Our World- The Beginning- Feathers Plus Micro Farm
I wanted to take a moment to personally welcome every one of you to our website and our journey. Our hardships, our smiles, and our laughter we have had to get here. Friends and family pulled together to help us out from time to time and we want to thank you with the heart and passion we have inside. Thank you, we couldn't have done it alone.
My passion for birds started at an early age, I loved the outdoors and being in the woods. Couldn't get the fishing pole out of that kid's hands. Nor the camera taking photos of wildlife around me as I grew older. However, it wasn't till 2014 I got my first chicken. Then I had 42 of them under the deck of my home in no time. I built a gated closed run down there and managed to build a coop off to the side of the deck I covered with scrap wood and tin I pulled off a roof of a job that sliced my leg open. It changed my life. I fell in love with our feathered friends and started a Facebook page called Feathers Plus in 2016. Some of you may have seen it. Good days back then, I learned a lot about rare chicken breeds and their beauty. I was hooked.
In the Spring of 2022, We decided it was time to start our dream. So we bought a few acres and a used coop on a dense untouched wooded rocky hill in the Lake of the Ozark foothills. My ear-to-ear grin soon became just a grin, with teeth ground to a pulp and a massive amount of blood donation, 2 years later we are still growing. Just not my wallet sadly enough. Seems like something always runs by and pickpockets me. However, I think it is self-inflicted, but, that is another story in itself.
What a journey. The first year moving onto the property had torrential rains, mud-caked everywhere on everything, no water, no electricity. Even the solar system was non-usable because the light coming through the trees stopped in its tracks at the canopy. It was dense and thick.
So we moved in. Nothing like a smile. Here is our story so far... Wait a minute where's my wallet? Ok, just wanted to make sure it was still there.
The first Smile - 04-20-2022 - Closing Day
Day 1 on our Micro Farm
After planting our flag in the ground temporarily and enlisting the help of the neighbor whom we just met briefly, we finally managed to get the camper up the steep road onto the lot with the help of Mr.STILH, a new best friend of mine. It was a success! Until we realized we had broken the septic pipes below when backing it in. What a flavorful event. But we are home. The 6 month wait for closing with cash had ended. Our new Home Sweet Home.
Our New Solar System was a Bust! Duh!
Realizing our new solar system was very short-lived I called the Electric Company. After a month on hold with our regular representative who had quit and told no one, we contacted another representative who got us squared away a few weeks later after I installed the underground feed and the Meter panel. What a blessing. 2 months of torrential rainfall, charging batteries, hauling in water, and power on my birthday was a gift in itself. Home seems to brighten by the inch.
After a little elbow grease and a little fuel ran through the saw we installed our storage buildings and had the well installed. I was so excited taking that first drink, I forgot about the chlorine tablets that were dropped in the hole just before the water came flowing out. But it tasted good on my lips on that 53rd birthday. I felt like I won the lottery, smiling like a kid who had no idea what was ahead. Gives another meaning to pushing past the threshold of pain I soon learned. However, I was up for the battle. Another inch in the right direction and life seemed to be that much better on our new Micro Farm.
Water!
After a few months and a lot of digging with the rental, I managed to install most of the main water lines to each zone on the property minus the main house and the lower property. Having water out to the coop and the gardens that are slowly taking shape is so wonderful. Remember Mr. Pickpocket? Well, he showed up with the hoses and everything with it. But I did my dance, it didn't work... He still picked my pocket. I love that guy. My first water manifold. Be nice.
My baby Girls Arrived!
June 3, 2022
Feathers Plus has officially started and the days ahead won't feel as long. At least I thought that for a moment. But the days were always rewarding, as I bit my lip without drawing blood on that comment.
It is our very first batch of chicks here on the farm. We ordered them from a nearby Hatchery. We drove eagerly like a kid all the way there. These were my birthday gifts that day. What a perfect gift for myself I thought. Here I am like a proud father with his first child talking to them with that baby voice within. You know it! It just poured out that way, couldn't help it.
The journey begins again with these furry little feathered friends to be. We love them! Below are a few photos I hope you enjoy.
Septic? No Problem
November 2022
What a beautiful week this was with the 12,000 lb excavator I leased to remove trees/stumps I felled and cleared through the months leading up for the new septic system. I was proud of the $1,000 spent on fuel for 8 days to get the drain field trenches ready and shape the property for the new cabin going in. I had just finished installing the tank when a storm blew in that evening and popped the tank out of the ground. My bad, it was my first. Well, that next morning after the storm and several hours later I had it dug back in and the system installed. Now to roll over it with a cabin, let ya know how that turned out later. But first, here are some photos of the installation.
If you can run an excavator, you can install a functional septic system yourself with a little research. Just remember, trees in this instance are not your friend.
