Spring Updates

Hey Kids! I know there isn't much happening outside, but I already have spring fever. Such a bad time for this. I think I'll start my leeks and onions soon. Maybe the end of the month. The "girls" are doing well and laying eggs often. I am getting an average of 3.10 eggs per day. Wait Zach, you may ask, how are you getting 3.10 eggs? I'm just averaging the number of eggs that I am gathering over the course of them laying. It is so humorous. I never named the chickens, I just called them "the girls". My mother, on the other hand, all of a sudden started talking to me about Georgie, Henrietta, Esther, ect. This was the text I got from her one day.

Mom- "Zach Henrietta in out in the yard!"

Zach- "Okay...and..."

M- "I put her in the coop"

Z- "WHY? Who is Henrietta? Is that a chicken?"

Anyways you get the picture. So now I am getting lots of different colors of eggs. I am selling them now, and all the proceeds are being donated to my local church. I made my coop from a Lil-Tike play house, I'll have to tell you all about it some spring. Unfortunately I lost all of my pics when they were babies :( 

To sign off, here are the girls wishing you 'Good Mornin' while eating their oatmeal breakfast.

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Chicken Addiction....Again!

It seems as though every winter I fall into the same addictions; wearing slacks around the house, letting my room get dirty, wanting sweets and the strange desire to own chickens. Well maybe addiction is too strong of a word. I know, owning chickens, such a strange thing for someone in the burbs, right! Last year...or maybe two years ago...no it was last winter, I started to really want chickens. I think I am going to have to blame my internship on the Organic farm. On the Farm I incubated chickens and it was AMAZING. Read about it HERE. Well It has started again. I have been looking up ideas on coops and what types of chickens are better for the suburbs. It is really awful.

Click HERE to see Heather's Blog and her article and their coop.

I found this awesome blog where a lady (actually her husband) built their own coop, and it looks BEAUTIFUL. It wasn't cheap, but when you look at it, you will want chickens too! Also Heather has the plans to build this beautiful coop for sale on her blog for only $39!!! Really the only thing that stops me is that its winter and that means its CRAZY COLD! I am too afraid for the chickens. Also I am so busy with school and work. I don't know if I could find the time to take care of them and I don't want to pass that chore to my mom...I try to be a good son.

These are the chickens from the farm I interned on.

Here are some other pics of coops that I found on pinterest if you want to see them

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I'm Chicken

Here recently, I have been looking into getting a chicken. Even before I moved to the farm, I had been tossing the idea back and forth in my head...You know, they could produce eggs for us, free fertilizer, and pest control. So many good things can come from a chicken. After I had been exposed to some real chickens that I had lived with for six months, I have come to the realization that... I WANT A CHICKEN!!!! (That sounds really spoiled, but I promise, its not)

Obviously there is a catch.

• I live in the city, so I don't have all that much room to raise them
• What do I do with it in the winter! It gets cold in Ohio
• Will my parents agree with having a chicken in the back yard?
• Will the neighbors agree?

So many questions, some of which are still not answered. I have a list of some breeds that I would like to get.

• Ameraucana, Australorp or Black Australorp, Buckeye, Chantecler Delaware, New Hampshire or New Hampshire Red, Orpington, Plymouth Rock, Sussex, Wyandotte.

So if you have any suggestions please let me know. I have found a place where the chicken can have a little run and will fit a coop. I have seen that some of the chicken breeds are cold hardy, so I will probably get one of those. Because, what do you do with a chicken in the winter? This is why I will get my chicken next year in the spring! I have talked to my mom about it, and she's all in. When she was a girl, she lived on a turkey farm where my grandpa raised 25,000 turkeys. So she likes the idea. I haven't told my dad yet, he might be more skeptical. I think that all my neighbors will be cool with it as long as it doesn't make a whole lot of noise or smell.
So I just told my dad that I wanted a chicken, and he was cool with it. Of course, He brought up more problems with it, but I'll turn him into liking it. So please give me your suggestions and ideas!



The chicken in the last picture, that I am kissing, is one of the baby chicks from the previous pictures. These baby chicks, I incubated from some eggs and the end result is them being KISSED!!!!!!

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Last Farm Blog

So I know I did not blog a lot this past summer, even though I promised I would. As you can imagine, my summer has been a whirl wind! Since my internship has ended, it seemed only fitting to to give the farm one last farewell. So here is my encomium to the Farm...

Thanks to the interns, pets, and of course the amazing Farmer Dick; I had one of the best summers of my life! Even with all the summers filled with camps and fun trips to other countries, this one has been by far the best. I learned so much; some dealing with agriculture and some not so much. The first week of leaving the farm, was really sad. I felt so homesick, I had even started calling the Farm my home. For six months I had lived there, cooked there, made friends, laughed, cried, and jammed with some of the neatest people I have met. So I guess, in some way, this post is a tribute to them along with the farm. You always hear about studies that say the more you laugh the younger you get. Laughter does good like medicine. Well if that is the case, I should end up being a very healthy very young baby. I have tlaughed more hardily there, than any one place. I can remember he good times that we spent on top of my camper, just talking with the other interns and having an all around good time.

When I had first found out about this opportunity to intern on an organic farm. I was so excited, but in some ways, I had mixed emotions. I had only met Dick (the Farmer) at market. What would it be like to live with him the entire summer? I have to admit, there was some apprehension about it. But it was awesome, there was no TV, no internet, for the longest time I didn't even have a radio. This is part of the reason I only posted twice. But I kinda liked it that way. Even since being home, I've watched very little television. I loved all the cows, the horses, donkey, dog, cat, chickens, and people. Oh by the by; all the previous chickens got eaten, so the old ones are no more. But I incubated some more from the old chickens fertilized eggs. So, we have more now! One of the interns, found a puff mushroom that was over 8lbs! it was bigger than both of our heads, and probably heavier too....hehehehe. jpk.

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Farm Update

So I though, I would give you all an update on my life in the farm. Since I don't have internet access at the farm, so I have to wait until I come home for a visit. Thus you will have to wait till I come home to visit and see how I am doing. So as usual it is AMAZING. I live in a little piece of paradise, my trailer home; on a 300 acre farm. There is an amazing Golden Retriever dog, named Jewels; who sleeps outside my trailer to greet me in the morning...love that dog, and she is so adorable.
So I thought I would take you through some of my chores. On one of the rare sunny days that we had here in Ohio, Dick, the proprietor of the farm decided that is was time to plant potatoes. I guess, when you start seeing the dandelions bloom. It means the soil has warmed up enough for the potatoes to grow! So there is a tip for all of you people. One of the other part-time interns came in, and together we cut 600 pounds of potatoes! That's a lot of potatoes, if you couldn't tell.
After the potatoes, I water the greenhouse 1-2 times a day. for all of you who LOVE plants and would kill to have a greenhouse, then I will have to start watching my back. I have the pleasure of watering a HUGE greenhouse, and stay in the 70ish degree weather whenever I want. These are some of the plants that are in the greenhouse.
I also feed the 23 chicken, 1 rooster, and collect the eggs. Usually we get anywhere 15-18 eggs each day, and sell a dozen for 3 dollars. When I broke one of the eggs they weren't yellow, they were orange! It just goes to show that the things grown on the farm are soooo much better for you! There are also cows, lots and lots of cows.

Till the next time I have access to the internet!

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