And 2015 begins.....

We've been busy - life has been overwhelming at times with all the stuff going on here at the farm. I've taken things to a new level and published a new web site www.littlerascalsfarm.com and have started posting there.

New Season Begins 2013

February Babies!!!

Melody gave birth to two doelings last week and everyone is doing fine! The babies are already running up and down the pasture causing havoc everywhere they go!!! The milk is all going to the babies right now, but I do manage to sneak in a cup or less sometimes so I can put it in my coffee...YUM!!

Hatching Baby Chicks

How do you turn a pile of eggs into laying chickens?

These are all mixed breed, we seem to have a name for taking chickens when no one else wants them - either because they realize they aren't as cool as they first thought, or they don't have time anymore, or the kids who swore they'd take care of them decided that they wouldn't and Mom decides to find a better home! We've got Black Ostralop (sp), Wyandott, WeilSummer, Buff Orpington, Americauna, some white ones I don't know the name of, some Egyptians, Morans. (they lay chocolate colored eggs)..and a few more!

 Get a Styrofoam hatching box and if you can get an automatic turner! It was a real pain to go in three times a day and turn all the eggs by hand.

 Above you see the first baby chick coming out to play on day 21...

 ...above a few more friends to play with...below even more friends to play with!!

 Bewildered little chick wondering what she's got herself into...

 Finally got all the babies out, a total of 24 out of 42, and now they are in their box with a heat lamp in the dining room...these will be replacement layers for the older gals who are going to be soup later this fall. Probably close to half will be roosters so they'll wind up in the soup pot also! I've already got 3 roosters and don't need more crowing at all hours of the day and night!!

J-Made Loom

J-Made Loom - Tie-up Mystery

I've got a puzzle - I have an 8-shaft J Made Loom without a manual so I'm looking at the pedals and lamms and trying to figure out how to do a tie up. At the top left is a green circle showing the eyes that come out of the lamms and some white cords coming out of the eyes; middle of the picture is a green circle showing - well I'm not sure what the words for this are but I think the pin comes out and you insert something between the metal hoops and then put the pin back in....best guess. The last green circle, lower right, shows how the bungee cords come out of the pedals....not sure what bungee cords do...can't imagine the shafts bobbing up and down...but there it is. I may have the wrong name but until someone tells me different I'm calling them lamms.....Now how do you suppose I'm supposed to do the tie up for a straight twill with two for plain weave?

Baby Ducklings - 2012

Isn't this just toooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our first hatch of kaki campbell ducklings...this little turtle has a new life as a duck pond, used to be my now 18yo's sand box when she was about 2yo!!

Baby Goats!

Phesant Fields - Silverdale WA, one of our local CSA's

Nikki Johanson: A Farmer Activist

Local Food

Written by Theresa Collier

Wednesday, 01 February 2012 11:30

Tucked in a corner of Silverdale, WA, Pheasant Fields Farm is a fifteen-acre farm located just north of retail big box stores. The farm was originally part of a homestead purchased by Pete Peterson in 1885, back when Silverdale was all farmland. The Petersons purchased wood from Port Gamble mill in 1927 for three dollars a sling, and built the house that Nikki and AllenJohanson reside in today. To read more click HERE