Chicken Humor!

A few months ago one of our hens, LaFonda, was brooding and since we don't have a rooster we hated for her to waste time sitting on eggs that weren't fertile.  So some friends of ours gave us six fertile eggs to place under her.  LaFonda diligently sat on the eggs, gently rotating them and keeping them warm for three weeks and as a result, four Buff Orphington chicks hatched (see below). I accepted the two fatalities with a saddened heart.

 LaFonda is a terrific mother hen. Showing the chicks where to find their feed and to drink water from the very first day.  Then as they grew, began teaching them how to scratch the flowerbeds to find insects, dust in the dirt, and take cover at the sight of possible prey.  She clucks to keep them in line and close to her. It's funny to watch her scold (peck) them when they don't listen or pay attention.  There's probably a lot of truth to above cartoon.

The chicks are about three months old now and we've noticed lately that LaFonda is starting to distance herself from them. This is most noticeable at night when all the hens line up on the roost.  LaFonda nestles herself between the other hens leaving the chicks to find a spot by themselves.  If they try to roost next to her, she pecks at them and they finally move to another spot, whereas before the four babies would snuggle next to her and she would spread her wings out around them protecting them from the other hens.  It's kind of sad to watch, but again, it's part of the cycle.  

We think one of the chicks may be a rooster (comb and waddles are more prominent compared to the other chicks).  We hope so as we are ready to get the incubator out again and hatch out some chicks ourselves. I'll write about our previous experience with that in another post.  It's a wonderful experience.

It's starting to get dark out so I better go and check on LaFonda and the others to make sure they all get settled in for the night.

(Picture:  LaFonda and babies at one week of age)

Sorry For My Absence

Goodness gracious, has it really been five months since my last post?  I apologize, but in my defense, I have been a bit busy. No, that's not fair, I should have stopped to give you an update...please forgive me.

Let's see...here are a few events that have taken place: Ran first 5K race (miracle), went camping at Mill Creek (Kimberling City, MO, which I highly recommend), built a shelter and added fencing for future goats, harvested spinach and potatoes, made my first No Knead Bread (recipe from Mother Earth mag), added four Buff O chicks to our brood (first hatch in above picture with surrogate mom), planted and harvested cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, and cantaloupe; made frittatas using items from the garden and eggs from "the girls', picked, sliced and froze peaches from our trees (made peach crisp), picked blackberries (made blackberry cobbler), started painting house interior a new color and adding ceiling crown molding...okay, let's see what else...oh yes, we've been watering, watering, watering, watering, and watering due to the terrible drought this year. I feel so sorry for the farmers and their livestock.  Temperatures have remained in triple digits for about three weeks now and many of the ponds are drying up and water has to be hauled in.  I pray for relief soon.  Due to the drought the only plants left in the garden are tomatoes and they are not fairing very well.  I was so looking forward to fresh tomatoes for BLT's this year. 

The dry weather has caused some of the area critters to venture close to the house looking for food.  The other morning a mother skunk and her four babies were at the foot of the front porch and then two armadillos showed up a day or so later, scouting out for food in the yard.  Rabbits have been plentiful this year (I so hope they enjoyed some of the garden items they helped themselves to). 

And, oh my, Elwood, our cat (see previous post), was attacked by something (I'm guessing a coyote) and showed up a month or so ago with half his neck/throat missing. I doctored the wound daily and am happy to report it has finally healed. 

(Chuckle) Hubby just walked in the room as I'm writing this and has a poochy lip.  He's bummed there's no produce to pick.  He enjoys coming home from work and spending time in the garden and yard.  It helps get his mind off daily worries.  Neither one of us would trade this country life for anything, at least not at this point of time. 

Well, I better go for now.  Talk to you soon! 

Reunited With A Dear Friend

As we stood there face to face, I was trying to remember the last time my dear friend and I last met.  Counting back the months in my mind, it figured out to be around four but it seemed as if it was just yesterday.  As I embraced my dear friend, excitement rushed through me.  You haven't changed a bit, I thought, wishing the same for myself.  Oh how I value the investment I've placed in this relationship.  A relationship for the most part that is very reliable and faithful.  After our embrace, we made our way to our usual spot to reunite...the garden.

You see, my dear friend is "Red."  A 2.0 hp rotor tiller (red in color).  I know, you're probably let down  by the lead in to this blog, but I truly do have a great relationship with my tiller (pitiful huh?).  Seriously, the financial investment of this small powerhouse has been so valuable for preparing our raised garden beds.  In my early teens during summers on my grandmother's farm, I would watch her use her full-size tiller, thinking how cool it would be to run one.  She never let me.  Probably because I tossed her out of the garden cart that was hooked to the riding mower I was driving on our way to the fish pond.  I freaked out and she just laughed it off.  She knew I wasn't ready to work the tiller quite yet (chuckle).

Earlier this week, I cleaned out the chicken house, hauling the enriched straw/shredded paper blend to the raised beds.  Then Red did her magic.  What's so nice about Red is that I can start her on my own.  Purchased her new a few years ago.  Only takes a few pulls and she starts right up; reliable and faithful.  Most of our equipment is used or worn-out; otherwise "rigged", so you have to face the east, stand flat-footed, close one eye, hold the choke and pray, all at the same time, hoping whatever it is will start.  Otherwise, you have to wait until hubby gets home from work to start it right up.  Arrg...not a good thing.  So that is why I treasure my friendship with Red.

The garden beds are now ready for spinach and seed potatoes to be planted.  I'm so ready for my dirt therapy and reconnecting with Mother Earth.

Homemade Laundry Soap

A recipe for SAVINGS! Make your own liquid laundry soap. All items can be purchased at Wal-Mart in the same aisle. See complete recipe on the right-hand side of blog under Household Tips.

Yields: 2.25 gallons. Usage is 1/4 to 1/3 cup per load. 144 loads per recipe. Supplies cost us $3.00 (based on recipe amounts) which makes the Cost Per Load: $0.02. WOW...what a savings!

Jake & Elwood

Awww...aren't they precious! Jake and Elwood (full grown now) spent the first six months or so living in the hen house. What?? Yes, we wanted to introduce the kittens to the hens as soon as possible so what better way than to combine living quarters. Plus it was a safe and warm place. We trained the boys to go inside the hen house with the girls each night at dusk (food and playtime was involved). At first the girls were a little unsettled but they stayed on their roost and the boys climbed up into the nesting boxes to sleep. We built them a shelf for an eating platform so the hens would stay out of their food. It worked out great. Everyone got along just fine and still do so today. As the boys got older they wanted to stay outside at night and roam (I hated it; afraid something would get them), but it's all worked out.

Morning Fog

This picture was taken early one spring/summer morning from our deck looking to the east.  Seeing it makes us anxious for this spring to arrive.  We've already been reviewing garden catalogs (Gurney's and Seeds of Change) for this year's selections.  It's hard to tell from this photo but we have two raised planting beds on each side of the greenhouse (which Steve (hubby) built all three).  He's so handy! 

I just love this view from our deck; it's what I see when I wake each morning (minus the fog).