Okay, here's a 2 day post...

Well, just when I have news to share, I find that Blogger is down temporarily.  I know, you all know this, but I was well, bummed.  So I will just share two days worth of news in one post:

Thursday:

Chickens are getting too big for their Costco box, and the coop is in need of finishing:

No roof, No floor, but the roosts are in.  I used 2x3's and offset them so the higher roost is behind the lower.  They can be removed for cleaning.

So the plan for the day was to put on a roof, put in the floor, and complete the ramp ladder to access the outdoor lower run.

Well, successful for the day.  Here you see the floor in, and the register at the back to aid in ventilation.

Lookee here, a way out!

The Ramp to the lower run, when the door / ramp is lowered to complete it.

The door/ramp is up, the coop closed up, and the ramp is now partial.

Here is the view from the nesting boxes (note there are two) and you can just see the roofing shingles at the top of the photo.

This took darned near all day!  Building this coop is a chore.  I had wanted to get the tomatoes, peppers and melons out, as I had made two hoop houses over my 4x8 beds, but was too whupped to do anything more.

Friday.  Well, got an early jump, and had planned to put the front panel on, and fix the door on the front, and put on the nesting box doors.  If time permitted, put out the tomatoes, peppers and melons.

Well, the front panel is on, and the door is in.  Note the window in the door.  The window is 18x24 acrylic.  The door has 3 hinges at the bottom and is held closed with two barrel bolts at the top corners.

This is the front door when open.  It drops totally down, allowing me to clean the inside, easily.

I have two doors on the nesting boxes, one for each box.  Two hinges per door, and a barrel bolt at the top holds it closed.

Here is one of the open doors.  Normally I see the lid lift up to access the box, but this was placed so high, my wife and daughter couldn't get their hands into the box if it was accessed through the lid, so I enter through the back wall, now everyone can hunt for eggs!

I finished up, and though tired, was able to put out 4 tomatoes, eggshells at the bottom of the hole, and a mix of epsom salts and organic tomato feed around the base.  I also planted out 5 Red Bell Pepper plants that were starting to flower (I got the seed from a Red Pepper I bought at the Grocery!  We will see what we get...) Also planted were 3 Jalepeno Peppers, 3 Cayenne Peppers and 3 Pepperocini Peppers.  Everything got a good soaking, and I sealed up the hoop house.

By this time, I was beyond tired.  I just couldn't get the melons out.  That will have to wait for tomorrow. As will the basil, and Ground Cherries.

My wife's sunflowers have all come up, and are reaching for the great fluorescent sun in the sky!  The tomatoes I planted as a last ditch effort to grow my own have all sprouted, and are growing, so I have some hope now.

Night all 

Uh oh...

Well, quick Veggie update:

Peas, Garlic, Lettuce, Beets, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Kale and Swiss Chard all coming along well.  Still no sign of carrots, and one or two toms still holding out.  I did find at a veggie stand wonderful strong stemmed big tomatoes, and bought 4, even though I potted up 9 more tomato seedlings the other day.  Have to hedge my bets, can't go without tomatoes this year!

Now on to the chickens.  Thought that I would give everyone an update on how much they are growing:
First up is Rosalina, our Welsummer:

Look at the wings though, she is using them to full advantage keeping her place as top hen.

Rosalina is one of the birds that is the most docile, and really pays attention when she is called a "good girl"

Hayden, our Golden Laced Wyandotte:

Calm as can be...hah, she is the flighty one of the bunch.

Twinkie, our Buff Orpington (who along with Little Red is one week younger than Rosalina or Hayden):

She is shedding (or molting I guess they call it) something awful...sorry Twinkie, I know better photos are in your future!

And now for Little Red, our Silver Laced Wyandotte.  This little chick is the reason the name of this post is Uh oh...I am more than a little concerned that this litlle chick is a Roo.  Not a hen.  No crowing yet, but look at the photo, and you may see why I think this:

This chick is one week younger than the Golden Laced Wyandotte, is much smaller than all three of the other birds, and the comb and wattles are noticeably more pronounced and larger then any of the others.  This bird, is tail end charlie in the pecking order, and is the most aggressive of the birds.  This chick is vocal, but so far, just clucks and coos, no crowing.

The hatchery says that it's 97% certain as to the sex of the hatchlings, but 3% of the time, a Roo slips through.  I'd hate it if I was in the 3%!  I had planned on 4 hens, and was building the coop for that.  I can't have a Roo inside the city, and can't jeopardize the rest of the hens.  If it is a Roo, I will try to find it a home, but if not, I will do my best to quickly and painlessly end it's life.  That is the the promise I made myself when I began this foray into chickens. They can be named, but they are dual purpose birds; eggs and meat.  They are not pets.  

I am crossing fingers, saying prayers, and hoping with all my might that Little Red is just a Hen.  And that I will not have to kill a chick.  Hence, the Uh oh...  

On a positive note, the coop is coming along nicely.  I have the back and front plywood pieces cut and primed.  The nesting box is framed and primed.  And the flooring plywood is cut.  I have the roosts in place, and with a few nice weather days should have the side walls cut and all primed.  Then It's just put the plywood together with the framing, put on the roof, and wire it up.  I may be done within the next week.  None too soon, as the chickens are getting bigger and outgrowing the Costco Watermelon box they are in!

I have also turned off the heat lamp, as I had it moved up so far, it was keeping the temp equal to that of the garage.  No sense waisting electricity, and it was time for them to get used to Dark.  

Well, it's learning every day here on the homestead.  Looking forward to what I will learn tomorrow.

Short depressing post

The tomatoes have died.  I tried everything I could think of.  I gave them  bigger (dollar store) pots (perhaps they wanted Nordstrom pots???) I gave them artificial light, natural light, kept them warm, exposed them to wind, watered them, fertilized them.  In the end, they needed to go outside, they were getting and ugly yellow, and I was losing 1 tomato a day, just withering away.  It was pathetic and depressing.

So I took the plunge and planted them outside on Sunday, the weather was nice-ish, and I covered them with a hoop house.  I amended the soil and plunked the 10 survivors down into the nice warm soil.  I watered them, then said a quick prayer.

Yesterday, no improvement, but no lost plants.  Since no negative is a positive, I had hopes.  Hopes that were dashed today.

I checked on them, and all were worse off then when I put them in.  If this were intensive care, the MD would order life support shut off.  I am now preparing to purchase tomatoes again this year.

I hate this, I can grow them from seed, under the lights, to a proper plant out size, but with the weather we have, I had to go long indoors.  What I wouldn't give for a greenhouse.  Not sure if that's the answer, but it's the only thing I could have done different.

Now I have Watermelon and Cantaloupe that are vining indoors, and really, I mean really need to go out, but I am freaked about the weather being this cold, and what it will do.  I set up a hoop house over the bed, but after the tomatoes, not sure if this will be enough.

I hope that the cool weather will just slow down the growth of the melons, and that they can hold on for warmer weather...but deep down, I know that by sending them out, I condemn them to withering away...just like the tomatoes.

Heck, if it weren't for the chickens, I don't know if I could call this a homestead.  Yes, I do have cool weather crops coming up; Lettuce, Kale, Swiss Chard, Beets, Spinach, Peas so all is not lost.  And while the calendar says it is May 3, I could still plant tomatoes and transplant in 6 weeks.  Likewise, if the melons don't survive, they to could be re-started now.  It isn't ideal, but it's better than not having anything at all.

Perhaps, I needed this little pep-post to right my ship.

Tomorrow I start new tomato seeds, and melon seeds (just in case.) Hopefully my wife will let me have the light shelf back, she's using it for sunflowers.  Nope, just asked, well, the peppers will have to share then won't they.

Coop Time

Well, Monday was the first really nice day we've had in a while, so with my brother (Sinfonian) raring to go on his coop, we headed to Lowe's to pick up needed materials, and met his father in law back at my folks place and set to putting up a coop or two.  Well, we made good progress on his coop, you can read about it on his blog, so Tuesday we got to work on my coop.  We set up at my house, just across the street from my folks, and got to building my coop.

As I had a bunch of 2x4's I found in my attic...so while he used 2x3's, I chose to save some dinero by using the found 2x4's and buying what I needed to make up the rest.  I figure that once all is said and done, the diffence in weight between the two coops won't really be that much.

I have some photos of this construction, they are small, but do represent the build...fuzzy at best.  While my brother regards me as some sort of coop building genius for designing what he and I feel is the "perfect" coop (at least now, as newbies to chickendom, we will likely revise our thoughts on this as time goes on...) to tell the truth, I learned my construction style with lincoln logs when I was six!

Framing up the front walls,  you can see the new beds I built in the foreground.  We used my ladderrack as a building platform.  I'm the goofball in the picture.

Here's the front wall of the coop being put together.  Framing on this piece is just about done.

  

Front wall and Base laying down, waiting for the back wall to be framed, then it will move into the back yard where assembly will take place.

Assembly going on...just about now we found a major error in my plan.  The base side bars were too small.  I forgot to take into account I wanted the inside to be 3' wide, so had to make the side bars on the base 3'!

This is the back wall of the coop.  You can see the bottom, what will be encased in 1/2 inch Hardware cloth.  Poultry Netting works great at keepin Birds in, but stinks at keeping other Critters out, hence the welded Hardware cloth.

This is a side shot, looking at the framing for the Nesting boxes.  You can also see the framing where the floor will be.  The floor dimensions are 3' wide by 6' long, giving me 18 square feet of floor space.  I allowed for 6 inches between the floor and the door on the front in case I want to use the deep litter method.

So in this photo, you can see the framing for the door, that will drop down to allow cleaning of the coop.  I can reach all parts of the coop floor by leaning in.  The door is 4' wide by 38" high, so I don't have to stoop over to keep my head from banging on the top rail.  Above that is 8" by 6' of vent space for ventilation.  This will be covered with fine mesh, to keep insects out, but let amonia build up out.  I think you can clearly see the old wood and the new wood, and that it's about 40% old, which saved me a bundle.  I have an overhang for the roof of 1" on the back and 4" on the front.  The front is just over 7' with the roof, and 4 inches lower at the back for runoff.

So, tomorrow is supposed to be nasty, but this weekend is looking better.  Hopefully we can make more progress on my brother's coop, and I will look to frame out the nesting box, build a gate for the bottom front that will flip upwards to allow access to the lower run, and build the ramp up to the floor to allow the girls access to the outdoors when the door is open.

All in all, I probably have 4 more days of work to go on this.  I am slow, but what I build stands up.  Everything on this coop was pre-drilled to prevent splitting, and connected with 3 inch exterior grade deck screws.

My lovely wife, though she denies it now, set a budget of $300.00 for this coop.  So far, I am $215.00 into that budget, and may spend a bit more, but will definately come in under budget.  I will continue to take pictures, and once finished, will post plans with cut lists so others can if they want take the plans, use them, modify them whatever. 

Thursday

Let me take a moment to share, Thursday is my least favorite day of the week.  I am usually tired, and today was no exception.  But when one tries to homestead, being tired is the last excuse to work.  So, today I got a number of things done, none terribly big, but work it was.

First off, the weather was iffy to say the least.  Sun Breaks, means no sun most of the time.  The weather was around 55 degrees,  but at least it didn't rain.

So,  I took my tomatoes for a walk:

Aren't they cute dressed up in their dollar store pots???

The got about 4 hours out, in the on again off again sun and light wind.  All and all it was good for them (I hope...fingers crossed.)

Then I got out and finished filling in the last of the garden beds I built:

Yes, all my garden beds are in the front and side yards (I live on a corner) and I like this setup.  My house faces South, so that was the primary reason, but now I like that people come up and talk to me, know me as that garden guy; ask me questions, and possibly ask for help in setting up their own gardens.  So far, I have gotten 2 neighbors who previously weren't gardeners, into planting veg!

I also weeded 2 of the 3 original beds, and found that the lettuce is coming up nicely, and the spinach and beets are just starting to pop up! So that just leaves Kale and Swiss Chard as the johnny come lately's (hoping the come soon!)

I realized today, that while I devoted the last post to the girls and their new digs, I didn't update their growth progress.  So I will rectify that here:

This is Rosalina, our Welsummer.  Right now she is the biggest of the flock, and the undisputed Alpha Chick!

This is Hayden, our Golden Laced Wyandotte.  She and Rosalina were hatched 3/21/2011, and Hayden is #2 in the pecking order.

This is Twinkie our Buff Orpington.  She has calmed down since her early days, and has quietly moved into the #3 position.  She has also put on some heft, and is almost as big as Hayden who is one week older.

This is Little Red (more on the name later) our Silver laced Wyandotte.  She is the smallest, and now #4 on the pecking order.  She is the smallest of the flock, and since coming to the new bigger box has been pushing everyone's buttons, to no avail.  This has moved her from #3 to #4 in the flock.  

The name for Little Red came as an epiphany.  In my family, we love playing games, and whoever is in last place, is the little red caboose.  Hence, her name reflects her position; Little Red.

The girls are settling into their new box.  The garden beds are done, and ready for planting.  Now we just need the weather to come around.  But a quick check on the weather shows tomorrow and Saturday as being nice, so the bro and I will likely get a good start on the Chicken Coops before Easter.

Movin' On Up...Bigger and Better

Well, due to the uncharacteristic cold spell we are enduring, The Tomatoes that should be tucked into the soil, are still hanging out in the den.  The cool weather crops, planted late last week, are slow to show, with only lettuce sprouting above the soil surface, oh and one or two pea plants poking up.  So, this post will be devoted to the girls.

Quite frankly, the brooder box was so small the hens had to get out just to change their mind...bah dum dum.  Sorry, couldn't help myself.  Last week, my brother and I went to Costco and grabbed two of their big produce boxes, mine held Watermelons:

Well, this certainly gives the girls room to spread their wings.  I put a dollar store (yes, I shop their often, and usually find something I can use for the homestead) shower curtain down below the box, and cut another piece of cardboard out in the shape of the box to cover the hole in the bottom.  Then I put about 2 inches of pine shavings down.  I cut some hardware cloth to cover the top, and hung the 250 watt infrared lamp from the ceiling.  The temp under the lamp is 70 degrees, and the temp in the garage where the box sits is 55 at night and 62 during the day.  So the girls can hang under the lamp to warm up, and move around and become acclimatized for when they go outside full time.  I then moved the waterer, feeder and roost (after thoroughly cleaning all) into the big box.  All that was left was to put the girls in.

Let me tell you, they spent the first 20 minutes in their new digs, stretching their wings, and running around like 3rd graders on a Sunny Friday after a full bag o' skittles.  They also found lots of fun in knocking over their food tray.  I had it propped up on a 2x4 cut to the length of the feeder.  So I took some scrap wood, and made bumpers, to keep the feeder in place.  Now it does just that.  Try as they might, it won't tip over.  So they eat from the feeder now.  Though they still hunt, peck, and scratch.  I spread some chick grit around for them.  It keeps them busy.

Man that box is big.  It sits in the garage, which is my shop.  The counter in the back, is next to an old stove (left over from our remodel a few years back) are part of my candle making setup.  Notice I didn't say money making, but someday.  But not until the chicks are ready to move out into the big wild yonder.  Before that though, my brother and I need to build our coops.  Perhaps Thursday or Friday we can start.  Weather man says those will be the best days of the week.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

Ever had one of those days???

Wow, I could chalk this one up to being exhausted.  I could chalk it up to the day being cold and dreary.  I could say that I had a bunch of busy work around the house to do.  But then, that wouldn't be truthful of me.  Nope, I was just meandering mentally and physically today.  Not sure why, but boy was it hard to get on track with anything today.

Looking at being exhausted:

First I need to show you all my current garden beds to set the mood:

These are the 3 original beds I made up almost 10 years ago.  The nearest 4x4 bed is now a dedicated herb garden.  The next bed over has a plethora of veg planted, Kale, Swiss Chard, Celery, Beets, Spinach, and Lettuce.  And the 3rd bed, has Cauliflower, Broccoli, and the Trellis' are for the Peas.

This was the 2nd set of beds, I pulled some awful bushes out, and put in 3 4x4 beds, and a 2x4 Permanent home for Raspberries.  The bed right behind the Raspberries is holding Garlic planted last October.  Beds 3 and 4 behind the Garlic are needing to be tilled under again from the Winter cover crop I grew.  In May they will get Shelling Beans.

This was a problem corner for many years, nothing would grow here but weeds.  Then I had more paver blocks than I needed, and made a 3x11 bed out of the area.  I scraped it clear of weeds, mixed in 40 or 50 wheelbarrows of compost, and voila.  Now it's home to a whole mess of onions.

So, I had some beds, but found that I had a hard time rotating my veg as I should.  The only solution, was to make more beds...And I finally got around to that:

Enter two of four new beds I built this year.  The small one nearest in the photo is the Permanent Asparagus box.  I got a great deal on 2 year old Asparagus crowns, so they now rest under the soil there, waiting for next spring.  The furthest box is 4 x 8 and will hold the Water Melons, and Cantaloupe Melons I have sitting under the lights indoors now.  Later, I hope to be able to plant Butternut Squash and Pumpkins there.

Notice the nice soil in the two boxes.  Yesterday I picked up a yard and a half of it in my truck (just visible beyond the beds in the last photo.  I was shoveling, wheeling, and raking from 10:00 am until 4:30 pm yesterday.  Hence the exhausted.

How can I be exhausted, I still have two more beds to fill!  Lucky for me, they are near the street, and I can back the truck up and shovel right into the beds.  The Furthest bed will hold Pole beans (trellised on the street side West.) Peppers, squash, and cucumbers.  The near bed will house my tomatoes.  I can fit 10 plants into the 4 x 8 box (as I really don't worry about cross pollination) and not much else.  

So until I step up and get about 3 more yards of good garden soil, I can't be exhausted.  My Tomatoes need to get into the ground, they are seriously tired of their dollar store pots....

But that brings us to the cold and dreary.  Today the weather just couldn't make up it's mind.  Not cold, unless the wind blew, and boy did it blow.  Kept me from taking the tomatoes out for a walk to harden off.  It never really rained, just sprinkled off and on all day, until 5:30 or so, then the sun came out for 15 minutes :) only to darken again, and sprinkle away.  The Farmers Almanac says the average last frost date for our area (Zone 8a) in the Pacific NW is April 15th, just a few days away.  I think when I get the bed filled (the next somewhat sunny day) I will put out the 10 best tomatoes, use that fancy red mulch, cage them, and then wrap the cage with plastic around the sides.  Just to keep these winds from whipping them around.  That will probably happen about a week after that magical Avg. Last frost date. Just to be safe.

As for stuff around the house needing to be done, when doesn't it.  Dishes, vacuuming, laundry, dusting, cooking (which means doing dishes again...) so that can't be an excuse.

No, not sure what it was today, just felt off.  But I was still able to up-pot my peppers, watermelons, and  cantaloupe melons so the day wasn't a total loss.  Here's hoping tomorrow is better all around.