Fall Check-In

Colors have changed here on the farm:Dark reds, bright yellows, dark browns, and some autumn treats falling from the 4 large pecan trees on the property:

The squirrels make their run to and from the woods to the pecan trees all-day-long. Listen carefully you can hear them making quick work as they toss the shells from the branches littering the ground beneath. Fence posts make great place for squirrels to stop and crack a few and get a good view of anything suspicious.Like Mr. Kitty as he sits quietly to watch their daily rounds between trees. nothing moves but the tip of his tail. Cool nights have started and all the rent-a-chicks are back home and tucked away all warm in their mini-coop. Have about 25 of them so they get to cuddle together for warmth at night. They are just now learning how to use the perches. Over at the eggmobile, the flock is doing great. Last springs rent-a-chick group is coming along. Should be laying any day now. Waiting for the colorful egg-basket to start soon. Here is a review of the breeds: Easter Egger HenIts not hard to spot the Easter Eggers because they have puffy feathers that poof out from their cheeks. They also have very small pea combs. Silver-laced hen. I am beginning to think these feathers act as bulls-eye for the hawks, only 1 hen of the silver laced left, cry.... Speaking of predators, hoping the maturing Roosters will help curb that problem alittle. As I was snapping shots, one was keeping an eye on a vulture that was soaring high in the sky. He lets out a special warning squawk if he suspects a predator is around and the ladies head for cover.
The Welsummer has gotten quite handsome. Really struts stuff and shows off his tail feathers. Front view of his beautiful colors Believe it or not here is his counterpart, a Welsummer hen:The other boy in the flock is this New Hampshire Rooster: Testosterone has done him well from chicken nugget to beef-cake. Black Austrolorp hens have been alittle shy lately. They are molting their feathers now, and this one seemed alittle self-conscious Losing feathers or leaves, its all part of nature and change of season.
Maple trees are the prettiest.
Have hosted a few photo shoots out here (pics to come soon). Fall sunsets are picture-perfect. In the front acre, all the flowers have been yanked, thanks to help from my new-found neighbor friend Melissa. We spent a sunday pulling them all and tossed into a gigantic pile in the back pasture and swapping stories of chickens and goats. Hoping to have a nice bon-fire with the spent zinnia plants. Instead of pulling up the plastic rows altogether, have decided to take advantage of the weed free planting opportunity for 1 last season. Still getting a few goodies from the rows. ok, so I wished I liked radishes more! But I couldn't resist planting them with a short 3 week seed to salad timeline.

Dill, and basil still left of the herbs. The Dill seems to fizzle in the heat of summer, but fall and spring it really thrives.

Beautiful Row of pole Beans and Peas soaking up the last few days of quality sunlight!

And finally... got the chick pen done, but now that its November, it's gotten too chilly at night to put the baby chicks inside it. Will probably move this into the greenhouse during the winter to help keep them warm, and let the new chicks run around in this until spring.

More pics to come of some farm photo shoots, rent-a-chick day, and the new goats of course. Also been busy in the kitchen with making the best of the last weeks of basil!

Eggmobile - The Great Reveal!

I have been wanting to write this chapter of our farm-life for along time now!

In the past, there have been 2 main choices if you have chickens. (1) Keep them contained in a permanent pen. In this senario a chicken will eat every blade of grass and bug in the area, leaving an unhappy chicken in about a months time. Eggs won't be as rich in vitamins, and chickens quality of life is low. No fresh grass, no fresh bugs, droppings accumulate, odor starts, and chickens become sad.

-(2) The alternative method "free-range" chickens roaming around your farm -we have learned the hard way, no matter how many acres of land you have the birds will congregate on the exact spots you dont want them to - patio, front porch, back deck, carport etc...and crap everywhere. To top it all off they will tear up every flower bed, peck every prized tomato and kick up mulch over your walkways - leaving unhappy farmers.

( We never understood why they would want to be on concrete over grass but for some reason they really do!)

Soooo....we opted for option #3. ..we wanted to create farm-harmony! Here has been our month in pictures of dumpling re-creating his version of a lovely invention by Polyface farmer - Joel Salatin- called the eggmobile. Joel was featured on the movie "Food Inc." and is putting a wonderfully positive eco-friendly spin on farming that we admire. Here is dumpling building upon the truck base. A find off craigslist $200 and a 4 hour drive but well worth it - since its the secret ingredient to this system.

Slatted floors create ventilation and let the chicken poop fall through to fertilize the ground below.

Our model, Vanna White, demonstrating the stadium seating - roost style. Plenty of windows for a fresh air and a cross breeze.

Four nest boxes. We fill these with straw, their favorite nesting material, and the platforms allow them easy access to hop right in. The bottom is a little deeper to keep the straw neatly inside the nest box.

Here is the awesome part. The nest boxes are outside the coop- therefore we get to gather eggs and it is an enjoyable experience! Just open the hatch door and harvest your breakfast. I am egg-cited because this will be a great way to introduce families to our farming demonstration for all who visit our veggie/flower stand. Since its movable, the coop will be rotated up front to the customer facing acre. This little display will be a hit with customers and their kids and show farming at its best.

All painted up (color scheme reminds me of the Cracker Barrel!)
Windows have wire to prevent critters from entering, but open for more air flow.

Dumpling built an additional platform to hold the 50 gallon water tank. - how cool is that. Not lugging water around the property, just drive it over to the hose and filler up!

Last step here, with the roof on, the structure was so tall he had to let the air out of the tires to get it out of the garage for its grand debut!

Open house time! Here is one of the girls giving it a final walk-through before we hand them the keys. lol!

The two bigger doors allow us to fill up the 2 feeders and give us plenty of arm room to clean out the coop (via pressure washer) Dumpling moving the eggmobile to the first spot. Easily pulled with mower or tractor.

Next, this portable fencing is used often for sheep, goats and chickens. Lightweight, portable, and electrified to keep the critters out. (all except the hawks that is!) Drum-roll puuuulllease!

ta-da - happy birds and happy farmers! Let the scratching and pecking begin.

Alittle slice of chicken heaven. We have determined a move every 3-4 days is ideal to keep bugs and grass at its peak. The ladies scratch the soil and leave their fertilizer gifts in the grass, not under our shoes, lol.

Having great fun outside in the country air - Bug huntin' and grass pickin' - make for some tasty eggs.

So there she is! Dumplings designer twist on a self contained chicken eggmobile system.

The battery for the electric fence is on the right. The solar panel to attach to it is on the way...so we can harvest even more of that sun energy.

So, just to give a recap and some advice for anyone looking to get their own flock...Here's our 2 cents! After our first year in chicken farming, and experimenting with a few different types of homes for our flock - Chris and I honestly advise anyone wanting chickens to buy, build, or invest in an egg-mobile, along with electric portable fencing. Better yet, have it ready and waiting before you bring home your first baby chick. It has greatly improved our quality of farm life, the chickens quality of life, and just overall much more pleasurable to coexist in farm-harmony.

Yeah for the eggmobile!!!!