# Tracy0052's lil bits of our life



## Tracy0052 (Aug 12, 2014)

Hi all! I'm fairly new to this site and have posted a bit and already gotten some great advice. I've been reading these journals, enjoying them and think this is a fun idea. That's what I do with FB now journal my family's life. So anyway I thought I'd start one since we are really just starting out our backyard farm.  
1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? 
We are in NW Ohio....I love that we experience all four seasons here. We can go from sweltering muggy hot to ice cold!
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?
I'm married and we have four kids: Martha 14, Caleb 11, Lukas 7, and Ava 4.
3. How would you define your farm?
We live in a small farm town and are raising rabbits and chickens. They started as 4-H projects for the kiddos. We would like to have a couple goats too. Eventually someday I hope we can find a place in the country.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?
I would be a full time stay at home mom. Soak up every minute if my kids and sew everything I've wanted to sew/quilt but haven't had the time.
5. Have you ever built a house, barn , or other types of building? Do you want to?
I had to work on my house for 6 months before I could move into it back when I was a single mom. Currently the hubby is building a new coop and run for the chickens. 
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet?
No
7. Who or what inspired you to be a farmer/rancher, hobby farmer?
My grandparents were farmers, had a small place just outside of town. Grandpa farmed the land and had sheep, cows and chickens. They had both grown up on farms. I guess it's in my blood. 4-H gave us the opportunity/excuse to get started.
8 Is it a hobby or an occupation?
Hobby for now. Hubby is a truck driver and I work as a nurses aide.
9. In what areas are you knowledgeable and in what areas would you like to learn more?
I love history, always have. I love to sew, quilt,knit, crochet, spin, needlepoint, rug hook...just about any handy craft. I teach sewing classes and have won awards. I love to cook and bake and can...like my Grandma taught me. My sister and I have just started making our own soaps and lotions and I'm trying to learn more about using essential oils.
I'm always trying to learn more about our chickens and rabbits. It's been quite the learning experience so far! We eventually want goats and to start bee keeping. 
10. In what types of farming will you never choose to do?
Idk...I can't think of anything I'd actually turn down the chance to try if the opportunity was right.
11. Are you interested in providing more of your own food supply?
Most definitely! We have a garden and I can a lot! Our chickens provide us with eggs and the rabbit will eventually be giving us meat. I want goats for milk. 
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world?
If I actually get the time I love to put on one of my favorite movies like Gone with the Wind or Pride and Prejudice and sit down at the sewing machine or do some hand work. But most days I take a minute or two and sit on the tree swing my hubby built me and just watch my kids play or the chickens peck the ground.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi?
Hubby can.
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these?
Like I said above I sew, quilt, knit, etc...and I love teaching classes!
15. Can you legally have all forms of livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds?
We are in town and ordinance says no farm animals. But we are allowed rabbits and chickens as long as our neighbors don't complain. We had two roosters that we just rehomed because we were afraid they were getting too loud. I asked the town if we can have goats and was told no but a local farmer told me to just do it anyway! Lol
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood?
No
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing?
Yes, I vegetable garden on the side of the house and I love to can. My flowers are all out front. I grow and dry lavender. I also have raspberry bushes for pies and jams.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives?
I used to with my grandpa.
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City farm? Country?
We have a small house on a small lot but it's on the edge of town so we don't feel closed in.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, degreed?
I'm an STNA.
21. What is your farm specialty? Or what one would you like to learn?
We are just learning rabbit breeding. I want to get into dairy goats.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?
I majored in history right after high school but never got to finish. I wanted to be a museum archivist.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet?
No
24. Are you interested in herbal animal medicine?
Yes, right now we give our chickens an herbal wormer.
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be?
I would buy my grandpas old farm and fix it up.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking?
No, we want a wood stove for hear eventually.
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be?
I was always partial to Dean Cain's Superman... 
28. Are your family or friends also interested in animals?
They all find my lil farm amusing at this point.
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs?
I try to cook with wholesome good foods. And we love our eggs!
30. What was your best animal experience? Worst?
Best, watching my kids show and place at the fair last year. Worst losing babies this summer. 
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs?
No, unless you count black raspberry pickin!
32. What skills do you have that help you be more a self sufficient farm?
We try to use reclaimed wood for our building projects. We are still learning. 
33. Do you process your own meat? Can or preserve?
I can...hubby is going to learn to butcher rabbits soon. 
34. Do you use alternative energy sources on your farm? Would you like to?
Hubby is very interested in solar power.
35. What is on your to do list?
It's so long I don't know where to start! I guess finish the coop, we have fair coming up for the kids, lots of sewing projects, etc etc etc
36. Have you ever lived completely off what you produce? Would you like to?
No but it's a dream.
37. In what do you trust?
God, my family, myself
38. Do you make and fix things yourself to save money?
Of course!
39. Has the experience with animals changed your attitude or habits?
Very much. Sometimes I think where I am now and I can't imagine myself 10-15 years ago doing this either because of fear or thinking I couldn't. It amazes me how I've changed. I love it, it's like coming home!


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## Tracy0052 (Aug 12, 2014)

This is our clan: Caleb, me, Ava, hubby Brian, Lukas and Martha



This is the view out my backdoor most days.

We have three sets of babies right now!
Mini Rex born 8/7/14



Our house cat had tiger kittens 8/4/14.


 
Dutch babies born 7/18/14


 
We have had quite the baby boom lately and learned a lot. I love that my kids get to experience all this!


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## MsDeb (Aug 12, 2014)

Beautiful family, beautiful babies!


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## SA Farm (Aug 12, 2014)

MsDeb said:


> Beautiful family, beautiful babies!


x2


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## Tracy0052 (Aug 12, 2014)

Thank you!

We had rainstorms yesterday and last night. This morning we found Loretta (mini rex momma) had peed and stomped on her 5 day old kits. Three are dead and two I don't think will make it through the day.  We cleaned the nesting box and put the two barely alive kits back in. This was her first litter and she started off well making a nice nest and pulling fur but yesterday something went wrong. I'm just sick I can't save these lil guys!  Debating whether to go ahead and rebreed her.


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## SA Farm (Aug 12, 2014)

I would give her a day or two to recover (if the other 2 don't make it) before breeding her back. Rex rabbits are known to be quite skittish in bad weather - a lot of problems with heart attacks and other behavioral problems during storms. So sorry about your losses 
 She'll do better next time!


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## Tracy0052 (Aug 12, 2014)

We lost the other two kits.  But we will give her another chance at being a momma eventually. I think we will move her hutch to a quieter spot before she has more. 
Here are the Dutch babies snacking with momma. They are doing wonderful.


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## Tracy0052 (Aug 17, 2014)

Our pullets had started laying last week. They are laying very small eggs compared to our one year old girls. We had a couple odd ball eggs too wrinkled, shell-less... Today we got our first blue egg from our EE Nutmeg. It was so fun to find in the nesting box. Egg gathering has become an egg hunt with the pullets now too. They like to lay them in my baby seat on my bike, in the grass clippings bag on the mower, and under bushes! Lol
Momma cat fed the babies out in the open today too.









This weekend was my youngest two kids birthdays as well.  Luke is now 7 and Ava 4!!! How time flies!


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## Tracy0052 (Aug 26, 2014)

It's fair time in Hancock Co! We take the animals to the fair tomorrow then the kids have judging Wednesday morning. First is rabbit showmanship and poultry jr fair judging. We'll be taking five chickens and five rabbits. We love fair time! The kids both got A's at livestock interviews.
 
I think we may have an egg eater now though! Any good advice on how to break the hen from doing this?
We ended up breeding Loretta and hopefully she will be having kits in September. 
Update pics of the baby bunbuns and kitties!


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## Sumi (Aug 26, 2014)

Lovely pics! Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of the kits  

For the egg eater, here are some good tips: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater


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## Tracy0052 (Sep 4, 2014)

What a busy week! But we had lots of fun! The kids all did very well at the fair.


All the kids ribbons from fair! They had a great fair!

Ava-2nd in the cookie eating contest, 1st in the coloring contest, participation for jr sunflower

Lukas-1st in the coloring contest, 4th peewee poultry showmanship, participation for jr sunflower, pedal pull and cookie eating contest

Caleb-4th cockerel bantam, 5th pie eating contest, 6th small animal dress up contest, outstanding on his cooking project, good on his woodworking project, participation for poultry showmanship and pedal pull

Martha-5th jr doe mini rex, 4th jr buck mini rex, 4th small animal dress up, 5th open class jr buck mini rex, 4th poultry showmanship, superior grand champion on her sewing project...proud momma over here! 

We said goodbye to our two baby bunnies. Martha sold them for $30 to a family that had just sold their market goats and was hoping to lessen the blow to their kids.

I think momma was kissing them goodbye! She was a nervous wreck when they were first gone but now that she's home she's doing fine. We plan to breed her to DJ again since they made such fine kits.

Martha with the kids that bought her bunbuns.

Small animal dress up contest: Elvis the golden crested polish


Hansel & Gretel



Lukas participated in peewee showmanship and placed fourth...he also was given a chicken at the fair by one of his friends. So now we have a bantam Cochin rooster! Luke named him Buddy.


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## Tracy0052 (Sep 4, 2014)

Our girls kept on laying at the fair!

 
My cookie eating contest winner!

 
Sorry so many pictures but I journal our family life in pics. 

And at home the egg eating situation seems to have stopped. I don't know if the change in the flock because of fair could have done it.
And here are the kittens. They have now learned to escape the box! Nothing is safe! Lol


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## OneFineAcre (Sep 4, 2014)

Very cool


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## Tracy0052 (Sep 8, 2014)

My oldest used her fair premium money to reinvest in her rabbits. She bought cage wire and she's been wanting a lop. So Friday I took her to buy a mini lop. The breeder offered her a two for one deal.....so we came home with two rabbits! Oh my oh my lol
This is Maggie and Peter...they were born 8/5/14


 


 
Aren't they sweet!?!


 
Look at Maggie's cute lil face...bunny ❤️

Not much else exciting going on around here other than canning an endless supply of tomatoes it seems! I'll be back at it again in the morning.


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## Tracy0052 (Sep 14, 2014)

Friday our mini rex Loretta had her litter...6 kits. 5 black and one broken. Hoping she does better this time around. I found three out of the nest today and put them back. She killed her last litter on day 5 by urinating on them. 
The new wee ones...


 
Hubby is going tomorrow to get rabbit supplies from a former 4-Her. She is making us a good deal. We are converting our smaller shed into our bunny barn he has decided.  And we are getting two new zealands for breeding when the barn is ready.
I'm afraid we have a poorly chicken too. We've been having lots of rain this week and cooler temps, not sure that could explain it though. One of our 6 month old barred rocks is acting very lethargic and her comb wattle and feet are discolored a purplish bruise color. We separated her from the flock and I'm giving her medicine in her water. Hoping tomorrow she shows improvement. 
Kittens will be six weeks old Monday. I got them litter box trained this weekend and the are eating solids well. Only have one spoken for so far.


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## Onyx (Apr 15, 2015)

I want every one of those kittens... if only you were in Canada, ha ha


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## OneFineAcre (Apr 15, 2015)

Hey
I saw you are in NW Ohio
I've got goats headed to your area in June or July
A couple more could hitch a ride


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## Tracy0052 (Jun 18, 2015)

Wow long time since my last update!
Well we had a cold snowy winter, a pleasant spring and now a rainy summer.
Garden is planted and growing. I've made strawberry jam for the year. Picking black raspberries tomorrow. 


 
Our current count is 5 rabbits (Mama Dutch has been bred and is due in about a week). We lost two chickens over the winter and we rehomed a roo. We just lost a RIR last week as well.  We have 10 of our older girls left, we added 6 silkies, two Americanas, and 8 bantams this spring.
Our mama cat had a litter of 6, we lost one. Two babies are already spoken for. They are just darling.


 
And our newest addition is Millie our Australian Shepherd pup. We adore her and she is such a good dog already. 


 


 
Our fair poultry shows have been cancelled in Ohio. I have some disappointed kids.


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## mikiz (Jun 19, 2015)

That's an adorable child you have there, such a cheeky smile!!
Love the puppy, looks like she's settling in well!


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## Sumi (Jun 19, 2015)

Wonderful pics! Thank you for sharing.


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## Poka_Doodle (Aug 25, 2015)

I found this by the pictures from last year and wanted to say good job!!! How was fair? I myself am a 4Her and have a cake at state now. Where do you get your chickens? I know the thing about hatcheries and am too new for an opinion but wanted to know yours


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