The Babies Are Born

Like proud parents we all flocked around the incubator this morning to see what 21 days of warm heat had brought us.  It must have been a busy night as to our surprise 4 chicks (# 1, 5, 4, 6)  were completely out of their eggs dry and fluffy staggering over spent egg shells and then dropping to a complete sleep for 1/2 a minute at a time. 

Tough work for not even day old chicks.  3 remained, only one had a slight peck opening. Our silky egg and # 3 had no movement which worried us.  Clayton instructed over the "peep peep" of our new wards which we brought into the boardroom so we could see any further developments.  At our species demo outside we got to see some cute little call ducks who Clayton wormed and a Ney ney goose. 

When we returned to class, sure enough, another chick was freshly out its shell. Sadly our little silky chick and # 3 didn't make it to hatch.  After some innoculations for Merrick disease it was decided that Clayton would take the chicks home until it is time to come back to the farm when they are ready in a few weeks.  He will be our trusty baby sitter.

                                CAN YOU SAY EXCITED NEW PARENTS  ?!!!

Welcome

Here we are on our first day of farm school......all meeting for the first time and listening to the faculty of incredibly diverse teachers share what we can expect over our next 10 months here at the FARM.  Soils, and Water Mgmt, Seed Saving, Fruit crops, Animal Husbandry, Bee keeping, Market crop production, Business planning to name a few.......I'm sure some of us are already feeling like we've found our calling- I know I have.  So, over the next few entries, you'll find out more about who we are and how we came to find the RFS (Ricmond Farm School).  Share our journey and see the possibilities of people working together to create sustainable small scale farming wherever you are.  OK back to our "other" lives...see ya Thursday.