Paradise in Disguise Hobby Farm Blog

I've written about other things here at Paradise in Disguise Hobby Farm, but I thought it was time for a "fall flock update". Although, I'll have to postpone images until another time, as they're still on the camera. The first update is on the new roosters, a Swedish Flower Hen & Barnevelder. They're still out in the "garden coop", but that's not winter-worthy. I hope to integrate the two boys once I process some of the older roosters, so there's less competition. The "bachelor pad" is full right now, but the selection process will be tricky, as they're all nice, handsome & friendly. Thankfully, I have other roosters to introduce to them as well, so it'll be better than just introducing 2 new roosters.  Space is an issue here on only 3/4 of an acre, though I do have a nice large newly built "coop" that's right now being used as a "brooder barn" for some hatchery pullets chicks that a frien...

Posted a collection of Catskill Homesteader photos on BYC, so thought I'd share it here as well: (Scroll down the page, it was posted today - 10/24) http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/975521/catskill-homesteader-breeding-project/10#post_15996953 I think some of the photos were posted on this blog, but either way, hope you enjoy the "eye candy"!

Instead of writing a blog post here, I made the "mistake" of clicking on BackyardChickens.com, and looking at same of my subscribed threads I try to follow. One of them is the "NY chicken lover!!!!" thread, which is quite active, so if you miss a few days or a week or even longer, as I had, there was well over 500 unread posts. Of course, I didn't read all of them, but mainly scrolled through all the pages to see any photos are words that "caught my attention". Here is what I posted by the time I was all done catching up on the other NY chicken lovers: ___________ Originally Posted by myfivegirls: (That's my BYC username, since I joined in 2009 when I only had 5 hens! Long gone are those days, and if I had to choose just 5 hens to keep, it would be hard to choose my 5 favorites.) (What is highlighted was replies to my post or things I quoted from other BYC'ers, so I left their usernames to give them credit as well.) Hello all! Haven...

     Wow! Did the Lord ever bless today, for there was much accomplished! I really am enjoying this "new boss", because He's far smarter and knows way more about what needs to be done and how to do it. For so many years when I set about doing a project, such as building a coop or such, I'd often spend at least half of the time trying to find the right "recycled" piece of wood that would work, even when the lumber pile was organized. "Recycling" or "up-cycling" or whatever you want to call it - but when you take less than perfect wood in all different shapes and sizes and try to build with it - can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Yes, you're saving money by not having to buy the lumber, but there can be aggravation when you try 5 different pieces of wood & they're all too short, or need to be cut. But, the past few times I've embarked on another "building project", it's been different & so much...

On September 11th, I received an e-mail regarding my Craigslist ad about Swedish Flower Hen pullets. I responded to the questions, and within 24 hours, Tobias was ready to come pick them up. I had already let everyone outside, not knowing anyone was coming on Saturday. So, I went outside & caught the pullets from which he could choose. Usually, the chickens know if I'm trying to catch them & run away, so I generally like to catch them at night, so both of us are less stressed. But, the Lord must have been there guiding my hands, as they were calmly caught without much fuss and separated in a dog crate inside one of the grass paddocks closest to the garden.    When Tobias arrived, my brother Joel was home working on his Cub Cadet tractor, which looks like it went through WWII and "lived to tell about it". (Joel was in his tractor/vechicle repair clothes, so was not the most "presentable" either ...

As I write this, I have 210 photos uploading to Flickr, many of which I hope to share on future blog posts. One week ago was my first "official" day back here at Paradise in Disguise Hobby Farm. It took awhile to get back into the swing of things. Upon returning, I realized that summer clothes were not needed, and it took me part of two days to switch from summer to winter clothes in my closet, plus go through things that I haven't used in one year. Along with the changing of the seasons and colder weather, I've been tired lately and not wanting to get up at 5am like I have been most of the summer months. Even with going to bed earlier some days, I feel like my body wants to hibernate already! But, alas, there's no time for hibernation, but I have allowed myself to "sleep in" several mornings to 6 or 7 am. But regardless of when I finally get out of bed and start my morning with reading God's Word and spending time in His presence, there's a...

I returned home last night from a week long vacation in Maine with a friend! We had a wonderful time visiting "friends" who are more like family to us. Lots of laughter, love, sharing of hearts and the great things the Lord is doing in each of our lives. The last time I was away from home for longer than just a few days was 2009. Before I really got into raising lots of chickens, etc. While I enjoy hobby farming, it does tend to "tie you down" to the homestead. Not a complaint, but makes going away more challenging. Well, slowly getting back into the routine, as such I need to go finish my chores outside!