Paradise in Disguise Hobby Farm Blog

A week ago Tuesday (2/20), it had warmed up to 60*F, and   there were multiple outdoor "farm" projects calling my name.  First, the DC coop doors were too close to the ground and after trying to keep enough of a clearance to close the door, the stress caused the screws in the bottom hinge to come out. The solution was simple - cut off a few inches of the door, and  just put an extra boards on the inside of the coop.  With both doors able to open again, I started cleaning the coop.   Four big wheelbarrow loads later, I was down to the deep litter that was still nice and "fluffy". Below, is the pile of what was cleaned out of one coop! 💩    The next step was to add more "fresh" litter. The only issue was that when we got the dump truck load of sawdust in November 2016, we didn't have a dry place to store it. So, it's gotten wet and as a result, it was almost completely frozen solid.    ...

It's a new year and though 2017 I hardly wrote on this blog, I thought I'd try again for a fresh start in 2018. And not every post has to be a "book". (That's what I'm prone to doing once I get writing.)  I know blogs aren't a "popular thing" anymore as many people, including myself, have turned to Instagram and/or Facebook. But they have their limitations. And FB can have drama & often people don't see everything you post due to their "filters", which is fine, unless you're trying to keep people updated on what's happening on the farm or promote your business. Well, enough on that subject.  I wrote the above a few days ago, but then it got "crazy" again, so I didn't publish it on here. So, I'm taking a few moments before work to finish this blog post.  My alarm went off at 3AM this morning. Yes, 3:00AM! Though, I didn't actually roll out of bed until 3:30. My brother offered to take me to...

A quick Sunday morning photo blog post. On my iPhone I took some photos of that pullet who was checking out the nesting box yesterday.  My regular camera doesn't like the cold temperatures, so the batteries will go dead. But I found that if I carry the iPhone, I can take photos with that & at least capture the moment even if my preference is still a digital camera. The chicks were waisting so much feed, so I used some welded wire to prevent them from scratching through the feed . It's not pretty but it works. Now, this chick is one of the suspected roosters - I can even see little wattles forming! And this one looks to be a pullet; see the difference in comb size & both have single combs?  No wattles either The following are of this "camera hog" that has this out-stretched neck pose! Finally, I was able to capture a precious broody hen moment with the chicks snuggled up!  Last but not least, these chicks are busy scratching & digging through the hay pellet...

As I first sat down here to write a blog post, I found myself not knowing what to write or where to begin. Perhaps it was because there's so much "uncertain" at this moment. I know what I was originally hoping to do this year - as one week ago I shared "my ideas" with the family. Then, another opportunity came up, but at this point we're not sure if it's going to work out or not. If it does, all those original "ideas" and "plans" will be changed, but hopefully for the better. I'm not going to say what that is, until I know if it's moving forward or not, which we won't know any more until next Friday.    Through it all, the Lord is teaching me some absolutely incredible life lessons. While I'm certainly not "there yet", I'm beginning to see more clearly that "God's Got This", and I can be perfectly at peace in not knowing what's around the next bend in the road. Why should I not be? He k...

1/21/16 - A Day in the Life: Photographic Journey through Winter Chores at Paradise in Disguise Hobby Farm In the 45 days since I last posted here on my blog, winter has officially arrived. This past week (1-17 to 1-22), it hasn't gotten above 30*F, and we've had light snow flurries on almost a daily basis. This makes daily "critter chores", as I call them, more of a challenge than in the summer months. The garden hose is frozen, so I fill up 2 water buckets in the shower. Even though I have 4 heated water bowls, they need to be topped off, plus the rooster's and main flock's water rubber dishes need to be filled. But before I can go outside, I put on snow pants, coat, gloves and/or mittens, and heavy winter boots. Because last weekend, it did get above freezing, the snow started to melt, then re-froze, coating all the high-traffic paths with ice! Therefore, I have to wear ice cleats or else I would have fallen many times. The winter mode of transport ...