Tag: Chickens

Calling All Adventurous Eaters

~ Carrie

A friend with acreage recently shared some venison he harvested on his property with us. Who doesn’t love tenderloin, burger, and jerky, right? Since we knew he harvested deer annually, we asked about the heart, one of our favorite parts. He seemed a bit surprised, as he didn’t eat it himself, but agreed to save it for us from the next deer he got. Once deer season opened up again, it wasn’t long before he was bringing us a heart.

Why the heart? As a large muscle, it has a uniquely dense texture, and is steak-like. Our favorite way to cook it is in a slow cooker, bathed in cream of mushroom soup.  After 8+ hours, it’s like firm pot roast – meaty and delicious. Serve over a baked potato, and you have an easy, very satisfying meal. Continue reading “Calling All Adventurous Eaters” →

Spring Brings Ticks, Too

~ Carrie

Warmer weather has brought forth the bugs – including ticks, it seems. We would have included a pic of the one we spotted, but we squished it before it could escape. They don’t move very quickly, but they’re small and dark-colored enough that if they dropped into the grass, you wouldn’t be able to find the tick again.

Of course, the chickens and ducks were nowhere near when the tick was discovered. They had just feasted on worms, grubs, and other bugs that were unearthed when we turned over logs in an old woodpile and a big piece of plywood that had been out for a while (and if earthworms really are an indicator of soil health, ours seems to be respectable). Theoretically, though, chickens and ducks will eat ticks. Continue reading “Spring Brings Ticks, Too” →

Spring Showers Bring…Bugs

~ Carrie

160314_DaffodilsThe bugs are here. Tiny gnats, big flies, spiders, moths, even small grasshoppers – the bugs have reappeared after winter’s retreat. Well, maybe winter hasn’t fully retreated yet – there’s snow in the forecast for next Sunday…but it’s also supposed to be 48 degrees. The emergence of bugs means the chickens and ducks will eat as many creeping, crawling creatures as they can catch, and be less reliant on their premade feed. The ducks are worm, tick, and fly-eating machines, too. It’s in their nature: ducks and chickens are omnivorous, and bugs are a great protein source.

A downside to warmer weather and the reappearance of bugs is that most of them seem to bite. In no time, we’ll be sporting welts, bumps, and scabs all over any exposed skin (especially legs) from mosquito bites and other bloodthirsty insects. Continue reading “Spring Showers Bring…Bugs” →

Rabbit Kit Update – Day 16

~ Carrie

Rabbit Kit RuntThe kits can now exit and enter the nest boxes at will, and are typically out of the boxes in the morning. In just a few days, we’ll remove the nest boxes entirely. That means the poor does won’t have respite from the always-hungry kits, and those youngsters are relentless.

We’ve seen the kits nibbling on hay (and even nest box straw), so it’ll be a welcome change for them to be on pasture when they’re weaned. Of course, that also requires building additional rabbit tractors. Lessons we’ve learned over the course of building 3 rabbit tractors and the original chicken tractor: Continue reading “Rabbit Kit Update – Day 16” →

Summer In March

~ Carrie

Summer_in_MarchIt’s been warm here – upper 60’s to 70’s. Sounds comfortable, right? Sure, and it would be ok if it was late May or June. It’s not, though – it’s only March. Our big old silver maple is showing buds and will soon sprout leaves. The grass is also turning green.

The local forecast shows these temperatures continuing into next week. Sure, it’s fun to run around in shorts and flip flops (or rubber boots for farm chores), but these aren’t the right temperatures for this time of year. According to an “almanac” source, the mean temperature here last year was 43 degrees; in 2014, it was 47 degrees and in 2013, it was 39 degrees. It’s 2 p.m. and it’s currently 70 degrees. Continue reading “Summer In March” →