2010
07.29
Black Japanese Bantam Hen & Chick
When the work schedule gets a little crazy and I spend more time in my office than on my farm it is easy to forget how lucky I am to have the life I’ve got.
Case in point: here on the farm we have two hens setting right now and in order to keep up with births and such I keep a fairly detailed calendar. According to that calendar, one of the hens was due to begin hatching eggs today. Our human calculations can only take us so far and sometimes Mother Nature needs to remind us that she’s still in charge.
When I checked in on the Black Japanese Bantam hen at lunchtime yesterday, I saw a tiny head poking out from under her. In that instant it was as if the stress of the day had disappeared as I was once again caught up in the wonder and beauty of the natural world.
That moment reminded me that for our own good, sometimes we just need to shut the hell up and breathe. For all the good that has happened over the years thanks to technology, nature can still take care of itself. Chickens will lay eggs, hatch eggs and perpetuate their species. Plum trees will grow and produce fruit. Of course some of any species are going to die, that’s how things happen. We can step in and try to help Mother Nature and sometimes we can be successful while other times the results are not what we would have hoped.
It is good to remember that life will go on without us. For me, that knowledge pushes me to appreciate my life and the life around me just a little bit more.
Tags: chickens, life, philosophy Category On the Farm |
2010
07.20
In the previous entry I lamented the problems of the dog running through the new raised bed. On second thought, I kinda wish that was all he did, but a few days later and this is what I woke up to. As you can see I did end up with a picket fence panel on one end, unfortunately it wasn’t enough to stop the bed from being completely dug up.
As if that was not bad enough I awoke this morning to the same dog digging his way underneath the brand new chickgloo (chicken tractor) that is home to the week old chicks recently purchased to be raised for meat. There were 25 of them until this morning, and now there are 20.
Here’s the chickgloo yesterday:
And here’s one of the chicks. His name is Pecker:
Don’t pray for patience. Just don’t.
Tags: chickens, dogs, raised beds Category On the Farm, Rock Star Diary |
2010
07.16
Recently constructed the first of a series of raised beds in my courtyard using reclaimed cedar beams and the results are amazing so far. Truly rock star quality.
Here’s a closeup of the newly planted basil in the bed:
Then when I walked out with my morning cuppa, I was greeted with this:
Those are big paw prints from one end of the bed to the other. Right through my carrot and radish seeds. No, the canine responsible for this has not been harmed in any way thanks in so small part to the fact that I have the Serenity Prayer firmly implanted in my memory.
To hopefully put a stop to this behavior I’ll be cutting down a leftover picket fencing panel and affixing it to one end of the bed. This will give me something to use as a base for a clematis that I rooted last month.
Tags: raised beds Category Rock Star Diary |
2010
06.23
Rudy is a pot bellied bundle of love.
Tags: pigs, the animals Category Rock Star Diary |
2010
06.23
Meet Bubba, the harlequin buck. He’s a rock star too.
Tags: rabbits, the animals Category Rock Star Diary |
2010
06.17
Now that I have been on The Farm for just over two weeks, I’m beginning to fall into the rhythm of life the way it presents itself here. The original idea I had for a compost bin location would have been ideal but there was another place that seemed perfectly suited as well. Because the secondary location presented obstacles for things like mowing, it won out in the end.
Starting a compost bin does not have to be a difficult undertaking. In fact, most people seem to make composting far more difficult than it needs to be. I can’t tell you how many times people tell me that they “never knew you could compost that!â€
This is my new compost area on Day 1. The only thing added in this photo is a layer of freshly cut grass clippings. As you can see, there are weeds poking through the clippings. The wire fencing you see to the rear is actually the fence surrounding the yard and the 4×4 post in the center is a stabilizer that will remain in place.
It should be noted that technically mine is not a compost bin because it is not enclosed. There, it is so noted.
One of the most controversial things I add to my compost is wood ash. There are people who swear by it and others who say that it is the worst. thing. ever. The simple truth is that wood ash contains carbon and tons of good stuff. It is also really alkaline so you need to balance it out with acidic stuff like coffee grounds – which I happen to have lots of. I don’t add a lot of wood ash at once to any compost pile and you shouldn’t either.
When I came to The Farm I left my fancy schmancy bamboo kitchen compost bucket so I needed a suitable replacement. I found just the thing in a $2 plastic bin with a snap-on lid. Here is the contents from the bin that I’d been storing for a couple of days until the new composting area was ready.
Most people see a bunch of trash. I see food for worms that will turn into rich, dark compost! Coffee grounds, egg shells, onion skins, leftover brown rice, bits of celery and grape stems should never go into the trash! Neither should dryer lint or hair!
Tags: composting Category On the Farm |
2010
06.10
This crappy photo from my Blackberry shows just how well my Roma Tomatoes are established and producing. Before long I’ll be firing up the slow cooker and making gobs of tomato paste. There are 11 Roma plants so I look forward to being exiled to the kitchen for many hours soon.
In other news, the Black Japanese Bantam hen has started to lay again, which means there are four layers on The Farm at present. Take a look at this shot of her egg side-by-side with one from an Americauna hen:
Tags: chickens, tomatoes Category On the Farm |
2010
06.08
One of the first orders of business after relocating to the farm was to design and begin construction on The Aviary; a fancy name for the chicken house which will also play home to pigeons and pheasants that are already residents. The weather hasn’t played nice all that often but the basic structure of support posts and lean-to roof is in place so far. Here are a couple of progress photos:
The roofing material is reclaimed industrial metal roofing that will easily keep the birds dry while simultaneously serving as a great surface to feed into the rain barrel that will be the source water of the new automatic watering system that I hope to have in place in the next few weeks.
The Aviary will consist of four apartments. The first will be situated along the back of the barn and will be home to the pigeon loft. The remaining three apartments will run perpendicular to the building and will open to the rear shared yard. Of course I will share more photos as the project is completed.
In the rafters of the barn / garage was found an interesting hand made farm implement that I can’t figure out. It is beautiful in its simplicity but the weight and shape of the thing make it seemingly impractical by my standards.
Does anyone have a clue as to what this thing is? It seems to have had only one blade along the left side.
Mystery solved thanks to a keen-eyed friend. This is a scythe, also called a grain cradle. Read more about this device here. Another photo here.
Here’s a closer look at the handle:
Tags: antiques, chickens, construction Category On the Farm |
2010
06.04
I’ve been out of pocket for a few days while completing the move and then dealing with a shoddy Internet connection that is – for the moment – working. Here’s a quick cell phone photo of my first blue egg from one of the Americauna hens. Of the two, only one seems to be laying but as I’m not entirely sure of their ages I can’t say that I am too surprised. There are four pullets that will be laying fairly soon so I won’t have to be without fresh eggs for too long.
On the top of today’s agenda is to put together a makeshift composting bin. My kitchen scraps notwithstanding, the chicken and horse manure needs somewhere to go so I’ve got to get that project handled as soon as I can. If the weather holds up (we’ve been getting rain every day), I need to plant some okra and beans.
There’s always something to do!
06/08/10 UPDATE: Here’s a story I found that makes me happier than ever that I am raising my own eggs. [LINK]
Tags: chickens Category Rock Star Diary |
2010
05.28
Somehow I selected Memorial Day weekend for my move to The Farm. On top of that, it’s going to rain and I will be moving in a pickup. Thankfully I thought ahead and packed everything in plastic storage tubs so tossing a tarp over it all will be all the extra protection it needs. The computer and electronics will all be with me in the cab of the truck; I’m not dumb.
Catch you on the flip side!
Next Stop, The Farm.
Category Announcements |
