Chickens and pigs and ducks, Oh my!

We are officially farmers.

Hobby farmers I'd say, but farmers nevertheless.

In an effort to become more self sufficient
we are investing in farm raised animals and when I say investing you should know that it's just that--an investment.

Because I like to do things on the "cheep" my hubby and I don't exactly see eye to eye, but we do agree that raising animals artificial growth hormone and antibiotic free is the way to go.

In addition to raising a garden, harvesting wild game in the fall and bottling our own food, we are adding fresh eggs and home grown pork to the mix.

Also, the kids love it! Even the two that expressed disinterest in having chickens are two of the best helpers. The coop gets cleaned thoroughly every Saturday and chickens get fed and watered every day and eggs gathered at least once a day. The kids love to give them treats that consist of veggie scraps and they also love to just sit and watch them. They say that they are soothing to watch.

I told the kids that we will not be naming them and to not get attached, but that didn't last long. They aptly named the chicken with a toe missing after my sister who is also missing a digit and as such, Sherrie will NEVER be dinner.

I can't imagine eating our ducks raising them from ducklings so we will enjoy their eggs and algae eating benefits. And I understand that ducks can act like watch dogs. This I have to see.

Our spring fed pond already has fish and we just added a Koi to the mix. We like to go down to the pond and play Spot The Koi.

We also will be having another litter of puppies in a couple of months. See our Facebook page if you're interested in silver and charcoal Labradors.

For someone who doesn't like animals in the house, we sure have our share of them. They do have a way of growing on you though.