Pickin’ Chickens!!!

Today we decided to get our “chickens in a row” and pick the chickens we want to add to our flock of Rhode Island Reds. We fell in love with Rachel, the red frizzled cochin from Kathy, The Chicken Chick!  So we knew one of the breeds we were adding would be frizzled bantam cochin!  (Note this is a long article, so I have chosen to use the “read more” tab below in order to shorten the articles on the home page… so if you are interested, please be sure to click the “read more” button right below the share buttons for the various social media sites).  See what a lovely lady little Rachel is:  

Our current coop / pen combinations severely restrict our options for adding chickens.  The way the coop and pens are laid out now, we can only prevent two breeds from mingling.  Therefore, we decided to go with all bantam / cochins.  We ordered them from a new hatchery we found Welp, Inc.  They have been in business since 1929, so they are certainly not a “new business” just new to us!  We will provide a review of this hatchery once we receive the chicks (they will not ship out until 4/9).  Below are pictures of the chickens we ended up pickin’ today:

White Frizzle Bantam Cochin

Barred Cochin Bantam

Blue Cochin Bantam

These chicken additions will bring Son #2’s “practical life lessons” to a whole new level!  For those reading who are not familiar with a Montessori education, the traditional work of the family is referred to in Montessori as “practical life work”.  It is the single most important area of an education for life per Michael Olaf.  We are taking his thought one step further and are now applying this practical life education to children in middle school.  

Middle schoolers are eager to differentiate themselves from younger students.  They are hungry for adult activities.  Starting and running a business is a very healthy avenue to focus that energy.  Our #2 son’s business will focus on selling eggs at the local farmer’s markets, selling fertilized eggs for hatching and selling live baby chicks.  In addition to the “income” aspects of his business, chickens are an integral part of any permaculture landscape.  They are the compost manufacturing center!!!  Not only are the chickens producers of eggs and chicks, but they are producers of the fertilizer used in the permaculture garden!  The business of raising chickens will play a vital role in the future of Live and Learn Farm!  And, #2 son is an animal lover, so we are really focusing on his passions and helping him develop those interests!

You see, Practical Life experiences of a Montessori-style education are the fundamental foundation of our vision for Live and Learn Farm.  We want to help our children start zeroing in on what they really enjoy doing in life.  This serves not only to give them a safe and productive avenue to focus on, it helps them to start identifying their potential future careers.  After all, if you love what you do for a living, it doesn’t feel like work!  I pray our children are never lured into the whole rat-race system of chasing material junk as a measuring stick to determine their level of success!  We, as parents, have to teach our children what is important to our Father in Heaven in order to have their priorities straight now.  Remember, we are commanded to teach them diligently!  

Until next time…  

Deu 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Deu 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deu 6:6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. Deu 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deu 6:8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Deu 6:9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

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Trish Corlew

Founder and Author at Live and Learn Farm

Trish has been married to her best friend, David, for 16 years and they have three sons (aged 13, 12 and 9). Trish is from the coast of North Carolina, but they now live in rural West Tennessee on a 40+ acre farm. She has been homeschooling since 2009 and her homeschool style leans towards a Montessori approach with a heavy emphasis on hands-on learning. They also own a small business that Trish runs from home. Trish’s family is Messianic and they love studying the Scriptures, learning Hebrew and growing in their faith and walk daily. In her spare time, Trish loves to write, work in their garden and can regularly be found trying to learn something new, modeling that learning is indeed a life-long endeavor!

Latest posts by Trish Corlew (see all)

• 10 Fun and Educational Preschool Board Games - April 25, 2015
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• Middle and High School August LinkUp #24 - August 5, 2014
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• The New Chapter – Day 1 with Free Printable - June 20, 2014