These are the days...

Days 6-7-8 where a sort of mix between canning food and repairing the various components of the home that broke down (heaters, water heater).

We canned quite cool food: minestone, French onion soup, Pea soup (my personal favorite) etc.

We had some extra carrots from our recipes that we will also canned tonight.

Days 9-10-11-12 were a mix of parties (new years ... well should I say party? We went to my parents and that's it nothing too extreme) and building cages.

Our Phoenix has now a more appropriate place to live (due to his amazing tail) and our Light Brown Leghorns too.

We prepared our incubator today and some clients went for a visit (kids love to see where the eggs come from). Starting this Friday, we will put our first eggs in the incubator! I am super excited about it.

We didn't work on the house, besides the water heater and the heating in general. Let's say that this being bought our budget for other things was gone.

We sold our first couple of Ameraucanas, I feel like a mother letting her children go. We will deliver them to our friend Bernard this Friday.

 I will have to get used to it.

Day 2-3 ...

Yesterday with had some "party" with the bears pack (aka my best friends) in Magog. We came back at like 2am home and I was totally but totally drained (can someone please tell me how 1 (yeah just one) bailey can do that much destruction?)

When we arrived the rabbits were short of water as well as the hens ... so we had to water (can I say that?) all the animals ... (probably not, but I am sick ... sooooo I won't check for a more appropriate verb)

Today, after we have been waken up by a choir of snowblower ... we got up and tried (key word here) to do something.

I was not well at all. Anyways, husband ... ohhh the hell with it ... Martin, ok my name is Julie, his name is Martin. No need to hide anymore everyone I know is like reading that thing. So Martin build some ... ok I have to find a name for that... he built well ... Some shit blocker (ew!) for the coops. Let say that the Ameraucanas for some reason are pretty good in that area of production.

Then. my friend Evelyne came by and gave me the nicest thing ever. She bought me a painting with poppies on it (Coquelicots being poppies for those of you who aren't fluent in French). I was pretty happy about it.

We also had a pleasant surprise. I was like checking my fridge telling myself that eggs is nice ... but not like 15 dozens of them when the phone rang. Madame Charron our neighbour asked us for some eggs. I was very pleased. Like 5 minutes after, someone knocked at the door. "You have eggs right" ... I was like good lord, I am very powerful when it is time to decide that I have to sell things! haha ... Well, our other neighbor recently sold us 12 hens, well now he is sending us all his clients!!!! I was super happy!!!

Right now, I am trying to clean up the living room (as you can see I am working really hard ... *rolling eyes*). We have to work on the heating soon, 'cause it's like 15 degrees right now. I am freezing!!! Some people I know would be totally nice about it. I am not. I am totally not!

Tomorrow, it's Xmas, so "day off" nothing but normal hen care.

Feathers, tons of feathers!

Wow, the last weeks have been pretty busy feathery wise. Even if I told myself I wouldn't buy any other chicken for the season, some bargains arrived (and some crookery too) that I couldn't resist.

First, our neighbour was getting rid of his 12 leghorns before the winter for the ridiculous price of 3$ each. Those hens were from last spring so that was according to me a bargain. So 12 more ...

Then, we spotted a girl who was supposedly selling orpingtons. Orpingtons are like my dream brand since I've started raising pure breed chickens. We went there and ... I got distracted, turns out I bought hens that probably aren't orpingtons... but then they are still cute. That makes it 16 ...

Then, my favorite breeder called me to invite me over for dinner, turns out he had 3 hybrid hens he wanted to get rid of ... Oops 19 now.

Then, the day we went to pick up the 3 hens he told my husband about a couple of Light Brown Leghorns to sell ... We couldn't resist ... that's now 21!

But as we were picking up the Leghorns ... we saw that Phoenix for sale ...

Ok fine, let's make it 23!

And all this ... in a week ...

I know ... some say passionate, some say nutcase! hahaha!

The Farm first visitors!

Last weekend we had the farm first visitors. One of my husband co-worker brought his delightful family to the farm to visit the hens that were providing eggs for the summer.

I was pretty proud to show them what we are doing here even though it's not going fast enough and there are still plenty of things I would  love to do better or to make better.

They made amazing photos. I share you some.

(all pictures are copyrighted to the Cormier's family, I do not hold the rights of these pictures)

Biscuit, Soleil's Kitten - 3 months old

Coton - our Rex rabbit

Carla

Baptiste

Our Plymouth Rock - Rooster

Plymouth rock hen

Miss DeLorimier

Mousse- Soleil's Kitten

Azul - Mousse's sister

Auguste --- sleepy as usual :)

I was really happy to have visitors. I wish we can do that more often!

New hens ... and no I am not feeling blue!

Last Saturday we went  to our favorite breeder and got ourselves 15 baby Ameraucana. We are going to be breeders! Yeah that was a little shock for us too. It will be so funny to pick blue eggs!

So yeah, I am going to be a breeder of some variety of Standard chickens.

I plan in breeding Ameraucanas, Anconas, and if all goes to plan, Warrens, Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, Leghorns and of course some hybrid chickens. I am looking to breed breeds that have good dual purposes.

I want to offer people in my region who aren't massive breeders or hatcheries an alternative to hybrids brown and white chickens that are sold each year like just one day at the farmer's market. To me it's important to have more choice and better ones.

I am passionate by Standard Large Fowls Chickens.

So, that's for the news.

More pic soon! :)