Haying

Sorry about the crumby picture quality. We had a limited amount of time to hay then to put it up. This was fun to watch. I was happy to see the hay cut. It was 3 feet tall. I didn't like the idea that an animal could be hiding in it without me knowing. We had coyote tracks all through one of the fields. We also had a herd of elk that would come through and bed down in it. We never saw any of the animals.

Friends

Thank you everyone who helped us. There was too much to list. But I'll try! Pressure washing, pressure washer loaning, fence building, tree trimming, bush trimming, electric fence re-wiring, post digging, old fence removing, burning, weeding, cooking, child tickling, child occupying, laundry folding, sweeping, organizing, painting, dish washing, coop cleaning, and egg collecting. I'm sure there's more I've forgot to mention.

The farm looks fantastic. We are so blessed and grateful for all of you. We really could not have done it without you.Rick thank you for hauling beverages, food, gloves and debris back and forth. Thanks for helping with the fence, pressure washing, good advice, and errand running. We appreciate all the times you've come up to lend a hand. We know it is a long journey.
Jacob thank you for ALLLLLL of the pressure washing.
Debbie, thank you for chipping in just about everywhere inside and out. From laundry, mopping, dog washing, yard work, pressure washing, chicken wrangling, reading to children, and everything in between.

Thank you Papa for lending us the pressure washer.

Licia, thank you for cooking, cleaning, laundering, folding, sweeping, and loving on our children. Thanks for helping out with recipes and good ideas on gluten-free foods. We really miss you.
Thank you Tim for WAY too much to list. Who else would scrub the siding on someone's house and outbuildings while they are house sitting? The advice is always good. You have a way of taking a big project and making it seem manageable. Thanks for everything from car repair, insulation removal, building projects and home repair.
Andrew thanks for coming from California to be a farmer for a day! We are excited to see what your farm will look like.
Thanks also to those not pictured: Obediah and Joss, thanks for always being available to help. Obediah, thank you for putting yourself in the line of danger to remove toxic, spider-ridden, mice feces-filled, insulation from the shop. I so wish I had taken pictures with those hazardous materials uniforms. Thanks for helping us move, unpack, and help with children.

Dick and Sue, thank you for coaching us on farming. You both are more helpful than any book. Thank you for coming up several times just to discuss how to repair our fence. Thank you for going over gardening, canning, and animal care. It has been invaluable.

Jerry and DaniJo, thank you for helping out with odds and ends projects. We know you are busy with your own farm. So we appreciate the baby sitting, canning, cooking, and building projects you've helped us with.

Greg, thank you for helping out with the chicken coop, building projects, and wood stacking. The work you did brought us over the "Hump" on the chicken coop. It was a bigger project than we thought it would be.

We also had countless advice from other friends and family. Thank you for the contributions!

Thank you all,
Ryan, Shelsea, Luke, and Daphne

Eggs

One double egg (2 yolks inside) and a first egg of one of the hens. The first egg hasn't any yolk.
Here is the size of this double egg. I've never seen one this big before. I half expected 3 yolks to come out.

Thanks Daphne for letting me borrow your pan.

Cogburn

This was our rooster, Cogburn. What was I thinking naming him after a gruff, drunk character in a John Wayne western?
He was a great rooster, and a good pet for awhile. He was handsome and very large. He grew taller than my knee. He called his ladies in each night. He made sure everyone was accounted for. Even the ones that escaped into the neighbors yard. He would call them, and retrieve them if he had to.
After an accidental incident with Luke and a stick, Cogburn decided children were a threat to him and the flock. So, he began attacking Luke. Luke came in 2 times with large bruises, scratches and bites bleeding down his legs. Once Cogburn had chased him 1 acre down the driveway biting and clawing the whole way. Poor Luke.
Our family loved rooster and wanted him to be friendly. He couldn't be a free range rooster anymore. So we gave him treats, held him and tried to desensitize him to Luke and Daphne. It looked like it was working. He wasn't growling at them and would happily take food from their hands.
On one particular day, Daphne leaned down to give the hens a treat. Cogburn growled and leaped across the chicken yard straight at her face. Thankfully, Daphne was not in the pen. If she had been in the pen...I shiver thinking about it. Let's just say we would have been in the emergency room. After that, he growled and (if given the opportunity) attacked anyone who came near. Including egg collectors.

So the final solution was to slaughter Cogburn. Growing up I was taught how to process chickens. So it wasn't new by any means. We hung Cogburn upside down (duct tape) until he passed out. Then it was no work at all to do the rest. Not a struggle or a headless running chicken! Thank goodness.


Life lessons. A very interested pupil here. I think she'll help me if I need to do this again.

I don't have pictures of taking out feathers and insides. I was pulling feathers with Luke. There was no one to take pictures. This was a great opportunity to explain the necessity of not being silly around animals of any kind. To be mindful that they may not understand ones intent. It took a good 45 minutes to gut, feather and clean chicken. Luke was a ready hand the entire time. He helped out with almost everything.

From pen to pan in less than 24 hours. Very tasty!