Pullets Are Layin'

Our pullets have started laying, and here's the latest...look how small that egg is!  It must be the first for the chicken that laid it.  It is next to what I would consider a normal large egg.

I cracked it open and this is what was inside.  The smallest yolk I have ever seen.  I almost thought it didn't have one at all. 

Get to work ladies...we need more BIG eggs, these little ones just won't do!

Learning New Lessons

Well, we have broilers in the freezer, but not as many as we had hoped for. We started out with 100 Cornish X broiler chicks and were able to process 37.  Not a very good return on our investment, but I have to say we have learned many lessons.  We lost a few chicks in the beginning due to smothering or leg deformities, etc. (which is normal and to be expected).  But then we lost some to predator attacks (we finally got that moveable pen secure enough).  We also lost some to crazy rain storms and flash flooding (Note to self:  We now know that the bottom of the hill is not a good place to keep the chickens in Spring...to much rain=drowned birds).  We thought we would have 57 birds to take to the processor as we loaded them up the night before with hopes of pulling out of the driveway at 4:30 am.  The drive to Bloomfield was in a downpour with the chickens in the back of a pickup covered (sort of) with a tarp.  By the time we unloaded the chickens we only had 37 left alive...big bummer.  We think there were a few different factors in their demise.  The chicken processor said that that rain was a killer (no doubt), plus there was a drop in temperature.  Also, we think there were some smothering issues in the truck.  Unfortunately, most of the birds that died were our biggest birds, so we think stress/heart attack could have come into play.  So, we are blessed that we have 37 birds in the freezer, and that we have learned many ways on how NOT to raise broiler chickens.  We are figuring out how we want to raise the next batch (hopefully for this Fall yet).  We have had some customers interested in buying chickens, but we won't have any for sale from this batch.  If all goes well, we should have some later in September or October. 

 (A view of the chickens in our new upright freezer.)

In other news, we are experimenting with Square Foot Gardening in our backyard.  Troy built the boxes, we lined them with weed barrier fabric and filled them half and half with composted horse manure and potting mix.

 Here are the boxes filled and ready to plant.  It is suprising the amount that can be planted in these 4X4 beds.

Here is the first bed planted with sweet corn, basil, and a couple tomato plants.  In the other beds I planted an assortment of flowers, more basil (lime and lemon), lavender, and winter squash.  We plan to make a couple more for lettuce, peppers and tomatoes for salsa, and green beans. 

We are also going to be doing some edible landscaping around our house.  I purchased blueberry bushes today.  More on that to come. 

Storm Fronts and Chickens

Yesterday I went out to gather eggs before the storm hit.  I got this picture of the front moving in.  We ended up getting 1" yesterday afternoon and 2" last night (along with some hail).  Is this rain ever going to end?  The ground is completely saturated at this point.  Please sun, come out and stay for awhile!

  I also took a few pictures of our meat birds.  We only have about a week to go before they go to get processed.  We have a few in particular that are huge, so it will be interesting to see how they all dress out.  We are disappointed that we have lost almost half of these birds after all the work we have put into them, but we hope to raise another batch soon. 

Pictures From The Farm

I thought I would share a few pictures that I had taken in the last week or so.  This is a view to the south of our house when we had that big rainstorm last Sunday.  It looks like a new creek running through the yard.  The tilled ground is where the popcorn is planted. 

 This is another view of the "creek".  The chicken pen in the picture is where we keep the meat birds (they get moved daily to fresh pasture).  We had moved them to higher ground after the last big storm when we lost 36 birds.  A hard lesson learned:  Don't keep the chicken pens in the low portion of the field, or they may drown in a flash flood. 

This is a picture of our potatoes after weeding and laying more straw over their tops.  We are trying this method this year for the first time.  If it works, we'll just lift off the straw when it's time to harvest and won't have to dig potatoes...they will be laying on top of the soil.  Troy really likes this possibility!

Here is a pic of our corn coming up.  This was taken a week ago, so they are a bit bigger now.  Come on sweet corn!

And lastly, a picture of harvesting onions.  I planted them pretty close together with the intention of harvesting every other onion for early green onions, and then leaving the rest to grow bigger.  So far, so good.  We are also mulching with grass clippings to help keep the weeds down.  It's working well too.

So, that's the garden update for now...stay tuned.

Farming: A School of Hard Knocks

Well, we had some major disappointment this morning when we woke up.  We lost close to 40 of our broiler chickens in the storm last night.  The silly things seemed to stay out in the rain (on the side of the pen that is covered in chicken wire so they get sunshine), instead of getting under cover where it was drier.  So it looks like they died of exposure.  This is a pretty big loss... not sure if we will have broilers for sale at the end of June like originally planned.  We also gave the goats to a friend.  Nettie wasn't letting me milk her (plus my inexperience with that and lack of time) swayed my decision to give her away.  She will have a good home with other goats and more experienced goat keepers.  The garden is a huge mudhole right now, too muddy to plant or weed.  Such is life on the farm...it's not always easy (I guess it rarely is actually), but we are not ready to give up.  This way of life is important to us, so we just try to learn from our mistakes and come up with a better plan.  So, right now we are rethinking the moveable pens for the meat birds (who seem to be much more finicky than the laying hens) and also what type of meat birds we will raise.  We have had some problems with these Cornish X type birds.  But, with all of the disappointment, I try to keep it in perspective...thank the Lord we have not lost our family or our home in recent tornadoes.  We are all alive and healthy, and that is the most important thing.

Broiler Chicken Update

We finally got the broiler chickens moved out to pasture today.  Troy made another Joel Salatin-type moveable pen for them.  They seem to really like it.  They are running around, pecking at the ground and acting like happy chickens. 

 Here's another view of them at the waterer.  They drink an amazing amount of water a day...it seems to be about 10 gallons!  We have a 5 gallon waterer and it has to be filled twice a day. 

They are growing fast.  About 4 weeks to go...

Look At The Size Of That Egg!

We collected 15 eggs this morning and one was JUMBO.  It must be a double yolk (although we haven't cracked it open yet).  We were getting quite a few double yolked eggs last Summer, but haven't gotten one all Winter long.  It barely fits in an egg carton!

Attacked!

Our chicken pen suffered it's first attack the other night and I'm happy to say it withstood the assult.  We are thinking it was probably a racoon, maybe a opposum.  The first picture shows how it tried to dig under the pen, but gave up.

In this picture (if you look closely) you can see how it tried pulling on the chicken wire. 

Whatever it was hasn't been back since, but I am sure it will probably try again.  I'm thinking a dog may help this situation.  We looked into nocturnal watch dogs for the farm and it seems Great Pyrenees tops the list.  Any other ideas?

Chicken Runs Finished

I think I have shown a picture of this run before, only difference is that we've added wheels to make it easier to move (which we do daily).

 Here are the laying hens, probably hoping for a treat, which they didn't get this time.  Sorry girls.

This is the newest run that is holding our 50 chicks, which aren't really chicks anymore, they are growing like crazy.  This run gets moved daily as well, so the chickens are always on fresh pasture.  We'll have to make another one of these later when the chickens are full size (25 per run).  Troy also made a waterer out of PVC pipe and nipple waterers. He just pours the water inside the white bucket on top of the run, and it fills the pipe.  The chickens always have access to clean water, and no dirty waterers to wash and fill up all of the time!

Here is a pic of the chicks taken today.  I think they may have been looking for treats too!  Sorry girls (again). 

Broiler Chickens Ordered

We have ordered our broiler chickens from Welp Hatchery and they will be here in April.  They take about 8 weeks to butcher normally, but ours may take a week or two longer.  Broilers tend to have very rapid growth (getting very large, very fast).  Because of this, they are prone to broken legs and heart attacks (among other problems, I'm sure).  We have heard if you feed them a ration for laying hens, this prevents some of the problems, but takes a little longer. We'll also be pasturing them, so they will have access to outdoors (bugs, greens, sunshine). We are also looking into a type of bird called the Freedom Ranger, which is originally from France.  They are a free ranging meat bird, take a little longer to get to butchering weight, but don't have the problems Cornish Rock broilers have.  The only draw back may be that they do not get as big and the breast is smaller and thinner than what people are used to these days.  Dolly Parton chicken farm maybe?  We'll see how this first batch of broilers do, then go form there.  We have a list we are starting for anyone interested in purchasing chicken from us.  If you're interested, drop us an email.

New Chicken Run

Troy made a new chicken run for the baby chicks (who, by the way, are not looking very babyish anymore).  They needed to have access to the outside, but our fence would have allowed them to escape through the holes that were bigger  than the chicks.  He plans on building a smaller house on the end of this with some nesting boxes so we can move it all over the farm more easily a la Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms).

 A few of the chicks hopped right out when we opened the door.  Look at how big they are getting.  It is amazing how much they have grown in just 5 weeks.

 The rest seemed a little more cautious...not sure what to expect.  They kept peeking their heads out and chirping little warning calls to the few that braved the outdoors.  It was fun to watch. 

As I look outside, more of them have come out to investigate.  We put a little waterer outside and they seem to like that too.  I am sure they'll all love it out their once they discover they have more freedom. 

Another Chicken Update

Well, the baby chicks keep growing like crazy, but they are still cute.  The kids have fun watching them, and I have to admit they are rather entertaining.  This is how they look today at about 3 weeks old.  They are starting to get their reddish feathers.

Here they are learning to drink out of the nipple type waterers. These are great.  The water stays clean all the time...there is no waste and no mess.  I believe Troy ordered them online from avianaquamiser.com  We definitely recommend them!

Our older hens got moved to a new home.  They are adjusting, but I don't think they like it as well.  Our egg production is down a little since the move.  Troy built this little coop attached to a run that he moves every day.  This Spring we will be moving it all up and down our orchard line under the fruit trees.  Hopefully they will fertilize the ground and eat unwanted bugs too.

Here are the girls enjoying fresh pineapple scraps.  Maybe they will forgive us if we give them treats!

Chick Update

The chicks have been here a week and are doing well.  It is amazing how fast they seem to grow.  They are trying to fly a little bit, and they are trying to roost on the feeders.  They also scratch the bedding like they are big chickens, it is so funny to watch. 

 They are starting to get wing feathers...in only a week!

Do you see the chick with black wing feathers?  She is the only one like that.  We are wondering if she is a different kind that got mixed in with our order.  It will be interesting to see what she ends up looking like. Well, thats it for now.

They're Here!

(Make sure you turn your volume up to hear the cute chirping!)

The baby chicks arrived bright and early this morning.  The post office called us at 6 am, so Troy went to pick them up.  They are all alive and healthy looking, and started eating and drinking like champs. They came from Welp Hatchery here in Iowa and we are happy with our order. These chicks will be a second flock of laying hens for the farm.  They should start laying eggs in June sometime, and we hope to sell them at the Knoxville and Pella Farmer's Markets, along with any on farm sales.  They are Red Stars, just like our current chickens and they have been egg laying machines, even through the Winter without supplemental light.  We have been getting a dozen eggs per day out of 15 chickens, now that the days are growing a little longer. Adding new animals to the farm is fun...can't wait for a couple pigs and maybe a feeder calf or two.  We'll also be ordering meat birds soon...can't wait to taste those! 

On Chickens and Valentines...

This is an interesting blog post title, isn't it?  The chickens are loving this warmer weather we are having.  It has been in the 40's with 50's and even a day of 61 in the 5 day forecast.  It feels like a heat wave!  The snow is melting and the mud and muck are beginning.  I'll take it though, as opposed to the freezing temps.  I need to remember that Winter isn't over yet ...it is Iowa after all and we have been known for some big snow storms in March (even ocassionally in April):(

This is a picture of my Valentine's present.  I am really excited about the cookbook.  It is called The Farmer's Wife Harvest Cookbook.  It has a lot of old time recipes and menus that farm wife's put together for threshing days.  Some of the recipes go back to the early 1900's, with most of them from the 20's and 30's.  Here is a sample of a menu used by a farm wife in 1921 to feed a crew of threshers:

Roast Beef with Gravy

Baked Beans

Mashed Potatoes

Bread and Butter

Cabbage, Peanut, and Banana Salad  (interesting combination...)

Soft-Top Pie

Cake with fresh fruit sauce or gelatin fruit salad

Salad

Iced Tea or Coffee

This should be fun to read through and even try some of the recipes.  It will be a good history lesson as well, I am sure.

Chicken Brooder

Here's a picture of the new brooder in the works.  We'll have to add bedding and heat lamps, but it should work, plus it was cheap...we already had most of the materials at the farm.  The baby chicks will be here in a couple of weeks!

Seed Ordering Time!

Here is a sampling of the plethora of seed catalogs that have come in the mail this last month.  We are putting together our orders, trying to order from companies that have taken the Safe Seed Pledge.  This states that the company will not knowingly sell ANY GMO seeds.  Some of the seeds we purchase are organic, but more important to us is that they are not genetically modified in any way.  A few of the companies we are looking at ordering from include:

Johnny's Selected Seeds
High Mowing Seeds
Territorial Seed Co.
Wood Prairie Farm (I have heard they have great potatoes)
Shumway's (not sure if they are a part of the pledge, but they do state in their catalog that they Do NOT sell GMO's)

There are other companies, just Google it.  We buy our onions from Brown's Omaha (in Texas) and have always been pleased with the quality.  We also just ordered our 50 laying hens from Welp Hatchery here in Iowa.  They are scheduled to arrive the week of Febuary 14th, so stay tuned for cute baby chick photos.  Hubby is up at the barn building a brooder this afternoon, so I may have pics of that soon too.  I'm ready for Spring, how about you?

Chickens a layin'

This is the first winter we have had the chickens, so we didn't really know what to expect as far as them laying.  We have heard different things, like they'll only lay if they have supplemental light or they'll molt and stop laying altogether.  So far, we have not given them artifical light (in trying to do all things as natural as possible).  We have not provided any heat either...we just tried to insulate the coop as best as we could.  They have proven to be quite the resilient birds.  They haven't went into a molt yet, and we are still getting between 8 and 12 eggs a day from 15 birds. We will be ordering another 50 or so layers here in the next month to add to our farm.  Our next project...building a brooder.

Double Yolks

Double yolk eggs from the Picket Fence Farm chickens...these are some productive ladies...we have been getting quite a few of these!

Our First Egg...

We finally got our first egg! We have one hen that is laying so far, she has laid one a day for the last three days. I am sure the others (three more for now as the others come in June) will be following soon as they are the same age. The breed we have is called Red Star and they lay big brown eggs. I am suprised at how big these pullets eggs are...I was expecting them to be smaller...I would say they are about the size of a medium egg from the store. We haven't eaten any yet... I thought about collecting enough for a quiche or egg casserole with some of our fresh garlic chives. Sounds good to me.

The chickens are fun to watch too, as they have little "personalities". The kids like to watch them and talk to them...they have given them some interesting names (to say the least). Red Velvet, Pepper and Spices, and Spiderman...I tried to explain they were girl chickens, but my youngest insisted on Spiderman. I said the fourth should be Layla, because we want them to lay a lot of eggs! I'll try to get pictures up as soon as I figure out my camera problem.