Baby Chicks

God is so amazing!  As I have written previously that we lost 10 chickens to raccoon or fox attacks which has really hurt my egg production.   I just don't have the money to buy more replacement chickens at this time.

I have had two hens that have been setting on a small nest of eggs for the last month or two.  Really didn't think much would come of it.  We do have a rooster so I thought there might be a slim chance that one or two of the eggs MIGHT actually hatch, but never had any success with that.  So I just left the two hens alone, figuring if it made them happy setting on the nest, so be it.

Well, lo and behold, two weeks ago what I did find??  A baby chick!!

A couple days later another baby chick followed and another and another and another . . . So in the last two weeks, we have had 11 baby chicks hatch - completely replacing the 10 that I lost.  Of course, I don't know if all these baby chicks are hens.  But, God is so absolutely amazing . . . He gave me my replacements free of charge - LOL!!

Protecting my animals

Sometimes you have to make hard choices on the farm.  But when it comes to protecting my goats and chickens, there is only one decision that needs to be made - protecting them at what ever it takes.

Over the last several weeks, we have lost 10 chickens to brutal attacks and it has not been pretty!   That loss represents 10 eggs that I won't be getting a day or 70 eggs a week or over 5  (almost 6) dozen eggs a week I have lost.  A lost that I could not afford.

So desperate times require desperate measures.  A trap was bought.  Let me state it here . . . I do love animals (well, I do HATE snakes - despise them!!!), but all other animals I love.  I do not try to intentionally harm them if I can.  I am devastated if I accidentally run over a squirrel on the road.  Yes, raccoons look OH  so cute.  BUT they will tear apart a live chicken in matter of minutes.  And, as I said above, it ain't purty!

Since we have put the trap out and "taken" care of 5 raccoons and 1 possum, I have not lost one chicken.  I have too much invested in these animals for them to be "food" for the local wild life.

Predators

Once again, we are a war with the "creatures of the woods" - foxes and raccoons.  So far, the score is fox or raccoon 8 chickens - farmer - 1 raccoon.  I can not afford to lose any more chickens.

Losing the 8 is costing me already when you figure those 8 laid 8 eggs a day - so 8 eggs a day times 7 days a week equals 56 eggs that I am now missing a week - over 4 1/2 dozen eggs that I have now lost.  At $4 a dozen, that is about $18 which is one bag of feed now gone because some stupid fox or raccoon got hungry.

If I were to buy baby chicks to replace those loss, it still won't help out my present day situation because it takes 5 to 6 months to get the baby chicks up to production.

So now we have traps set out.

Gardens

Gardens never cease to amaze me.  Just think about it for a minute . . . You plant a small seed into the soil and water it.  God sends the warm sun and sometimes the rain.  And within a week or two a little seedling appears.  Soon the seedling grows up to produce maybe a beautiful, maybe some type of vegetable or maybe some type of herb.  All from a little tiny seed - simply amazing, don't you think!

I love this time of year because I have been getting my hands dirty in my gardens - oh what fun!!  I have planted all sorts of vegetables, flowers and herbs.  And I know we are going to enjoy these through out the summer.

Update on Licensing Situation

Somehow through the Grace of God we were licensed to sell eggs in the State of Ohio.  We are still not allowed to use coolers (except for transporting the eggs to the market) BUT we must sell them out of a refrigerator once we get them to the market.  AND the refrigerator does not have to be commercial grade.  One small victory for the farmer!!  Once I get to the market, I am not allowed to physically touch the eggs (whatever!!).

At Findlay Market, they have electric outlets for the farmers to use.  At Hyde Park, this will be interesting as they do not want you to use generators.  But the coffee guy uses a generator (and the same generator as the one I have).  So I might have open Pandora's box on this one.

Why isn't life easy???

Clermont County Board of Health

My life used to be so simple.  I would go to the Farmer's Market every Saturday and Sunday with all my soaps, lotions, jams, fudge and eggs.  No problem - life was good.  People loved my products.

Then life changed two weeks ago when the City of Cincinnati Health Inspector showed up.  "I think you need to be licensed to sell those eggs!"  Huh?  That's news to me!  After searching the Internet, lo and behold . . . he was right.  I have to have a "Mobile Food Establishment" license now to sell eggs - who would have thought!

Now if you live in City of Cincinnati or in Hamilton County - no problem.  You can sell out of coolers.  BUT if you live in Clermont County like I do . . . the inspector is one of those that wants every "I" dotted and every "T" crossed whether or not it applies to you or not.

First, he wanted us to completely remodel my truck into a mobile food truck - nope - don't think so - can't fit a 3 bay sink, a hand washing sink, a refrigerator, etc. into the back of a Toyota Tacoma. We got him to back down on that (with the help of the Market Manager at Findlay Market) - whew!  Next, he wants a full size commercial refrigerator - like I can load that onto my truck every weekend.  We are still kind of working on that issue.  He has kind of relented and saying that the refrigerator can be any size as long as it can hold my eggs BUT it still has to be commercial grade.  Commercial grade refrigerators start at $1000 and up - like I can afford that.  And people wonder WHY food prices keep rising???

He wanted pictures of EVERYTHING - our tent, our set up, the refrigerator where we store the eggs, our set up at Hyde Park, our set up at Findlay Market, etc PLUS measurements of EVERYTHING.  So we emailed all that to him last night.  Now the waiting begins - will he approve or won't he?

The way I look at this is whatever happens is meant to be.  God is in control.  So if He is closing this door, another door will open.  Yes, I am pretty upset by this turn of events because my egg sales were a huge portion of my sales.  But, this is where the Faith part comes in.  So I pray for patience and guidance.

Where did Spring Go?

I look at the calendar and it says April 16.  I look at the thermometer on my deck and it says 27 degrees.  What is wrong with this picture???  Yesterday morning I woke up to SNOW - are you SERIOUS!!!  Did I move to Wisconsin and no one told me???  Where, oh where, did my Spring go?  I think I lost it!  If you find it, could you pretty please bring it back!!