Finding a Feed Freezer - You never know what you're going to need on the farm

Since I am still relatively new to farming, I never know what supplies I need until I need them.
To help me learn more about all things farm and gain experience to, one day, own horses, I volunteer from time to time out at Reins to Recovery Therapeutic Riding Center. The first time I was in their barn (a couple of years ago), I couldn’t quite figure out why they had a full size freezer in their stable area.
Being very naïve at the time, I figured it was because they needed storage for vaccines, etc. for the horses.
Then during a Saturday feeding, another volunteer who was with me offered to corral the herd into the feeding area and I offered to fill the feed buckets. Easy, right?
I walked into the barn and start searching for either feed bags or something that was, what I thought, a traditional animal feed storage bin. Nothing. I continued my search - hoping that somehow horse feed would materialize before the other volunteer, a gal who was well seasoned in all things equestrian, thought I was completely incompetent.
After several minutes, the other gal had walked back into the barn and asked where the filled buckets were. I replied incredulously, “I don’t know where the feed is – they must be out.”
I really think I could have heard the eye-roll of the other gal, but she smiled gently as she walked towards me.
You long-time farming folk out there are most like snickering by now because you know the secret to storing animal feed without having mice and other rodents get into it.
You guessed, it, an old freezer.
The other gal lifted the lid to the freezer and instead of ice crystals, I saw a large amount of feed that covered almost half the interior of the freezer. A freezer that had long passed its electric life and now was used to protect the expensive feed from rodents and anything that would be lurking for a free meal in the barn.
It makes perfect sense - it's big, made of steel and/or aluminum and seals like any other expensive storage container. You can fit multiple bags of feed at a time in it so there is no chance that other bags that haven't been opened yet can be gnawed.
Reins to Recovery identifies all of their folks associated with the facility as their "Barn Family" and I love that shortly after my snafu with the barn freezer, I started getting advice that I needed to get a used, no longer working, freezer for my chickens' feed.
I put the ask on Facebook one Saturday afternoon and it's amazing how many folks are clamoring to unload a freezer on an unsuspecting, still somewhat, green farmer. Some didn't understand that the freezer was not going to be used to keep anything cold and others didn't understand that I really didn't need a body-size freezer in my small barn.
I have a flock of under a hundred chickens - I'm not going to be purchasing a pallet of feed anytime soon.
I did finally find an appliance that will serve my needs quite well and I'm anxious to try it out. Between the pseudo barn cat (that's a story for another day), the traps, and this new freezer - I should not have much problem controlling freeloading rodents.
Had you told me years ago that I would need a non-working freezer for my barn I would have absolutely laughed at you. Now, I realize I can't live without it.

Small Town Chick at Our Library

Miracles happen daily at our local library. Kids, and adults, learn to read, discover things they've never seen before through events and activities, have access to computers and mobile hotspots for check-out, grab the latest titles of books, read newspapers, take classes that are almost always free, the list goes on and on. 

Recently, a miracle happened that involved the staff in the Children's Department at the Jackson County Public Library (JCPL), Seymour location. 

About three weeks ago, I brought five chicken eggs and an incubator to the library with a few directions to keep the humidity at 60%-65%, and the temperature around 98°F. My contacts were Children's Services Assistants Nikki Axsom, and Jason White, to take charge of the incubation for the next 21 days. 

I saw the concern in both Nikki and Jason's eyes as they listened to me ramble on about how to make sure everything was optimal for the eggs. I knew they would do a great job, but in the days that followed I was overwhelmed with gratitude for their willingness to train everyone in their department along with their Head of Youth Services, Lola Snyder, on how to care for these eggs. 

Every day I enjoyed getting messages from the team asking if the temperature was ok, if the humidity was ok when it dropped, and any other concern that they had. I discovered that the staff were researching, reading, and gleaning any information available that they could share with the many children that enter the department each day. 

As time continued, it was discovered that only one egg had been fertilized and was developing. That put the pressure on that the one remaining egg just HAD to hatch. 

When Day 21 of incubation arrived, I received messages early in the day that the chick hadn't pipped yet (that is breaking through the shell) and great concern held heavy over the department that all of their hard work may not result in a live chick. I was hopeful, but starting to get a bit discouraged as well. Would it not make it?

Later in the day however, I received a text message from Nikki stating "It Pipped!" along with a photo to show the tiny break in the shell. A few hours later and a tiny silkie/cochin chick emerged in the late hours of the evening with no one to witness it except a camera that the Children's Department had set up to catch the event. 

I received a message from JCPL's Maintenance Specialist, Ron Duncan, around 7:30am the next morning as I was getting ready for work with a photo attached saying "It has hatched." I beemed - they had all learned something from this experience. 

When I got to the library a short time later, the staff seemed to be filled with pride that this little creature had blessed their world. I'm so happy that they were able to learn a new appreciation for something so many of us in the rural world see every day. 

If you have the opportunity, you'll have to check out the story of the little chick on the JCPL's Facebook page. The staff even got together and picked out a name for the baby - Fin (or Finley). I just love SeymOURtown!