Chicken Update 3.16.14

So, the henhouse has been quiet....Housing the wife and daughters Holland Lop bunnies while the weather was at it's coldest.  But now the weather has warmed up sufficiently so that the water bottles aren't freezing in moments, so the rabbits are back in their hutch.

And it's time to start thinking about chickens again.  And boy did I have some grand plans!  I drew up plans for a brand new chicken coop that would sit inside an enclosed run that would measure 10 feet wide by 27 feet long!  Wow, I could have a mess 'o birds in this setup.  With that in mind, I set out to order my chicks.  I ordered 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Barred Rocks, 2 Black Austalorps, and 2 White Rocks.

All was well in my little dreamland.  Then for some reason, I checked the City Regulations.  I had done this prior to getting chickens the first time.  Don't ask why I bothered this time, but I found in the past year the city has new chicken regs!  Some of the highlights, are they have to be in the backyard!  Drat!  My fancy new coop and run were slated for my side yard.  This means I am stuck with my old coop.

Now don't get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with the old coop, but compared to the new coop drawings, it just isn't new!  Not that the chickens will mind, but I can't see that many chicks in the coop.  So I called the hatchery back and halved the order.

They will be coming mail order, my first time by this method, but I am told it's very reliable and safe for the chicks.  So now I have to do a thorough clean up job on the coop, as I plan to brood the chicks in the coop.  I have a heat lamp set up in there, and can block off an area to use while they are small, and can expand the area into pullet stage, and finally open it all up when they are full grown.

Really, I can't wait.  These past few months without chickens has been lonely.  I really miss the clucking and cooing.  Also not having Chicken TV has been boring.  Real TV can't compare.

And yes this post is about chickens, but as for a quick Veg update....I am going to get a bit of a late start this year, as I fear a freak frost is coming, so I don't want to start things at the normal time.  I will be starting much of what I grow in the Greenhouse.   Rather than heating the whole greenhouse with a portable heater, I am investing in Heat mats, and will heat them from below.  I figure that during the day, the temp in the greenhouse is in the 60's, but drops into the 40's at night.  But if the plants feet are warm at night they should be okay.

It's getting close folks.  I can't wait to get dirt under my nails again.  Spring is right around the corner and coming up fast!  Get out and plant something!

Winter Wednesday

So the Holidays are done and gone, The house is back to normal, and the weather outside is still frightful!  Regardless, the Garden Porn in my mailbox is starting to arrive, and that along with the craving for dirt under my nails, lets me know it's time to start thinking about Spring.  Yes it's just a few months ahead, but as any good gardener/homesteader/project manager (yes that's what we are in the industrial world) we must plan ahead to take proper action for fruitful gains!

Last summer I completed the greenhouse, so that will be useful for starts for this spring:

I will need to run some electrical out to it for heating, I am under no illusions that this greenhouse will be able to support temperatures needed for germination in February here without some additional help!

So in looking at my master garden plan, I keep one drawn out on graph paper in pen, then input my plant selections in pencil each year (yes I am a bit of a geek like that)  I can see what I planted last year, and where they were planted.  I then thought about what we are eating up from last year, what we have bought, and then dreamed  about what we can try to grow this year, that we thought we couldn't grow before.  I try to give myself one challenge a year, just to push the boundaries a bit.  This year, with the addition of the Greenhouse, I am thinking Melons!  I almost got there with Melons a few years back, but just ran short on time.  I think starting them in the greenhouse will give me the time needed to make this a reality....fingers crossed.

The rest of my plan is to grow: Asparagus (yes I will try again), Arrugala, Beans (drying), Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Cucumbers, Celery, Corn (another boundary pusher), Garlic, Green Beans, Lettuce, Mache, Onion, Peas, Radish and Tomato.

Small plantings of Beets, Carrots, Lettuce, Peas, Arrugala, Mache and Tomato: This year these will be for fresh eating only.  Last year we had a bumper crop of Tomatoes! So we have plenty of Salsa, Tomato Sauce, diced Tomatoes etc.  Not sure as to what variety of Tomato I will plant, but will figure that out shortly.

My large scale planting will be the Drying beans.  This winter has been big on soups, stews, chili's so we have gone through our bean supply.  Yes I know Dried beans are about the cheapest eats out there, but I get so much joy from eating my own homegrown, that you really can't put a price on happiness.

Cucumbers will be a good size planting, as I am out of Pickles.  An while I am the only one in the family that eat's them, by golly I like 'em, and since I'm the gardener/canner, I'll plant what I like!

Dreaming this year, are the Melons, Brussels Sprouts, and Corn.  I have tried the first two, with limited success.  So I will try them again, changing a few things and see what happens.  As for the Corn, My brother tried it, as did my Neighbors.  Neither had success.  Not sure if it was weather, fertilizer, variety they chose, or location.  But I'll give it a shot.

This year I am going to try companion planting.  I have been doing some research on it, and it looks promising.  I will try to keep this blog updated with that as a focus.

Another task is to replace the chickens.  This fall, I butchered the chickens as the egg production greatly fell off, and one started to go Roo on me.  This time I am looking to get 6 - 8 chickens, as the coop is big enough for more than that, and 3 just didn't give me enough eggs.

All in all, I have my work cut out for me.  Lot's to do, and not nice weather to do it in.  Currently it is 44 degrees, grey and rainy.  So I sit with my coffee, perusing my chicken catalog, and the seed catalog, looking at the seeds I still have, and determining what I will need to order.  And with the end of my cup of coffee, I too will end this blog.

Dream and plan my friends, for Spring is just around the corner, and we will soon begin the rush to get seeds in the ground!

To live life one must make sacrifices

Waking up this morning was a rude awakening...I realized much too early, that today was a chore day.  Now don't get me wrong, I like to work, it's honest and humbling, but some chores, while necessary are neither fun, but more of a reminder that to live is to take.  Yes, giving is part of it, but this blog is not about giving, nor recieving, it is simply about taking.

You see, I raise chickens, dual purpose birds.  This is a working homestead, with pets; but the chickens are not pets.  For the past 2 1/2 years, I have raised the chickens and gotten eggs for a good 1 3/4 years, reliably.  But the eggs have slowed off, even in the late summer when we had plenty of light.  Research shows that Chickens give eggs reliably for about 2 years, then they slow down. Natural.  My plan has always been to give my chickens a good life and one bad day.  Today was that day.

I had 3 chickens this morning.  I believe in and practice humane methods of killing the chickens, and processing them myslef.  I need to know that between the time they are taking from their coop, to the time  they die is minimal and the last thing they hear is my soothing voice...no hysterics, no load noises.  I try to stress the chickens as little as possible.

Is the prayer I say for their benefit or mine....I try not to think about that.

Is it better for me to be here, doing this; or blindly purchasing chicken from the store?  I wrestle with this constantly.  Yes my conscience could be clear (if I don't think to long about confined chicken breeding practices, or they mechanized way birds are processed,) but I wouldn't know what type of hormones, chemicals, and feed the chickens recieved.  Raising my own is a trust.  I trust myslef to feed them as naturally as I can, let them roam as free as I can, keep their coop clean, make sure they have water and security.  For this I take their eggs, and in the end their life.

My grandparents had no struggles with this.  You farmed, and Harvested the produce, raised livestock and butchered it; all so you could eat and live.  In a nutshell, to live is to take.

Yes I will miss the chickens clucking in the morning, running back and forth in search of who knows what in the grass.  But in March/April, I will start again, with new chicks.  Why?  Because this is a working homestead.  And while I wasn't born on a farm, I am a city kid, who wants more control of my food.  And sometimes, we must do things we are not comfortable with.  But I have a trust.  A trust to treat my animals, pets, family with respect and love.  I try always to do that.  But my livestock are not my family.  They raised to feed my family.

I have come to grips that to live, I must either kill or condone killing in my name.  I will miss the chickens, but I knew when they came into my life, that they were destined to end up on my table.

I can not pass this chore off to someone else.  I know that bringing home the chickens when they are a day old, that one day, I will have to take their life, so that I may live.  It is sobering, Humbling, and opens my eyes to the reality of life.  In this the season for giving thanks, and giving gifts; I give thanks that I have the courage to face my convictions, for the gifts my chickens gave to me and my family.

Still plenty to do indoors

So even though the weather is turning to Winter here.  And working outdoors, though it's necessary isn't as fun as it was a few months ago.  And to be honest, it was baking time again.  We were running out of bread, so I took an afternoon to make up some more.

I figured out that 4 loaves last us about a month.  So I decided to make up two loaves of Basic white bread, and two of Honey, Nut Oatmeal Wheat.  The process is pretty basic, mix up the ingredients, knead 8 minutes or so, and allow to rise for about an hour.  Punch down, divide in half, form into loaves, plop them into a greased loaf pan and allow to rise for about 45 minutes or so.  Heat up ovens, pop them in for 35 - 40 minutes or until Golden Brown and Delicious (GBD hereafter).  Pull from pans, and allow to cool completely.  Slice and eat…repeat: here are some photos:

Basic supplies, Flour, Yeast, Salt, Water, Sugar for the Basic White

Everything mixed up and kneading is about half done, looking to make this fairly elastic.

Proofing in the oven with just the light on for a bit of warmth.

Start of the Honey, Nut Oatmeal Wheat.  Wheat bread flour with Pumpkin seeds and Sunflower seeds

Egg and Yeast…

Oatmeal….1 cup of old fashioned oats, with 2 cups boiling H2O, allow to sit 15 minutes for Oats to soften.

Mixed and kneaded Honey, Nut Oatmeal Wheatbread

1 hour rise time, yep I think she doubled in size!

Honey, Nut, Oatmeal Wheat on the left, Basic white on the Right.  I always butter up the loaf pans for easy de-panning upon baking completion.

Basic White on final 45 minute rise…again in the oven with the light on for minimal warmth.

Honey, Nut, Oatmeal Wheat final 45 minute rise.

Basic white, baked, de-panned, GBD cooling 

Honey, Nut, Oatmeal Wheat, baked, de-panned, GBD and cooling as well

And while the loafs cool, and the ovens are hot, Peanut Butter cookies were baked!  Great with Tea on an Overcast Day!

With the Garden tasks coming to a close, and the weather turning cold and dreary, nothing makes a house smell like home quite like baking bread.  It beats anything you can buy in stores.  Try it sometime.

Adam

So another full season comes to a close.  I realize that there has been a ginormant amount of time that has elapsed since my last post, so this one may be a bit lengthy to catch up.

First off, I have found out that working a full 40 work week, keeping up with the homestead, and trying to take care of myself by exercising, and eating right, finding time for my family....well there's only 24 hours in the day and my blogging amongst other things took the hit.

I realized how much I missed the simple act of writing out my thoughts, sharing pictures, ideas, success' and failures.  I missed the community.  So I am now going to take the time to blog again.  I can't hope for a daily blog, but like my foray into the world of CrossFit, I will take it slow.  Two to Three times a week, and will try to work up from there.

So, as we head into Fall, the Harvest is over, and I can report it was a busy Harvest season:
Herbs - We were able to dry enough Oregano, Basil, Sage, and Thyme for the next year's use.  We got some Chives, Parsley, and Stevia drying enough probably for the winter, but no further.  Fresh Chives, Parsley, Tarragon, Marjoram and Sage are being used now, and will be allowed to grow for the next year.  Borage, Cilantro, and Cumin going to Seed, and will be used for further growth next spring.  The Lavender was harvested for oil, and the mint needless to say was more than we needed.  Lemon Balm is ready for harvest, and will be used for sore muscles.

Salsa - well production this year was prodigious! We had Tomatoes, Peppers (Jalepeno, Serrano, and Red Chili),  and Shallots and Onions.  Not pictured are the Cucumbers.  In all, we made 30+  Pints of Salsa more than enough for the family throughout the upcoming year!)  I credit this to the wonderful Summer we had here on the Coast.  We had a long string of 80+ degree days with mellow nights.

Pumpkins - We got 10 - 12 good sized Small Sugar Pumpkins and were able to roast and puree and freeze for soups, and yes pies throughout the year.  I even tried my hand at Pumpkin Butter.  After much research, I found that now it is not recommended for canning.  Though I know that my Grandma and her friends all Canned Pumpkin and Apple Butter safely, and so gave it a try.  I Shan't share how I did it, as I don't want to run afoul of the law...but needless to say I made sure everything was heavily sanitized, and made sure my products were of the highest quality and clean.  We have been eating the first jar (4 oz) and it came out wonderful. The other 3 have been in the Canning Cupboard, so far no explosions, we will see when we open those.

Swiss Chard and Kale - This has been fantastic as a cut and come again, and we have been using it as sides, soups, stews so far and it looks like it is holding up well.  I have read that it will hold up through the first frost when it will go super sweet, looking forward for that.

 Berries - Raspberries, Blueberries and Strawberries Oh My!  Prolific harvest this year, and still pulling Raspberries even at this late date!

Of course these little gems didn't last much after the photo...but boy were they Yummy! In the end we froze up Strawberries, and Blueberries for throughout the year, The Raspberries, being a Favorite, don't make it into the house.

As for the Chickens: 

 The girls: From Left Twinkie (Buff Orpington), MeToo (Golden Laced Wyandotte) and Diva (Wellsummer) Interesting note, Diva has stopped giving eggs, grown spurs, and has tried to crow a few times.  I thought I was going nuts, but my brother had the same thing happen with one of his hens.  Found out this isn't that rare.

 The girls really like a new addition to the coop this year, a screen door.  With the temperatures this summer climbing towards the 90's opening the door kept the coop cooler and helped them through it.

 Looks like the thrown together coop I made a few years back is still holding up well.

New addition this year number two, a watering system.  The girls took to the nipples right away, only had to show them once or twice, and the bucket holds enough water that I only have to fill it weekly, and they don't spill anymore!  It was pretty simple, and I re-used old PVC pipe from other projects!

As for the chickens, I know this isn't something everyone does, but this is a working homestead.  And while I name my chickens, they are livestock, not pets.  Soon, they will have a bad 5 minutes to end their wonderful 2 1/2 years of life.  I don't do this lightly.  I took on this project so that my daughter would know where her food came from.  And that meat doesn't come naturally covered in plastic wrap on a styrofoam tray.  She Took part in the first butchering of our rooster a year ago, and has learned more about our food system than any other "City or Suburban" Girl I know.  She has decided now to major in Nutrition and is studying in the University!  Success!

I plan to clean the coop thouroughly when the butchering is done, and next March when new chicks are available, I will get 6 chickens and start the process again.

As for the bunnies, that is my Wife and Daughter's project.  

My daughter is cutting the nails on our male Holland Lop Snowball.  We have a female Sunshine (not pictured) and my daughter is planning to mate them.  Next project is a new hutch to acomodate 4 cages, two for the existing bunnies, and two for the babies (have to separate boys from girls as they will breed like rabbits don't you know.

So, still left to do...harvest potatoes, butter nut squash, last of the tomatoes, spinach, kale, chard, raspberries, oh and play with the new greenhouse:

 Built this potting bench from discarded Pallets!

 Red Chili's this is the last of the season.

 Serrano's; Mason Bee's pollinated, then I dug them up and transplanted into pots, and moved them into the greenhouse, I now have 10 or so Serrano's growing nicely!

 Stevia, it's been chopped and put in the greenhouse to overwinter.  The rest is drying in the garage to powder and use this winter.

 Orange Bell pepers, don't think they'll go orange, but I like them green as well.

 Jalepeno's doing very well.

Basil, these were smaller in the garden, wouldn't have had a chance with the weather turning but seem to be thriving in the greenhouse!

Well, that's just about it for the wrap-up from the homestead.  I will try to update a couple of times a week throughout the winter, as I have more projects on tap that I hope to get accomplished prior to Spring.

It feels good to be back...

Adam

New Addtions to the homestead

Well, everything is doing well here on the homestead.  The Peas are growing tall, we have Blueberries ripening up, Spinach is just about ready for Harvest, the beets were a hit, and the onions and carrots are going gangbusters! We have had a wonderful Spring!

But backing up to Mother's Day, on our annual trip out to Flower World...the little missus and my kiddo both fell in love with some bunnies running around.  Skip forward some, and I began to notice Wild bunnies in our neighborhood, must be 5 - 7 of them, running around where the City Hall was, and now there is only grass.  Seems like somebody was pointing me in a new direction.

Fast forward again to just last week, and I found myself putting together wire cages for you guessed it, bunnies.

So today, I spent the day putting together a hutch for the bunnies, as we were to pick up two furry furies this evening.

Here I am in front of the frame for a two tiered rabbit hutch.  One of the cages is in the frame for measurement sake. Each cage is 3' x 2'x 18".  This two tiered hutch will eventually be 5' high at the back, and almost 7' long!

Here's a closeup of the construction.  It's made from 2x3's, and the cages will hang above trays for the bunny poop.  One cage on top, tray in the middle, another cage below, and tray below that.  The Hutch will hold 4 cages, the idea is for 1 buck and 2 does, with an extra cage for the litter.

Well, everything was going smoothly, I had the siding on the back and both sides,  when my lovely wife realized that this was going to be too tall for in front of the window!  After some careful deliberation, and more than a little head scratching, I made an executive decision to scrap the original plan, and push forward with a more moderate one.

My kiddo is peeking out from the left of the photo, her Beau Irving is seated (in red) helping me race to put the changed plans together, and my father (in background) giving sage advice (which we probably didn't listen to), my charming missus is taking the photo (thanks Luv)

So, the more moderate plan is to make a single layer hutch, with two cages inside for now, as we are only getting the two tonight.  This photo was taken 40 minutes before we were to leave to get the bunnies!!!.  The back OSB panel was used to make a temporary roof (I will be getting White plastic sheeting (not corrugated) to cover the roof) then the OSB will be cut down for the back piece.  The sides are not in the picture, but unfortunately didn't quite get on before we had to boogie.

Here is the "nearly" finished hutch, with rabbits, water, food, hay.  The sides are just laid up against the hutch now, I will attach them tomorrow.  The buck is in the left side cage, the doe in the right.  I will be adding more cages later.

Well, we hightailed up north to pick up the bunnies.  We got two New Zealand Red Rabbits, a solid Red Buck, and "Broken" Red/White Doe.  They are 12 weeks old, and weigh just under 6 lbs.  When full grown in 5 more months, they will push 10 - 11 pounds, and be ready to mate.  The litter could be; all red, "broken" red/white, or all white.  The idea is the litter will be used for meat rabbits.  Though some could be sold if there is a market.  

Now it's time to meet the newest additions to our homestead:

Mr. Nibbles our Buck.  He has certainly lived up to his name so far, nibbling on anything he can get is teeth on.  

This is Isis, she is our "Broken" red/white doe.  The term "broken" refers to any multicolored patterned rabbit, She is termed Heavily Broken as she is predominantly Red, with white belly, feet, and cheeks.  She is really shy, and more than a little bewildered by her new surroundings.

Well, this was a successful little project, one that I hope grows, and proves successful later.  I am already thinking about my next project, a watering system for the chickens, and possible rabbits, that will hold 5 gallons of water and allow them to access it at will.  It will use a 5 gallon bucket, and some PVC pipe.  If all goes well, I will post my project here.

Happy Spring to everyone!

Adam

Okay, okay....I have been shamed into blogging again.  I apologize for the gap (heck a gap as wide as the grand canyon..) I have only myself to blame.   I shan't share my woes, suffice it to say I got lazy and stopped writing. 'Nuff said.

So to update folk, if anyone is still reading....

I started last Spring with 4 new chickens, well, one started to crow, and we had him for dinner the next week.  So this Spring, I still have 3 chickens.  Twinkie the Buff Orpington, Diva the Welsummer, and MeToo the Golden Lace Wyandotte.  Here you can see how they've grown (the playpen is new for them, made it to take the place of the wooden ark that was too cumbersome to move around by myself.) They are laying a remarkable amount of eggs, often 3 per day.  I really didn't expect this type of production, but it's nice.  And really, once you've had fresh eggs, eating store bought just doesn't make sense.

 This is the playpen, I realized the girls needed more space, so this is 1/2 inch pvc with plastic chicken netting.  It is 

6' x6'x3' so the girls have plenty of room to roam, and I can pull this around the yard with one hand.  Have to get rid of the crappy old blue tarp though. 

 Twinkie in the fore, MeToo in the rear.  MeToo got her name due to following Twinkie wherever she goes.

Diva is perusing the buffet...what no desert tray again!!! Shot this photo though one nesting box.  The coop is really holding up well.  You can't see it in the photo, but I re-purposed the infrared light from the brooder box into this coop to keep it warm on nights it dips below freezing.  This winter, the inside of the coop was a balmy 46 degrees and the water never froze, even though we had weeks below freezing here.

As for the veggie side of the operation, I made some changes to my layout.  We were gifted 3 lovely mature Blueberry bushes to go with our previous 4.  So I had to add 3 new garden beds and moved all the blueberries together.  I also made two new beds from cinder blocks I got from Craigslist, and filled one with Strawberries, and the other with Raspberry, Marionberry and Boysenberry.  I now call this the Berry Corner.  It is joined by my pallet board compost bin.

 Here are the two cider block beds, the strawberries were picked up last fall from the plant farm, they had a sale, 25 for 10 bucks. so I dropped the "dime" and put 25 strawberry plants, plus a few we had from before into this 4x8 bed.  I mulched over the winter with bedding from the chicken coop.  The Strawberries are tremendously big now!  The other bed took in the Raspberries, moved from the driveway beds, as they kept spilling out into the other beds.  Let's see them try to go through cinder blocks! Ha!  oops should not tempt them.

 Here is my thrown together pallet board compost bin.  I am thinking of taking off the farthest bin, as I really don't need it.  I have some really sweet compost in bin #1, and am starting anew in bin #2.

Here are the newest beds, paired with some put together last year.  In the nearest, I have Onions and Carrots, the one with trellis' are the Peas, and the next three hold Blueberries. Seriously hoping for mondo amounts of Blueberries this year.

So, having moved the Raspberries from the Driveway beds, due to them spilling (is that possible...or would invading be better) into the other beds, I had a 2x4 bed that I needed to find a use for, then it hit me:

Lettuce, yes some thinning is needed here...

Lettuce, we really don't eat enough to plant a ton, and it always comes up.  I planted 5 varieties, because it just makes salads more fun.  Salad bowl (a fav!), Revolution (the red), Flashy Trout Back, Pom Pom (so cute they named it twice) and Mache.  I'll thin some out, and use it on sandwiches, or burgers, then when they grow up, it will be cut some leaves, and let them grow out again.  No need to re-plant, cut and come again.  Love it!

We spent today celebrating Mothers Day, as my lovely wife has to work tomorrow. So we went and had brunch at the Maltby Cafe (always a winner) then went over to Flower World.  Man, does this trip always bust my chops.  I so want a little spread of land to have Lambs, Goats, Chickens running free, harrumph...sigh.

Well, I won't soon be getting my own slice of heaven on earth, but both my daughter and my wife started talking about Rabbits; hmmm....now there's a thought.

I'll try to take pictures of the hutch when I start the build later this Spring. 

Enough for a 1st time out in a long time.  I will try to write regularly, I didn't realize I missed sharing this much.  Thanks to those who took the time to read my silly rantings, and those who needled me to get back into the saddle and write some more.  A big thanks.

Adam