First Snow

The morning after our first snow of the season the chickens were reluctant to come out. When a few did venture out, they flew, hopped and hurried under the hen-a-bago to stand on grass rather than the strange, cold, white stuff. You can see a few in the shadows under their home.

Helpful Chickens

While we raise layers for their eggs (and the delicious stewing hens we get when laying days are over), the natural life of a chicken serves many purposes on the farm.

Chickens love to scratch in the dirt and eat the bugs stirred up by their activity. We moved the New Hampshire Reds onto our future berry patch and while they are doing what comes naturally they are also fertilizing the soil and spreading the leaf mulch and old straw piles for us. Every critter on the farm is skilled with multi-tasking.  For chickens, having access to piles of mulch and straw, is similar to being at an amusement park with free food!

Domestic chickens are descended from jungle fowl so their natural diet is insects, plants, small rodents, lizards and seeds. A "vegetarian" diet is actually not a complete and healthy diet for a chicken. We are grateful for the labor-saving joy these chickens are experiencing. They'll be happy when we share the extra berries with them next year too!

The patch of soil the chickens are rehabilitating is on an area that is part of what was the most worn out of our pastures when we bought the farm 4 years ago. For 4 years we have bush-hogged whatever grew and allowed the plant life to lie on the soil to decompose. For 3 years chickens have been moved across the pasture from one spot to another and we can see the benefit of our efforts. No pesticides, insecticides or herbicides have been used on any part of the farm and the land is healing. As the land heals the plant life changes from weeds to grasses, eroded places vanish as the increasing organic matter in the land enables the soil to absorb the water.

Pastured Poultry Workshop

Our County Extension Agent invited us to host her Pastured Poultry Workshop.  It was held yesterday, May 13, 2014.  It was unseasonably hot but at least we had no rain.

We pulled 5 birds from their flocks to be used in Dan's demonstration.  They
were happy to go home again when the show was over.

Here are some photos of the well-attended, informative event.

County Agent for Livestock and Forages, Lauren Langley, setting up the registration table.

Our friend, Farmer Mike, arriving to help us with parking.

Dan Campeneau, Poultry Agent, teaching about conformation
or how to determine a good layer from a cull.

Learning about mobile housing from Charlie and Dan.

The next workshop will be held September 30th on the topic of "Small Flock Health."  Location TBD.

Ice Storm, part 1

The skies began spitting icy rain about 5 p.m. yesterday and during the night we lost power (and sleep) while listening to trees (or parts of them) crash to the ground under the weight of the frozen precipitation which pounded the roof all night, coating everything with ice.

Morning chores were to begin early so we could catch the train to DC for a weekend with family but in dawn's dim light it became obvious we could not go anywhere.

The view from the back door shows one pine that fell during the night and another atop the first one which uprooted early in the day when the  over-saturated ground could no longer hold it and the weight of the ice coating its limbs and needles. The small oak tree, bending under the ice's weight on the right of the picture, has since been uprooted and fallen to the ground also. The two white horizontal lines are the ice-coated clothes line.  Not a good drying day today!

We moved the vehicles to an area out of reach of falling trees.  The ice on the branches is lovely, but treacherous.  The chickens' feather net fencing is so coated with ice it has fallen under the weight and our multiple attempts to upright it are futile as the precipitation continues.  So many tree tops have come down since this picture was taken this morning that the skyline is less full now.  The white on the walk is slush from accumulated sleet and freezing rain.  We haven't had snow, yet, though we do have 2 1/2" of precipitation in the rain gauge.

A tree line runs along our property line on the north side of pasture one.  As you can see the trees are literally on the line, the fence line.  They have taken down part of the 6-strand high tensile fence and just missed the flexible feather netting.  They also just missed the cedar fence post buried under the branches.

We'll be cleaning up from this storm for a long time.  More pictures are coming so you'll see additional posts as I get out and about to take pictures.  We, and all our neighbors, have lost power.  We're using a generator right now, until the gas runs out!  Tomorrow our forecast is for sunshine and a high of 65!  What a difference a day makes!

Moving the Hen-a-bago II

Hen-a-bago II attached to the tractor

You might have read about our newest Hen-a-bago II being built and then moved out to pasture. We relocate  Hen-a-bago II once or twice per week to a new section of pasture.  Changing pastures often improves the health of our chickens by giving them new grasses in which to forage for insects as well as "salad" greens.  Rotation also is a form of parasite control as it disrupts the life cycle of many naturally occurring yet undesirable organisms seeking to find a host site in the guts of our chickens.

Chickens riding in Hen-a-bago II

Gathering Eggs

Our larger chickens on pasture began laying eggs over the last few weeks! We go out at least three times a day to check the nesting boxes and gather eggs.  Because these hens are new at laying eggs, some of the shells are thin and they can break when lots of eggs are in one nest, especially when one more hen decides to sit on them and add to the collection.  Then the nest boxes and the eggs get really messy!  For some reason chickens prefer to enter a nest box that already has eggs in it.  Checking the boxes frequently and collecting any eggs assures cleaner eggs and nest boxes.  The nesting boxes are accessible from the outside by lifting the roof.

Jan checking the nesting boxes

A curious chicken checking out the view from the open nest box.

A hen, possibly sitting on eggs

They are also accessible from the inside where the chickens are able to access the boxes. The hens seem to have a few favorite laying boxes.

There are nesting boxes on either side of the Hen-a-Bago

The chickens seem to be eager layers.  We are now gathering over three dozen eggs each day!

Venturing Out

The young chickens were moved to the pasture recently, to their new Hen-a-bago home. We put fresh food and water outside of their door and then opened the ramp to the outside. There was a long hesitation among many of the chickens, particularly the Partridge Rocks.

The Rhode Island Reds were the first to leave the Hen-a-bago. There was a mix of scrambling down the ramp, tumbling off the side of the ramp, and launching themselves from the doorway out into the yard, flying for a brief moment.

The Partridge Rocks took a few steps out, and then would return, peeking out of the doorway, watching the Rhode Island Reds bravely venture into the new world.

Eventually, most of the young chickens made it out of the door and found the food and water.

Some chickens stayed inside and tried out the new roost.



We posted this video on our Facebook page, but just in case you missed it, we wanted to share it here too!
This is a video of the chicks in their new home.

A Finished Hen-a-bago II and The Big Move

The newest Hen-a-bago on pasture being inspected by livestock guardian dog, Sofie.

Our newest Hen-a-Bago was recently finished and moved out to pasture. The move was quite an adventure!
Here are photos of the move and all of the obstructions in the way! The Hen-a-bago II got hooked up to the tractor and Jan took control of the wheel.

Getting connected

 Everything looked fine as Jan pulled out with the Hen-a-bago II in tow.

 But then, as she rounded the large tree in the yard, the first obstacle came into view.

The small redbud tree was spaced just a little too close to the larger tree.

Jan did an excellent job of maneuvering the Hen-a-bago II, but it kept butting up against the larger tree and would not make the pass. 

 So Charlie had to cut the tree down!  (The little one, not the big one!)

We thought the gate opening would be the next obstacle, but Jan steered the Hen-a-bago II through smoothly.  Tight squeeze!

 The next obstacle was a small apple tree just on the other side of the gate.

 The decision was made to just drive over it since it will likely get cut down later. This is one of  our apple trees which has a cedar apple rust and we are going to try and replace the infected trees with varieties more resistant to cedar apple rust.

 Amazingly though, it sprang right back!  Fortunately, because it is the goats' favorite tree for munching.  I guess it's a red delicious. ;-)

It looked like there would be another obstacle, but the tractor and Hen-a-bago II fit through!

Once it was onto clear pasture, it was smooth sailing.

Whew!

Hen-a-bago II

Tools for the job

We began construction on our second Hen-a-bago!

Completed Hen-a-bago I on pasture

The Hen-a-bago is the roosting home for the chickens at night. It is on wheels in order to provide for ease of transporting the chickens to different areas of the farm for free-ranging, bug eating and fertilizing the soil.

Putting the floor and base together on top of the frame and wheels

The walls went up rather quickly!

Before we knew it, the Hen-a-bago II was nearly complete!