that the calf was born dead, although it looked perfectly normal.  I will never get used to removing a dead baby anything from it's mama who just doesn't understand that despite all her efforts that baby is not going to stand and nurse.  This year I had to do that with a foal, and now with a calf.  All farming activities are not fun, but that's part of it.

We sure have had a weather reprieve this week which has been super!  We finally got some much needed rain and the temps in the 70's are awesome!  I hope this trend continues for a few more days.

Farmers Markets are definitely keeping me busy...Tuesday evening in downtown Corbin, Saturday mornings at Goldbug and the newest market on Thursday evenings in Knox County.  There are plenty of opportunities for folks to purchase USDA Certified Grass Fed Beef, Natural Pork, and Free Range Chicken!  I am getting some really good feedback on the chicken.  I actually did a taste comparison this week and will be reporting my findings soon so stay tuned!  Thanks so much to all of my customers!

I hope everyone has a good rest of the week!  Til later...

Itty Bitty

A couple of weeks after I got the meat chickens I found one of them not acting quite right.  It was acting like it didn't feel good...just laying there, not wanting to stand up.  So I brought the little chick into the house and fixed a box in the living room for it to live in.  Several weeks went by and this liitle chick stayed alive but didn't grow and was slow to be steady on it's feet.  However after a couple more weeks it began acting pretty normal although it was still tiny, and where all the other chickens were getting their feathers, this one was still covered in fuzz.  I started taking the chick outside to be with the other chickens and it would mingle with them during the day.  Any time I would go outside, this little chick, still covered in fuzz would come running as hard as it could to greet me!  Needless to say this little chick won my heart so Itty Bitty was named.  I left Itty Bitty outside in a mobile coop a couple of nights but I became afraid that the little one would get smothered because all the chickens tended to pile up in a heap.  So again, I fixed a box in the house and now Itty Bitty comes inside to sleep at night!  As long as I start before it gets too dark, all I have to do is call for him/her (hopefully her!) and Itty Bitty comes running.  If I leave the farm, upon my return, Itty Bitty greets me at my car door!  Itty Bitty loves to wander around inside the house and eat whatever she can find on the floor!  While I was recuperating from surgery, Jane would bring Itty Bitty in during the day so I would have "some chicken company!"

On Monday, John took my truck and the stock trailer to Knox Co. to pick up some shavings in preparation for loading the chicken masses that nite.  When he got there, he opened the back door of the trailer and guess what was there....Itty Bitty had hitch hiked along for the ride.  John assured me that he would make sure that Itty Bitty would have a safe return to the farm later!

I can assure you that Itty Bitty did not go to Lancaster Tuesday morning long with all the other meat chickens...although Itty Bitty has at times been referred to as Nugget LOL!!!!