Back at it...

Well it's been a long time since the blog has been updated. We lost our webmaster and she's moved on to bigger and better things, and I haven't had much time to be online and update anything. Now that it's cold out (19 degrees Fahrenheit as I write this), I can spend some time getting everything up to date. :)

There have been a lot of changes and upgrades to the property and animals since the last post. The old barn has been completely dismantled and the area cleaned up. I saved a lot of the wood from the barn to be used on other projects.

We acquired several new to us (used) pieces of equipment to help around the farm. The largest is a MASSIVE Ford 750 Tractor Loader Backhoe. This machine is big. If I can't get a job done with this machine, then I shouldn't be doing it. It is the excavator of backhoes weighing in around 18,000 lbs with a max digging depth of around 17 1/2 feet. The four cylinder turbo diesel still has a ton of power.

We also acquired a dump truck, which has proven to be priceless. From mulch to firewood to topsoil to debris, the truck has hauled it all and then some. Even though I've had to do quite a bit of work to the truck, it is well worth it. I recently rebuilt the entire plow (controls, motor frame, hydraulics) and have been making repair panels by hand for the bed and welding them in place.

The chicken coop area has changed dramatically. We've had quite a few chickens arrive and leave the farm since we started. Right now, we have a nice assortment of chickens and guinea hens. The chickens are producing eggs at a high rate. I've fenced off the entire chicken coop area and installed netting over the top to keep them in. Tartan used to love to herd the chickens, but I grew tired of chasing hens every day to get them back in the coop. I used as many materials as possible from the property to create the coop area. I cut down several cedar trees and used them to create a one of kind chicken enclosure. The main expense was the netting for the top.

I am forever indebted to the people that have helped me accomplish so much this year. As I get time, I will elaborate on everything that's been accomplished and future goals including a new champion disc dog in training. :)

Take care..

McAuliffe Park Competition

Ian and Nessie competed last Thursday at MacAuliffe Park in East Hartford. Years ago this was the first disc competition that Ian competed in with Tartan! Nessie still remains the only competitor while Tartan is resting his paw. Caber and Sporran are enjoying frisbee practice on the farm.

Frisbee Dogs

Caber (possibly the new name for Puppy) had fun leash walking and playing last night!

Nessie will be competing on Thursday at the Skyhoundz Distance & Accuracy and Freestyle competition at McAuliffe Park!

...and for our other frisbee dog please send healing thoughts to Tartan!

Sunday News

It's a beautiful, warm, 90 degree spring day to do farm chores! Time is moving so fast, it won't be long until these blossoms are replaced with apples!

Three new chicks are going to make their way onto the farm sometime this week, and they are supposedly (and hopefully!) all pullets (girls)...2 Leghorns and 1 Rhode Island Red.

Puppy still doesn't have a new Scottish name, but it won't be much longer now (how much longer could it take?).

Lots of garden planning going on right now too...we have all the seeds, just to decide where to put them!

Dog Days

...have officially begun!

Today the BC Farms paws and people went to the FDDO Yankee Flyer's Spring Invitational!

Ian and Nessie at the obstacles event

Puppy had fun going for a walk during the event and meeting new people and dogs!

Puppy Gets a Bath

Puppy got a bath today!

New Addition!

There's been a very exciting addition to the BC Farms family...NEBCR's Larkspur! He is a red and white border collie and so far has enjoyed life on the farm! He will be renamed to fit the theme of the Scottish names soon. He loves to play and chase his new siblings and to follow Ian around the farm.

Ian picked him up from his foster family on Sunday after going to a beekeeping course in Cornell. So it looks like we have a new disc dog and maybe some of our own honey coming soon! (Depending on bee package availability).

Ian's mother came over and helped with farm chores and planted some flowers. It will be very exciting to see all the new plants growing on the farm. It has made such a transformation already in less than a year.

Disc dog season has begun, and BC Farms paws and humans will be at an event on Saturday!

Basic Instinct

If there was a doubt in anyone's mind that Tartan was a border collie, that doubt should no longer be there. Tartan is now enjoying his days on the farm trying to stare down chickens, and has assumed the typical herding poses to move them around. Unfortunately for Tartan, one of the Lunches is a little more stubborn than the rest, and decide to stare him down.

Home on the Range

The past two weeks on the farm have been pretty busy from doing the regular farm chores (taking care of the animals, cutting wood and not our legs...) to house projects. The new windows are in, the kitchen ceiling is down, and the basement is still wet.

All of the people I've talked to or contacted have been really helpful and kind. Jeremy from the Red Coop Co in Willington has been an amazing source of information, and we met with Keely from Dancing Frog Farm, also in Chaplin CT at a local bagel shop to go over some farm things and ask some questions. It's nice to know we aren't the only ones trying to start a new lifestyle in Chaplin!

We didn't make it to the NE Poultry Congress show this year unfortunately, but maybe we'll make it to the sheep and alpaca shows :).


The dogs are still having a great time playing in the fields and going on walks on the utility trail around the property. Tartan and Nessie have been practicing their sweet frisbee moves for the spring competitions too.

Unfortunately, farm life can take a toll on the body and usually results in a group nap :) (notice Nessie's leg on poor Sporran's head!)

Life on the Farm

Living on BC Farms has had its benefits so far but also its trials. 2009 brought challenges that will hopefully be resolved in 2010, and hopefully this time next year the barns will be taken care of, the the basement will be leak free!

These are some of the current animal habitants of BC Farms:


The dogs:
Collectively known as "the paws", the dogs love life on the farm so far and all the room they have to play! They include Tartan the border collie, Nessie the Australian Shepherd (who both compete in disc dog competitions), and Sporran the smooth-coated border collie.




The cats:
Two elusive barn cats that remain mostly hidden but let their presence be known by their footprints.


White tailed deer:
THere are many signs of white tailed deer around the farm, including footprints, "beds", scat, missing apples, and yesterday we came across a marking by a buck on a cedar tree! Male white tailed deer "rub" trees in order to mark their territory, especially during mating season. This is a pretty significant rub so I think it's an older buck. They leave their scent on the trees by doing this, and prefer to do it on aromatic trees, like cedar!