Spring- Oh Spring, Where Are You?
As I sit here in my home with the wood stove roaring, the fireplace on, and dressed in flannel pajamas and my sweatshirt and I am still cold, I dream of warmer days ahead. I am planning my garden while looking at nothing but snow. How can I possibly dream of large, full tomato plants while looking at the gloomy, cloudy sky of January?
Another activity that I love to do in the winter to prep for spring here on the farm is searching for chickens. We always like to add to our flock in the spring. This year I am wanting more layers as I can usually sell eggs quite often in the summer. I have always liked Old English chickens, and I have several, but being bantam chickens, it makes the eggs harder to sell. I know I will buy a few of those, because they are cute.
To get good egg producers, I recommend Australorp, Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns, Marans, Barred Rocks, Amerucanas,or Sussex. Those are our top picks for laying hens. My husband loves the Barred Rocks, but Marans are possibly my favorites out of that list. Leghorns will easily lay 280-320 eggs a year, so they are usually a popular breed among most farmers wanting chickens just for egg production.
Another reason to look forward to spring is the longer days, I can't tell you how many evenings I have been ready to go to sleep at 8 p.m. or earlier due to the dark, gloomy days. Sunshine seems to evade us in January most days and that truly messes with my internal clock, mood, etc. I feel like we are not as productive without the sunshine. Do you notice that where you are? Are you fortunate to live where the sun shines most of the month?
Getting away from the cold is yet, another spring favorite for me. I don't mind cold, but artic cold for almost 2 weeks now is just about to set my temper aflare. With temps below zero and even colder wind chills daily, it just seems that it will never end. Our farm has lost three chickens due to the cold. Even with heat lamps and other provisions in place, it is just too cold!
Well, I am going to warm my fingers by the woodstove now. Take care, bundle up and stay warm and know spring is coming- I think.
Hope you are staying warm. Remember the days are getting longer now. The cold has been brutal so far this year but I know (around here anyway), the weather is supposed to go back to normal next week and maybe even a bit warmer than that. Hopefully, you'll get those temps as well.
ReplyDeleteIt does look like it is finally going to warm up a bit. The cold has been hard on our animals. We have lost 4 chickens
DeleteI had no idea you have these chickens. How many do you have? The one pictured is gorgeous! Many people in our neighborhood have chicken coops in the backyard. Complaints were filed about the rooster crows waking people up!
ReplyDeleteWe have about 60 chickens, but we have lost 4 this week because of it being so cold.
DeleteStay warm we have a ways to go -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this in so many ways. Being in the polar vortex, it's sad that we get excited when the temperature gets up in the 20s. Even then, huddled under afghans with heating pads and heated beanbags on our laps! And the early dark is so frustrating, too. Well, it can't last forever. Though it does seem like it!
ReplyDeleteGreat to have farm animals! Neighbor has some chickens we can feed from a feeder as we pass by . You might like a mystery novel I write about on my post today, about a flock of sheep in France that solves the mystery of the predator preying on nearby sheep and deer. This the second book with the sheep sleuths. So I’m guessing the first was well received.
ReplyDelete