So my kids have sort of been farm-obsessed as of recent. Zoe will comment on how she wants our next house to have a barn,while I dream of a llama someday. Neither of us really want all the work involved, it is a romantic idea we have. Maybe if we had help... farmhand or two maybe? Of course it would be nothing big, just a few more chickens and a large animal or two. And we all do want to have a chunk of land. I fear I am scared to move too far from the city though. And from all the exciting events- markets, shopping. I think a few acres somewhere in the middle may be perfect. The best of both worlds.
For now we have chickens. Eight girls to be exact. And we know them all by name and breed. There is Barbie-Q, Gretchen, Porsche, Ginger, Lola, Hanna, Marjorie and Maybelle. I think chickens make the perfect pets if you can hold and pet them from the start. They can't really hurt you, and they give eggs- whereas other pets just need cleaning up after and to be taken on walks. But then again I have never had any large animals. Our chickens are very tame and sweet- most of them. The newer four didn't get quite so much attention as babies as we didn't raise them.
As for food they get organic arsenic free food and tons of healthy scraps. When we picked cherries earlier this year they got lots of cherries. They also love half eaten apples, carrots, half-eaten salad plates, etc. And especially leftover fish. Also fresh green grass and bugs galore.
We knew they would start laying soon so on the advice of Adams mom we put two fake wooden eggs in the coop to fool them. One white, one brown. And this morning when we came to find one tiny little brown egg in the hen house(our first!) It was untouched. I think the trickery may have worked after all.
