The hens just love this little patch of green and nibbling in it keeps their yolks dark orange and tasty (unlike those sad pale store eggs). Maybe we need to plan an accidental wheat pasture every year!
Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts
Friday, January 27, 2012
The best wheat pasture in town...
I do believe that I accidentally discovered a great way to cultivate a wheat pasture! My girls had a little sunflower house in this spot so I scattered some wheat hay for them to make it more cozy. As temperatures cooled, beautiful dark green wheat began growing.
The hens just love this little patch of green and nibbling in it keeps their yolks dark orange and tasty (unlike those sad pale store eggs). Maybe we need to plan an accidental wheat pasture every year!
The hens just love this little patch of green and nibbling in it keeps their yolks dark orange and tasty (unlike those sad pale store eggs). Maybe we need to plan an accidental wheat pasture every year!
Monday, November 7, 2011
News from the Coop!
We have exciting news! After a long run of bad chicken luck and a short break from birds, we went to a local farm and picked out two brand new healthy, happy hens for the hen house! I can honestly say that we have learned how valuable these ladies are to the homestead over the past few months of eggless existence. We bought local eggs, but it wasn't the same.
There's something quite wonderful about walking out to gather eggs, greeting the hens and stroking their lovely feathers, and cracking open a fresh egg with a rich orange yolk, laid just hours before. We know our hens are happy, that they can munch on grasshoppers and green grass all day long, they spend their mornings scratching through a pile of hay nibbling the grains. Hearing them coo to each other while they peck along the dirt is so calming. We've just missed having them around so much!
Meet Beetle, our lovely Black Australorp, named for her iridescent feathers and Feathered Friend, our Columbian Wyandotte, named by the 7-year-old. Beetle seemed happy with her new diggs...she laid a gigantic brown egg just one hour after arriving here at the OAH.
There's something quite wonderful about walking out to gather eggs, greeting the hens and stroking their lovely feathers, and cracking open a fresh egg with a rich orange yolk, laid just hours before. We know our hens are happy, that they can munch on grasshoppers and green grass all day long, they spend their mornings scratching through a pile of hay nibbling the grains. Hearing them coo to each other while they peck along the dirt is so calming. We've just missed having them around so much!
Meet Beetle, our lovely Black Australorp, named for her iridescent feathers and Feathered Friend, our Columbian Wyandotte, named by the 7-year-old. Beetle seemed happy with her new diggs...she laid a gigantic brown egg just one hour after arriving here at the OAH.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Winter Gardening
Isn't it funny how temperature is somewhat relative? Today our high was 51 degrees and oddly, it felt wonderful outside! Homestead Man and I headed out in hoodies and layered long sleeve shirts, but before we were done we had both shed all but the last shirt and shoved the sleeves up past our elbows. Now, in the summertime, I'd step out to a 51 degree evening and say, "Brrrr...I'd better run back inside and grab a sweatshirt!"
Anyway, back to the gardening bit. I originally was heading straight for the coop to let the hens out then to beeline right back into the warm house, but along the way I noticed that I could still feel my hands...in fact, the sun felt pretty amazing. I thought I'd hook the garden hose up and water the trees real quickly. Then I remembered that I'd meant to slowly but surely begin shoveling the straw from the hen house around my fruit trees to give them a boost for spring. After cleaning out half of the coop, I thought of the pile of rock we'd rescued from a demolition site in our hometown so I popped my head in the back door & "invited" Homestead Man to come out and help me move the boulders to the backyard to create a new flowerbed around the backside of the kiddos' sandbox. While we were shuffling rocks about, my youngest joined us outside and pulled up some of last summers' dried up sunflowers and added them to the burn pile and the hens were busy at work stirring compost and cleaning up the last of the tomatoes that had fallen. Whew! Before I knew it, one thing had led to another and we'd accomplished quite a bit of winter gardening!
Just goes to show what can happen when you take advantage of one nice January day, doesn't it?
I love to visit the backyard in the winter and imagine what it will look like this year. When we moved into this house, the "yard" was just clay...no grass...no trees, absolutely nothing. Each year the trees grow, the bushes thicken, and we add more garden beds. It's so much fun to see the plants mature and to hope that this will be the year of the bumper crop of blackberries, or that the blueberries will make it past June this time. Every year we learn and adjust as the yard turns into our own little Eden. Here's a pic of our veggie garden last May:
I can't wait to see what it will look like this summer! I know every little bit that we get done on these nice winter days will help make this growing season that much better! So, tell me...what kind of winter gardening have you been doing? I'd love to hear tips about how to make the best of our off-season!
Anyway, back to the gardening bit. I originally was heading straight for the coop to let the hens out then to beeline right back into the warm house, but along the way I noticed that I could still feel my hands...in fact, the sun felt pretty amazing. I thought I'd hook the garden hose up and water the trees real quickly. Then I remembered that I'd meant to slowly but surely begin shoveling the straw from the hen house around my fruit trees to give them a boost for spring. After cleaning out half of the coop, I thought of the pile of rock we'd rescued from a demolition site in our hometown so I popped my head in the back door & "invited" Homestead Man to come out and help me move the boulders to the backyard to create a new flowerbed around the backside of the kiddos' sandbox. While we were shuffling rocks about, my youngest joined us outside and pulled up some of last summers' dried up sunflowers and added them to the burn pile and the hens were busy at work stirring compost and cleaning up the last of the tomatoes that had fallen. Whew! Before I knew it, one thing had led to another and we'd accomplished quite a bit of winter gardening!
Just goes to show what can happen when you take advantage of one nice January day, doesn't it?
I love to visit the backyard in the winter and imagine what it will look like this year. When we moved into this house, the "yard" was just clay...no grass...no trees, absolutely nothing. Each year the trees grow, the bushes thicken, and we add more garden beds. It's so much fun to see the plants mature and to hope that this will be the year of the bumper crop of blackberries, or that the blueberries will make it past June this time. Every year we learn and adjust as the yard turns into our own little Eden. Here's a pic of our veggie garden last May:
I can't wait to see what it will look like this summer! I know every little bit that we get done on these nice winter days will help make this growing season that much better! So, tell me...what kind of winter gardening have you been doing? I'd love to hear tips about how to make the best of our off-season!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Planting Peas & Finding Eggs...Spring is Coming!!
We planted Alaska Peas today in the garden. I've not planted them before, but here's what Victory Seeds has to say about them:
Alaska (Earliest of All)
55 days — This variety was introduced in 1881 in England as 'Earliest of All', by pea breeder Thomas Laxton. A cross of 'Ringleader' and 'Little Gem', it became the parent of many subsequent varieties. First offered in the United States in 1882 by James J. H. Gregory and was in several seed catalogs by 1883. It seems that it was renamed in 1884 by A. B. Cleveland of Cape Vincent, New York and given away as a premium for subscriptions to the periodical The Rural New Yorker. The name stuck.
The plants are twenty four to thirty six inches tall and grow well in cool soils. There are typically five to eight smooth peas in each round pod. Classically used for canning or freezing, also fine fresh or dry (in eighty days) for soups. Not a super sweet variety. Seeds are smooth.
We also got a surprise in the chicken coop today...an egg!! We've been without fresh eggs all winter and seeing an egg in the nesting box was pure bliss! Don't let anyone tell you that fresh, homegrown eggs aren't better than the store ones...my 7-year-old said the store ones were a bit like rubber when scrambled one morning. We're very excited to see that our flock is back in business! It's also a sure sign that spring is on the way!
Alaska (Earliest of All)
55 days — This variety was introduced in 1881 in England as 'Earliest of All', by pea breeder Thomas Laxton. A cross of 'Ringleader' and 'Little Gem', it became the parent of many subsequent varieties. First offered in the United States in 1882 by James J. H. Gregory and was in several seed catalogs by 1883. It seems that it was renamed in 1884 by A. B. Cleveland of Cape Vincent, New York and given away as a premium for subscriptions to the periodical The Rural New Yorker. The name stuck.
The plants are twenty four to thirty six inches tall and grow well in cool soils. There are typically five to eight smooth peas in each round pod. Classically used for canning or freezing, also fine fresh or dry (in eighty days) for soups. Not a super sweet variety. Seeds are smooth.
We also got a surprise in the chicken coop today...an egg!! We've been without fresh eggs all winter and seeing an egg in the nesting box was pure bliss! Don't let anyone tell you that fresh, homegrown eggs aren't better than the store ones...my 7-year-old said the store ones were a bit like rubber when scrambled one morning. We're very excited to see that our flock is back in business! It's also a sure sign that spring is on the way!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Our cup runneth over...
More pickles today!! Squash pickles, cucumber pickles, and pickled okra.
When we got home from the land...we found FOUR eggs in the coop (one of which was a tiny egg), which means that Lucy has FINALLY come into production! I was beginning to think she'd never lay an egg. We were pretty ecstatic about that!
We also had an exciting development at the land (aside from me being bitten by red ants which stings like you wouldn't believe!). My dad came down to look at the place and he and Homestead Man started talking about barns...by the end of the day, dad had said he thought he had the materials just laying around his ranch and would be glad to see them put to good use and they'd drawn up plans!!! So, instead of saving up for several years to put a good barn out on the farm, it looks like we'll be able to build one out there this year, virtually for free!!
I am so thankful for the way blessings have been raining down on our household lately, and truly believe it is because of our new commitment to pay cash for purchases and pay off our debt. The Bible talks of how if we manage our money in a Godly way, He will return it to us in good measure, shaken down, and running over. That's exactly how He's blessed us lately!
When we got home from the land...we found FOUR eggs in the coop (one of which was a tiny egg), which means that Lucy has FINALLY come into production! I was beginning to think she'd never lay an egg. We were pretty ecstatic about that!
We also had an exciting development at the land (aside from me being bitten by red ants which stings like you wouldn't believe!). My dad came down to look at the place and he and Homestead Man started talking about barns...by the end of the day, dad had said he thought he had the materials just laying around his ranch and would be glad to see them put to good use and they'd drawn up plans!!! So, instead of saving up for several years to put a good barn out on the farm, it looks like we'll be able to build one out there this year, virtually for free!!
I am so thankful for the way blessings have been raining down on our household lately, and truly believe it is because of our new commitment to pay cash for purchases and pay off our debt. The Bible talks of how if we manage our money in a Godly way, He will return it to us in good measure, shaken down, and running over. That's exactly how He's blessed us lately!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Drumroll please...
Take a bow, Lucy!!
This is her latest trick...as soon as she's released from the coop, she runs over to this lawn furniture and practices balancing and walking from one end to the other.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Chickenie Goodness...
Lucinda...with her crazy comb-over comb!
Amelia...the alpha chicken with an attitude! (She's beautiful, though...isn't she?)
Our newest arrival...this is Abigail. She is bunking with the bunny right now so the other chickens can get used to having her in the coop, but they can't have access to her. (The bunny hutch is inside the chicken coop.) A friend gave her to us and I believe she is an Americauna...the ones people call "Easter Eggers." What do you guys think?
Amelia...the alpha chicken with an attitude! (She's beautiful, though...isn't she?)
Our newest arrival...this is Abigail. She is bunking with the bunny right now so the other chickens can get used to having her in the coop, but they can't have access to her. (The bunny hutch is inside the chicken coop.) A friend gave her to us and I believe she is an Americauna...the ones people call "Easter Eggers." What do you guys think?
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Super Size That, Please...
One of the hens is laying double yolked eggs! They're huge and scarcely fit in a large egg carton...what fun!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Some eggy goodness for you....
Just washing these up to cook with them and they looked so lovely...I had to share. We're now getting anywhere between one and three eggs a day...today only one tiny egg. It looks like three of the big girls are in production...the last one to lay will be Amelia, the one I thought would be first. Goes to show how much I know about chickens!!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Laverne Strikes Again!
After watching the chickens pretty closely this am, I have solved the mystery! Laverne is the egg layer! Laverne is one of our Rhode Island Reds...the larger of the two...(Shirley is the other one!). She was sitting inside the nesting pot (a large flower pot turned on its side...we're using it until we can build a proper nesting box) looking awfully suspicious then suddenly came out squawking and strutting around the coop like she was announcing something. I peeked inside the pot...and sure enough, there was an egg! Our second egg in as many days! It's a good sign for our layers!
For some reason, I expected our bossy hen, Amelia, to be the first to lay an egg. She's so round and fluffy and seemed to mature faster than the others. Perhaps she'll come on line in the next few days. So exciting! I just hope that we don't have anyone make a fuss about us having them as we're inside the city limits (got annexed in after we moved out here!). With an acre per house, they certainly shouldn't bother anyone. If any of you have had to "convince" neighbors of the benefits of backyard chickens, please pass along tips.
For some reason, I expected our bossy hen, Amelia, to be the first to lay an egg. She's so round and fluffy and seemed to mature faster than the others. Perhaps she'll come on line in the next few days. So exciting! I just hope that we don't have anyone make a fuss about us having them as we're inside the city limits (got annexed in after we moved out here!). With an acre per house, they certainly shouldn't bother anyone. If any of you have had to "convince" neighbors of the benefits of backyard chickens, please pass along tips.
Friday, June 26, 2009
PAY DAY!!!!!!
I'm such a proud chicken mama! Look what my girls left in the corner of the coop for me today!!!
If you've been reading here for long, you know that this is their first egg...and it's a loooong awaited development on the OAH! If our chickens are good producers, we should be getting around 3-5 eggs per day within a month or so! I can't tell you how excited I was to see that tiny egg laying in the coop!
The chickens are now free grazing in the morning and evening. They seem to prefer their coop in the heat of the afternoon. I've seen a huge decrease in the amount of chicken feed they're consuming since they've been allowed to graze (it took awhile for us to work up the trust level...I needed to know that they wouldn't destroy my garden and they'd return to the coop easily when needed).
If you've been reading here for long, you know that this is their first egg...and it's a loooong awaited development on the OAH! If our chickens are good producers, we should be getting around 3-5 eggs per day within a month or so! I can't tell you how excited I was to see that tiny egg laying in the coop!
The chickens are now free grazing in the morning and evening. They seem to prefer their coop in the heat of the afternoon. I've seen a huge decrease in the amount of chicken feed they're consuming since they've been allowed to graze (it took awhile for us to work up the trust level...I needed to know that they wouldn't destroy my garden and they'd return to the coop easily when needed).
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
One handful at a time....
Our blackberry bushes seem indestructible. They always look good, don't seem to have any pest problems, and just keep getting bigger. I really wish we'd planted more this spring, but now Atwoods is all out of them, so I'll just wait till next year.
Right now we're getting a handful of blackberries each morning and I'm keeping a bag in the freezer...just throwing them in a handful at a time. If any of you have wonderful blackberry recipes, please share them! I'm looking forward to these lovely berries becoming a bigger part of our summer diet every year!
Next time, I'll share a bit more about the ladies in the coop...stay tuned!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Holding pattern...
The weather has me in this frustrating holding pattern. We're expecting 29 degrees tonight and 26 degrees tomorrow night...followed by 85 degree highs on Wednesday. ACK!! Every few days I think..."Today's the day I'll plant the corn, beans, blackeyes, and squash." Then I check the 7 day forecast...and my plan is foiled!! I'm really thinking these next two nights will be the last freezes of the year and I plan to plant some seeds on Thursday.
The chickens keep growing and I've learned that they LOVE ripe bananas! I go out beside the compost pile each day to pull some of the beautiful green grass that grows around its edges (testimony to the power of compost!) and take it to their coop, along with any fruit & veggie scraps we have from a day's cooking and eating. Still working on them coming to me and enjoying my company, but I enjoy theirs! I love to watch them scratch around, fly up to their roost, and climb into the bunny hutch to steal her food. They really are entertaining.
I did end up getting a barred rock chick and she continues to grow inside...under the heat lamp. I'll put her out with her "sisters" when she is big enough to defend herself. She'll top off our flock nicely and maybe be a good 4-H showing hen for the big girl.
The chickens keep growing and I've learned that they LOVE ripe bananas! I go out beside the compost pile each day to pull some of the beautiful green grass that grows around its edges (testimony to the power of compost!) and take it to their coop, along with any fruit & veggie scraps we have from a day's cooking and eating. Still working on them coming to me and enjoying my company, but I enjoy theirs! I love to watch them scratch around, fly up to their roost, and climb into the bunny hutch to steal her food. They really are entertaining.
I did end up getting a barred rock chick and she continues to grow inside...under the heat lamp. I'll put her out with her "sisters" when she is big enough to defend herself. She'll top off our flock nicely and maybe be a good 4-H showing hen for the big girl.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Chicken Coop...Need Advice...
We are pleased to present...the new chicken coop! It was made with tin salvaged from Granny and Grandpa's house when it was torn down and one of the salvaged wooden screen doors from the house. Dad kept the details secret, but he (and some of his friends) welded the frame so that it would "last forever." The metal frame is painted brown. It still needs a bit of work...I have to finish tying in the chicken wire on the top, create an enclosure inside the tin shelter area, and do some paintin' and prettyin' up over spring break (That's where you guys come in!), but I think our four ladies like it! They've been outside since we built it...scratching and flapping their new little wings like they own the place!
We've decided to name one of the hens "Nellie" (because it's just a great old fashioned name) and one of them "Amelia" (because that chick is always wanting to fly, so we decided to name her after Amelia Earhart). Any suggestions for two more great hen names??
You can see our apricot tree blooming just in front of the coop. Just to the left, planted against the fence, are two blueberry bushes. To the right of the coop are two teeny apple trees. This area of the yard will be positively heavenly as these bushes and trees mature and the chickens become an integral part of the OAH.Please, please leave comments with suggestions to pretty up the chicken coop! I would like to paint the tin, but not the screen door or the brown framework. I'm also considering finding an antique sign to hang on the tin. What color would you paint it? What kind of sign would you hang? Do you have links to other great looking coops? Do share!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Ummmmm...awkward
Remember my cute little fuzz ball baby chicks? Well...they're gone! In their place, I now have four very awkward, teenager chickens. This is serious...worse that puberty and your voice changing at the most inopportune moments by FAR. They are in a weird state of half fuzz, half feathers. The fuzz that is hanging on is poking out in unexpected places making them appear a bit...well, nutty professor-ish. Here, check it out for yourself:
Did you notice the crayon inside the box? My wee ones decorated it!
My dad is coming this weekend to build the coop and run...the bad news is that dad has kinda taken the project over and has his own plans. When dad has plans, you don't argue. We'll see how this all turns out. See how we came full circle back to ummmm...awkward? Yeah.
In any case, the chicks will have an outdoor home to transition into slowly as the weather warms up.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Ol' fashioned fun...
Wanna have some laughs? Throw a handful of grub worms in the brooder with four baby chicks! I would have taken some pictures, but we were laughing too hard.Seriously, I plan to give the chicks some grub worms and other pests as they are available to "train" them to seek out these little buggers. They seemed to really "hit the spot" as the chicks chased each other around playing keep away with the worms. I have one garden bed that is full of grubs, so this will be a good way to eliminate many of them while also influencing my chicks taste buds. I have absolutely no scientific evidence that this theory will work, but it seems like good common sense, doesn't it?
The tomato plants continue to sprout and I've got a nice germination rate on the first seeds I planted. The second bunch still has some time. No sign of the potatoes, onions, or beets in the back bed. /thrumms fingers on table/ It is so hard to wait patiently.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
BIG NEWS!!!
Well.....here....just let me show you....
Hmmmmmm....what kind of sweet little feet are those?
I *think* these two are going to be White Rocks. Good egg producers, even through winter. They are also supposed to be pretty docile...good news for the 4 year old!
The rusty looking two should be Rhode Island Reds. Also good producers of eggs and one of the most popular chickens. This photo shows all the chicks looking quite perplexed at the roost I provided.
I'm still hoping to find a Barred Rock chick or two. Atwoods is supposed to get more chicks in this week, so I'll go back to check for little black chicks with white patches....those are the Barred Rocks!
Establishing a backyard flock of hens is a great way to provide organic eggs for our family and for us to be more independent as the economy goes crazy beneath our feet and grocery costs continue to skyrocket. I also think that these are very valuable lessons for my girls...to see where food comes from and what goes into growing fresh produce and nurturing the chickens that give us eggs. My oldest will probably show one or two of the chickens in the 4-H show next year as well. All in all...it's another adventure for our family.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
To-mAH-toes, To-mA-toes...
Whatever your pronunciation...I planted more last night. If every newspaper pot ends up with one strong seedling, we'll have
Also, Dad has set a date to come up and build the chicken coop. I'm still waiting for Atwoods to get their baby chicks in...can't find a mail order company that will ship less than 25 chicks. I'm only looking to get 4-6 chicks, so I guess I'll have to be patient. Our local Atwoods store says their chicks will arrive in March. I plan to check at two other area stores, though, to see if they will be getting chicks earlier.
- 4 Pearly Pink Cherry Tomatoes
- 4 Pink Boar Tomatoes
- 12 Green Zebra Tomatoes (Just for fun!!)
Also, Dad has set a date to come up and build the chicken coop. I'm still waiting for Atwoods to get their baby chicks in...can't find a mail order company that will ship less than 25 chicks. I'm only looking to get 4-6 chicks, so I guess I'll have to be patient. Our local Atwoods store says their chicks will arrive in March. I plan to check at two other area stores, though, to see if they will be getting chicks earlier.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)