It feels like a long time since I sat down and posted anything about life on Green acres farm. OK, it has been a long time! It has been a busy summer, with too many things calling for my attention! Between the garden, chickens, goats and ESPECIALLY bees, this summer kept me hopping! But we …
Author Archives: rpgreen61
Babies, babies, babies
We have been waiting with great anticipation for Luna’s due date as we all love baby goats. Luna must love them too, because she got an early start, with the babies arriving 4 days before we expected to see them. Early this week I came out for on evening goat walk at the end of …
The chicken saga continues…..
When I last wrote about the chickens, I told you of my failed effort to have a broody hen do the work of hatching and raising chicks for me. You may recall that the first broody chicken gave me a good effort, but failed in the end, and my second broody hen rejected my suggestions …
Swarmy Weather
Don’t know whyThere’s those bees up in the skySwarmy weather… May is swarm season in Michigan, and swarm season can get a little crazy. This year it seems crazier than most. I spent the early part of May working hard to keep up with my bees, with the goal of managing swarming. If you want …
In the battle of wills, the chicken is winning
Last year, after a series of missteps dealing with a broody hen, I thought I had it all figured out. But as it turns out, NOT! Three weeks ago, when one of my chickens decided she wanted to brood, I knew I was going to allow her to sit on eggs. Free chicks! To try …
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Raccoons and possums and skunks, oh my!
What a spring it has been. Temperatures in the 80s in mid-April in SE Michigan, followed by cool days that just didn’t seem to want to go away, keeping the bees inside. Finally, it is warm enough here to get serious about making splits, moving queens and a cohort of bees out of the original hive to …
If you don’t like the weather just wait….
Goat Housekeeping
When the goats first came home, I set up a routine of mucking out their living quarters about every 2 weeks, putting down a fresh bed of straw after each cleaning. While they were eating mostly milk, and then transitioned to grazing for most of the day in the field behind the house, that worked …
Another take on hawks
Last weekend I invited a friend of a friend, Selena, to bring her young red tailed hawk, Lofn, to hunt at Green Acres Farm. OK, so some of you are thinking I am a bit crazy inviting a falconer to bring her hawk hunting at the farm just a week after losing a third chicken …
Cheesemaking: Embracing imperfection
If you are a recovering perfectionist, and are looking for an activity that will support and encourage that recovery, cheese making just might be for you! I started my cheese making adventure in 2021 when our mama goat had filled our refrigerator to overflowing with milk. Even after I started making homemade yogurt, we just …