The farm was first settled in October 2000 by two city-dwellers, having moved from the hustle-bustle of downtown Barre, MA (population 4,502). Seeking peace, quiet, and place for the critters, they bought a piece of the forest and set up the homestead. Soon thereafter, the varmints started to move in and the outbuildings started going up...
The Barn
The barn came first, and went up in
a day. It originally housed 2 dairy goats and 2 geese, 2 ducks, and one chicken. Now, it is
home to 2 geese, and the same chicken...in addition to thirty new chickens
that moved into the barn in August 2004.
The Chicken Coop
The chicken coop was already on the property when
it was settled. The "aviary" type yard was added in 2002.
It allows free range pickin' and scratchin' and the chickens
love
their new front yard! The original chickens were (dang it all) eaten by the wild
creatures of the night who snuck in UNDER the building and into the
protected inner yard of the coop. Presently, a whole new batch of chickens (5 different
breeds) have taken a likin' to the coop and live there protected from a repeat
attack. Two roosters were part of this new troop but have found new
homes after turning agressive (as is usual for roosters!). In June 2004, the chickens free-range
grounds were doubled!
The Garden Shed
The garden shed also came in 2002.
It stores all the garden tools and yard work tools. In the winter, it stores the
snowthrower.
The Old Chicken Coop
The old chicken coop proudly
remains standing....a reminder of the "olden days" on the farmstead. It's kept
standing as both monument to the past and possible temporary home for a guest or
new arrival!
The New Duck
House
The new duck house was built in August
2003. It is the home of the 4 original ducks... and the 17 new
ducks (many different breeds).
In June 2004, a small decorative pond was added to the backyard as well as a double free-standing swing and a new marble bench.
ODDS & ENDS NEWS ITEMS:
June 2005
Three Nigerian Dwarf Goats are the newest members of the farm!
Also in June: the rabbit's hutches are moved and each rabbit now has its OWN run-around play yard!
May 2005
We've started selling eggs at the Barre Farmer's market on
Saturdays...
April 2005
A new farmstand has been added out front...now eggs are available 24/7!
This
month, the turkeys moved on to a new home thanks to our friend, Kate at the
Golden Egg Farm,
who found them their new permanent home.
March 2005
The days are getting longer and eggs are starting to become more plentiful.
Soon, we will have about 4 to 4.5 dozen eggs being produced each day.
December 2004The new chickens started laying last month. Also, one of those "chickens" started crowing in mid-November....yes, a rooster! So far, the rooster hasn't decided to become agressive. As always, he's a beautiful bird but I have my doubts about him being a permanent fixture on the farm.
July 2004: Thirty fancy chickens arrive as 2-day old chicks. They will populate the larger barnyard (4000 sq. ft. fenced in yard) and they will be full-grown by August 15th, 2004
March 2004: Old
Dana Farmstead welcomes Pete and Emily! Pete brings his farming knowledge and
expertise to the farm's routines and maintenance. Emily is in charge of the main
house and cooking!
January 2004:Sheltered feed and
water structures went up this month in all three areas. These fantastic roofing
structures keep the food clear of rain and snow and keep the heated water pails
from being covered in blizzards! Unfortunately, last month, TWO of the
"chickens" began CROWING. Yes, folks, that means we have two more roosters here
on the farm! If (well, ok, WHEN) they start to fight, one will probably have to
go live with the geese... or move out to another farm
elsewhere...
November 2003: Days are getting shorter
and so is the amount of eggs to be had on the farm! August 2003: Two new geese have come to the farm
from a local pond. Both are grey. I believe one to be an African and the other
to be a Brown Chinese...
July 2003: A fox or bobcat killed all the chickens in one night. It was a
bad night on the farm. The next day, 4 ducks are also killed.
June 2003: Lost 2 white runner ducks...found them in the pond. It sure LOOKS
like they drowned, but is that even possible?
May 2003: A new rabbit has come to the farm. Coco comes from Barre, MA.
This beautiful miniature deep brown rabbit will soon have its own rabbit
hutch....as soon as I can get 'round to building it! WELCOME,
COCO!! May 2003: We've just added seven more ducks to the farm. They're about
half-grown and live in the cellar of the house right now. We have three white
Runner ducks, 2 Appleyard, and 2 Saxony ducks growing up down there!
April 2003: Eggs, eggs, eggs, no problem with the
eggs now... even the goose is getting in on the act - the goose laid her first
egg of the season on April 12, 2003 - and today, a duck egg as well... something
I wasn't sure about since one of the runner ducks died last month. I wasn't sure
if the remaninig runner duck was a female... and so it is.
Click here for a look at the Old Dana Farmstead Egg Chart January 2003: Egg production at an all-time low!
The reduced light of the winter has all but stopped egg production. Sharon still
occasionally lays an odd egg here and there (literally) but none of the chickens
in the coop have produced an egg since late December.
(A pullet is a hen that is less than a year old)
