Stories from the farm

1. The Chick Saga by: Julia (Kitty) Wethington

2. Late Bloomer by: Julia (Kitty) Wethington

Chapter 1

The Chick Saga
I wanted to let everyone know about a little mishap we had at the farm a couple of weeks ago. Well, “little” could be ...... well, “big” mishap, OK. Solman is Kitty and Terry's German Short hair Pointer. Any way he took out 6 or 7 of the chickens. No, we didn't spank him, ya know he IS a bird dog! His perimeter collar was broken. We have wireless perimeter transmitter with 2 collars. No buried wires & if we go some where for an extended time we can also take it with us. Once we show the “babies” where it starts beeping a few times they are ready to go. It’s made by Pet Safe & it has been one of the best investments we have made for the pups. And yes, we have bought another collar. So, we haven't had as many eggs lately, because of the Solmanator!

Chapter 2

For the first few days we had the chicks in a box in the office with the door shut. Well- Sara had been hovering just waiting for the opportune time to slip past. That time came Terry answered the front door (thinking he had close the office door), I was making sandwiches when I heard a peep that sounded a bit distressed. Sure enough there is Sara in the office with a baby chick in her mouth. Now, the chicks were on the table with an old oven grate over the box. The grate was pushed aside and Miss. Priss aka: Sara (Solmans mom) had very carefully, not knocking the box off, reached in a got her a chick. I just grabbed her collar stuck my hand out and said "drop", she did. So what do you say...."Good Girl!?"

Any way the chick was shell shocked (ha, ha) but breathing. We found a small blood spot under her wing, so we kept her warm and held her till bed time. You need to keep hurt chicks away from the others cause they will peck at it. When we went to bed we were pretty sure she wouldn't make it but we were giving her a chance. In the morning she was still breathing so I gave her fresh water and food in her hospital box. Over the next week we kept her in the hospital, every day she looked stronger. In the mean time Terry built a bigger cage for the chicks and started putting them outside for fresh air & sunshine. Finally the big day our convalescing chick was released from the hospital.

Terry sat outside with the chicks for a while to make sure she could handle herself with the others. I told him "I sure would hate having to ring a good chickens neck for messing with my little hurt chick." Fortunately things went well in general population and it is getting harder and harder to pick out the gimpy chick. We sure will be glad when they get big enough to be with "The Girls"

Chapter 3

You know your a farmer when your favorite pastime is buying a tube of crickets and feeding them to baby chicks one at the time. We have had the best time with the baby chicks even with the set backs we have had. Soon these guys will be to big for this cage. They are starting to get little tail feathers and longer wings, too.

Chapter 4

Henrietta

We have a small

Late Bloomer

     I have lived here on the farm (‘R Garden) most all my life. Of course, as a teenager working and helping out was not at the top of my list of things to do. Mowing the grass was one of my jobs and by mowing the grass I don’t mean with a lawn mower; it was a bush hog on the back of a tractor. Hey, at least I got a good tan which then was a great thing. So now, my husband and the kids do the mowing. It still isn’t on my top 10 to do list.
     I tell everyone that I have been left on the side of every road in Craven County with a trailer full of vegetables and change money. In truth, it was in front of the old Yellow Bird skating rink on Old Cherry Pt. Rd. Mom would say, “I’ll be back in an hour or so to check on you.” I guess you could say it was good training for the farmer’s market. Times were different then and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
     I have to say, it wasn’t until I hit my 30’s that I realized how much this farm means to me and how I feel about it. Putting seeds in a pot waiting for that first little hump with green underneath really makes me smile. Making a cutting from a plant and patiently waiting for a sign that it has started growing roots makes a good feeling grow inside of me. Waiting for the first vegetable of each variety to be picked and eating them is truly a culinary joy. Having my children grow up in much the same way I did is comforting in this ever changing world.

Now, knowing that farming is truly in my blood and wanting farming to be more a part of my life, I told Mom that I was just a “Late Bloomer”.

Website designed & created by Julia Wethington (3rd generation farmer) 2010