Male? Female? I am confused...

The farm has been growing lately. 

Newest additions include a beautiful male crested duck, a goose (still don't know if it is male or female), 2 Americana roosters, a new bee hive for Jacob, 2 chicks our Muscovy duck just hatched (she was broody so we took a risk and gave her some chicken eggs... dogs got 6 of them, 2 hatched and 1... well we are still waiting!) and a black and red silkie hen.

Or at least we thought she was a hen.  We were told she was a hen, she acted like a hen... until this morning when she crowed like rooster!  We love silkies, but we already have 2 silkie roosters and only 1 silkie hen (Snowball, Chloe's pride and joy).  So we are just waiting to see if this is just a confused hen, or a small rooster!

Now this isn't the first chicken that we currently have that has some confusing sexual orientation. We have this little banty hen who has laid eggs and just all of a sudden started crowing like a rooster. 

I don't know if it is something in the water or what, but this is just throwing me off!

And then to add to that confusion, our black barn cat, Bomb who we were told was a fixed male (yes I never checked, but should have!) is a female... and not only is she a female but she is a pregnant female!  So, soon we will have some barn kittens for you all!  And then it is off to WeSnip or someone to get these cats under control. 

Jacob's guineas are growing like crazy and getting louder by the day.  Pretty soon he is going to have to start finding some homes for some of them. 

The goose, named Goose for now, is really something fun to watch!  It is friendly with the kids, and really runs the roost with the ducks.  Hopefully it will be a female and we can have eggs and babies next spring.  (Yeah, I am going to have to talk bee-keeper Greg into another goose!)

Our pigs are growing beautifully. Bullet, the male, is shorter and stockier; while Petunia, our female, is longer and leaner... Should be a beautiful sow! 

We are knee high in squash, peas and I guess now beans!  The garden for the first time ever is feeling under control.  And now the busy time starts preserving all this beautiful produce.

One thing I prayed for when we started up our little homesteading farm, was that it would be used as a ministry.  I was thinking we would have plenty of eggs, meat, produce, and such to share with those in need.  Well of course my plans are not always what God has in store for us.  I am seeing more and more, the ministry is with the fellow farmers that we are coming in contact with.  Whether it is helping them out, receiving help or just chatting and exchanging knowledge (or what we think is knowledge) it is the contact with our fellow farmers.  And it has been great!  We just live out our lives, give God all the credit and share Him through our actions and words.  We have been blessed by our fellow farmers, and in turn can bless others.  It has just been another reminder of God's will being done, not mine.