Caring for Hound Dogs

Hound dogs

TREEING WALKER: incredibly perfect for our farm - it turns out coon hounds are prevalent in the history of our Valley.  Unexpectedly,  my first one was a stray who plopped itself in our backyard curling up to sleep!  I named him "Lucky" because, of course any animal in our care is very lucky!  We run them regularly, give them lots of food to match their limitless appetite, and understand that sometimes they catch wild animals - and that is part of their nature as natural hunting dogs.  Treeing Walker hounds are bred to hunt racoon and fox hunts for the elusive fox. They are fast, Spot shown on the left is so adept at hunting, and BoBo on the right will track any scent.  But most of all they are playful,  quick to please, and alert to their environment.  All of my dogs get along with cats but this takes supervised introduction.

The main consideration for keeping these dogs is open space.  There is no substitute for letting them run.  I don't allow them to make noise - but they have a lovely howl - which they synchronize for my benefit when they want something.  Kept indoors at night - so that the moon and nocturnal creatures do not set them off.   These are big dogs - 75 lbs - feed is expensive.  We house 5-7 dogs at any given time.  We rescue stray dogs voluntarily - treeing walker hounds, in particular.  BLOODHOUNDS - This dog is another adoptee to help a friend.  We are building our reputation as a great home for dogs that need a new one.  This is a magnificent breed, but extremely large -  one leap is  pretty far!  They are known for search and rescue, trailing work.  It would be great to train this dog for such honorable work but I am not sure where to squeeze in that time!

Caring for Horses - Feet

Our farrier trims the horses feet quarterly and compliments the health of their hoofs each time.  Stable hygiene and regular hoof care are part of our regimen.  This includes mucking the stalls, of course, but I also do some things that I do not see being done for other horses nearby.  I never let the horses stand in adverse weather conditions for prolonged periods.   I care for them at least 3 times a day, so if it is raining or snowing, or anything that would make them uncomfortable, I mix it up - bring them back in to their stalls, or move them from pasture to corral, and even move them from one corral to the other.  Some people have a set schedule whereby their horses are out for these 10 or 12 hours and that does not change based on adverse conditions.  I don't understand this because no one wants to stand in water for long periods of time and  at times our grass and dirt is just too muddy to stand in!  We keep the stalls very clean and put down wood shavings to absorb wetness.  Our stalls are very big so their is ample room for them to do their business off to one side.  They choose the very back of our 12'x14' sized stalls.  They eat in the very front.  And each horse picks a different side to lay down.

Some of the routine maintenance for a horse that is not shoed is as follows.  Have good clean ground for them to stand on - this includes the pasture, the dirt corral, and the run in or stalls.  If there is rain or snow or ice, the conditions that can be tough on hooves, move the horses to the drier areas.  If the ground is always dry, like in the heat of the summer, create a muddy spot near the water trough, for example, for the horses to step in.  Balance, as always, is key.  If horses get a condition known as thrush, you may try an anti fungal and triple ointment to heal it before it causes lameness.  Remember these feet carry alot of weight - a typical horse at 1200 pounds!  So all of the prevention we do to keep those hooves healthy is very important.

I also pick out the feet frequently to check for stones or other debris that may get caught, and if kept there could migrate up the hoof wall causing infection - you don't want this.  Also, I always pick out their feet before riding as you do not want the extra weight on problems.  We do not shoe our horses since they are not worked often if at all.  They are here for our care and provide us with manure to compost for our fields.  I also enjoying giving pony rides to children as I experienced in my youth.  For riding lessons, I recommend a good stable nearby, where the trainer helped me to school my horses. But for horse care, I am very well learned, besides the books that I have read, I have twelve years experience and good fortune of healthy and happy horses!

Caring for Chickens

Posted by Murray McMurray hatchery - and duplicated here - we also found out from our chickfarm friends - that for hens to lay eggs, they need LIGHT! 1. Lighting Hens need 14 or more hours of daylight each day to lay well. During late fall and winter, particularly from October through February, they won’t receive that many hours of daylight naturally. You have a choice, you can either let them take a break from laying or provide additional lighting. 2. Stress Stress can cause your hens to stop laying. What causes them to have stress? Allowing them to get frightened or handled to much, letting them run out of food or water, moving them to a different pen or coop, or disrupting their pecking order can all cause stress. 3. Feed Laying hens need a balanced diet to lay well. Good quality layer feeds have the correct balance of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, calcium and other minerals. If you feed table scraps or scratch grains to your hens, you should use moderation so as not to upset the balance. 4. Water Chickens should always have access to clean water. In the winter, take precautions to make sure their water doesn’t freeze. 5. Diseases or Parasites Diseases or parasites can slow or stop laying. The Chicken Health Handbook (Damerow) is a good source of information on this topic. 6. Temperature Hens lay best when it’s not too cold or too hot. If possible, keep the temperature in their coop above 55° F in the winter. During the summer, provide plenty of shade and cool water. 7. Molting Chickens will molt about once a year and usually slow or stop laying eggs during that time. The molt will last from two to six months. 8. Age As your hens get older, they will lay less frequently. Usually, they lay best during their first and second year, then as they approach three years old, their laying will decrease. By the time they’re about five years old, they’ll only be laying about half as frequently as they did at their peak. Raising a new flock every few years is the best way to have an ongoing supply of home grown eggs. 9. Predators Predators such as skunks and snakes will eat eggs. Prevent this by gathering the eggs more frequently, and improve pens and housing as needed to keep the predators out.

ITALIAN FARMHOUSE FEASTS to Benefit Farm Kitchens

MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA  We use our brick oven to roll out a flavorful artisan Neopolitan style pizza. Call or email to inquire!  1.800.221.9755   Join our community supported agriculture to participate and learn how to make pizza!

Ambrosia Farms uses sustainable farming practices include heirloom vegetables and heritage breeds of duck and chicken, the finest horse hay in the area, and agritourism for folks who love country living~our animals are beautiful horses, hound dogs, cats, and Sannen dairy goats.  Farm Store for CSA members  stocks artisan products, Italian Farmhouse Specialties including brick oven pizza, amaretti cookies.

to sir with love...

"Honestly...Natural Northeast Family Farmed"

"Honestly... Natural Northeast Family Farmed"
Keeping Northeast Family Farms in NY Metro area Consciousness!

"There is so much lying going on out there and so little integrity and stretching of the truth - an honest label seems appropriate for our times." 

What our label represents -


As Advisors for Northeast Family Farms we advocate on their behalf - propelling consumers in the Metropolitan areas to connect with farmers in a wholesome way.

Northeast States of NY, NJ, PA, WV, VA, DL, MD, ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT

Consumers that buy directly from family farmers help them stay in business.  Family farmers preserve open space in rural areas, and provide nutritious food.

We provide farmers and consumers information and educational assistance in the creation and packaging of food products.  We schedule Educational workshops on American homesteading, artisan, and farming traditions for generations.


We preserve cultural and horticultural traditions linked to a specific region, ethnicity or traditional production practice.  Heirloom seeds are saved and exchanged.  Our products are produced in small batch processing centers.

We are Caregivers of Animals promoting Heritage Breeds

We are Protectors of Natural Ecosystems and Wildlife

We invite Agritourism through "Family Farm Week", farm picnics and festivals, and Featherdown Farm Days!

We go beyond the "organic" label supporting small instead of commercial and industrial feedlots.

Looking Forward to a New Year - Unloading our Burdens - Accepting the Good with the Bad

The Year 2010

Year in REVEIW
Hello New YEAR!
~ we enjoyed our year of agritourism - Featherdown 2010!
The company was featured in the following publications:
nytimes.com
thenydailynews.com
country living magazine
nycitymama.com
http://www.allaboutyou.com
http://www.facebook.com
http://www.springwise.com
wellandgoodnyc.com
www.farmstayus.com
www.shelterpop.com
thefamilytravelfiles.com
www.tripadvisor.com
www.concierge.com/
tastingtable.com
www.youtube.com/
sleepinthehay.com
blogs.villagevoice.com
wholelivingdaily.wholeliving.com
www.americantowns.com
nymag.com
traveltips.usatoday.com
www.redbookmag.com
lancasterfarming.blogspot.com
artful4home.info
farmstays.blogspot.com


Well -  that's not the whole story!  We met people from NYC, Wahington DC, Brittany, France, Amsterdam, Dutchess County, New Jersey North and Long Island, Connecticut, Texas, and all over the USA, and abroad!  Our farm is naturally home to many people, especially children.  Why?  Have you ever shown a child a running stream? running horses? Jumping goats? Happy hound dogs? Fresh food?  Fresh eggs?  Home made Brick oven Pizza.  We are a unique farm stay!
That is life on the farm!  Children just love it and we do too!


The Year 2009
Last Year in Review, Goodbye 2009, Hello New Year!

We welcomed featherdownfarmdays as part of our farm life, which includes being gracious hosts, making new friends, enjoying children, children enjoying our farm animals, and making brick oven pizza for everyone! This idea from Luite Moraal, his brilliant agritourism concept and facilities make camping and farm stays so much better! Thank you Luite!

We also welcomed 2 new goats, Sorrelina and Further, white Saneen breed from Switzerland. I can't say enough about what a wonderful addition these goats have been to Ambrosia Farms - they complete Ambrosia Farms.

We became part of The Bounty - an online farmers market for CNY - another introduction to your local farmers!

We adopted a dog. a black Chow Chow from a friend in need, renamed Magic, and 3 kittens from an adopted cat, renamed Blue Cloud. Caring for animals comes easiest to us, and sharing this great farm, and free animals into such a great and vast nature reserve, is rewarding. We try to live together in harmony with the peace and quiet of rural America, and the wildlife around us!

I started a new job to supplement our farm income - in health care - and I highly recommend anyone that needs more work - or is looking for a new occupation - consider joining the many dedicated professionals needed to care for the sick, post surgical patients, trauma patients, and the elderly - in a world where much of the work we do is frivolous - this industry is anything but!

Gene began his retirement from carpentry and framing, to farming full time! He is a master haymaker - of square bales and many customers feel that their horses only eat ours. The truth is that Gene's hay has much of the nutrients preserved and it is always green as the day it was cut. Gene is a wood turner and artisan - and I will show a seperate blog with some of the things he made this year and in the future available for sale. These include wood bowls - some for salads - and one of the biggest 48 inches round - I will post the photo of these when we get a camera...cupula, chicken coop, gate to FDF, cat loft. and much more!

Farmers Frozen Foods gets 2 more articles published! This is a company that will flourish in the years ahead, protect more farmland from development and drilling, and provide great food locally grown in the winter. I hope you support it at
http://www.natlnutrients.blogspot.com/
Thanks to those that already have joined our CSA membership.

Lastly, we have had numerous setbacks and personal losses. As we all have had over the years. As my cousin reports, we can be mush, like the carrot in boiling water; hard, like the egg in boiling water; or transforming, like the coffee bean in boiling water. So rather than lament the bad, let us try and show forebearance, compassion, and truthfulness in the New Year.

Best wishes to Everyone!