The first batch of chicks from our stock are now about five weeks old (we call them “teens”)and nearly fully feathered. They’re also creating a crazy amount of dust in their brooder, so we figured the weather – 70 degrees with a gentle breeze – would be perfect for a first day outside in the chicken tractor. Continue reading “The Teens’ First Day Outside”
Category: Homesteading / Farming
Reminding Oneself To Be Thankful
We have a designated holiday to take time to reflect on all the things we have in our lives for which we should be grateful…but that’s one day out of 365. What about the rest of the year?
Acknowledging how busy peoples’ lives are, we should practice gratitude on a more regular basis (than once a year). It will remind you of all the wonderful things you may take for granted, including your own talents and contributions to the world. How often do you really think about the positive impact that you make? Continue reading “Reminding Oneself To Be Thankful”
What To Do With “Extra” Roosters
Farmers face ethical dilemmas, like what to do when you end up with more roosters than you need. When hatching eggs, you can typically expect there to be a ratio of roughly 50% males and 50% females. We need laying hens to supply our eggs, but a ratio of one rooster to up to ten hens is all that’s needed for fertile eggs and protection.
The first batch of eggs resulted in 22 viable chicks, so the odds are that as many as 11 of those could be roosters. Adding those 22 to the 7 remaining adult chickens means there would be a total of 29 chickens, with one adult rooster and possibly 11 juveniles. Clearly, that’s too many roosters, which can result in rooster injuries from dominance-related fighting and hen injuries due to overbreeding. So what do we plan to do?
Sloppy Snow And Shoveled Paths
The snow that fell yesterday and through the night is beginning to slowly melt. This slushy stuff reminds us of the occasional snowfall in western Washington – it would be heavy, wet, messy stuff like this, and it would usually melt quickly and leave a big muddy mess.
Rain’s in the forecast for later today and it is welcome – this slush needs to go! If it remained, it could freeze into ice and make for some real fun (think impromptu skating rink and trying to carry buckets of water across it). Fortunately, warmer weather is supposed to be on the way, even into the low 60s later this week. Continue reading “Sloppy Snow And Shoveled Paths”
Brr…Still Cold Out There
It’s snowing – lightly now, but it’s supposed to pick up this evening. There’s a very chilly breeze, which is the really unpleasant part; spend any time out there without a balaclava, and you’ll be sorry.
We had noticed that the duck coop was looking poopy, so we took advantage of the weather to clean out old straw bedding and replace it. Helpfully, the wet duck poop had frozen into solid chunks that were easy to identify and pull out. While raking around in the bedding, we found a frozen duck egg that had been buried. Bummer. We left a nice, thick, dry layer of bedding so the ducks would be comfortable tonight, even if the temperatures dip. Continue reading “Brr…Still Cold Out There”
Sunny And Cold – Better Than Cloudy And Cold
It’s in the teens here today, with a chilly wind – it feels about 10 degrees out there. It is winter, so this isn’t unexpected. What’s different about today is the sunshine…it’s bright, almost glaringly so, outside. What a nice break from the cloud cover and light snow of recent past.
On days like this, we gravitate to the sunlight. You want to stretch your face up to it and let your chloroplasts begin photosynthesis – no, wait, that’s plants. Ok, maybe we produce some vitamin D, instead. The dogs and cats will find a sunny spot inside and bask in it. The rabbits’ tractors are warmed by the sun and they soak it up. The ducks, despite the cold breeze, sat in the sun, too, on the woodpile near the barn. They took a break from their foraging to gather there (just Piper, Pru, and Phoebe – Ty and Coraline were napping in the barn).
Continue reading “Sunny And Cold – Better Than Cloudy And Cold”