First, meet the ducks!
Our good friend and employee Emily just happened to ask one day if we wanted ducks. Sure! Why not? Emily was ready for more ducks at her farm so she incubated several eggs and now we have 10 ducks. Unlike the chickens who run every which way, the ducks stick together as if they are connected somehow. They move as one. Their purpose? Well, they don't really have one right now. They graze and act as bug control. They waddle about and hang out in the puddles. You can just play a little 'waddling' toon in your head as they move about like something out of a Hanna Barbera cartoon. For now, that is good enough.
And meet the new pigs!
Our first group of 13 pigs came to the farm on May 28. They come from a farm near Harvard, Illinois and have had a clean start. That is, no antibiotics or other funny stuff. The pigs make their home in the fallow section of our garden where they graze, root, romp, and sleep. Once the vegetation has been eaten, we move them to a new section where they start all over. The pigs also receive a certified organic hog ration from Yorktown Organic Feed plus any vegetable trimmings, imperfect leaves, etc from the garden. They are also extremely fond of any unusable eggs. This organic and varied diet rich in plants produces high quality very nutritious meat for our CSA program.
And our pride and joy, Bella.
A new dog has arrived on the farm as of June 1. Bella, an Anatolian Shepherd, is a beautiful happy 11 week old puppy. Her breed is one that will help defend our flock of poultry from predators. It seems everybody wants a free chicken dinner - hawks, skunks, possums, coyotes. As one former conservation police officer said, "Well, its the best chicken in the county!" That may be true but we're not particulary fond of sharing our bounty with the local population of small mammals.
So Bella is here to help us out. She is learning that chickens are not play things. Their movements and small size are tempting for a puppy just looking to have some fun. But she is learning to "Leave it!" and will hopefully be the defender we our counting on.
Bella has 3 devoted fans - Lucy, Susannah, and Laura - who play with her constantly. She is a very welcome addition to the family.
