Baby Bunnies born

These are the latest litter of New Zealand White bunnies.  They are about 2 weeks old in the picture.  And the cutest things ever!!!  There is nothing cuter than a baby bunny!  Unfortunately for them, they are bound for our plate, but for now we can enjoy their cuteness. :)

A friend for Ghost

 

On Sunday, we took in a companion for Ghost.  He's alittle 20 year old man, a welsh pony cross who is sweet as pie.  He has foot problems though.  He has cushings and has periods of being laminitic.  He is on a lot of meds but seems in good spirits.  He used to be a lesson pony for little children so he is perfect if my kids want to ride around every now and then but he will be quiet enough to be Ghost's new companion in the pasture.  His name is Merlin...I am told he is so named because he likes to open gates and let all the horses out.  I am glad I got the heads up...at least I can try my best to keep them all contained!  To me, being on all the medication that he is on he should have little soundness issues.  Soooo, I am changing some things up.  He is going on a laminitic feed called Formula 4 Feet which I have been using for our other pony and she has done great on, along with wet hay and some free choice minerals.  We'll see what happens with this little guy.  For now, he is very much welcomed in our barn.

Pictures of Ghost

This is a recent picture of how Ghost came to me.  It is hard to tell in the picture but he is very thin and has very little muscle mass from being in a stall all the time.  I am looking forward to turning him out to pasture and seeing how very happy he will be.  The dark spots are mud and poop caked on him which I can not get off at this time.  I will probably have to shave him in the spring.  Nonetheless, he is happily eating which is the best part of his day :)

Please check out my fundraiser for my recently rescued blind horse named Ghost.  It tells his story and is a place to give donations if you feel the need to do so.  Thanks so much for checking it out. 


Ghost's fundraiser to get him well

Ready for spring!!

This cold weather sure has me looking for the first sign of crocuses.  It is very difficult to manage my barn chores and a 5 year old and 2 1/2 year old at the same time. I often find myself asking..."so what exactly am I supposed to do with the kids when I have to go to the barn and it's 15 degrees?" To that, I have no real answer.  I think I just wing it most days. Sometimes I put them in the car and drive back and give them a snack to occupy them while I run from stall to stall filling buckets of water spilling half of it down my leg all while peeking out the door to see that my car has not rolled down the driveway.  Other days I manage to go out when the youngest is sleeping and the older one is watching a movie, realizing this is not really the ideal situation either but I do what I can.?.?  I can forsee me having conversations with the kids when they're much older asking about their childhood and the farm they grew up on and I can completely see myself saying, "I have absolutely no idea how we did what we did...and I am sure glad we lived through it!"  There is no science to this lifestyle, that's for sure. One thing I can say is that my animals have become very versatile to a schedule...they have become quite adaptable but when they see me they sure are happy I managed to squeeze out the time they need. So today the water was not frozen and I think I did a happy dance. No, really...a few degrees makes all the difference in my life and boy I can't wait until it stays warm.  I don't want to seem like I am complaining because God has his plans and I am not in a position to complain or question it but just looking ahead I suppose.  In the meantime, we got through today, animals fed, kids fed and it's a good day. Let's see how tomorrow goes!
Meredith

My newest venture

So about a week ago I had rescued this 10 year old blind gelding.  He kind of happened to fall into my lap and I really didn't want nor need another horse, however I felt really called to help this horse.  I saw his picture on Facebook and decided to contact the lady and as it turns out, he is now in my barn.  He probably has the sweetest soul I have ever seen in a horse.  He has had a very rough beginning.  He was originally rescued from Sugarcreek when he was found to have a huge hole in his side and was split from ear to ear exposing his skull from a horrible trauma.  He was going to be loaded directly onto the slaughter truck but this woman saved him and at the time he was just a youngster.  It turns out, that because his head injury was so severe, this has caused him to go completely blind.  Currently he only has about 10% of vision in his left eye and nothing else.  He is very thin and desperately needs groceries! He continues to devour food all day.  It really is sad and he just tugs at my heart strings every day.  He has hardly ever been out of a stall and if so, he was in a roundpen.  He never has been allowed to be a "real" horse.  I can not wait until spring comes and I can turn him out in the pasture where he can feel the wind in his mane and the sun on his back and have his little area of freedom.  I am currently looking for a companion for him because he needs a buddy he can follow around seeing as he will not know where he is at.  So today, I am going to look at this ancient pony that my daughter could possibly ride but I am hoping she will be a good quiet friend for Ghost.  Again, not that I need another horse but I somehow feel this is the direction I am being pulled in and it's the right thing to do.  I am asking for help from above on this one. :)   I have since decided that my daughter's pony, Bullseye, a little appy mare about 7 hands high is going to be my plow horse this spring and summer!  She is supposedly broke to drive, we'll see, and since we are putting in a huge garden and pumpkin patch she has a lot of work ahead of her!! 

What is this all about??

So this is my attempt at blogging. I thought it would be a good idea for me to start this for two reasons.  One, I always joke that my life could be a book.  It always seems so crazy and that I get myself into things that are definately noteworthy. Two, I have a huge passion for farming of any kind...crops, flowers, organic along with other miscellaneous passions like chickens, goats, rabbits and horses.  I also have 2 children with one on the way and I thought I could share my experiences raising small kids on a farm.  This may sound quite boring but until you live it, it is rather fun and often hectic. I love the thought of raising my children on a farm and teaching them where food comes from, how it's grown and how to raise it from either seed or baby to what is on our dinner plate.  I have been lucky enough to have the 10 acres here in Norton to do all this experimenting on.  I have to say, this is mostly a learning process and though we have been here 5 years, there is no method to my madness.  If I have an interest in growing something I will try it.  It is such a fun hobby and I want to encourage others to not be afraid to try your hand at gardening or even having chickens to have a fresh omlet in the morning...there's nothing like it.  It's really fun to send your kids on an "easter egg" hunt every day to find all the eggs our 15 something free range chickens lay.  We have only had our Newzealand white rabbits about a year now and have gone through the experience of having a few litters of babies...which there is nothing cuter than a baby bunny!!  Unfortunately for them, they are bound for our plate at some point in their lives.  Rabbit is rather tasty and can be substituted for any chicken recipe.  Not only that but I know exactly what is going into my meat which for me, is super important.  Nowadays, there are so many antibiotics and hormones and who knows what else injected into the meat that I personally don't want all that going into my body. I want to know what I'm eating.  With that said, time to do my barn rounds and feed everyone so gotta go for now.  Hope you enjoy reading!
Meredith