Backyard Farmgals

I took this photo of my youngest farmhand holding a tiny egg.  After I took it, I couldn't stop thinking.  Our children have the whole world in their hands right at this moment.  That little egg has the potential to change his whole world, it can teach him about life, about caring, about love, about dreams and opportunity.  As they grow, we hope our children have every opportunity to explore, learn, grow, and find themselves in this world. The question came to my mind: how do I keep my children holding all of these opportunities in their hands?  The world can be a tough place where dreams can crumble and doors shut out opportunity.  How do we help our children keep hope and learn to maneuver around these obstacles that will come in their lives?  The answer is different for each child. Over many years, I have decided that one way I can help my boys hold the world in their hands is to give them a broad point of view.  We take our children eve...

How many of you have heard about a chicken tractor?  If you are not in the know, it is a marvelous idea: a mobile home for chickens that you can move around a yard (large or small), giving your chickens opportunity to range without wandering far off.    We have seventy chickens at the farm.  With so many girls, we occasionally get an injured or picked on bird.  These girls need a sanctuary away from the pecking order that can become vicious and eventually deadly for a chicken that isn't quite normal.  These girls that need a little extra TLC end up in my backyard.  If they can rehabilitate they are eventually moved back to the farm.  We have a few that can't go back, and they become permanent residents.  We have a blind chicken named Helen and a chick with hip dysplasia named Dot.  These two girls will stay here forever.  I have a small yard, 0.25-acre, and these rehab girls make a marvelous mess of my little plot.  We als...