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Sand Hill Thicket

Tales of stunning sunsets, happy sheep, and peace and quiet on a 10-acre farm in Northeastern Kansas.

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Chickens & Eggs

Sand Hill Plum Jelly

We had a "bumper" crop of sand hill (chickasaw) plums last year. Well, it was a bumper crop for me as it was more than I could find time to use. Let's just say the birds and chickens were well... Continue Reading →

Chicks Have Hatched!

Collect them all! Each one seems a little different... We thought we'd try again this year for a rooster. This time we ordered a half-dozen Icelandic hatching eggs from Whippoorwill Farm in Wisconsin. (They came packed in Icelandic sheep wool,... Continue Reading →

It’s Another New Year

We've been in the deep freeze since our first snow on Friday night, bottoming out at a wind chill of -7°F. The chickens are so cold they haven't come down out of their houses for more than a minute to... Continue Reading →

Three French Hens (Ducks)? – Blogmas Day 3

I noticed a shell-less duck egg about a week ago rolling around in the bottom of the duck coop. I thought, the ducks have started laying eggs! BeepBeep, the Icelandic chicken (who we are pretty sure is a rooster), noticed... Continue Reading →

A Typical Morning In The Barnyard…

Here's what my barnyard looks like on a typical morning. It's a bit crazy here. What's your typical morning barnyard/garden/backyard look like? I've been letting Clove, my 2021 bottle lamb, come and graze the clover around the barnyard while I... Continue Reading →

The Moult Begins

It's that time of year again! When the feathers fall, eggs slow or stop coming altogether, and hens start to look like they have mange or have been attacked by marauding raccoons. Don't worry - it's just feather regeneration time!... Continue Reading →

I’ve About Had It With Birds…

Every day I have to let my big male siamese cat, Ermine, into the master bedroom so he can get up on his carpeted cat tree and watch "birbs" out the window. It's the only window in the house with... Continue Reading →

Ewes Go Bush Cutting

When we lived on the U.S. Territory of Guam, the locals would use the carabao to "do bush cutting". Back stateside, we would probably refer to that as weed whacking and we would use a weed whacker. Well, here on... Continue Reading →

Duck Egg Lockdown Begins!

Day 22: All Alone

It is looking more and more like the one chick that hatched is going to be all alone! We've left the three remaining eggs we thought were viable on lockdown in the incubator. Tomorrow will be day 23 and we... Continue Reading →

First Pipped Chicken Egg!

Oh, how exciting! An Icelandic chicken egg has pipped and is getting ready to hatch! I can't wait. That's one out of four remaining eggs from the six we started with. Meanwhile, two of the duck eggs have turned into... Continue Reading →

Egg Candling: Day 15

There's something in there! Is it a t-rex or a velociraptor? We have to wait a little while longer to find out! We did discard one chicken egg and one duck egg as they were duds. The remaining four duck... Continue Reading →

Egg Candling: Day 8

Well, it looks like we only have 3 viable chicken eggs (out of 6), but we are going to wait until Day 14 to make that final call. Meanwhile, we have a stunning success rate so far on the duck... Continue Reading →

Newest Additions

We decided we are going to start raising our own chickens and ducks. We just received eggs from Sugar Feather Farm on Monday. So, we have a couple of weeks until the excitement begins. I'm really interested to see what... Continue Reading →

The End of the Deep Freeze is Nigh!

I can't wait for the #PolarVortex to be fully gone! We've had either negative wind chills or negative temps every night since the 5th and we've been solidly under 25°F this entire time. Serious #DeepFreeze! However, we've had perfectly wonderful... Continue Reading →

Ice Wars: Stock Tank Heaters

Freezing Fog & Winter Doldrums

We had freezing fog on Tuesday morning, which resulted in a serious hoar frost. Oh boy, what a winter wonderland! I'm about done with winter wonderlands... Foggy and frozen. Looks like a bottle brush, but it's all hoar frost! Peaches... Continue Reading →

There’s Hope

Even though we are in the throes of winter now, the days are already getting longer. Yes, it's cold. The stock ponds are frozen over. It can be very dreary and monochromatic this time of the year. No, we haven't had any good ice storms or blizzards, yet. However, I've already seen the light at the end of the tunnel!

Spring Showers

We've been getting lots of rain, which is a good thing because I'm a grass farmer; sheep gotta eat. Makes for long days when you're a chicken though. The front deck is the new hangout and I don't have the heart to chase them off like I normally do.

Ahem, Excuse Me, WHEN Will Spring Be Here?

They say this is one of the worst winters they've ever seen around here. Good, because if this is normal, I'm leaving ASAP! It seems like spring will never come.

It’s Official…

Sandhill Flats Farm is moving: sheep, chickens, horse, cats, and all! The Husband got transferred to NE Kansas. We will start our farm move on or around June 1. It's always an adventure with this guy!

#Irma – The After

Well, we made it through Hurricane Irma after sheltering in-place. We did not have any significant damage. The worst that happened was the metal cover over our ag well was peeled back like the lid on a sardine can.

#Irma – Sheltering In-Place with Livestock

Well, we are going to shelter in-place since we are not under mandatory evacuation orders. We are about 40 miles from the west coast of Florida as the bird flies. We are also about an 1/8th of a mile from... Continue Reading →

Egg Foo Yung

I thought I would share a picture of the egg foo yung. It was scarfed in nano seconds. The rest will end up in the husband's lunch box.

Bok Choy + Eggs = Egg Foo Yung

It was time to harvest some bok choy. I think I will grow some bean sprouts so we can make egg foo yung.

The Chickens Have Started Laying Again!

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