Monday, April 28, 2008

Not Your Typical Bucket o' Chicken





In an effort to make more use of the limited space inside our wire-hoop chicken coop, we've replaced the deteriorating waxed cardboard boxes (which can't be recycled) with eight 5-gallon plastic buckets. We modified the buckets by removing the handles and cutting the lids a little less than half-way across to keep bedding material from falling out, yet still allowing enough space for the hen ingress and egress. We then nailed a small strip of wood to the cut edge of each lid to eliminate the sharp edge and provide a comfortable step. The base of each bucket was then screwed to a wide plank of plywood in two rows of four which stack neatly and are surprisingly stable considering they aren't tied down. We then filled each bucket with pine shavings to complete this modular-style nesting box that can be easily moved and/or cleaned. We'll let you know if the chickens like it. Click here for more photos of the bucket chicken condo.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Moving Right Along



Today saw the pouring of concrete footings for the garage, more of the future basement for the main house was excavated, and the all-important Port-O-Let was delivered.

Our contractor also did some grading of the driveway so that a semi full of ICFs (Insulated Concrete Forms) could be delivered. The modular ICFs are stacked then filled with concrete for an amazingly durable and energy-efficient structure. Click here for a step-by-step on ICF installation. Click on the photo to link to our construction shots photo album.

Back at Rose Cottage, our landlord's handyman finally got around to mowing the rest of the yard which I had started last weekend since it was so overgrown. Chickens were let free at 2:30 in the afternoon after producing a baker's dozen eggs. We are keeping them in their run during the first part of the day now since we were suffering from low egg count by letting them free range first thing in the morning (we suspect they are laying eggs in undisclosed locations about the property... sneaky hens!).

A Groundbreaking Day


24 hours later than we hoped, but yesterday was a momentous day as the excavator finally dug into red earth where our future home will stand. Dionne called me early in the morning so I could hear the sounds of the diesel engine and machinery...it was truly music to my ears. Here you can see where they dug out the perimeter of the outer walls and placed rebar for the footings.


I've also added a countdown until the completion of the detached garage. Why the garage and not the home? We're moving into the garage first to coincide with the end of our current lease at Rose Cottage---no need to sign for another 6 months!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Contract Signed!

This was a busy 3-day weekend (I took a vacation day from the office), but it was well worth it as we finally got the actual construction contract with Jessica from Oakley Custom Homes squared away. Initial estimates show the completion of the garage by September 15th with completion of the main house around December 21st. We also spent some time on the property measuring and staking the future location and orientation of the house and the detached garage while Mema's dogs and the kids ran wild on our future backyard. Settling on the four corners of the house was more difficult than one would expect as slight changes of the front porch view drastically altered views from the back and side. We finally realized that this is because we chose to place the home at the mid-point of our "California-shaped" lot (think dogleg for golfers). From a bird's eye view you can see that it's impossible to have the front of the house face the main road and yet have the backyard view line up with our open meadow. We had to settle for facing a bit more toward Tom Black's house rather than Collinsville Road. Anyhow, several signatures and a few notary stamps later and we are set to break ground as early as tomorrow (Tuesday, April 22nd)!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Let Them Eat Snake



If you love something, set it free---as in free range. You've probably seen and heard the term "free range" but what does it really mean? The U.S.D.A. (United States Department of Agriculture) allows labels to say free range if they have "certified access to the outdoors," but does not specify other criteria such as the quality of the land/environment, size of roaming area, or the number of birds confined to a particular space. In other words, some chickens could be defined as free range simply by having a small run with nothing but gravel or mud. Also beware that there are no standards governing the term "range" or similar advertisements on egg cartons, such as "free running," "free roaming," or "free walking." True free range allows for chickens to sustain themselves on their natural surroundings.

About a week ago, with the okay of our landlord (who seems to have turned over a new leaf lately), we decided to bite the bullet and let the chickens roam free in the yard. We trust that they will use their instincts to determine what is food and what isn't, but just in case we scoured the property to ensure there were no obvious threats (physical or chemical). Like letting your child go off by themselves for the first time, we were nervous parents, imagining hawk attacks, lost hens, and other untold dangers. However, the flock doesn't wander far and we have yet to lose any to the nearby woods or the neighbor's car...they return to their coop each night as the sun sets and the headcount is always the same.

Now, aside from the usual plants and insects you'd expect them to eat in the wild, our flock is expanding their palate to include such things as small snakes (we caught them playing tug o' war with the one pictured above). Whether or not they actually ate it is anyone's guess since they are competitive about rare treats and will run off to finish their meal in seclusion. We've also noticed that they no longer seem to think that being handfed is such a novelty.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

R.I.P. Dalmation Temptation



Sad news. Our one and only Silver Laced Wyandotte died. Dionne went out to collect eggs around 2pm on April 4th and she was laying there in the coop. She was fine in the morning, but had been dead for a little while because rigormortis had begun to set in. Dionne checked the inside of her mouth and it wasn't black, so we don't think it was worms or coccidiosis or anything harmful to the rest of the flock (who have been absolutely fine). Her lower abdomen was swollen and her oviduct was slightly expanded, so we think Dalmation was eggbound...this can cause a quick death if not caught early. Maya was pretty upset, of course, and Dalmation (whose was named for her black and white Dalmation-style spots and a word that rhymed with "dalmation") was buried in the backyard of the cottage complete with stones and flowers to mark the grave. We initially referred to this hen as "mystery chick" since she was of a different breed than the rest. Dalmation is pictured above with wildflowers sprinkled on her back's "bald spot" courtesy of the kids.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

A Satisfied Customer

Although we eat our own eggs (and have certainly seen our share of oddities like no-yolkers, double-yolkers, minis, and monsters), it's always good to have some kind of feedback from our customer-friends to see what they think of our non-soy organic chicken ova. One of our regulars, Jenny, posted something to her own blog that shows some serious membrane below the shell from one of our hens. No bacteria getting in there! Check it out here.