Bringing Everyone Together

The world of chickens can be more complicated then we think.  One cannot simply put chickens together and assume all is well, the factors to consider are more then I anticipated.
Having 12 chickens of one age and 8 chickens of another has been a stressful issue on the homestead.
First it was deciding when to change everyone's feed to avoid having to buy different feed running the risk of unused feed which is a waste of money.  Nothing is simple and smart choices often require careful planning.  A calender is essential, know your feed and watch your birds.  FYI everyone gets switched to layer feed in August with our first eggs expected in September.

The new hurdle is housing.  The 8 young birds are quickly outgrowing their brooder and are about to have all their feathers.  The time for them to move out into the coop is near.
However,  the "Pecking Order" is very much a reality and true to form, the bottom of the order does get pecked.  Putting the birds together too soon and we run the risk of fighting, injuries and even losing birds.
With that said, introductions must be made.
So for the past several days we have been free ranging our birds together.  For the most part they avoid each other, but I'm hoping these first impressions are not a sign of the future.  I had to stand back and watch several babies take a pecking from bigger birds.  A new order is being established.
Why can't we all just get along?!

Dehydrating - Shamefully Easy

I've decided that dehydrating foods is too easy.  Now I still totally intend on freezing and canning but who knew dehydrating was so simple, clean and rewarding!
As with all my new adventures, there was lots of research involved.  Everything I read said to start with great fresh produce.  So when a patient blessed us with pounds of fresh Shirley strawberries ar the clinic, it was the perfect opportunity to test out the new dehydrator.  I was lucky enough to snatch up 4 lbs of what have to be the best strawberries in the state!

Preparing the fruit was easy... washed it, cut off the tops and cut in halves to fourths depending on the berry size.  My dehydrator does not have a heat setting or timer, so I just loaded up the racks and plugged it in.
Approximately 10 hrs later they were done and my house smelled like a berry patch.  4 lbs = roughly 1.5 to 1.75 pints, I said 2 pints but hubby pointed out my jars weren't filled to the pint mark.  He's handy like that.
More dehydrating to come...

It's The Small Things

Life and death seem so simple in theory, but when someone meaningful passes away you are reminded of how complex and fragile life is.  That was my lesson last week as we unexpectedly had to say goodbye to our friend and coworker Dr. Starnes.
I've always taken comfort in my faith when it comes to death but for some reason not this time.  I struggled with my trust in God to provide and protect.  I was not ashamed to say I was angry with Him but He was loving enough to keep gently pushing me towards the peace He had to offer.
It's funny how something so small can soften a heart and remind us that God is ever present in ALL circles of life.  My moment of peace came after Doc's memorial service.  I had come home early from work to just find some quiet. I know it's seems odd to some but the chores involved with chickens and rabbits and gardening is peaceful and calm.  So you can imagine the unexpected excitement when I realized the pile of fur in the doe rabbit cage was a nest for baby bunnies!

Not only did we have no idea one of our doe's was pregnant but these babies had crawled through a hole in the cage and fell 3 feet to the ground only to then burrow all around the hutch area.  Hubby called it an Easter egg hunt for pink blobs.  But we found them and they were healthy and fine.  It was in that moment that I found peace in 6 pink fragile bunnies.
God is good, He will always provide and protect.  We've since lost a baby but the remaining 5 are healthy and growing.  My anger is gone and has been replaced with my memories of Doc and how he would have loved hearing about my base jumping miracle bunnies.  Cause it truly is the small things that often make the biggest impact.

1, 2, 3, 4, I Declare Strawberry War

There is a dark beast among us.  It moves in the shadows, leaving no trail or tracks.  My worse fears are coming to life.  Something is eating my strawberries!  We found the first victims yesterday evening and again this AM, I found two more innocent strawberries left to rot with pieces missing from their young flesh.  They will never know the beauty of turning red and bringing joy to my family's plate.

I have a feeling that the culprit is small in size with wings.  Oh birds and strawberry growers have been battling it out since the beginning of time.  The fresh berry is too much of a temptation for the them to resist.

Now, maybe it's not birds, but it sure doesn't seem reasonable to be anything else.  The plants themselves are fine, no bugs, blooms still intact.  I thought maybe rabbit, but no tracks and I would think that they would at least be smart enough to take the whole berry.  It's not the chickens, they free range in the back yard and only during daylight when we are home.

I'm convinced it's birds.  So what is the nature friendly way to handle birds in your strawberry patch?  Well all my research says that the best protection from friendly fliers is netting.  I guess this problem is so common that there is actual berry netting you can buy for this.  Now netting makes sense and will likely be my solution but I also stumbled upon another suggestion.

There is an old gardening trick that is supposed to fool those silly ole birds into thinking strawberries are as hard as rocks.  Painting rocks to resemble strawberries and then placing them around your plants at the beginning of the season trains the birds early on that those pretty red blobs are NOT tasty treats.  I figure it's worth a shot right?!  So I found these instructions for Austin and I to make our own strawberry rocks.  We plan to roll in laughter if we get to see one of those pesky birds try to take a bite out of these strawberries.  And worse case scenario, they don't work, and we buy netting or it's not birds at all, but we still have fun trying to outwit our feathered friends. http://funfamilycrafts.com/strawberry-rocks/

Rain or Shine

Homesteading Lesson #237 - Work goes on rain or shine.

Hubby and I started with a great weekend plan.  I was going to be off Friday and so was he, we were going to get working on some of the big chores and get geared up for coop building day.  Saturday was scheduled to be a continuation of Friday.  Sunday was build day!  Oh how God has a funny way of taking even our simplest plans and turning them upside down.

Friday - I worked and hubby did nothing productive LOL.  Saturday was a super productive, beautiful day that allowed us to get tons of stuff done around the mini farm.  Mom came over and helped which was tremendous as you can never have too many hands when there are a list of things to be done.  That brings us to today... rain, rain go away!  

Our construction crew consisted of Hubby, my Father-in-Law and my Dad.  Now all of these men are very experienced in construction, so there was a touch of fear that we might have too many cooks in the kitchen per say.  Turns out that was the least of our worries as rain, wind and potential thunderstorms rolled our way.  The radar started out this morning just like it is now... rain, rain, rain.  Grrrrr I felt horrible that we had asked family to take time away to help with this huge project only to be shut down by Mother Nature.

Little did I know but apparently men that work in construction their whole life aren't frightened by a little water.  I've never felt so blessed as I watch these men work in cold rain for me and Hubby's homesteading dream.  What troopers they were.  

So in true Nicole fashion, I cooked!  I started them off with biscuits, MaMa's chocolate gravy and bacon.  Fueled them with lots of coffee and kept the travel mugs full.  For lunch Hubby smoked a pork butt for 12 hours and we served it up with my famous potato salad and some baked beans.  No man went hungry or thirsty today.  It was the least I could do.  

So construction was finally cut short when we ran out of lumber and it was obvious that someones rain dance had conquered my sun dance.  They did manage to get the hardest part done, walls are up, rafters are on and everything is level.  Hopefully Hubby and I can wrap it up from here.  However, if any of you are bored and just want to do some manual labor for fun, remember the food is good, the coffee is hot and the adventure is never ending.  Volunteers are always welcome!

**Anyone have a dance that keeps the rain from washing your newly planted seeds away?!**

Down and Dirty

It's the time of year where every farm chore results in dirty hands and muddy shoes.  Spring is probably my most favorite season minus allergies.  I love the rain and I don't mind the mud and dirt and there is something spiritual about Spring and all it's newness.
Hubby and I have made a list of Spring projects that seems to grow by 2 every time 1 item is done.
One of the major projects  was an actual established site for my garden. As with all things I do there were hours of research and discussion on what would work best for us.  We have very uneven ground full of rocks so a raised bed seemed to be a given.  However, wood rots and is expensive.   We finally settled on cinder blocks.

Now it looks good here but it took MULTIPLE tries to finally find the right size, shape and location.  We used 46 blocks, it's only one level and lined with plastic.  Next came dirt.

Yes...that is a dump truck of dirt, not a full load by any means and it was a blessing to us from my step dad.   He does excavation work and was gracious enough to bring me fabulous dirt to work with.

Spreading dirt and planting has been the fun part.   Those are strawberries in the blocks and mulched with straw.  Every evening I work a little more, plant a few more seeds and work more dirt.  I'm anxious to share the rest of my garden story as I've stepped out of the norm a and into the world of square foot gardening.   Get excited!!!  More to come.