The Frozen Tundra

Well, we had a beautiful white Christmas on Black Opal Farm.  It started to snow Christmas morning around 10 o' clock and didn't stop until midnight.
Stella's second Christmas was a white one and she LOVED it!  We built her a snowman and toured the farm with her little red wagon.
What was not so fun was tending to the animals in this weather.  The pigs were staying pretty dry.  They get under their hay like a blanket, and the trees above kept most of the snow out of their pen.  The llamas need a full hay basket because there is only a blanket of snow on the ground.  This means we need to keep Remus, the dog, out of the basket.  He likes to lay in there when the weather gets bad to stay warm.  The chickens and ducks were hiding in their covered coops in the chicken house.  We have to keep knocking the snow off the roof of the house so it doesn't cave in on them.
Yesterday was still dark, cold, and snowy.  We lost power for a few hours in the morning and had to sit by the fire.  Kept busy trying to stay warm inside and outside.  This morning the sun is shining brightly.  It is barely going to get above freezing and we are having huge wind gusts.  Stella and Grandma tried to go out and feed with me this morning, but it was just too windy.

Due to the snow, I have been unable to use my new Christmas present from James.  He bought me a golfcart with a big cargo shelf on the back!  It will make my life easier as I am pregnant again and it will get tough feeding in the morning with Stella by my side.  The cargo shelf will also be great for planting and harvesting!

COLD

Yep, it's cold out here on the farm.  No precipitation, just nights below 20 degrees.  Any temp below 20, we feed everyone twice a day.  Everyone gets their regular diets in the morning, then in the afternoon, they get another helping mixed with hog feed.  We used to mix it with cracked corn, but since we got the piggies, we've learned that hog feed has 9% more protein than normal cracked corn.  The protein is was warms the body up on the cold nights.  Keeping everyone hydrated is the other key to surviving Winter.  Dumping all the frozen buckets of ice and refilling with fresh, ice cold water...sometimes twice a day.
Other than that, nothing too exciting happening out here.  The ducks have permanently moved into the chicken house.  And as usual every winter, Remus, the Great Pyrenees, sleeps in the llamas hay basket at night.  One night he is going to fall through the damned thing.  It's just made out of rusted rabbit cages.  Some good pictures on the way!

Piggies sure are smart

Yesterday morning started out normal, Stella woke me up at 8 am, I walked upstairs to get her and change her diaper.  I always look out the bedroom window when I get up there.  From the guest room I can see every animals house.  Unable to believe my eyes!!  The gate to the pig pen was on the ground!!!  Prosciutto and Capicola are in the lower field with the llamas, the dogs are on top of the situation, watching the pigs every move.  The dogs are not herders, just guardians.
I slap a fresh diaper on Stella and rush down the stairs with her in my arms.  After throwing a coat on and grabbing Stellas juice from the fridge, I buckled her into the car, grabbed the pig food and drove towards the pig pen.  The pigs see me and know it is breakfast time.  The fast little buggers run from the chicken house to their pen in what feels like 15 seconds.  Thanks to the bucket of veggie burritos, hamburgers, jerk chicken, and French fries, the pigs are safe and sound in their house again. 
They used their nose to lift the gate right off the screws!  Genius!!  We have fixed the gate and hope for no more problems like that.  I only worry because there are a few places where they could get out of the main fenceline.  Pigs become feral in 4 weeks...
Never dull on Black Opal Farm

Saint Anthony and Saint Francis

Welcome to Black Opal Farm, Frank and Tony!  We aquired two muscovi ducks yesterday from a friend.  This type of duck does not need a pond or lake, just water to drink and bath in.  Right now they are in Boudreaux's old paddock which has been vacant since he passed away back in August.  I opened the gate this morning for them to have free range of the entire farm, but they are still hanging out in the paddock for now.  They will come out when they are comfortable.

Stella loves ducks.  This is why we decided to bring them home from my friends, Carole, house.  Carole had to catch them with a net to get them in the box.  Stella was so upset!  She started crying and ran to the box wondering why the ducks were in there!!

Ready to Winterize

Well, Autumn is here and it's time to winterize the farm before it really gets cold. 
1. Check the fences in case we have any fallen trees that have gone unnoticed.
2. Stock the shed with hay for the llamas.
3. Plant garlic in the front garden.
4. Check all pipes and maintenance at the old house.
5. Replace the plastic waterers with galvenized for the chickens.  The plastic breaks every year when the water starts to freeze.
6. Build some sort of lean to for the piggies.  They are in the woods, but the trees only provide so mush shelter.
7. Repot plants and begin to move them from outside to the sunroom.
8. Get all the fluids changed in the tractor and truck.
9. Get those dogs groomed.  The hardest task of them all.
10. I feel like I'm forgetting something...

I'd like to get all this done before we have a house full at Thanksgiving.  James family will come up from La, TX, mine from NC.

We found new homes for 3 roosters over the weekend.  I would like to place one or two more and then get a few more hens.  One should have 1 rooster for 10 hens, our population was growing even.  No Bueno...

I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your piggy house in!

After Stella went to bed, teeth pushing through her gums everywhere, James and I sat down to watch some Monday Night Football.  Not that concerned about the Packers or the Bears, we both drifted off into dreamland.  BA-BAB-BA-BA-BAB-BA-BAB-BAP!!!  We awoke to hail shooting down from the sky.  Rain and hail were pouring down in every direction.  I could see the windows quivering, it was so loud I'm surprised Stella didn't wake up.  We heard the thud in the garage of 250 lbs of dogs pushing up against the door to the inside.  Remus and Rowen are terrified of storms.  Leaves, limbs, and sticks were landing on our back deck that sits 20 feet high.  Hummingbird feeders and windchimes were being ripped apart.  We watched as my potted plants on the front porch flew away.  James opened the door to save my potted Crown of Thorns and the wind almost ripped the front door off the hinges.  The power went out briefly and after 20 long minutes, it was over.  I love to watch storms at the house because we have windows everywhere and we sit high up on a hill, but last night was a little scary.
I knew the llamas were just hunkered down in their carport, nothing really bothers them.  The pigs are sheltered by some trees and probably deep in the mud.  The chickens are whom I was worried about during every storm.  This morning I found all their houses overturned, perches had fallen over.  One rooster was out of the house, dazed and confused.  I'm still not sure how that happened.
So I spent some time outside today cleaning up debris, and finding doormats and such all around.

Finally...rain

It's been about a month of mid 90's and NO RAIN.  As we turned into the Fall Equinox this week, the Summer weather continued.  Everyone on the farm has been miserable; hot, dry and ready for some cooler weather.  This morning after 4am, Mother Earth finally touched us with precipitation followed by some cool air!  Everyone seems happy outside.  The llamas were dusty, the chickens couldn't scratch at the hard, dry earth for bugs, the dogs needed a bath, and the piggies were desperate for a mud puddle.  The rain has subsided, but the sky tells me that there is more to come.  After the land is replenished and begins to dry a little, we'll start to bush hog for the Fall, scoop poop, and till the front garden.  I am planting garlic this Winter, about 10 lbs of it.  I ordered three varietals and hope to grow enough to sell at the Farmers Market next Spring.  I'll keep you updated.

When we're away, everyone plays.

We hit the coast last week with some relatives from Pittsburgh. 
Whenever we're gone, we leave the farm in the trusting hands of Adam, our Executive Assistant to Farm Operations (houseboy).He comes over once in the morning and again in the evening to water and feed, and to check on the house.  To preface this story, Remus, our male Great Pyrenees, is a known "Biscuit Eater".  Sometimes if I gather eggs in the morning and leave them in the garage, he will sneak in and grab a nice breakfast for himself.  In the chicken house we have covered cat litter boxes set up for the hens to lay their eggs.
So a few nights ago, Adam stopped by to feed the dogs, water everyone, and lead the chickens into their house where they are locked into at night.  He found Remus sniffing around in the chicken house.  He looked into a litter box and spotted and egg.  As he pushed his melon of a head through the opening, his head got stuck!  Frightened, he shook his head crazily!  Adam was scared to touch him because he couldn't see and was obviously scared.  The chickens were running all around because this 150 lb. dog is flailing around in their house at bedtime!!  After a few minutes Remus' head was freed when the litter box broke off.  As for the chickens, it took them a few days to recover!