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Mini-Me

Mini-me sneaks into the shot..

Where’s Waldo? At first glance, you might be wondering why we have posted a picture here of our pig but if you look closely, you will notice “Mini-Me”, our miniature rooster, poking his head out from behind. This photo quintessentially captures his curious nature.  Perhaps plagued by a bit of a Napoleon complex, Mini-Me  has a commanding presence and has no problem competing for food handouts with the likes of Sassy and Half-Pint.  His lightening -speed ability to move from one end of the farm to the next, gives the illusion that we have an entire flock of miniatures when in fact it’s just Mini-Me policing the barnyard chaos.

Fluffy-Zsa Zsa-Liberace

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Fluffy-Zsa Zsa-Liberace

When this glamorous beast showed up at the farm, our volunteers were quick to come up with some names.   In the spirit of collaboration, both names, Fluffy and Zsa Zsa were kept.  When we realized “she” was in fact a rooster, a third name was added.

Redneck

Camera-shy

Named for the reddish-orange plumage around his neck, Redneck has taught us that cats aren’t the only animals with more than one life.  He’s a resilient little guy who has survived getting caught in a sub-zero wind storm last winter as well as two separate attacks by another rooster which left him blind in both eyes.   Despite what he’s been through, he has maintained his gentle and sweet disposition. He seems to have adapted well as he’s able to find his food and still enjoys exchanging crows with the other roosters.

Tina

We currently have four rabbits living at the farm- Hoppy, Midnight, Sugar and Big Brown.  Our rabbits live in their hutches outside during the warm weather months and are brought inside for the winter usually after Thanksgiving.

Big Brown

Hoppy

Sugar

Midnight

Sophie

Our peacock has been enjoying his spacious, new digs.  Thanks to the builders- Ray, Burt and Phil from the Northport Village Highway Department .  The new home features a cement floor beneath his bedding for easy cleanup, several perching features and an enclosed nesting area.  Well done!

Troop quintet creates a coop Cadets earn silver building henhouse at Lewis Oliver Farm

“They immediately said they wanted to do something for the farm,” she said. The troop contacted Friends of the Farm around the time the town and county bought the property, and started attending the group’s monthly meetings. “They asked what was on their wish list. The first thing they asked for was a chicken coop,” she added.

New to the chicken coop craft, the five scouts toured the Hoyt Farm in Smithtown to study the intricacies of good coop design with troop co-leader Laura Cocchi and Oblak’s husband, Jim Gavin, a carpenter.

“The girls sketched up what they saw” and brought their designs to the next meeting, Oblak explained. Professional Engineer and Friends of the Farm member Roy Erlandson drew up architectural plans.

With monies the girls raised soliciting local donations, Jim Gavin bought the lumber and other supplies. The project got underway in October 2007, after the sale of the farm went through, and was completed by the end of the school year.

“They did everything but cut the lumber,” Oblak said. “They raised the wall, they pounded the nails, measured everything. [Gavin] showed them how to do everything and then they did it themselves.”

The 10-foot long, 6-foot deep henhouse with a roof sloping from 12 feet to 10, has two front windows with screens for ventilation, a door on the side for human use, two poles for the chickens to roost on, and a little door through which the chickens come and go.

Sandy Nieri, Lexie’s mom, said it was great to see a group of friends work so closely together throughout the project. “These kids grew up going there as babies so it was really neat,” she said.

Lexie added, “It was very time consuming.” Even with lots of guidance from Jim Gavin, the girls did all the work.

Julia Cocchi, 13, of Northport, said the work was fun and “it was a good thing to do for community service.”

Alivia Cocchi, her 15-year-old sister, said, “The chickens needed a home because they were just using makeshift coops. It was nice that they have a home and that they’re not running around just anywhere.”

Katie Gavin, almost 15 years old, said, “I think it came out really good. I’ve heard that raccoons had sometimes gotten to the baby chicks and I’m really glad that’s not happening anymore.”

Until the new peacock cage is completed by non-scout builders, Veitch said the ducks and turkey will continue to stay cooped up with the chickens.

Thanks to the scouts’ handiwork, the hens and their egg production are now kept separate from the roosters, a much-desired state of affairs. “It’s nice to see everything get moved forward at the farm,” Veitch said.