chickens

We have a small chicken coop at our suburban home in Broomall. It currently houses 3 heritage chickens, but we plan to add a couple more soon.

Our daughters have been doing poultry club at the Delaware County 4-H, and this year, we decided to bring their chickens home after the projects were over. The heritage chicken project ended a few weeks ago, so we brought home Julia's chicken (a mottled Java) and two others (a buff orpington and a blue cochin). When the laying hen project ends in October, we will bring home the girls' two laying hens (red sex-linked, whatever that means).

(I think it is very cool that Julia named her chicken Superchick. The other two are named Barlow and Eisley. Get it?)

Anyway, on Sunday, Dana found the first egg. Small, speckled, and brown. It's about time!

the first one

We bought a farmhouse in Berks County, PA, in December 2005. We have about 32 acres -- most of the farm's land was sold to developers, so we are surrounded by suburbia. The house itself is a beautiful, old stone house with 3 fireplaces, two of which work. Someday, we plan to retire there, but for now, it's just a weekend, summer, and holiday getaway. (Albeit a working getaway.)

I wish I had started this blog back in 2005. It would be nice to have had a real-time journal about everything we've been doing. Instead, I'll just fill in the blanks as the need arises (and time permits).

The nutshell version looks like this: we've been planting fruit trees and vegetable and flower gardens, battling deer and bunnies, and laying plans for our future "hobby farm." All this while "living" an hour away, raising 3 teenagers (and one almost-teen), and homeschooling.