Peas
Over the last few weeks the garden has really been taking off.
In the backyard garden the peas are waist high and showing no signs of stopping. The mustard greens are starting to bolt and we are debating letting them, to collect the coriander mustard seeds (confusing the mustard with the cilantro that keeps going to seed in the kitchen). The lettuces are all doing well and the cooler weather vegetables are holding in there despite some unseasonably warm weather.
In the front container garden we have several varieties of tomatoes growing. The ones I started from seed got fried in the greenhouse on an unusually hot day so these are from starts we picked up from a random person selling them at the end of their driveway. They were a stellar deal at $1.50 a plant when similar ones were going for $4+ at the farmers market. We also have fennel, eggplant, sage, orange mint and two peppers in containers. Unfortunately slugs got to two of the peppers before I found organic slug bait, but the remaining two and all the others are doing much better now.
We installed a drip system in the container garden that is fed by a rain barrel, although once we got it up we got one or two more rains and it hasn’t really rained since. So right now it’s hooked up to the well spigot. I plan to install drip in the backyard garden too but just keep procrastinating it.
My strawberries continue to do very well in the greenhouse so I haven’t bothered to move them out. We’ve been snacking on them each evening when we close the chicken coop and take the dogs out.
We’ve also have tarragon, 2 kinds of cilantro, and oregano growing in a pot on the kitchen counter for some time.
The salmonberries are coming in all over the property right now and as
Backyard Morels
always it’s fun to watch the chickens eat them. Even the new chickens go crazy for the berries when I toss them in their yard. The goats enjoy the berries too.
Much to our shock and pleasure while weeding around outside the backyard garden fence we discovered a little patch of morels growing. After much research and disbelief we confirmed that they were indeed morels. I can also confirm that they caused no ill effects when eaten either. We have no idea what we did to encourage the morels to grow, but we are hoping that it continues in future years.
I still need to plan squash if it’s not too late and start succcession planting the radishes, carrots, and peas.
Currently in the garden:
Head and Leaf Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Brussel Sprouts, Red and Yellow Beets, Radishes, Carrots, Walla Walla Onions, Cauliflower, Sugar Snap Peas, Shelling Peas, Green Beans, Potatoes, and Cucumbers
Currently in the container garden:
Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Fennel, Sage, and Orange Mint
Currently in the greenhouse:
Strawberries, Basil, Oregano, Dill
Currently running wild:
Salmonberries, Alpine Strawberries, and Thimbleberries
I’m going to have to break up my updates in to smaller posts to get all caught up…
Layers on range
After the loss of yet another laying hen we went back to the drawing board with regards to our free range chickens. It was still very important to us that our chickens are able to range and be chickens, but the loses are hard to sustain. With thorough consideration, and following our relative success with the broiler chicken’s house, we decided to build two range houses for the new (and old) layers. The plan was (and still is) to move the layers in to the goat pasture, once we get the pasture fences up. For most months out of the year this will work well for us. For the few very cold months we sometimes get we are keeping the coop down by the house that also has the heater installed. We can relocate the flock during the harsher weather if need be.
We stuck with the same design as the broiler’s range house with some minor modifications. We raised the peak of the roof from 3 feet to 4 feet to create more room.
Nesting house
In the first house we built in as many nesting boxes as we could fit which turned out to be eight. We also put in exterior egg doors as well as hinged the roof as we had planned for the broiler’s range house. Eight boxes is enough to support 24-32 layers so that gives us some room to grow.
In the second house we reversed the side the door was on so we could get the maximum space for roosts. By doing so we could build in three tiered roosts which creates enough roosting space for about 15 chickens, which is how many layers we have in total. On this house we also added heavier handles for mobility. The nesting house shouldn’t need to be rotated often, but the roosting house will need to be moved to prevent manure build up.
Roosting house prepped
We stopped by the local hardware store and picked up some exterior “oops” paint in a bright miami teal green. Once completed and painted we started the task of moving the houses up the hill to where we anticipate the goat pasture to go. We got the heaviest, the nesting house, moved with some serious effort. Unfortunately, building the range houses took longer than expected and we didn’t get the pasture fences up as well. Since then the calendar has kept us busy and we still haven’t had a chance to put up the pasture fences. Instead of moving the roosting house up the hill we moved it to the yard with the broiler’s range house and moved the new layers out in to the yard as well. It’s an acceptable hold over location until we can get the pasture fences up which will probably still be a couple weeks out.
Here’s the cost breakdown:
| 3/8″ CDX Plywood sheets |
5@$8.46 |
$42.30 |
| Light Wt Door Pull |
4@$2.59 |
$10.36 |
| Hook & Eye Latches |
2@$1.99 |
$3.98 |
| Screws |
|
$8.69 |
| 8 foot 2″x2″ |
7@$1.71 |
$11.97 |
| 5 1/2″ Door Pulls |
4@$3.79 |
$15.16 |
| 2 1/2″ Safety Latch |
2@3.49 |
$6.98 |
| Roof Hinges |
|
$4.79 |
| Door Hinges |
|
$2.89 |
| Bolt Barrel Latches |
2@$3.29 |
$6.58 |
| Total |
|
$113.70 |
We used scraps that we had already, which aren’t included in the price list, for the nesting boxes as well as some of the scraps that resulted from the project .
And for paint and supplies:
| “Oops” Ext Paint |
$15.00 |
| Paint Roller Cover |
$2.49 |
| Paint Roller |
$2.29 |
| Paint Tray |
$3.99 |
| Total |
$23.77 |
Our grand total including paint and hardware came to approximately $70 per house (plus tax of course). Overall it’s still a very good deal.
One of this weekend’s projects was to build a range house for the broiler chickens.
This year we are only slaughtering for personal use, but we’d like to be able to consider slaughter for on farm sales in the future. In order to comply with the Temporary Permit to Slaughter Pastured Chickens the chickens have to spend at least half of their life span on “pasture, range, or ground covered with vegetation that is suitable for grazing”. The average broiler raised for slaughter is around 8 weeks of age so we targeted our broilers to go out to range at 4 weeks of age.
The chicken coop for the layers isn’t well suited for the broilers not to mention the full-grown layers wouldn’t look on it kindly. We also didn’t really want the broilers free-ranging since they are pretty fat and slow moving. Our range solution was pretty simplistic, but could be adapated pretty easily for a few layers if you wanted to do so by adding flooring and a nesting box.
Broiler Range House
We simply took two sheets of plywood and cut a 3 foot x 4 foot section off the end of one sheet to form the front. We trimmed an additional 6 inchs off the 4 foot side so we would have roof overhang on the sides and cut a 1 foot by 1 foot door. For the remainder of the sheet we cut diagonally across from the 2 foot and 3 foot marks creating the two side panels (3 feet tall in the front and 2 feet tall in the back). We cut a 2 foot x 4 foot section off the end of the second sheet to form the back and then trimmed an additional 6 inches off of the 4 foot side so we would have roof overhang on the sides. We used 2×2’s to brace all four corners and for braces for the roof. We also used the 2×2’s for two roosts. We trimmed down the door cut out and attached it with cabinent hinges and added a hook and eye latch. We also drilled air holes under the eaves in the front and back to help regulate the temperature and air flow. With the remainder of the second sheet forming a 4 foot by 6 foot roof we positioned it such that it formed a little “porch” on the front. We originally wanted to do that so we could put the food and water under it, but quickly realized that the food would need to actually go inside.
Everyone inside
We put both the layers and broilers in the little “pasture” with the range house while we cleaned out the brooder box and removed the divider before moving the layers back in to the brooder box. You can still watch the Baby Chick Cam. They both clearly liked the range house because after a few hours of wandering the yard they all climbed inside for an afternoon nap.
So far the broilers seem to be doing quite well despite the overnight temperatures dropping to 40 degrees the first night. I stuck a thermometer in one of the ventilation holes and it registered at least 10+ degrees over the air temperature despite it being overcast and drizzly. We open the door during the day, but when it rains they only come out to enjoy the proteced area under the porch before eventually heading back in to the comfort of their range house. It seems to be working great though.
Enjoying the fresh air
After this season we plan to hinge the roof (we screwed it down) so we can access the inside of the range house if needed. It would also allow us to prop open the roof if the day got particularly warm. We also plan to try to add wheels and handles/supports to lift the range house so we can easily move it around making it more of an actual chicken tractor. We’ve already had to move the house once this week because the broiler hens have been spending most of their time inside generating waste due to the weather taking a turn for the worst this week. You will notice we have a small tarp on top of the range house. The only reason for that is because the hardware store was out of actual plywood and only had OSB which won’t withstand the rain we get in the spring. We plan to replace the OSB with actual plywood and paint the entire range house with exterior paint when we do.
I’m very pleased with how it all worked out and you can’t really beat the cost or the fact that it took less than an hour to assemble.
Parts list:
- Two 4 foot by 8 foot sheets of 1/2 or 3/4″ plywood (don’t recommend OSB even though you’ll see we used a sheet) - ~$20 each
- Three 8 foot long 2″x”‘ boards - $2 each
- Pair of inexpensive cabinent hinges - $4 to $7 total
- One hook and eye latch - $2
- Draw pull door handle (optional)
- Roof hinge (optional)
Our total came in around $60 dollars. If you were to add a single nesting box (good for up to 3 hens) you’d add another $10-15 dollars.
Centennial Hops
How does your garden grow?
With Silver Bells, And Cockle Shells,
And so my garden grows.
We made great progress on the garden this weekend! We got the sugar snap peas, shelling peas, and green beans in the ground and the pea trellises up. I took a lesson from last year and have planted the peas and beans more heavily this time around. I also plan on doing some succession plantings of the peas in particular. In the backyard garden the cool vegetables are happy for almost the entire summer so I’m going to try to use that to my advantage. With the pea tendrils as well as the the actual pods being edible it would seem arguable that one can never have too few pea plants. We were also very happy with the harvest of green beans we got last year and have coveted the garlicky beans we canned through out the winter (only one jar left!).
Potato boxes at the end of the season
The seed potaotes are on the kitchen counter to start sprouting and Bengt pulled out the potato boxes, disassembled them, and put them in their spots. In doing so he discovered a secret clutch of chicken eggs hidden inside one. We had simply been storing the boxes on the far side of the house under the eaves for the winter. This puts them out of sight and doesn’t use up space in the garge or greenhouse. It also puts them very close to the dryer vent and across a small patch of grass from the compost pile, both favorite roosting spots for our free range chickens. We had noticed the egg count drop after the winter passed but just chalked it up to other changes. We don’t think the hen that left the clutch is still with us unfortunately, or I’d try to encourage her behavior. There were only five eggs and they were clearly undeveloped. We are honestly surprised that they weren’t in worse shape considering the cold nights we still have some what frequently.
There are still kale, cabbage, and herb starts on the kitchen counter waiting for a few more leaves before they can get transitioned out to the garden as well. The tomato starts in the kitchen need to be potted up and moved to the greenhouse. The hops Bengt planted last year have come back as have the chives, blueberries, and columnar apples. In the way of wild/forage around the farm the salmonberries and alpine strawberries are starting to bloom and the dandelions are out in full force.
Currently in the garden:
Head and Leaf Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Brussel Sprouts, Red and Yellow Beets, Radishes, Carrots, Walla Walla Onions, Cauliflower, Sugar Snap Peas, Shelling Peas, and Green Beans
Currently in the greenhouse:
Strawberries
Currently running wild:
Salmonberries, Alpine Strawberries, Dandelions
While picking out the farm property/house, obvious points of interest were the electric, water supply, sewer, water heating, and house heating. I think about each of these as “supply systems” and have been working to build plans to improve the “sustainability” of each.
The term “sustainable” used in marketing misses the mark when used to describe our goals. Yes, we want what we do to have a minimal ecological footprint and examine the source, transportation, and materials used to produce what we buy… but that’s not the only way I’m using the word. I want our “supply systems” to a) help us survive (supply clean potable water, keep us from freezing, keep us out of the dark, etc.) and b) require little input to continue function.
sus·tain·a·ble [ sə stáynəb'l ]
1. able to be maintained: able to be maintained
2. maintaining ecological balance: exploiting natural resources without destroying the ecological balance of an area
My primary focus for the past year has been on water, electric power (for lighting, cooking, computing and entertainment), and heating. The house is on Puget Sound Energy utility power, a well, and septic tank. It has forced-air electric heat, a small Jøtul wood stove, and a big propane hot water heater.
I posted about my water woes in December, but haven’t posted the full impact that this had on our electric consumption. The shocking thing to me is how much of our electricity usage is driven by our water consumption. The well is fed by a 79 foot deep 1.5HP submersible pump and a 9 amp Franklin Electric pump control box. To put this in perspective, that’s the equivalent of flipping on 10 100 watt light bulbs, when it runs! For much of the month of December, the pressure switch was misadjusted and even when working property, we were running the water to try to clear the sediment out of the lines. The effect is clearly visible in the “January 09″ bill. What’s going on in that Jan-Apr 08 timeframe?! Our well was broken. There was a crack in the pipe leading from the well to the house. That was fixed in late Feb. and you can see the drop in usage immediately after.
My goal for the summer is to draw less than 500 kWh/month. To do this, it’s going to take some diligence, but I think it’s doable. The house has several very large skylights that almost eliminate the need for interior lighting until after sundown. We put a clothes line, last summer and that should supplant our clothes dryer. We’ll probably even use the solar oven (caramelized onions, Israeli cous cous, and lentils work well).
I’ll post again, about our overall energy conservation (and which definition of that word I’m using) and some more metrics another day. I also endeavor to post more about the rest of our “supply systems.” I have to run, though… there’s a light on in the kitchen.
One of the Araucana chickens many colors
I unintentionally “recovered” a chick. Originally we had thought I had one less layer and Bengt had one more broiler. As his broilers have been growing like weeds we’d noticed there was a small one in the bunch. I made Bengt come take a look because I thought we should move it in with the smaller layers. I was worried it wasn’t going to do well competing with the rest of the broilers since they are pretty aggressive around feeding time. As we were watching it, I realized that it was exactly the same size as my layers next door. So we moved it over with the smaller layers. Once it was under the white heat lamp we realized it had green feet which means it was my missing Aruacana/Americana and not a broiler at all. Woops! It was a bit upset at being separated from the flock it had come to know and spent the better part of the evening making alarm like high pitched chirps and the broilers would respond back. Fortunately she seemed to settle in after awhile and she is now acclimated to her new flock. She’s the whitest Aruanca I’ve ever seen, but I’m glad we realized the situation. So now we have 14 broilers, 11 layers, and our “free rare chick”. I really need to get some updated pictures.
Last night was a rough evening.
I was home sick on Monday and when checking on the baby chicks I noticed one of my layers was pasted up and not behaving well. I brought her inside, cleaned her up and returned her to the brooder box. Her posture was a little odd still, but she was active so I didn’t worry.
Yesterday morning she was standing but kind of stunned as the other chicks whizzed around her (they are very active at this stage). When we got home last night she was clearly doing very poorly. I came in to the house on the verge of tears and told Bengt she was dying. There was no question that it was better to end her suffering at that point and Bengt handled the unfortunate task. He had already poured me a glass of wine and I took it out to the back patio where the sun was setting and sat on the ground while the full grown hens milled around trying to decide if I had a snack and what to make of me being at their level.
Afterwards Bengt and I talked about the responsiblities for the lives of our animals, the decisions we have to make, and as usual I was pretty emotional about the baby chick. We talked about how it’s supposed to get easier over time, but that while we hope it does get easier we also hope we never lose the connection. I reflected on how each time we lose an animal or choose to end a life the emotional reaction causes me to do a full evaluation if we are doing the “right thing”. The right thing for us? for the animals? for our family? for the earth? Despite the heartbreak and emotional toll it takes on me, I haven’t yet come to a different decision than the ones we have made leading up to this point. We also discussed about how at the point at which I don’t cry over a lost life anymore, that maybe we would need to reconsider our decisions as well.
This will only be the first of many lives lost either by design or unfortunate circumstance for the season, but I still find it challenging regardless. I struggle to describe to someone else how I can make the decisions we do despite my strong affinity for the animals in our care, but I still think offering them a grieved, humane life is better than faceless killing.
This is just so you can get a more realistic baby cheep cheep experience 
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
I had to try out my new Flip MinoHD around the farm since I got it primarily for creating farm reports. This first video is just some footage around the farm in mid-March. We still got a couple days of snow on and off up until early April.
Podcast: Play in new window
| Download
Feather Footed Chick
So we’ve figured out which one of the chicks is our “free rare chick”. Bengt noticed it first, but… one has feathered feet! We didn’t order any breeds that could have feathered feet so it looks like this one is our little odd one. I’ve nicknamed it “Boots” for now. We don’t know the sex of it and farm sense tells you that a “free” chicken is going to be a rooster, but we’ll have to wait and see.
With the feathered feet and a normal number of toes we are left suspecting that the breed is either a Cochin or a Brahma. You can see some great photos of Brahma and Cochins here. It appears to have a different “build” than the other chicks. It’s a bit stockier and fluffier. It looks like it’s waddling most of the time. It’s terribly cute and I can’t wait to see how it grows up!
We also have discovered that there was a small error in our order. We did get 27 chicks as requested but it looks like we got one extra Cornish-X and ones less Araucana. Oh well. One of the “Araucana” also appears to be very light golden which I didn’t think was typical for Araucanas so we’ll see how that one grows up. It’s clearly not another Cornish-X though.
RSS Feed
