The Chicken Saga

It seems as though when ever updating our laying hens, comes into conversation there is a soft hearted 7 year old that bursts into tears and says "Not Cricket."   He has a special bond with this one.  She was one of the first and fell asleep in Adin's hands as a chick.  :(

You see our girls are getting older and not producing they way they used to... they didn't produce a single thing for months this fall.  Then I started talking about butchering all the girls but the 2 youngest and now, with the cold and everything I have eggs.

 I don't think all of them are laying, but it is so hard to figure out which egg goes with which lady.  I know Lucy's egg, she is a Leghorn = white egg.  But then there are Lady Cluck and Red who are Buffs, Cricket who is a Dominique, Fancy Nancy who is an Australop and Cinnamon who we think is a Rhode Island Red (she was an "oops" in the first meat chick batch last summer - she was not a Cornish Cross).  All of these ladies lay brown eggs.  Miss Cricket has always laid these petite perfect eggs and we just haven't gotten one in a while and Cinnamon is just now starting, I think they are her's, giant eggs (we have only had 3 so far.)

In the winter we have only one of our two coops running as we only winter over 6-7 birds (Swamp the roo included) and use the 2nd in the summer for our meat chickens.  But I am thinking of firing up the 2nd one a separating some out to see which lady is laying what or not at all.  Then I can do some selective butchering and maybe get a few new pullets from a co-worker of my hubby and get some more egg production going.

We'll have to see.  I keep telling the kids that this is what raising chickens is all about: food.  It is it too much for him, I may have to seek retirement housing for Cricket at my sister's coop.  Sis had a hard time putting any of her girls down and seeing as I took Swamp off her hands, maybe that will work.  Hmmmm.

A Time of Firsts

The last few weeks have been a time of first's.
1.  Adin had his first time of going deer hunting with us. (On my birthday - I was a happy mamma)

 2.  We had our first family Christmas cookie baking session with my Mom, Sister, one 2nd grader and 4 kindergartners.  Lots of fun and flour all over my kitchen.  I can't wait until next year.

3.  My first adventure making Grandma Deloris Donuts.  She said that they passed the test.  :)  Yay!

4.  First time we celebrated Christmas at our house with everyone, instead of at my Mom and Dad's.  Their house is in the process of being built.  It would have been a bit chilly.

And hey, it is the first day of 2014.

I am hoping for many more firsts this year and a great year ahead.

Tidbits #3

Today is a tidbit day, nothing big, just tidbit thoughts.

1.  Our fields are finally done and planted with Rye.  We have the "Bee Field" on the north side of the barn, which will eventually be fenced in and grow more fruit trees, grape vines, sweet corn and clover.  I will also be the home of our future bee hive and an area where our 3 pudgy beagles can run.  On the south side of our house we have the "Park" as I call it because there are still some beautiful trees back there and it looks like a park.  The Hubby has deemed it "South Park."  I don't think so.  This is our food plot for our resident deer and hopefully a few wild turkeys.

2.  We are in round 2 of raising meat chicks.  We are about 4 weeks into the process with about 3-4 more to go.  Chicks are funny when they sleep.  Last evening when I went to put them to bed, one was sleeping under the heat lamp with it's right leg and wing all stretched out, until it tipped over.  :)  It got up, shook it's head, turned in a circle and snuggled back in.  Silly bird.

3.  Trapping and hunting season is fast approaching.  We are drying clean sand for trap sets.  Climbing stands are attached to trees to be aired out.  Rat poles are being cut and prepared, and the Hubby and Adin will be going to a wolf trapping class this weekend.  Our Mighty Trapper got himself a wolf tag this year.   Can I say jealous!

4.  It is almost time to pick my last batch of green beans and can them away for winter.  Next year I will have to plant twice as many beans.  They are a favorite around this homestead.

5.  We finally tested our soil and found out we do have acidic soil (which we knew, we just didn't know how acidic).  In our 2 acre "Park" field, we had to put down 7 tons of lime.  Holy cow!  That is a lot of lime.

6.  Did you know that crushed Ag lime is different that barn lime?  Who knew.  Not this farm girl, who's only experience with lime that I remember is putting down this very white and chalky lime in the barn.  I was so confused when we got this tan colored stuff.  If anyone actually knows the difference other than color, let me know, I am curious.

7.  We have a new to us freezer.  It came from my parents who are moving and do not need this big of a chest freezer any more.  It is not a new freezer, as it is the one I remember having back on the farm in the garage for as long as I can remember.  I don't care.  Because of this wonderful freezer, I am now able to take all of the frozen food out of the chest freezer in the barn and move it to a food only freezer.  Hubby's barn freezer can now be exclusively for taxidermy projects and trapping bait.  This is one happy Mama.  Simple pleasures.

Chick Preschool

Once again it was preschool day for our chicks.  We currently have 18 two week old meat chicks in one of our two coops.  Four of those little ones got to make the trip to two preschools this year.  The kids thought that it was cool to watch how they drink and there were lots of ews as the chickies pooped a lot because they were nervous.  They weren't used to this much commotion and tried to all climb in my lap and up my arms to be safe.  By the second stop, the chicks were old pros and didn't seem to mind the noise.  They were even checking out the ants running around on the sidewalk and trying to be big kids.  All the way home I didn't hear one peep.  All 4 of them were sound asleep in the carrier.