Gardening with Chickens

It dawned on me while writing a recent post how often I begin with the weather; what is has done, what it is doing, or what we are anticipating to happen. This makes absolute perfect sense when you take into account how much everything we do is affected by Mother Nature and her whims. We are always, ALWAYS preparing for the coming season and its unique needs.

In the winter time, between chipping out water buckets and keeping everyone as comfortable as possible, we spend time planning Spring gardens. Using the deep litter method, our various stalls decompose into a rich compost mix for those anticipated herb and veggie beds and serves double duty of increasing the floor heat in the barn and coop, too. Winter is the time to get ahead on our stores and stock up on making farm products like soaps, scents, and massage melts. Cozy in front of the wood stove or busy at my desk, I dream up and bring to life new eggshell jewelry designs for the summer markets.

March Baby, Jemimah.

June guinea keets and chicks hatching.

Spring thaw brings life. The animals who have hunkered down and endured the long winter months cooped up in the barn are ready to move to their seasonal homes- Ebony to her pig house and private yard and the turkeys to their roomy run. The goats leave off their accusing glares over the snow and cold keeping them inside and venture into their pastures once again. We are forgiven. In the woods, brush, scrub, and brambles bloom new shoots for the goats to enjoy and tame. The growth they strip leaves the ground below open and exposed for new grasses to take root. The young trees they assault with their hunger become kindling to heat our home through next winter's months. Goat's kid and milk begins to flow. Months spent without fresh cheese feed our appetite for fresh herb chevre, feta, and ricotta. Seeds are started in the greenhouse. The litter in the stalls is cleaned out and top dressed on our garden beds. As soon as the ground breaks, the hens begin working the garden beds for us- removing all the unwanted weeds that inevitably sprout and take root and mixing in the compost for us. When they are finished, our work of planting onions, beets, lettuces, peas and other early crops begin. CSA shares begin.

Harvest time!

Summer's warmth signals the time for nests to be made and set upon in earnest. Soon the peep-peep-peep of chicks, ducklings, goslings, and poults abound. Egg production increases and soon we are collecting nearly 14 dozen eggs each week. Seedlings get transplanted into the garden beds; tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, cucumbers, and direct seeding of corn, pumpkin, and beans begins. Our local farmer's markets are in full swing. Farm work increases, too. There is weeding to do, mucking stalls, checking fencing, adding fencing, repairing barns, building new coops or pens all to plan and execute. CSA shares are in full swing. We pick the veggies when they are ripe to distribute to the neighbors who have signed up for our shares. We preserve our supply as we go; canning or freezing as the need may be.

Sean manning our booth at Belfast Art Market

Leah and Rachel

And, then, just as suddenly as it came upon us, summer wanes and autumn takes over. The nights take on a pleasant bite. We keep a watchful eye for frost predictions. It becomes a game of calculated risk as to when to pull the last of the onions, carrots, pumpkins and beets from the garden. Wood cutting and stacking becomes a priority. Late babies need extra care. Places are prepared in the barn. It will soon be time to move Ebony and the turkeys back to the barn. We'll hold off as long as possible, but by early December, it will be necessary. Shops that carry our goods gear up for the busy shopping season. Keeping up with demand for our mosaic eggshell jewelry, bee's wax wraps, snapper towels, scent tarts, massage melts and soaps requires careful planning and diligent work. This is our busiest sale time, too, at local craft fairs and art market events.

And, this is where we were last week. We should have been working on getting the last of the wood cut and stacked in the shed. Instead, Mother Nature threw us a bit of a curve ball- a freak autumn storm with over a foot of snow and 40 mile an hour winds to take down trees and leave much of the state of Maine without power for several days- several thousand homes are still without as I write this. We fare better than many without power. We heat our home with the wood stove and that was unaffected. We cook on a propane stove and can still use the stove top. Our well overflows outside at the pump (one benefit of living in a swamp!) and we had access to fresh water to drink and cook with. We melted snow on the wood stove to heat to wash dishes and flush toilets. Internet was available on my cell phone, which could be charged with our van's battery.

The only real worry in our world, besides keeping the animals safe, was the danger of flooding in the basement in the aftermath. Our electric sump pump generally keeps the basement dry and with the addition three years ago of a supplemental battery backup to it, we have had no real issues with it- until now. No power and a foot of melting snow combined to create about a half inch of water slowly seeping its way across the basement floor. Not good. And, with power out, trees down, and roads unsafe, we were in a pickle. Sean tried to rig and use the new truck battery to run the pump, but that did not work. Then, he thought of the plastic hand pump attached to a barrel in the back yard. He removed the hand-pump section and cobbled together a system with a 5 gallon bucket to create a make-shift pump. Rudimentary, but effective while the power was out. Sean removed approximately 50 gallons of water using this method and saved any damage to the basement furniture. Once power was restored, Cait and the girls employed the shop vac and old work towels to suck up the rest of the mess and dry the floor. We will be adding a new backup system to the list of "must haves" before winter.

In anticipation for winter's arrival, we moved all the hens to the front garden area. Why use machinery or make time to care for this chore, when we have 60 hens willing and able to handle the job? Even the bucklings got into the action. Between them, our garden beds are looking bare and ready to be tucked in with some compost for its winter rest. This is how we garden with chickens:

Our Toms in the front: Aquila and Lazarus and the hens in the back looking on. 

Both Blue Slate and Red Breasted Bronze turkeys went for a bit of a "walk about" after the storm to explore and see what was new in the world. They wandered past an abandoned chick-brooder house and got as far as the pig pen yard. The snow proved to be an excellent distraction for them. They went no further and Sean returned them to their home upon his return.

Their necks and heads are bright and handsome, but those poor wet tail feathers!

I have been trying to buy out time to finish creating the video and upload images to go along with this post. With the shows, snow, and everything else we are pulled upon to care for, it has taken me a week. I hope you enjoy this update. I appreciate your company. Thanks for stopping by, friends.

Sean and Sonja ♥

The Largest Snowflakes I've *EVER* Seen...

True to the predictions, we got another foot of snow overnight. Thankfully, the 3/4 inches of new ice never materialized. Power remained intact at our home through the night.

Sean was up before 5am to clear the snow with his new snow blower. It took nearly an hour to clear the driveway, create paths to the animal's gates, and excavate the vehicles from the solid foot of wet snow blanketing them. Once freed, Sean (and Justin) set off to liberate one of our neighbors. When they return, it will be time for morning chores. Having two men living here to care for the majority of the manual labor, worth every dish I have to wash. Just sayin'.

It wasn't so much "snow falling" last night as it was the sky throwing loosely packed snowballs at us! Seriously, never have I seen snow flakes the size of these! Check it out:


Thanks for visiting with us today friends. ♥

Surviving Nemo...

Hi folks,

Sean here. I woke up today thinking that I heard a plow truck outside. I was correct, but unfortunately, not our outside. The clock read 7:26 am and my fantasy of sleeping in vanished into the ether as I checked the cold wood stove and accompanying wood supply for the day (or rather, lack thereof). Of course, after being dressed, jacketed, and booted for the cold, gathering wood segued into morning chores.

With over 2 feet of snow falling steadily for about 30 hours straight, our animals' welfare becomes a priority concern. Jasmine, by far our most stalwart denizens (as well as the least appreciative of the protection her stall offers), was released first. She didn't take long to voice her opinion of the current conditions which in her mind were obviously my doing. It didn't dampen her spirits too much though, and after a good long drink, Jasmine waded out to the edge of her field to see to the status of her neighbors across the street. They answered her calls from the comfort of their barn and all was well in Jasmine's world. She could now focus on her empty manger and stomach.

The goats were less enthused about my arrival and greeted me from a reclined position where they, no doubt, had lain since I checked them the night before. Their mood improved at the sight of fresh hay and they were quickly on their feet eating with gusto and pushed each other out of the way to get at the hay four inches to the left of the hay they already had available. Because even from the same bale, new hay is clearly superior to what's waiting in their manger.

The flock (chickens, ducks, and geese) are exponentially more vocal than all the rest of our charges combined. The chickens flooded out quickly and immediately regretted their decision. After a quick feeding frenzy, most of them retired back into the safety of their coop. The ducks and geese were much better suited to the record snow fall. They climbed and flapped through it like it was nothing but thick pond water. It's a marvel any of them fly south at all. The hens left us 7 eggs yesterday and another 7 today.

 

The rooster stall (AKA our tack room), being less than completely enclosed did not keep all the snow out. Fortunately, the roosters were not born yesterday, and decided to take up with the pigs, whose stall proved much cozier. The potbellies didn't seem to notice their presence or if they did, it was far less important than the contents of their food bucket.





As a whole everyone is in good spirits, but quite looking forward to warmer weather on the horizon. At least, they would if they paid any attention to the weather channel.

We captured some video of the snow storm. For our friends in warmer climates, THIS is a real snow storm. We are glad it is over and will be even happier when the thermometer hits the 40 degrees promised by our local weatherman. Thanks for visiting with us tonight, friends. We're glad you came by.

Sean and Sonja ♥

Let it Snow...

I am not a HUGE fan of snow, since I neither snowboard, nor ski. Don't get me wrong. I like an occasional cheery snowman in the yard, it brings me joy to lob a perfectly created snowball at an unsuspecting Sean or go on a family adventure involving sledding. Especially, if these things mean that we spend a lazy day home by the fire together.  But, all in all, I would take crisp fall days over cold snowy ones.

Sean, on the other hand, loves the snow. I credit that to his ability to snowboard and that he is a furnace of warmth. But, I think even he was happy when we had finished our first bout of shoveling ourselves out. And, I know he was thankful for a hot shower to warm up with after he and I tackled the last of the 6 additional inches of new snow that covered over yesterday's hard work.

We could pay to have someone plow the snow with a truck, but at $25-$35 a time, that can get pricey. We are very thrifty, relatively able-bodied, and just stubborn enough to shovel, instead. On the upside of this; it is a great work out and it saves the driveway from being gouged and needing to purchase more fill to repair it in the Spring.

This is a video of yesterday's work around Lally Broch in the snow. Like the people, the animals are of good, hearty stock and weathered the storm just fine. Most of the animals prefer to stay inside during bad weather- the exception being Fenn dog and the silly geese and ducks, who are unfazed by the snow. Fenn scared us yesterday when we found him asleep in the snow in his yard. We brought him inside to warm up and dry off, but he immediately escaped out his dog door to his spot in the snow. The ducks and geese were similarly happy to snooze in the snow instead of taking shelter in either chicken coop or their own house. Must be so nice to have a built in down comforter or fur coat.



When we went to bed last night, the snow was still falling and this morning we woke to another 6-8 inches of new snow to remove again. Sean grabbed his shovel and I my snow scoop and we set to work. It took us another solid hour to have us all cleared out, again.

Our system, having worked so well yesterday, was repeated this morning. Sean shoveled a path down the driveway and then, focused on clearing it. I scooped paths to the chickens, cleared the doorways to the barn, paths around the cars, and then, helped with the driveway.
Yesterday, the chickens, pigs and goats were mostly satisfied with remaining inside and fairly quiet during our work. This morning, the chickens were clucking up a storm, themselves. As far as I can translate, it went something like: "We're starving in here!" "It is 8 am already. Hurry with your playtime, woman, and bring us our FOOD!" They were quite boisterous in regaling me with how slow my progress in their eyes. They clearly felt that had they opposable thumbs and shovels, they would have made a much shorter time of it. The hens did not hold a grudge, though, and repaid me with a gift of 6 eggs in the nest boxes.

Sean's morning shoveling efforts:


Jasmine loves the snow. As soon as her door was opened this morning, she walked out to frolic like a colt. I didn't have my camera for a video, but I was able to snap a few still pictures of her antics.

"Ummm... I know you are still shoveling to get to me, but my hay manger is empty, so... I'm just going to run around in the snow a little, instead."

"What snow? I didn't eat any snow. I do not have to listen to these baseless accusations."

The folk of Lally Broch Farm made it through the last good storm of the year 2012. (Ammendment: We got another foot of snow the very next night!) I wonder how many storms 2013 has in store for us??? Thanks for checking on us after our snowy day home. We're glad you stopped in for a visit.

 

Sean and Sonja ♥

 

This post shared with Tilly's Nest Down Home Blog Hop & Deboran Jean's Dandelion House Farm Girl Friday &