Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Recent Additions...

It will be three years, this September, since my family and I moved from the city to the country. How we thank the Lord for orchestrating everything that took place in order for this move; we can see His hand throughout the process which makes our little place in the country all the more special!

In the past three years we have accumulated quite the menagerie; a cat, four dogs, rabbits, a goat (for a short period of time), cows, puppies, a duck.... the only thing we haven't had is fowl (the duck doesn't count). Momma has a deep desire for some chickens which we are working towards getting at some point.

The newest members of our animal clan!
This brings me up to two weeks ago when the turkeys our friends had ordered came in! The plan was to purchase several of the chicks from them since they had ordered 'extra'. So, we have five little 'chick-a-doodles' (as I call them) here!! I do believe that these little birds are will be what gets the ball rolling with our chicken plans!

Rapt attention...
For the first week we kept them inside; this large metal tub in the kitchen was their first home. My Daddy, being the thoughtful man that he is, went and bought Momma a heat lamp for her 'chicklings' which took a great load off her! We were using a lamp to keep them warm which just wasn't quite enough heat for them. She was so pleased when he walked in the door with it!
We had to watch the wild-life that shares our home with us. Jasper would sit transfixed with watching the chicks, his tail wagging the whole time! we didn't let him sit and stare; he was told to get to his bed more often than not!

Watching the chicks for Momma
Sawyer has been really enjoying the chicks! He was shown how to carefully hold them and since then has done a very good job!!! Anytime he would hear peeps coming from the tub, he'd run in, pick up a chick, take it to Momma, and then take it back to the tub! This process would be repeated until he had brought her several chicks!!!

Their new home
Last Thursday the chick-a-doodles were moved out to a larger pen in the shop. They had begun to jump/fly out of the tub and were growing very quickly so it was time to move them.

Not so little anymore...
They are truly growing like weeds! Their feathers have been coming in, their legs are growing, and they are in general beginning to look like turkeys. They still curl up under the heat lamp but are spending more and more time investigating their surroundings. Any time one goes out to the shop, they are sure to be greeted by five little heads and cheeps! It is so neat!

But the chicks aren't the only animals to have found a home here...

As of the beginning of March (I think),Sayre is the proud owner of a calf!!! As I type this post up, I can here him out there moo-ing! It's a really neat sound!

May I help you with that?
The 'little tyke' has quite the personality! He's friendly, inquisitive, playful, enjoys being around people, and is simply a happy little calf! He is in the big pen with the dogs and the thought "does he think he's a dog" goes through my mind once or twice a day; when Lila begins to run around, he runs around! He curls up by the dog house and treats the dogs like they are old friends! It's a hoot to see!

These recent additions have brought a delightful dimension to our lives, these past few weeks! What a joy it is to watch them grow up before our eyes. We anticipate other additions to our animal clan over the next few months and years! It's great living in the country!

4 comments:

Sarah said...

I loved this post, Ashley! Oh, the joys of farm life!

Thank you for sharing all the wonderful photos . . . each one was enjoyed! I had to laugh when seeing the photo of Jasper and the turkeys. I can imagine what was going through his mind . . . "Lunch!" :)

The photo of Sawyer and the little turkeys is so sweet . . . he'll probably grow up to be quite the farmer what with all the experience/exposure he is getting at such a young age!

That borders on hilarious how much Sayre's calf likes the dogs . . . I am sure that all their antics afford much entertainment!

Thank you again for sharing! :)

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh the little babies are sooo cute!!!:)


LaSara

Ashley said...

Sarah- I was tickled to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed this post!! Your excitement was heard in every line of your comment!! :o)
Thank you for letting me know how much you enjoyed this!
~Ashley

LaSara- Welcome to my blog!!! The chicks aren't so cute anymore!!! I saw them just a moment ago and goodness, they have some of the longest legs ever!!!! I do hope their bodies decide to grow soon as they almost look out of proportion with their legs!! If you can imagine that:o)
Thank you for your comment!
~Ashley

Anonymous said...

How neat! My family hopes to move out in the country someday, too! We really want some chickens and goats. :)