I really meant to caption all this a few weeks ago, but that didn't happen so I'm just dumping it.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Sunday, May 31, 2015
All the Birds
So far this year, we've really upped our quantity of birds. Some of the additions were planned, and others were not. Amongst them are chickens, ducks, and geese.
First of all, we adopted two new ducks, Lily and Daisy. They came to us separately, but both on short notice and not in top health. We found Lily via a friend via facebook via craig's list. Lily, a Cayuga, was hatched in a classroom, and then brought home to live with chickens, whom promptly attacked her. When we picked Lily up, (she was named Cala at the time) she was bald on top of her head, and one eye was in really bad shape. We took her to the vet and she got eye goop for us to apply twice a day for some number of days which I've since forgotten. In our care, she gained weight, grew all her feathers back, and her general disposition improved greatly (she was a biter). She also narrowly avoided eyelid reconstruction surgery (yay!).
Daisy came to us via the waterfowl hospital. Some well-intentioned person found this duck and dropped her off at the waterfowl hospital in rough shape. The hospital couldn't keep her so we stepped in. Daisy came to us with bad lice on her head, and some weird foot problem, which later turned out to be a broken toe. A week or so went by before we brought Daisy back to the vet. She was already free of lice at the time. They did some x-rays and discovered a severely broken toe that the doc says will never reconnect. Daisy's foot was super swollen and full of gross liquid. She was on antibiotics and some kind of anti-inflammatory pain killer that made her totally zonk out. We finally learned the correct way to force feed a duck her pills, unlike our previous failure with Penelope to do this. Daisy is in much better spirits now (the doc said she was 'depressed' when we picked her up) her lice are gone, and she's making a great recovery with her foot. Naomi is going to take her back in tomorrow to get the foot drained and get a follow up. We're hoping to put her into the main flock tomorrow if all goes well with Dr. Duck.
We also got Cornish Cross broiler chickens this year for the first time. I was expecting them to be weird, but I got more than I bargained for with just how weird they are. These are the same type of chickens raised commercially for meat like you'd buy at the supermarket. They're generally 'harvested' around 50 days- commercially at 40-42 if I remember correctly. We have to withhold their feed for 12 hours a day so they don't "flip" or die suddenly from gaining weight too fast. They cry for food when they don't have any, and they eat so much so fast that their crops bulge tumorously from their chests. And they're heavy already, like, SUPER heavy. We started putting them outside this past week now that their chicken tractor is finished. We're looking to send them to freezer camp before the end of June. If we wait too long, we risk losing all of them, They're like Cinderella's carriage, but a chicken that we're going to eat. And instead of turning into a pumpkin, they're going to die at midnight.
Then we got a new group of layers and multi-purpose birds that will become our pastured flock, but our plans changed a little on this. Because of the bird flu that's going around, a large part of our order didn't come in. We were supposed to get 3 Buff Orpington cockerels and a bunch more Buff Orpington pullets, but no buffs came in at all. Instead, I chose some more Silver Laced Wyandottes and got a couple Silkies. I had never been interested in Silkies at all until I found out they're great broodies. The feed store said they could get more Buffs in, but not until June 3, so I said OK. I really really wanted some boys, and the only boys they had that day were Rhode Island Reds. Noooo thank you! So now we're waiting on our Buff Boys, 3 of them, and I threw in 3 Buff pullets for good measure. So, we ended up with way more chickens than we first intended to, but that's OK. Those boys will be way behind the other birds, and will be too small to do much protecting for quite a while, but it's better than no boys I guess.
We got luckier with our goslings than we did with the chicks however. The goslings weren't supposed to come until June 26th or something, but I went into the feed store one day to drop off the order form and they said the geese were coming early- May 22th instead. We're having fun learning from them and watching them. They're so wiggley! The geese have been spending their days outside in the polydome where they can eat grass and not make a stinky mess in a brooder in the house. I can't wait until they are bigger and can be outside full time. And I can't wait until they're eating enough grass that I don't have to mow!
Once we get the boys on Wednesday, that should be it for animal acquisitions for this year, unless of course I pull off my rabbit plans. It's really time-consuming to have so many small birds that need constant attention- changing water, filling feeders, dumping out poopy brooders, and turning lights on and off, but it's also fun, rewarding, and the little puffballs are so cute!
First of all, we adopted two new ducks, Lily and Daisy. They came to us separately, but both on short notice and not in top health. We found Lily via a friend via facebook via craig's list. Lily, a Cayuga, was hatched in a classroom, and then brought home to live with chickens, whom promptly attacked her. When we picked Lily up, (she was named Cala at the time) she was bald on top of her head, and one eye was in really bad shape. We took her to the vet and she got eye goop for us to apply twice a day for some number of days which I've since forgotten. In our care, she gained weight, grew all her feathers back, and her general disposition improved greatly (she was a biter). She also narrowly avoided eyelid reconstruction surgery (yay!).
 |
| Lily during her bum eye days |
Daisy came to us via the waterfowl hospital. Some well-intentioned person found this duck and dropped her off at the waterfowl hospital in rough shape. The hospital couldn't keep her so we stepped in. Daisy came to us with bad lice on her head, and some weird foot problem, which later turned out to be a broken toe. A week or so went by before we brought Daisy back to the vet. She was already free of lice at the time. They did some x-rays and discovered a severely broken toe that the doc says will never reconnect. Daisy's foot was super swollen and full of gross liquid. She was on antibiotics and some kind of anti-inflammatory pain killer that made her totally zonk out. We finally learned the correct way to force feed a duck her pills, unlike our previous failure with Penelope to do this. Daisy is in much better spirits now (the doc said she was 'depressed' when we picked her up) her lice are gone, and she's making a great recovery with her foot. Naomi is going to take her back in tomorrow to get the foot drained and get a follow up. We're hoping to put her into the main flock tomorrow if all goes well with Dr. Duck.
 |
| Daisy, after getting her foot drained at Dr. Duck |
We also got Cornish Cross broiler chickens this year for the first time. I was expecting them to be weird, but I got more than I bargained for with just how weird they are. These are the same type of chickens raised commercially for meat like you'd buy at the supermarket. They're generally 'harvested' around 50 days- commercially at 40-42 if I remember correctly. We have to withhold their feed for 12 hours a day so they don't "flip" or die suddenly from gaining weight too fast. They cry for food when they don't have any, and they eat so much so fast that their crops bulge tumorously from their chests. And they're heavy already, like, SUPER heavy. We started putting them outside this past week now that their chicken tractor is finished. We're looking to send them to freezer camp before the end of June. If we wait too long, we risk losing all of them, They're like Cinderella's carriage, but a chicken that we're going to eat. And instead of turning into a pumpkin, they're going to die at midnight.
 |
| bulging crops and all |
 |
| the tractor |
Then we got a new group of layers and multi-purpose birds that will become our pastured flock, but our plans changed a little on this. Because of the bird flu that's going around, a large part of our order didn't come in. We were supposed to get 3 Buff Orpington cockerels and a bunch more Buff Orpington pullets, but no buffs came in at all. Instead, I chose some more Silver Laced Wyandottes and got a couple Silkies. I had never been interested in Silkies at all until I found out they're great broodies. The feed store said they could get more Buffs in, but not until June 3, so I said OK. I really really wanted some boys, and the only boys they had that day were Rhode Island Reds. Noooo thank you! So now we're waiting on our Buff Boys, 3 of them, and I threw in 3 Buff pullets for good measure. So, we ended up with way more chickens than we first intended to, but that's OK. Those boys will be way behind the other birds, and will be too small to do much protecting for quite a while, but it's better than no boys I guess.
 |
| little silkie! |
We got luckier with our goslings than we did with the chicks however. The goslings weren't supposed to come until June 26th or something, but I went into the feed store one day to drop off the order form and they said the geese were coming early- May 22th instead. We're having fun learning from them and watching them. They're so wiggley! The geese have been spending their days outside in the polydome where they can eat grass and not make a stinky mess in a brooder in the house. I can't wait until they are bigger and can be outside full time. And I can't wait until they're eating enough grass that I don't have to mow!
Once we get the boys on Wednesday, that should be it for animal acquisitions for this year, unless of course I pull off my rabbit plans. It's really time-consuming to have so many small birds that need constant attention- changing water, filling feeders, dumping out poopy brooders, and turning lights on and off, but it's also fun, rewarding, and the little puffballs are so cute!
Friday, May 15, 2015
Just the Latest Birds
We picked up some more birds yesterday! Just a middle group, but here are Americaunas, RIRs, wyandottes, silkies. The hatchery had to back order our orpingtons because of bird flu!
Friday, March 20, 2015
Spring 2015 is here!
And it's snowing. Things have been progressing, however. The ground is starting to thaw a little in the places where it's bare. The snow is finally starting to melt little by little. As soon as it gets squishy enough outside, we will transplant the 72 fava bean plants we started in toilet paper tubes.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Driveway Puddling
When we first moved in, I thought the way water puddled on the driveway was just a nuisance. Any time it rained, the driveway would fill up, and a few hours later it would be gone again. This winter has brought some additional frustration though. In the last few weeks, I've really begun to realize the problem that this is.
From the road, the driveway slopes down toward the garage. Just before the garage, it slopes up again steeply, creating a big cup that holds water with nowhere to drain. This puddle can be 12" deep in some spots. It often freezes over and makes a big mess. When it's not frozen, it leaves no way to get in or out of the house in the front. One of the deepest pockets is in the walkway from the driveway to the door.
To further complicate things, the catchment area of this puddle isn't just the driveway itself, nor the roof of the garage that drains directly onto the driveway (no gutters), but the collection area extends out to the road, and all the way to the crown of the connecting state highway. We live in a rural area with no storm drains. The town's official storm water policy is to let the town's natural waterways take all of the surface runoff. A few hundred feet downslope on the road, there is an outlet to the brook. The problem is that all that water runs into the driveway instead of passing it by and going out into the brook. The driveway also has no lip on it, and being lower than the roadway, all the water flows into our driveway.
This is the driveway after I've shoveled the water off. It gets mostly dry, but on warm melting days like today, it will be filled up again in an hour.
Here's a short video of me removing water from the driveway with a snow shovel. I've found this to be the most successful method of getting rid of the water.
We're hoping to be able to fix the driveway at some point sooner rather than later. The neighbors say the driveway's been this way for 30 years. At some point, the driveway definitely shifted, settled, or sunk because it's cracked all over. It'd be nice if the water drained out TO the street, rather than in from the street. Off the side of the garage, where a lot of the water drains (usually via wicking where the water level reaches the grass on the side) the ground is VERY wet almost all of the time. I bet fixing the driveway will result in that area drying out a bit, too.
From the road, the driveway slopes down toward the garage. Just before the garage, it slopes up again steeply, creating a big cup that holds water with nowhere to drain. This puddle can be 12" deep in some spots. It often freezes over and makes a big mess. When it's not frozen, it leaves no way to get in or out of the house in the front. One of the deepest pockets is in the walkway from the driveway to the door.
To further complicate things, the catchment area of this puddle isn't just the driveway itself, nor the roof of the garage that drains directly onto the driveway (no gutters), but the collection area extends out to the road, and all the way to the crown of the connecting state highway. We live in a rural area with no storm drains. The town's official storm water policy is to let the town's natural waterways take all of the surface runoff. A few hundred feet downslope on the road, there is an outlet to the brook. The problem is that all that water runs into the driveway instead of passing it by and going out into the brook. The driveway also has no lip on it, and being lower than the roadway, all the water flows into our driveway.
We're hoping to be able to fix the driveway at some point sooner rather than later. The neighbors say the driveway's been this way for 30 years. At some point, the driveway definitely shifted, settled, or sunk because it's cracked all over. It'd be nice if the water drained out TO the street, rather than in from the street. Off the side of the garage, where a lot of the water drains (usually via wicking where the water level reaches the grass on the side) the ground is VERY wet almost all of the time. I bet fixing the driveway will result in that area drying out a bit, too.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Newest 1,000 members of the farm
Welcome to our newest members!
What I didn't explain in the video was how I made the worm bin. It started as a big plastic bin. 30 gallons is roughly a good size for the amount of kitchen material that 2 adults makes, so we got a bin that size. Then I drilled holes along the bottom for drainage and near the top for ventilation. I covered the bottom with screen to keep everyone who should stay inside inside and everyone who should stay outside out (centipedes love to eat worms). The whole bin went up on blocks, with a tray underneath. The majority of the bin in filled with moist paper. The moistness should be equivalent to the moistness of a wrung-out sponge.
This is the chart I made to help us remember what goes where!
What I didn't explain in the video was how I made the worm bin. It started as a big plastic bin. 30 gallons is roughly a good size for the amount of kitchen material that 2 adults makes, so we got a bin that size. Then I drilled holes along the bottom for drainage and near the top for ventilation. I covered the bottom with screen to keep everyone who should stay inside inside and everyone who should stay outside out (centipedes love to eat worms). The whole bin went up on blocks, with a tray underneath. The majority of the bin in filled with moist paper. The moistness should be equivalent to the moistness of a wrung-out sponge.
This is the chart I made to help us remember what goes where!
Monday, February 9, 2015
Gullibility
We, as a whole, tend to think of a gullible person as being dumb, naive, lacking common sense, or other similar negative traits. If you happen to suffer from gullibility, (as I often do) you are familiar with the feeling of foolishness, shame, or being taken advantage of when you realize that someone's got your leg. Many times, the person on the pulling side of your chain means well, or perhaps is lighthearted or humorous, but there is another side as well.
It is of my belief that the fault lies not with the gullible, but with he who is spinning tales. Naomi and I have many discussions about the types of people we want to associate with, and the type of future we wish to create. We respect hard work, kindness, communication, and honesty. I don't wish to fault the person for whom honesty is the norm; he or she who believes everything that another person says, because we believe in honesty and communication. There is no comfort in doubt. The gullible person is strong for adhering so closely to a policy of honesty in the face of those who wish to misrepresent themselves and the truth.
I can't end this thought without needing to mention the role of critical thinking (thanks Naomi) in our interactions, but this is all I wish to dive into at the moment.
It is of my belief that the fault lies not with the gullible, but with he who is spinning tales. Naomi and I have many discussions about the types of people we want to associate with, and the type of future we wish to create. We respect hard work, kindness, communication, and honesty. I don't wish to fault the person for whom honesty is the norm; he or she who believes everything that another person says, because we believe in honesty and communication. There is no comfort in doubt. The gullible person is strong for adhering so closely to a policy of honesty in the face of those who wish to misrepresent themselves and the truth.
I can't end this thought without needing to mention the role of critical thinking (thanks Naomi) in our interactions, but this is all I wish to dive into at the moment.
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