Quote from “Little Rascals” the Movie

As I have mentioned before I have a pot bellied pig (Hamlet) who was born in mid December; he was a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law. I also have a Basset Hound pup (Duke) that was born the end of November; he was a Valentine gift from my wife, girlfriend and lover.

To quote Stymie “You only have a once in a lifetime friend, once in a lifetime.” That is what I think every time I take Duke out the the field. He runs straight to Hamlet’s pen and they will rub noses through the wire, waiting on me to open the pen.

Once Hamlet gets out they play

and play

and play

This last picture is priceless, they are having a chicken scratch snack at Hamlet’s place.

I am so SPOILED!

In January of 2008 I purchased a Basset Hound from a pet store in Atlanta. In November of that year he was outside and a stranger was walking down the road. Our neighbor said he let out a low howl and took off after the stranger, as the stranger crossed the road with Aristotle in hot pursuit, he was struck by a car. Despite the attempt of Dr. Randy Smith to stabilized his flail chest and deflated lung; he died. Since then I have been wanting another Basset; there is something about this breed that is absolutely adorable. If you don’t believe me as my friend, Angie who recently purchased one (Daisy Mae So To Much) commonly called “Daisy”. They are both spoiled at this point. Today I asked Angie for the phone number of the breeder and tonight, I have a new puppy.

Duke of Rosebriar, will be his registered name but on the farm he will simply be known as “Duke”. He is 11 weeks old and from tip-to-tip his ears span 19 inches.

A new addition

My Mother-in-Law has been at it again; giving me crazy ideas. She suggested that I raise quail, so I began my research. I have a wonderful place on the internet to gather information www.backyardchickens.com I found Mike or as I know him fishman65 (screen name); he lives in Flatrock, AL (20 minutes from me). He sold me 10 quail for $20, then threw in 1 additional quail and a couple dozen quail eggs. They are about 6 weeks old and since then we have had a couple of eggs laid.

Sunday morning, Brad (my son of 9) decided he would have scrambled quail eggs for breakfast. He cooked his own eggs, and did a really good job!

We soon plan to purchase a small incubator and try our hand at hatching to increase our flock. This will allow our flow to continue while relocating a few of the quail to the grill. Yum!

How it Started.

Above – one of the original eight three week old chicks on the day we bought them.

Below - “Big Dawg” one of the original eight; he is rightfully named as he is the leader of the flock. 

Since about the age of twelve I have dreamed of owning a farm, I believe this began when my uncle John “Hoolie” Bevel would ask me to look after his small cattle farm when he would go to National Guard Summer Camp or on a family vacation.   Jennifer and I had been married since 1995 and she has heard many stories and dreams of me owning a farm. 

Saturday, February 7th, 2009 we went to the flea market in Collinsville, AL where they have a large section for livestock.  I started very small, with the purchase of 8 Rhode Island Red chicks, and a small cage to house them.  Being afraid of failure, I had spent many hours reading and studying how to properly take care of chickens.  I wanted my farm to be a success and research is the way I had planned to be successful.  A year later I have now raised 2 turkeys, that were slaughtered for an amazing Thanksgiving Dinner.  I have about 40 chickens of various breeds, a couple of rabbits (pets), and a pot bellied pig (Christmas gift from my wife’s sister and husband). 

The next logical step was to now name our farm, as we realized this was working for us.  I have always had a true love for flowers, this started in early childhood while spending time with my great grandmother, Laura “Ninnie” Bevel as she had a green thumb.  She could take a dying plant from someone and in a matter of a few weeks have it revived and ready for you to take back.  My favorite of all flowers are roses; I can’t say a rose because there as soooooo are so many varieties and I love the most of them.  I currently have around 15 rose bushes around my home therefore the most logical name would include a rose as a title.  Our farm has been named “Rosebriar Farm”. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll enjoy your trip around the farm.