Hens Outside Chicks Inside

the big hens finally have a little time outside the run.

The thaw we had on Wednesday produced enough bare patches in the path we shoveled to the coop that the hens were allowed out to free range.  They dont like cold wet feet, so they pretty much only stay where there are bare patches of ground, but they sure enjoyed being outside, pecking around at a few weeds that were green under the snow, and generally enjoying themselves.  

It's cold but not so windy today.  Sap production is still slow, but a little better than yesterday, which was dismal and frozen!

Baby chicks are progressing.

One of the little roosters does seem to have an issue... his little butt had  quite a bit of dried poo all over it, and when I gently washed it off, he seems to have some raw looking skin.. this might heal by itself except that it is bright red, which causes the other chicks to peck at it... So I will be watching him, and might need to separate him for a day or two.  Notice how the wing feathers are growing fast... and a bit of color is showing up on a few of them...Notice how more of them are hopping up and down off the yellow brooder... 

Back to Winter

hey, what are these things?

Hmmm.... they smell interesting.....

Somehow I get the idea they are part of the family too.....

(Yes, I trust the dog  - maybe dont try this with YOUR chicks unless you are pretty sure of how your pooch will react....)

It was COLD again today.  And WINDY.  I think it was the wind that was so awful. One of the sap buckets actually got blown off the tree, no kidding. Steve saw it on his way to work and stopped to put it back.
Had he not, it probably would have rolled all the way down to the stream at the bottom of the hill!
With the deep freeze again today (it did finally get up to 33, but never felt above about 15) the trees weren't putting out nearly as much sap as yesterday.  A couple of the taps are really slow anyway.  Two of them were frozen again, all day today. Interesting to me that some would be frozen and some would not. Anyway, I'm guessing only about 2 gallons of sap collected today, as opposed to about 5 yesterday.  And I really should be getting more like 9-10... but it has been cold except for yesterday, which was gloriously like spring.  And, they are talking about that four letter word that starts with "S" again for Saturday. Yep, snow.
Or freezing rain, which is almost worse.

Well, to lift my spirits, I seeded a few more starts for the garden, and since I can't plant directly in the cold frames because the ground in there is still frozen, I am trying  putting some things in containers.  These are all cold hardy varieties, and even though the ground is cold in there, the air temps have been warm - yesterday it was nearly 80 degrees in there!  Soil temps are more important than air temps for sprouting seeds, but my hope is that the containers will stay warm enough to let a few things sprout.

I did this two ways. One, just in the cups I use to start seeds indoors, for the really cold hardier things like spinach and lettuce and mache.  And,  two, in some empty gallon water jugs, which should create a sort of greenhouse effect. Double that with being inside the cold frame, and maybe it will be warm enough to let things sprout. We will see!




The chicks are all doing very well. They were much more active today, and lots of eating and drinking and pooping.  As a way of measuring the rate of growth, I will take a picture of them next to an egg every day or so, so you can see how rapidly they are developing.

Chick and egg at Four days.

Some links for chicken breed info.  

Meyer Hatchery

McMurray Hatchery chick selector

Chicks are Here! Getting Some Sap and Keeping It Cool

Another absolutely beautiful spring like day today.  It's going to get cold again, but we sure are enjoying
this little stretch of spring like weather.  It's good for the soul after the harsh winter.

Well, along with this warmer weather is a big increase in sap production. I will take you along as I collect from a couple of buckets...

What I've got to do next is run down to the farm supply and get some old used wood pallets. Our sap storage tanks are big 55 gallon plastic barrels (drums, really) that are sitting out in the snow to keep the sap cold. With these warmer temps, snow levels are dropping and I need a way to pack snow around these barrels as high as possible. So I'm going to go get some pallets and wire them into a sort of cage around the drums so I can pack them with snow and keep that sap cold! Sap is like milk, it will spoil fast if not refrigerated.

So, I am back from the farm supply. Here is what I made. I just bungeed some pallets together and packed snow all around inside as high as I could.  This should keep the sap plenty cool.   I also put a cover over the top of the barrels, since they are black and absorb solar warmth. It's just an old camping pad, but it's silver on one side and reflective, so I figured it would not only shade the top of the barrels, but also reflect back some heat to keep them cooler.

My redneck refrigerator

And finally, what you REALLY want to see! Here is Day 2 of The Chick Flicks

Maybe tomorrow, I will talk about why I selected these particular breeds. Today, just enjoy the little fuzzballs..... 

Weather: It is ALMOST 50 DEGREES OUT THERE!!! WOOHOO!!!!

Chick Flicks, Day 1...... And Sap Gathering

The weather is soooooo awesome today. Mostly sunny, and 40 degrees!  After our super cold February, it feels like summer, well, at least spring!

I gathered about 4  gallons of sap today.  Its running pretty good. I wont be able to go back out and get the late day sap because our town meeting is tonight, and we need to go vote.
Here is a picture of the sap as it comes out of the tree. It really does look like water, doesnt it?

There are a few taps which barely producing. I don't know why,and since things are just really starting to flow, they may yet.   But, if we are able to get enough sap to make a gallon of syrup this first year, I will be thrilled.  I am mostly using ziplock bags snugged up over the spiles instead of the lids, as the winds were kicking those around too much.

And the new chicks are due tomorrow I think.  I should get a call from the post office letting me know they have arrived.
Meanwhile, here is Day 1 of the Chick Flicks, showing  you what we have prepared for their arrival.  I don't think I mentioned in the video what kind of feed you should get. It should be labeled as "chick starter", which means it will be ground to a fine crumble, small enough for the little ones to pick up.  Of course, I recommend organic, because, hey, you probably want to raise your own chickens and eggs because you want something better than what's at the grocery store.  It starts with better, healthier, organic, non-GMO feed.  Your local feed store should have something, or there are many places online.
Remember that saying "you are what you eat"?  Well, it goes a bit further when you are raising your own animals for eggs or food. "You are what you eat, eats".

As promised, here are the links for the heat units I have.

Brinsea EcoGlow 20 chick brooder
and the heat lamp is
ZooMed Infrared Ceramic Heat Bulb

Chicks Coming!

The chick palace

 This week  marks two big events on the homestead.
First, the weather is finally cooperating, and the maple sugar season should officially get rolling.  I will be collecting 10-15 gallons of sap a day if things go as planned. Hopefully, I will get some good photos and video of that.
Second, the baby chicks are due to arrive Wednesday, or maybe as late as Thursday. I have everything ready for them.

Tomorrow, I will start a series of videos on the chicks. These videos, which I have dubbed  "Chick Flicks" will follow the chicks as they grow, info on how to care for new babies, and other chicken care basics. For those who might be considering some backyard chickens, this is  good opportunity to see what is invoĺved.

One of two infrared heat lamps for the new babies. Yes, i know thats not a chick pictured,  Silly pants!

Lastly, i am hoping to win one of these very cool automatic watering systems.  Having to empty out poopy water two or three times a day isnt fun!  with 25 new babies on the way, this would be a godsend!

http://www.avianaquamiser.com/ezmiser/

The good folks over at Waldeneffect.org are offering a giveaway of one of these puppies. I want one!

Weather. 20 this morning and bright sunshine. High is supposed to be mid 30s.

Sunday Chores

Today, we began our usual Sunday routine. We run to church, attend service, and run back. Its only 3 miles each way on quiet scenic roads.

after a quick lunch, we tend to whatever chores need doing.  

Steve went to work splitting wood, and got several weeks worth done. That man can work.

I did less strenuous work.   After drilling one more tap, and hanging a bucket, I gathered what small amount of sap there was.

Then I went to work painting. This old farmhouse is in dire need of some cosmetic help. Every single room needs painting, but most of them have wallpaper that has to be removed, and walls that need repairing first.  One room only needed minor wall repair, which I had already finished, so I worked on painting that one.

These old windows are a little sad.

 A fresh coat of paint will make a world of difference.

I am almost finished with this side of the room.

But there is plenty still to do.

Random

 I canned a few jars of applesauce to use up the last of the bushel of late apples from storage. I have been really amazed at how well these have kept. It has been 5 months now, and really only in the last week have I felt they were beginning to get a little grainy. Temps inthe storage room have stayed about 39- 40 degrees, with maybe 50% humidity.  There were almost no totally bad ones. They are mostly still perfectly good to eat, just a bit soft.  This applesauce has no added sugar, as these apples were wonderfully sweet.  (That less than full jar just went into the frig to eat now.).

 And heres a very strange egg. Notice the size and the wrinkles... I just thought "ouch".  It is more than twice normal size! I assumed when I cracked it, that would be a double yolk, but it was not.  It was actually something I have never seen before. It was a shell-less, albumin-less egg, inside a yolk-less  egg.  Thats the only way I know to describe it.

You cant really tell from the photo,  but the yolk is like that shell-less egg I showed you earlier... it has the inner membrane around it, but not the calcium shell.  And no "white" (albumin)  I dont even know how this could happen, with the production line of the egg making process... Remember, the yolk is formed in the ovary, then travels down where the white is added, then the membrane, and finally the shell, and it exits the hens body.

This egg had a yolk, then a membrane, and THEN about twice the amount of white inside a hard shell. And when I punctured the membrane on the yolk, which was so tough it required a sharp knife, the yolk inside was just..... weird... sort of clumpy and runny. It went to the dog.

I am pretty sure this is the same hen that laid the shell-less egg. There have been a couple of very thin-shelled eggs.  I think she has a malfunction in her reproductive system.


And, (no picture, I forgot), I collected about a gallon of sap today. The temps have been too cold to expect much, but next week's forecast is perfect for sap, and that should really get the flow going.  I can expect about a gallon per tap per day unless we get another cold snap.  Perfect sap weather is 40s daytime, and 20s nighttime.

We did a 4 mile race today, and then a 2 hour easy run afterwards.  Cold, but sunny, and quite lovely to be out.  We both won our age groups, not that they really counted such things.

Steve split more wood, I stacked. We picked out any grubs we found and gave them to the chickens. I swear, grubs are like crack for chickens.

Now its time to figure out something for supper.