Fiber, Feathers and Furnishings

That title makes it sound a little bit like I furnish my home with feathers, doesn't it?  Well I don't, but it is beginning to feel like the house is being taken over by fiber!  The Burnham Barn is being taken over by vintage and rustic furniture that we're not using and the Main Barn is being taken over by our special Silver Bantam chickens.  What's a farm girl to do?  How about a little sale to share with her friends!  

~~ A Fun Fall Sale at The Barn of Serenity Farms ~~ 

NEW DATE!!! Friday and Saturday, October 10th and 11th

That's right, a first ever for Serenity Farms ~ a Barn Sale featuring Yarn; Spinning Fibers; Patterns; Books; Notions; Jewelry and Soap Making Supplies and a small but interesting assortment of vintage and rustic furnishing and architectural features.  Quality goods at thrift store prices!

And as long as we're at it, how about offering up some livestock as well, something just perfect for your farmstead, large or small?  We still have just a few of our Corriedale and Corriedale cross sheep for sale and I need to find homes for one or two breeding pairs of our Silver Bantam chickens.  

So why not mark your calender for the first Friday and Saturday in October, October 1Oth and 11th and pay us a visit?  You're sure to find a treasure of some kind and even if you don't you're sure to enjoy the big cozy barn in autumn, well-lit and dry, interesting to look at in its own right.  Enjoy a visit and a cup of coffee or fresh Michigan cider.  I'll have more pictures here on the blog in coming days, so keep checking back ~ feel free to drop a note or call if you have any questions, especially about the livestock.  

Sheep and chickens are ready to go any time, you don't have to wait for the sale if you're interested in any of them but please no early sales on furnishings or crafting supplies.

There will be plenty of spinning fibers to choose from!  Yarn, too...

Wait for us, we're coming too!

These two young Aracauna chickens have been entertaining lately.  They were the ugliest chicks!  Its not a breed I'm all that fond of, but had gotten four of them to put under a broody hen.  A varmint got the hen and two of the siblings, these two survived though traumatized - and even more so after the scary human (me) caught them up and put them in secure quarters!  They've gradually become quite tame and follow me everywhere during the day.  They like to hang out with Christy, the farm cat.

I think I'll call them "Opal" and "Ruby".  Or "Peanut Butter" and "Crackers"....

Queen Charlotte the sheep

Charlotte, queen of our Corriedale flock, turned ten years old this week. She is our lead sheep in the flock, boss of the pack, and her bloodlines are in a good bit of our ewes. She has a finer than usual fleece, but thats okay with us! I took this picture in the barn, where she is having some R&R time. I noticed her limping the other day and when I checked her feet, found the outer pad on her left front was broken right off! Charlotte has shiny black hooves that are tough as nails and usually give her no problems but on the rough frozen ground she was having difficulty walking and is needing a little "coddling". She is not to happy about being away from the flock but she is in a pen where she can see them and some extra helpings of her favorite treats (think sheep cookies) help her accept the situation! In the photo below, she seems to be asking for more ;)



In an earlier post, I promised pictures of the Light Brahma chickens. I think they are even more beautiful than the Golden Lace Wyandottes. It doesn't really show here, but the black in their tail feathers shine green in the sunlight!




Isn't the rooster gorgeous? You might wonder why we would want to have so many roosters at Serenity Farms...we don't. We have a wonderful "senior" rooster, a Black Orpington that we are perfectly happy with. My laying hens were getting older and I wanted to replentish the flock with some younger girls so purchased the Golden Lace and Light Brahmas. Paid extra to get females...three of each breed. And got two hens and one rooster in each set! I understand that mistakes in sexing poultry can be made, but that seems like pretty high odds to me. So here we are with three distinct mini flocks. Anyway...

Oh and Amy asked about the ducks eggs, so I thought I would share this picture from a nest I found hidden last week. Along with being smart, the ducks seem really good at hiding their nest.

I hope you are enjoying seeing photos of some of our animals around the farm as much I am enjoying showing them to you!