MOVING THE CHICKENS.
Between the cold and the rain lately, we haven't had much time to do anything productive outdoors. Still, we were so desperate to move our chicken yard that we worked through the mud and rain to drag their ragtag coop across the farm to a new location. We were in a hurry to move them because we need to cover their old yard with heavy mulch, so that we can use it this upcoming season as garden space.While the chickens seem to like their new spot, they are having difficulty remembering where it is. Every night since the move, we have had to pick up the chickens trying to roost in the old spot and carry them over to the coop. Their roosting instinct is pretty strong, but I think they are starting to figure it out....although we keep finding a scattering of eggs among the hay.- Hannah.
ATTACK.
We had our first attack on the chickens last night. Honestly, I can't believe that it hasn't happened before - as the ladies have grown fond of wandering through the woods during the day, scratching under leaves and dead trees for bugs. There have been several close calls, mostly with hawks, but last night was the first actual attack. We were listening to election results on the radio in our room, and there was a terrible squawking from outside. A possum had crawled up through the chicken wire on the bottom of the coop and had a tight hold of Ellen. Jesse was able to shove the possum out with a tobacco stick and then kill it. (Sorry for the violence, folks, but that's how this farming life goes. If we had let it live, it just would keep coming back for more....and we love our chickens.) After a midnight coop repairing session, we went back to sleep. Ellen was very battered and bloody, and I felt pretty certain he wouldn't make it through the night.I can truly say that I have never been so happy to be startled awake at dawn by Ellen's squeaky crow. He looks a little rough, but I think he will be just fine. I am so proud of him - he clearly jumped down from his perch to protect the other chickens. What a hero! Here's an old picture of the handsome man....although he has a little less feathers this morning after last nights adventure.-Hannah.
IN SHORT...
Here is an abbreviated version of this week on the farm....The chickens are happy and healthy. We're experimenting with some worm farms, using a few old windows, to supplement the protein needed for the chicken's diets. The bees are flourishing - I already had to add another hive body onto each! They are quite productive! There are lots of yellow squash getting bigger every day, plenty of green tomatoes, flowers on the green beans and zucchini. We planted corn, more melons, more cucumbers, pumpkins, and tons of beans - including some heirloom pole beans called "Reverend Taylor." Today, we finished setting up some bamboo trellising for them. These, plus the canopy of sheets shading our kale and chard, secure our garden as being completely insane-looking. "Anything you do that makes your neighbors think your crazy," our papa farmer, Eric, used to say, "probably just means you're doing something right!"- Hannah.
SIXTEEN LADIES.
It seemed like we built our chicken coop ages ago....and we have been waiting and waiting for the day we could fill it with our own little flock. Some hard-working folks have been busy clearing out all the leftover debris and junk from our yard this week...so we decided it was time to find some chickens!It was very last minute, but the ever-reliable Craigslist came to our rescue. And now - we have our girls! Sixteen. Barred rocks (the black and white speckled ones), Golden Comets (brown and white), and White Leghorns - or "Leggerns" as they seem to be called around these parts. They are pullets - which is basically like teenagers - so they aren't quite laying yet. But we are more than happy to bring them home while they are still developing, so that we can get them started on a good diet and out on some fresh grass before enjoying their eggs!We are so in love. Yesterday, I just sat with them for almost an hour...feeding them worms and naming them. We've have named the four Golden Comet's: Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, and Sophia (our Golden Girls). Plus, we got an extra chicken for free: She was a "dirty bird," basically a cross of two breeds and therefore useless to the farmer who registers his flocks. We love her the most, don't tell the others. She is the barred rock with a brown head you can see in the second-to-last photo. She is a TOTAL diva. Her name: Beyonce.We still have a lot more to name: suggestions?- Hannah.
