Morning Chores

I have mentioned that we have 9 1/2 acres of land.  On this land we now have 1 dog, 3 cats, 18 chickens, 3 ducks, 2 horses, and 2 goats plus 2 small raised bed gardens.  The homestead is not even close to being self supporting, so I call it my hobby homestead.  Hobbies tend to be expensive and a lot of work, but you continue them for the joy derived.  Because this is a hobby, I help to support our home and homestead with a full time job (as well as being a full time mother).

I am often asked how I can possibly do everything that needs doing, especially in the morning before loading one child on the bus and bringing another to daycare and heading off to work.  So here is my typical morning on the farm:


Fritz says "Put some catfood in that bowl!"


This is Fritz, who has a self dog food feeder with all the dog food he could want, but he would much prefer to eat the cat food.  If I filled the cat food feeder up, he would eat it all.




So every morning I put out a cup of cat food for our indoor cat, Liza (and for Fritz), and a cup of cat food for our outdoor cats, Guess and Trixie, and, unfortunately, for the opossum who cleans up what is left over at night.





 


I also take a cup of cat food and/or table scraps for our chickens and ducks who greet me at the fence clucking, quacking, and fluttering every morning. 



The horses are fed their grain next and are given hay when the pasture is down.  Fritz is enthusiastic to accompany me to the barn where he gets his daily horse treat.  Every morning the horses greet me at the gate, then I open the tack room door to a horse butt facing me, and I have to remind them to get into their stalls for breakfast.

Since this is their routine, I truly think that they feel without this system of gate greeting, butt display, and stall command, they would surely not be fed.  (Horses love routine.)  In the winter I also have to check the temperature and put on/take off blankets as necessary. 


Next come the goats who are fed a small scoop of sweet goat chow - they are always so happy to see me!

I check everyone's water, then give a cup of sunflower seeds to the chickens who once again cheer me on from the other side of the fence.  I fill up the chickens' feeder, check their water, collect beautiful eggs from the nest boxes, then water the garden. 
 


I currently have strawberries in one garden with plans for zucchini, and sugar snap peas in the second with plans for cucumbers.  I will also be making a vertical garden "potato tower" out of field fencing, and I will let you know how that works out!




The whole production takes approximately 20-30 minutes.  Many people would cringe at the thought of these morning chores every day but, as it is my hobby, I usually find them quite enjoyable!  I hope you do, too!

How to Set Up a Chicken Coop and Run

 

   If you Google chicken coops, you will find there are many ways of setting up a chicken coop since they can be made out anything from an old car to a trashcan to a shed.



Some people have gotten very creative with their henhouse. Whatever kind of coop you decide on, whether rural or urban, here are some basics that every hen house should have:

1) Good ventilation.  Throughout the year, your ladies will need good ventilation.  In the heat of the summer, don't cook your chickens.  Make sure their coop is kept as cool and airy as possible.  In the winter, they still need good ventilation.  If they are cooped up too tight, the humidity makes them damp and the coldness freezes them.

2) Feeder.  Waste is the biggest problem with most feeders.  If you put a feeder on the ground the chickens will not only toss dirt and shavings into it, but they will scratch out and waste all of the feed.  Find a way of either hanging it from a chain/rope or setting it on top of something about 6 inches or so.  You can buy a commercial feeder or make your own.

"Feed us!"

3) Water.  Keep fresh water available at all times.  Add a splash of apple cider vinegar to kill algae and bacteria.  Put the water on top of blocks or some other stable stand to keep them from pooping in it or filling it with shavings. (Depending on your winters, you may need a warmer to keep the water from freezing)

4) Adequate shelter from the elements.  Keep those chickens out of the heat, the cold, the wind, etc.  It should be durable and not drafty.

5) Nest box.  There should be about 1-2 nest boxes for every 5 chickens you have.  Most likely they will pick their favorite and everyone will try and lay in the same one, no matter how many chickens you have.  Depending on what size your chickens are, your box can be 10"x10" for bantams, up to about 15" x 18" for very large birds.  Nest boxes can be purchased or made from just about anything.  I suggest making sure there is a perch in front of the entrance so that their feet are clean when they hop in.

Five hens using a nestbox...at the same time.

6) Run.  The run is simply a safe area where the chickens can get outside to scratch, dance, and dustbathe.  Add some wood ashes and/or a bit of DE (diatomaceous earth) to their dust bath area to keep them from getting mites.  Even if your chickens free range, it is a good idea to have an enclosed run that they can use if you have to lock them up.

We found a well-built child's playhouse on Craigslist and added a small run.
The whole area is surrounded by electric netting.

7) Roost.  Chickens love to roost, and it keeps their feathers and feet clean and dry out of the mess on the floor.

Rebecca demonstrating proper roosting technique.

8) Security.  One of the biggest problems chicken owners face is predators.  Depending on your location, these could include  foxes, racoons, opossums, snakes, hawks, eagles, owls, and don't forget neighborhood dogs and cats!  Your coop will need to be able to secure your ladies from whatever nature has planned.  Here are some tips to securing your henhouse:

- chicken wire is useless - it can be easily penetrated, and raccoons can reach through to pull off delectable parts of your chickens like the wings, feet, or heads.  Use hardware cloth and secure it with screws, not staples.
- Use solar or other lighting at night to deter the wildlife.  Even those cheap color changing one LED lights seem to work well
- If you can afford it, get some electric netting to surround the coop. However, don't rely on it too heavily - we have a solar charger, and it will discharge into the grass, snow, or side of the coop - whatever it touches.
- Use shiny metallic pinwheels, whirligigs, and/or spinners to keep the hawks and eagles away.
- If you have a dog, encourage him to mark around the coop and run to deter predators.

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Raising Chicks part 1, choosing the breed and sex

Lucas, at 8 months, with my niece's chicken.

I knew I wanted chickens from the start.  I read all the books and spoke with people who had chickens.  I bought my little hen house kit and put it together one hot day when my daughter was home sick.  Then I ordered my 6 chicks and prepared a cardboard brooder box for their arrival.  I had no idea how much I had to learn.  For those of you who are planning your own flock, I thought I would let you know some of the things I learned.

The first thing you should know is that chickens are addictive!  You will find yourself watching the chickens all day long, talking to your friends about chickens, and subscribing to poultry magazines.  You will find others who love chickens and make Facebook friends in the poultry world when you need advice.

I purchased 6 different breeds that are known to be good layers and do well in the weather of Virginia.  Even before they were out of the brooder, I knew that 6 was not enough.  I learned about the fancier breeds like Silkies and Polish, and hunted them down on Craigslist.  When planning your flock, I know you want eggs, but include some fun pet type breeds!  They are friendly and cute, and friends will not mind seeing the multiple pictures on your phone and FB of your chickens if they are adorable.  Research all the breeds and make your decision carefully (be sure to Google "frizzled" chickens - over the top cute!)

You may hear the term "bantam" - this is a small chicken, which lays very small eggs. Some breeds come in standard or "large fowl" (full sized) and bantam (small sized), while others come in only standard or only bantam.

"Easter Egger" chickens lay blue eggs. The Easter Egger
is a mixed breed - "Ameraucana" is pure bred.  (Occassionally
you will get one that lays olive colored or brown eggs.) 

The sex of chicks:

Pullet means female.  If you are ordering from a hatchery, you can order all pullets, but keep in mind that sexing is only 90% accurate.  In my first batch of 6, two ended up being males.

Straight run:  Unsexed chicks, meaning you are likely to get quite a few males. Some feel buying straight run, and planning to cook and eat the males, is the most humane thing, since it gives the males a chance at having a good (yet short) life.  Although I understand the logic, I just couldn't.

Males or "Roos" (young males) also called cockerels or roosters:  Roosters can be difficult to  find a home for, so start thinking about what you will do with the roo now.  Some thoughts: In certain breeds, roosters can turn aggressive, no matter how much you have handled and loved on them as babies. Having a rooster go into a pot (yours or someone else's) can be hard to come to grips with, but realizing that he has had a much better life than those brought up in commercial facilities makes it easier.  When trying to get rid of a rooster, once it is over a year it is less suitable for eating, so making the decision sooner rather than later is to your best advantage. 

Stanley was supposed to be Stella. He was very aggressive
and, after attacking my son, helped me come to grips with
the idea of eating a chick that I hand raised.  I could not do
the deed, but gave him to a nice Italian woman for the pot.

More about Roosters:

You don't need a rooster to have eggs.  You only need to have a rooster if you want the egg to turn into a chick.  

You can eat eggs that have been fertilized by a rooster.  The fertilization takes place by sex, with the rooster hopping on top of the hen.  As long as a hen has not been incubating the egg, it will not turn into a chick.  Hens usually lay a few eggs before sitting on them, so as long as you collect your eggs at least once a day (twice a day if you have a hen that is broody or wants to sit on them), your eggs should be fine. More about eggs in a future blog.

You can keep multiple roos together, especially if they have grown up together, and most will figure out how to get along.  Some may fight - certain breeds are more aggressive than others.

Wow is this blog getting long - I will write more about the brooder in my next post!

New to Pungo

We are new to Pungo, having lived in this area of Virginia Beach for only a couple years.  Before coming out this way, we were warned that it is a hard community to move to.  Rumor has it that people in Pungo don't welcome "outsiders," and maybe it is true with some.  Living in the Creeds area of Pungo, we have found just the opposite.  It may be that, coming from country bloodlines, we fit in a bit easier.  It could be that, having grown up in the country as a child, this life came easy.   Whatever the reason, moving out here felt like coming home.  This place is like being in an old book; it is so wonderful, that it seems like it could be fiction!  I am starting this blog as a way of keeping a journal of our experiences.  Even if I am the only one to read it, I want to record this incredible journey.

Introductions:  "We" is composed of:

My husband, Dan, and me, Jane

Our children:

Caleb

Lucas

Rebecca

And our plethora of pets - a dog, 3 cats, 2 horses, chickens, guinea hens, and 3 new ducklings.

Last year was hectic and a struggle to get things done, built, and planted.  It was a great time of learning.  This year's challenges have become easier as we learn more about what to expect of our selves, our animals, and our property.  Last year we bought a shed and converted it into a chicken coop, hired someone to build a barn, hired someone to put in posts for a horse fence, and planted fruit trees. Then we learned about raising chickens, handling predators (we have a lot from hawks and owls to foxes and the occasional coyote), deer who eat baby trees, drainage issues, surveying, and how to build our own damn fence and structures. As a result of our knowledge, this year we have dug a ditch, installed electric netting and pinwheels to deter predators, moved our horse fence off of the neighbor's property, started composting, and plan to build a carport for our tractor and add more fencing to protect our sticks that were once trees.

Should be fun!