We’ve acquired quite a few animals at the Steigerwald farm. What started out as my dream has soon become the whole family’s enjoyment. My husband has grown fond of the personalities and fun that animals bring.
It’s ironic, I grew up on a farm with a lot of land. However, I never thought I’d want the lifestyle for myself. As I get older though, I find myself clamoring for the simple life that raising animals brings to a family. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still flitting to and fro for activities, and Jim and I still work full-time outside of the house – but the barn and animals ground us. As I said before, it gives our family purpose. It also gives us work. Work is good for the mind and the soul. I believe that the drive and work ethic that I have as an adult can only be attributed to living on a farm. I understood at a young age that world was bigger than me. Tending the animals taught me that – I was depended on. I was a big component to their care and the family farm’s success. I aspire to pass along those traits to my girls.
Here’s a pic of our barnyard right now. Wilma and Lulu are the donkeys. Then there’s Tuck, Mose, Benny and the twin Dwarf Nigerians Cookie & Cream.
This is Foghorn and his ladies. They each have names, but it would take a lot of time to go through them. The chickens are free range. They spend their days scratching and pursuing all the yummy bugs and worms that the land provides. Right now, we get about 7 eggs a day. We have a few young ones who have yet to start producing. We also have a few older ones that are around because they’re part of the family. The chickens are supplemented with organic, non-GMO layer crumble.
We also have some meat chickens, but they are down near the house. They’ll be heading out in a couple of weeks. We call them, “Those that shall not be named.”
These four hang out together a lot. We’ve nicknamed their elite club the choir girls! 
