If I only had a Cow.

It is well before 7 AM here and I am the only person awake it the house. This is a victory and writing this is my celebration! You see, this is a goal; Waking up before my children, having coffee in my hand before their sleepy eyed, bead head surrounded, little faces appear in the hallway. This one little thing makes my morning! It makes my whole day. Sometimes if they sleep a little later I even get to shower... ALONE! It's brilliant, life changing stuff.

But, when the alarm goes off and I don't "HAVE" to be awake it's a pretty rough thing to leave those warm blankets. So, I've been thinking 'too bad I don't have a dairy cow'.

Normal people think that, right?

I dream of waking up well before the sunset, walking out to the barn (I don't have a barn, for the record) and sitting to milk my friend, the cow while my children are still snoring away in the house. It could be my cathartic morning ritual. I could have fresh, raw dairy products. I could have a BRILLIANT reason to leave my warm blankets each morning.

Of course, I can't have a cow at this home and this whole concept is just ridiculous. (perhaps even a little lazy?) But, hey a girl can dream.

New Residents

Our chicks and ducklings are here!

We got the duck house sanitized and set up as a brooder for them. It's cold here now, but in previous days the older of the chicks have had roam of the duck pen as well and we will move all of them around as needed for space and heat requirements . 

As of now we have the following foul living in our yard:

6 Buff Orpington females and 3 males (Hard to believe this little guy ^^ will grow to be a chubby rooster!!)

6 Barred Rock females

6 Easter Egger females 

5 Dark Brahmas females 

6 White Leghorn females 

9 Cornish Cross females (meat birds)

1 White Polish female (this chick is my pet. ^^ She is the only one I snuck it just for fun! I love her. Too bad she seems to be a fairly timid chick in general)

  

1 Mystery Chick ( ^^who we really hope is female. We believe that she is a Phoenix)

3 Maran females

2 Pekin Ducklings (sex undetermined) 

If you did the math that is 43 chicks and 2 ducks. We lost 3 chicks already, all natural cause/weak chicks. Those Cornish X Chicks won't stick around for long and we will cull 2 of the roosters as well, leaving us with 30 hens and a roo... hopefully! Of course sexing chicks isn't the most accurate of acts so this is all subject to change if any of our "ladies" start crowing. 

I am so happy to have chickens again! I have really missed having them around. The kids have missed them, too. Lots of work to be done in the following weeks to assure that these chickens don't become some predators dinner instead of my own.

Caring for Chicks

We all know that chicks are adorable little balls of fluff, but most of those who aquire chicks don't realize that they need a good amount of care.
Here are some basics about chick care:

It is best to be ready for your chicks by setting up their brooder before they get home.

Chick Necessities:

• Brooder. Some type of container or pen for the chicks to live in. Chicks need some space, 1-2sq.ft. each to grow in to.  (I start my chicks in an extra large tote bin & move them in to larger pens as their space requirements and cold hardiness increases.) You also may want to think about how you will cover your brooder with some type of lid because sooner than you'd think those baby chicks are going to try hoppinh out of that brooder

• Bedding. They need something under them. Pick something that is easy to clean/replace. I use pine shaving and replace them at least once a day. 

• Heat Source. Most people use a heat lamp (including me) but there are other options. The Brinsea EcoGlow Brooder is the most common alternative and a great option. (I choose to use the heat lamp with a red light bulb because the red light discourages pecking and the lamp is cheap and more multipurpose.) A thermometer is a nice thing to include to help regulate temperature, but not a necessity 

• Feeder/Waterer. You don't need a fancy feeder, anything would work really. I like to use a recycled egg carton at times. The benefit of purchasing a feeder are not having to replace the food as often and keeping the food a little more poop free. This is my favorite feeder/waterer.You will probably want to get a proper waterer just for ease. Chicks can drown easily so an open container of water isn't the safest. 

• Food. Chicks need 'chick starter' feed. It has the proper amount of protein and nutrients that a chick needs and is easily digested. (We feed our chicks Scratch and Peck Chick Starter. This brand of feed is more expensive than others, but we choose it because it is organic, Non-GMO and soy free.) If you give your chicks anything else to eat then you will also want to have Chick Grit available.

What do you do when you get your chicks home?

1. Open the box immediately.
2. Check each chick individually as you transfer them to their brooder. You are mainly checking their fluffy rear areas for a pastey bum. 
• If a chick appears to have poop shmeared on his/her butt then it needs cleaning. Simply wipe the bum with a warm damp cloth, dry it & apply a little bit of olive oil to the vent. Check frequently throughout the first week for pastey butts. 
3. Make sure they are drinking water. If they don't seem to be then you can dip their beaks into the water to show them where it is. 
4. Leave them alone! You really need to give your chicks a few hours to settle down and relax. Check on them frequently, but don't handle them too much. 

Temperature.

Chicks can't regulate their own body temperature well in the early weeks. A heat source is crucial to your chicks survival.

Temperature needs vary from week to week.
week 1 - 90-95 degrees
week 2 - 85-90 degrees
week 3 - 80-85 degrees
week 4 - 75-80 degrees
week 5 - 70-75 degrees
week 6 - 65-70 degrees

You can tell if your chicks are warm enough by their behavior.
If they huddle up together they are too cold.
If they are holding their wings open and panting they are too hot.
If they are scampering around happily in their brooder then they are just right!

Cleanliness.

It is so important to keep your chicks brooder dry and clean. It's promote health and discourages pests and parasitic infections.
Clean their brooder often! Pick up any bedding they gets wet.
Check that they have a constant supply of fresh water! They will push bits of pine shavings in to their water dish that will need to be removed nearly non stop. Placing the waterer up on a board or block helps very much with this.
Wash your hands before and after you handle the chicks.

Enjoy!

Chicks are adorable and hilarious. They have great personalities and their social interactions with one another are so entertaining. But, chicks grow SO quickly! enjoy the tiny, fluffy stage. You will be astonished at how quickly your baby chicks will start to resemble and act like "real chickens". Take great care of your chicks and you will enjoy all of the benefits of having healthy happy chickens in no time.

Here are a few great books to help get you started and keep you informed about your chickens needs.

Our First Chicken Coop

The brown bear that terrorizes us came to visit our trash can last night. His visit has me thinking about the damage he has done which includes the destruction of our chicken coop. This year we need a new, larger chicken coop to house our flock so we have decided to convert our original coop in to a play house (don't worry I will be sanitizing it!)

When we decided to get chickens I fell in love we an adorable shingled coop I found online and my endearing husband built it for me.

Walls framed with 2x4s. The floor measures 4'x8', a single sheet of plywood. 

roof trusses and the nesting boxes off the back

Front door big enough to get in and out. The opening on the left side is the sweep door that lifts up and is used for cleaning. 

The chicken door. Made just big enough for a chubby hen to get in. We placed an automatic door inside of the opening that raised up and down. The automatic door was set on a timer. We had a second latching door on the outside as well because we read that raccoons could easily find their way in through the raising doors. 

Shingled the outside of the coop with more of our left over fence boards, alternating dog ears and straight cuts. 

we used corrugated metal roofing on top of the coop and top of the nesting boxes. 

We painted the metal roof red because it looked cute, but mostly because the steel roof reflected light straight in to our living room window all day!

The chickens loved the coop, but ignored the roosting bars almost completely in favor of roosting in the roof trusses. Our new coop will likely not be as adorable, but rather larger and even more secure. Although this coop was built strong and durable it was no match for the massive bears strength. He simply tore the swing door right off and shoved his way in. The new coop will be inside of bear fencing!!

Update 03/17

I haven't been posting much, but not because I've abandoned my blog. I have been working to move over to a different blogging platform and host. As my blog *hopefully* grows I will need a different platform and I've decided to just move things over now to make it easier on me....

Meanwhile back on our "faux-stead we've been busy.

We finished the herb bed in the back yard and I am now painting it. We even got it filled with soil moved from the front yard. The soil needs some amending and then the bed will be ready for planting.

Really helpful dirt movers ^^

We got some seeds started, some clearing on the top terrace done and pulled some of the ridiculous weeds from the backyard. 

We also got some of our chicks! (which was a ridiculous scheduling mistake that I am terribly annoyed over, but I'll save it for another post.)

This kid really likes chicken. 

Rooster Research (Pros and Cons of Keeping a Roo)

In spring 2012 we brought home our first batch of baby chicks. They were cute and cuddly and they lived in a little brooder in our bathroom while they worked on growing real feathers. We handled them often, several times a day and they grew to be very friendly, docile pullets ... and a cockrel.

It became evident pretty quickly that one of our barred rock chickies was a little dude.

Note the comb and waddle.

I did not want to keep him because all of my research told me toddlers (which I had 2 of) and roosters don't tend to mix well, but he was so very friendly and beautiful that we allowed him to stay.  My husband named him Phil Collins and toted him around the yard under his arm. He allowed us to pick him up and he never showed aggression toward any of us, until...

that one day we were all in the garden taking adorable photos in the sunshine and 

WHAM Phil Collins attacked my baby's face. 

I reacted like any mom would and LOST IT! I was packing Philly's bags while my husband argued otherwise. He rationed that scratch had been thrown down near there and that Phil was defending his feed and his ladies from the two foot terrorist that was our 10 month old. He also argued that the chickens were fenced and we simply wouldn't put the baby on the ground when the chickens were out (a point that in hindsight was QUITE OBVIOUS!). But in the weeks that followed Phil continued to show aggression to me and the kids. He would attack the fence when we walked by and guard the coop door when I went to clean or feed. He even launched a full blown assault on my head when I was checking the feeder early one morning and scarcely missed my eye. It was simple enough to keep the kids away from his vicious talons, but I was feeding the damn bird and he was attacking me. So, it was good-bye to Mr. Collins. I found a local man who I was told "rescued roosters" named George the Greek and sent the roo off to live with him. Although I was fairly certain that the crazy greek man ate Phil Collins for dinner I was relieved that the threat was gone.

Now I am faced with a dilemma; We want a self sustaining, dual purpose flock of chicken that provide us with eggs and meat. You have to keep raising up baby chickens to maintain a self sustaining flock and obviously there will be no baby chicks where no rooster resides. But, I also don't want a spur yielding, toddler attacking sack of feathers loose on my property.

I feel now that I didn't do right by Phil. I really had no idea what keeping a rooster was all about and I was unprepared. I have come up with a list of pros and cons to keep a rooster and a plan to keep roosters of our own in the very near future.

CONS

• Roosters and kids don't always mix well. There are always exceptions to this, examples of people raising both roosters and small children in harmony. But, for those examples there are also a lot of stories of roosters going after little ones. Roos tend to size people up and kids are small and unable to establish themselves as the "top of the pecking order". 

• Aggression in general is pretty common. Roos can be rough on and even injure their own hens and certainly other roosters as well. 

• Roosters are loud. They crow all day. Morning wake up calls are one things, but are you prepared to hear it all day long? Are your neighbors?

• Roosters do not lay eggs. Yes, this is obvious. But, if you have no need for fertilized eggs then you probably do not need a rooster. Some people say that hens will be more productive layers if a rooster is around, but that's not true. Your hens will lay even if there isn't a chicken man around. So why pay to feed a bird who isn't pulling his weight?

PROS

• They DO make babies. As I said before a self sustaining flock isn't going to happen without a daddy bird around. Unless you are okay with ordering new chicks /hatching eggs when you want to add to your flock then you will need a rooster for fertilization. 

• Keeping a rooster allows for specific breeding which can help you create a flock of chickens with specific characteristics.

• They are protectors. That albeit sometimes annoying crow is a great warning call. And while a rooster isn't going to win when matched against a large predator he is likely going to fight and give his ladies that extra time to possibly escape. 

• They are entertaining! They love their ladies and they show it. They will bring treats to the hens and show off for them. A roo will often even choose a favorite hen or two to treat extra well. These guys have a lot of personality!

NOTE - Breed matters. There are some breeds that are known to be more aggressive (ie. barred rock... if I'd only known) While personality is widely subject to each individual bird you are more likely to get a gentle bird from a gentle breed. (I was once told by a sweet old farmer that the more ornate/beautiful a rooster is, the more likely he is to be aggressive. I wonder if that holds any truth...)

So, here is my plan for a keeping a rooster. We will be hatching Buff Orpington eggs in the spring and our rooster will come from those eggs. Buff Orpingtons are a favorite breed of ours and are known to be very docile chickens (as well as brahmas, americaunas, cochins) ; They are also a great dual purpose breed, providing both good egg production and good meat. We will raise up whatever chickies end up being boys until they reach maturity and then decide who sticks around based on temperament; The others will be culled. We will also keep a rooster box in the run, a separate cage where he will stay when I have the kids in the run with me or if need be while I clean. I'll let you know how it goes...

First Veggies of 2014

We have veggies in the ground. I am so happy.
I stole the kids garden box (shhh. They haven't seemed to notice, yet.) and moved it to an area in front of the house where some random cement stairs seem to lead to no where and I filled it with garlic. Well, specifically I filled it with already sprouting garlic that I dug up and divided. Last year I had a great garlic harvest, but I left the bulbs outside all year.... how very lazy of me! I planted all of them this year though and they are doing so well.

I then had Sam build me two beds matching in size to the garlic beds and planted 60 sets of onions in each. I am worried that I (Kashmir, actually) spaced the onion sets a bit too close in some areas, but we will have to see I suppose. I will plant both onions and garlic again in the fall for a spring harvest next year as well.

Here are my little beds, aren't they cute?

 I can stare down at them from the deck. Our two year old planted a Muno doll in there with the red onions. We also plan to clear the area in front of them for some vining veggies to grow and climb down the hill; Pumpkins and winter squash most likely because the deer won't bother those. For now though, I am just happy to have some things in the ground while I count the days until it's time to start seedlings.

More later on HOW TO grow garlic and onions and WHY YOU SHOULD.