(Scientific Name: Sceloporus undulates) This is an eastern fence lizard. He is one of the critters we see at our homestead, and I was finally able to video and take pictures of one, so I wanted to share. Usually they are not into being photographed, but this guy was a ham about it. I actually think he was enjoying the limelight. Eastern fence lizards grow to about 4-7 inches in length. They like open habitats within the forest areas such as rock slides, clear cuts, rocky outcrops near water, and quarry faces. They are gray to brown in color and have rough scales that overlap. The females are grayer in color with wavy black marks. The males are more brownish with blue patches down their sides. I think this one is a male because I spied some blue on him. For more information: https://www.paherps.com/herps/lizards-skinks/fence_lizard/ LINKS: If you enjoy our content or just want to send us a message, please sign up for our EMAIL list. Here’s the link: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/email-signup-pioneer-mountain-homestead/ Our website is: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/ Our social media links: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/about/ Other information: Pioneer Mountain Homestead 16477 Sharman Lane James Creek, PA 16657 814-505-6426 "Embracing Everything Farm and Forest" #pioneermountainhomestead #pmhomestead #raystownfarm #raystownfarms #raystown #pennsylvania #lakeraystownregion #easternfencelizard #fencelizard #lizard

Please be sure your chimney is clean and sound before burning your wood stove or fireplace this season. #pioneermountainhomestead #pmhwood #chimneycleaning #chimney #chimneysweep

White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) This fawn was hiding in a field at the homestead. It was so still and quiet that we were not exactly sure what the brown spot was until we were upon it. White-tailed fawns are born with reddish-brown coats with white spots which provide camouflage. Fawns lose their spots by the fall season. Fawns bleat to call their mother. The bond between a fawn and mother is very strong, and typically a mother doe will not abandon her fawn. The doe will, however, leave the fawn alone for periods of time especially during the first three weeks of its life. The doe will hide the fawn in secluded areas and return to nurse. Touching a fawn will not cause the doe to reject the fawn (although it is not recommended). The fawn has very little odor which helps in keeping the fawn hidden. After about three weeks the fawn will be strong enough to keep up with the mother and will travel with her. A fawn will remain with the mother for about a year, or longer if the fawn is a doe. More information: https://www.pgc.pa.gov/Education/WildlifeNotesIndex/Pages/White-tailedDeer.aspx LINKS: If you enjoy our content or just want to send us a message, please sign up for our EMAIL list. Here’s the link: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/email-signup-pioneer-mountain-homestead/ Our website is: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/ Our social media links: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/about/ Other information: Pioneer Mountain Homestead 16477 Sharman Lane James Creek, PA 16657 814-505-6426 "Embracing Everything Farm and Forest" #pioneermountainhomestead #pmhomestead #raystown #pennsylvania #lakeraystownregion #whitetaileddeer #deer #fawn

Too Many Eggs? If you have chickens, you know how the eggs start to pile up in the spring and summer. Then when winter comes and the girls stop laying, you are left with no eggs. Well, here’s something that might help you. Over the spring and summer when we have extra eggs that cannot be sold, we freeze the extra. Here’s how we do it: 1. Crack open the eggs. 2. Scramble the eggs (we do not recommend freezing them whole). 3. Place one egg’s worth of liquid in each pocket of your silicone tray. 4. Freeze the eggs. 5. Pop the eggs from the silicone tray. 6. Store eggs in a freezer bag. One frozen disc will equal one egg. 7. Thaw before using. We have done this with chicken and with duck eggs. Why do chickens stop laying eggs? For our followers that don’t raise chickens, you may not realize that chickens do not lay eggs (or lay a reduced amount of eggs) in the winter. The reason is that chickens lay eggs primarily based on daylight hours. The spring, summer, and early fall seasons have more daylight hours than the winter. It is estimated that a chicken needs about 14 hours of daylight to produce eggs. Some farmers will add artificial light to increase egg production in the winter. At our farm, we currently do not add additional light for two reasons. First, to light an area costs money and the margins on eggs are not significant enough for us to justify lighting at the current time. Second, we feel that giving the chickens a break is needed for their health. We can’t back this with science, but hey, we all need a small break once in a while! Why can’t you sell the extra eggs? As a small egg processor in the State of Pennsylvania, we are required to follow the State Code when selling eggs from the farm. This includes rules on the number of hens we keep, the radius of our market, and the number of days we have to sell the eggs. Eggs have a shelf life that exceeds the number of days we have to sell the eggs, so if we didn’t sell our eggs in the time allotted, they are no longer “salable” eggs to the public. These “old” eggs serve no other purpose on the market and therefore either get used by us or fed to the animals (ask our farm dogs and stray cats who hope we never sell another egg! They love them! Ha ha). LINKS: If you enjoy our content or just want to send us a message, please sign up for our EMAIL list. Here’s the link: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/email-signup-pioneer-mountain-homestead/ Our website is: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/ Our social media links: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/about/ Related products: Silicone tray link: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/silicone-treat-mold/ To purchase our eggs: https://www.pioneermountainhomestead.com/home/homestead-and-farming/ Other information: Pioneer Mountain Homestead 16477 Sharman Lane James Creek, PA 16657 814-505-6426 "Embracing Everything Farm and Forest" #pioneermountainhomestead #raystownfarms #raystownfarm #pmhomestead #farmfresheggs #freerangehens #freerangeeggs #freerange #chickens #eggsforsale #chickeneggs #eggs #eggstraordinary #chickenmama #eggseggseggs #eggseveryday