I am a self proclaimed " WANNABE FARMER ", so I hope you will be humored by my backyard farm trials and triumphs!
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| In Loving Memory of our Beloved "Lucky" Duke June 1998-April 2011 |
To my beloved Lucky,
I will always remember the way you would raise your head to receive my kisses and no matter how big you grew you always tried to get on my lap and play, you brought me so much happiness.
Goodbye my dear sweet friend, I will never forget you. May you rest in peace and free of pain.
March 30, 2011
We truly believe that our best days are ahead of us. God has placed a plan within our hearts and he has blessed us with a new home with more land to carry out this plan. We pray that as we sow the seeds he has given us that two things will happen:
1) Those in need will be helped and
2) With this help, we pray that they will overflow with thanksgiving and praise to God
“As the Scriptures say 2 Cor.9:6-15, (vs. 6) : ‘the godly man gives generously to the poor'. His good deeds will be an honor to him forever’. For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and later on good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest.
This scripture is so full of principles for God’s prosperity to us who believe. It says that we/you will receive according to our/your seed size.
We ask that you pray for us in the coming months as we make our transition and move into our new house (and sell our existing one) and onto our new land and begin to fulfill Gods plan for us.
With our God-kind of faith, we know the mountains will be moved as "The Kingdom of Heaven is in us". We ask that you pray that we will just let the Holy Spirit have it's way with us and that our soil (our hearts) be deepened in the garden of salvation.
check out our new website: http://www.mamadukesfarm.com/
Lord God,
You send Your Word to us; open our heart and minds to hear it, receive it, and be changed by it. Make us like rich, fertile soil that Your Word will grow and blossom and explode in. Put us on the path we need to be on and protect us from our enemy as he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to devour us; mature us in our faith; through the power You give us in the Holy Spirit give us the courage and strength to pluck the thorns from our lives we’ve allowed to grow. Take us, grow us, and use us for Your Kingdom to come. Amen
Are eggs from BackYard Flocks really better for you?
(click here and find out)
March 2011
Okay, we are sooooo excited. We just bought a house on 13 acres of land!!! Did I say we are EXCITED?!!
Of course we have not closed on the property yet and it is currently a horse farm...so we have LOTS of work a head of us....but do hope in the next several months with some hard work we will be back on track and have more to talk about!!!!
We are so thankful for the blessings God has given our family and we pray that through these blessings, we will bless others and that they will see God through us.
God has given me an insight on something that probably won't be able to take place until next year but I am super excited about it!
2011 is here!
The Goats and chickens are continuing to do fantastic here on our little farm :-)! The chickens are producing about 10 eggs daily on average. They are still delicious and nutritious and our son (who is 4) still eats them several times a week! As a matter of fact it's what he had for breakfast this morning.
It's about 80 degrees here in Florida today and the chickens are out soaking up the sun and taking dust baths...
Some are playing "Queen" of the water fountain.......
Some are waiting for the nesting box that everyone else has used today....there are 12 to choose from but they insist on sharing the same one!! :-)
Some are in the corner talking about the others (or me :-)
And the rest are just taking it easy...
The Goat brothers are roaming around like they own the "farm" :-)....
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| This is "Buddy" |
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| This is "Clyde" |
Egg-stra Egg-stra Read all about it...
Did you know.....
Farm Fresh Eggs vs Store Bought have...
1/3 Less cholesterol
1/4 Less saturated fat
2/3 More Vitamin A
2 Times more omega-3-fatty acids
(omega -3 is vital for optimum healthy heart and brain function)
3 Times more Vitamin E
7 Times more beta carotene
4-6 Times more Vitamin D
&
More Flavor!
1/3 Less cholesterol
1/4 Less saturated fat
2/3 More Vitamin A
2 Times more omega-3-fatty acids
(omega -3 is vital for optimum healthy heart and brain function)
3 Times more Vitamin E
7 Times more beta carotene
4-6 Times more Vitamin D
&
More Flavor!
Startling isn't it?
More EGG-CITING NEWS
Our Chickens...
Do not eat by-products
Are not fed Antibiotics
Are not forced to molt
(forced molting is used in the industry to produce extra large eggs)
Have added greens and fruit to their diet
Are not over crowded - they are happy
Happy Hens lay Healthy Eggs!
Our Eggs are always sold within 72 hours of being layed
(unlike store eggs that are up to 45 days old)
Fun FACTS
**It takes up to 34 hours to produce an egg
**Americans on average eat 245 eggs per year
**Eggs need to reach 144-158 degrees to change from a liquid to a solid
**Fresh eggs sink in water and stale ones float
**An egg shell has over 17,000 pores on it
**Chickens are one of the first domestic animals appearing in China about 1400 BC
**There are 150 species of chickens
**Eggs contain all the essential protein, minerals and vitamins except vitamin "C".
**It takes up to 34 hours to produce an egg
**Americans on average eat 245 eggs per year
**Eggs need to reach 144-158 degrees to change from a liquid to a solid
**Fresh eggs sink in water and stale ones float
**An egg shell has over 17,000 pores on it
**Chickens are one of the first domestic animals appearing in China about 1400 BC
**There are 150 species of chickens
**Eggs contain all the essential protein, minerals and vitamins except vitamin "C".
But egg yokes contain vitamin "D"
**In 1925, hens laid an average of 100 eggs a year. In 1979, the world record was 371 eggs in 364 days!
**You don't need a rooster to produce chicken eggs, only if you want baby chickens
**An egg starts growing into a chick when it reaches a temperature of 86 degrees
**Chickens lay different colored eggs from white, brown, pink, blue and green
**A chickens body temperature runs at 102-103 degrees F.
**A chickens heart beats 280-315 times a minute
**Chickens are not capable of sustained flight
**A chicken takes 21 days to hatch
**A chicken can have 4 or 5 toes
**It take 4 lbs. + of feed to make 1 dozen eggs
**Americans consume 8 billion chickens a year
**A rooster takes 18-20 breaths a minute, a hen 30-35
**The chicken was once considered a sacred animal symbolizing the sun
**Breeds were developed to provide plumage for ceremonial costumes
**All domestic chickens can be traced to the Red Jungle Fowl
**A hen lives an average 5-7 years but can live up to 20 years. She will lay eggs her entire life, with production decreasing each year
**In 1925, hens laid an average of 100 eggs a year. In 1979, the world record was 371 eggs in 364 days!
**You don't need a rooster to produce chicken eggs, only if you want baby chickens
**An egg starts growing into a chick when it reaches a temperature of 86 degrees
**Chickens lay different colored eggs from white, brown, pink, blue and green
**A chickens body temperature runs at 102-103 degrees F.
**A chickens heart beats 280-315 times a minute
**Chickens are not capable of sustained flight
**A chicken takes 21 days to hatch
**A chicken can have 4 or 5 toes
**It take 4 lbs. + of feed to make 1 dozen eggs
**Americans consume 8 billion chickens a year
**A rooster takes 18-20 breaths a minute, a hen 30-35
**The chicken was once considered a sacred animal symbolizing the sun
**Breeds were developed to provide plumage for ceremonial costumes
**All domestic chickens can be traced to the Red Jungle Fowl
**A hen lives an average 5-7 years but can live up to 20 years. She will lay eggs her entire life, with production decreasing each year
12/3/10
We are so proud of our Hens! They are no longer called chickens since they are laying eggs :-). We love all fifteen of them and they do provide some good laughs on the entertainment side of things. Yeah I know, sounds like we have nothing to do if we're sitting around with a bunch of Hens...but it's actually something we make a point to do. We are getting 13 eggs a day on average, some days 14 some days 12...but for the most part we believe they are all laying at this point. So needless to say....we are eating a lot of eggs and so are our friends and neighbors :-).
10/18/10
We can officially say we are getting on average 4 eggs a day right now (some days we get 7, some days we get 2).
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| Here's another egg mama |
It's a great feeling to go out in the backyard and get eggs and vegetables. Five years ago I would have never of thought I'd be to this point. Not that I didn't have it in mind five years ago..just didn't do it...didn't think on our little over an acre property that it would even be feasible...but it is!
If you've ever thought of having chickens or a garden and you've put it off because of small acreage...DON'T put it off any longer. You don't have to have 15 chickens like we do...or 100 like others :-)...you can have 4 or five in a very small space and so long as you are selective on the type of chickens you get...they'll be just fine.
After considerable research I chose Australorps, Plymouth White Rock and Buff Orpingtons as the three breeds for our backyard. They all get along well with each other, they do not mind being caged and they tolerate people well. All of our chickens lay brown eggs and we DO NOT have any roosters and don't want any :-).
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| Australorp |
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| White Plymouth Rock |
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| Buff Orpington |
I'm proud of our girls...they have been talking up a storm down in the chicken house let me tell you!
Every time I hear someone say "like a bunch of old hens"....lets just say I giggle because I now know exactly what they are talking about!
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| Hey, did you her about HENrietta...I heard she layed three eggs today..... |
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Did you hear that ......... One Wednesday, a Husband Took his Wife to the Doctor'Oh, doctor', he said, 'my wife thinks she's a chicken'. The doctor gasped, 'That's terrible. How long has she been like that?'The husband replied, 'Three years'. The doctor was horrified, 'Three years! Why didn't you bring her to me sooner?' The husband said sheepishly, 'Because we needed the eggs.' |
Bock Bock Bock Bock Bock ........
10/11/10
Today the farm produced enough vegetables for the base of our salad. Lettuce for about 3 servings and peppers...along with two eggs.
TODAY's FARM HARVEST - Don't play with your food!
Today we collected two eggs, and four peppers (three different types).
We have tried so many times to get our four year old son (Manny) to eat eggs. He would not, wouldn't even try them! Scrambled, would not...in an omelet..would not, with cheese ..would not...colored green...would not...could not ...should not...Manny I AM and I will not even eat them with HAM!
Are you trying to get your child to eat eggs and they are just not having any part of it?? I have the answer...get your own chickens and let them collect the eggs and BAMM...I will eat them, I will greet them, I will beat them, Manny I am...and I will..I WILL eat FRESH EGGS and ham, oops, no..lets make that turkey! For the last three nights our son has ASK for and ate an egg and turkey sandwich on a small bun with lettuce and a touch of mayo. He said our eggs are the best eggs.
The whole time I was making this face with our fresh collected goodies, I could hear my mom telling me "Don't play with your food" (God rest her soul). I love you mom and I just couldn't resist....guess I needed to hear your voice (even if it was just a memory).
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October 2nd
Finished planting some fall/winter crop today. Hoping to get some YUMMY cabbage, onions (which were planted earlier in the season for fall harvest), broccoli, assorted lettuce, assorted peppers, eggplant and tomatoes before it gets frosty outside. Of course here in Florida that gives me a couple of months to go ... thank goodness!
I have two small garden areas outside which have the above crops planted:
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| Garden Area 1 |
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| Garden Area 1 |
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| Garden Area 2 My how the goats and Chickens have grown! We received our first eggs from our girls a couple of days ago and let me tell you, they were beautiful and delicious!      |
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| Our First Eggs September 30 2010 Meet the Farm Animals We have 15 chickens (pictured above) 2 Goats (Buddy and Clyde)     3 Beautiful Canis Canis (Lucky, Cora Jane and Lenny Mae) |
I swear we are cut from the same cloth! I want to buy a small peice of land maybe 1 1/2-2 acres to raise chickens and have a garden! Dont know about the goats I would have to really get into goats milk to make me want to go there! But I so want to do this!
ReplyDeleteTonya - The chickens are easy and you don't even have to have a huge area of land to raise just a couple. I think the acreage your looking for is manageable and can still be fun if you know what I mean :-). We have right at an acre and a half and I would love to actually have 3-5 to have more gardening area. My front yard is huge too and I just can't bring myself to plant a garden on top of the septic mound :-) LOL. The goats are more or less just pets. They are both boys (actually brothers) and they eat everything! Meaning vegetation of course...so you have to plan for them that's for sure and they do require much attention. Where as the chickens just ask for clean water and clean housing and good food and they are good to go :-). Love my chickie girls :-).
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