Wahsega Valley Farm

How to turn eggshells into calcium powder

This might be something that most people don't have any interest in doing, but I know of at least one person who does! Not that she couldn't have figured it out on her own, of course.

Turning eggshells into calcium powder is just one way I compost all the eggshells I get from my chickens. You can put the powder in your garden, in your pets or even in you (probably should boil the eggshells first in that case though). For information on the nutrients eggshells provide and more, check here.

When I use eggs, I drop the eggshells into a bowl so I can rinse out the eggwhite that might still be clinging to the wall of the shell. I don't remove the membrane though because it contains nutrients as well. After rinsing, I dry them like this:

I know; not very high-tech, huh? Some people dry them in their oven or maybe even in their dehydrator, but by the time I use more eggs, the drying shells are bone dry and I just replace them with the new, wet eggshells. Works for me. And it's quiet. 

Once dry, I put them in a freezer type bag. The plastic has to be kind of thick because the shells have sharp edges and can poke through thinner bags.

Then I use my mother's old rolling pen to flatten the eggshells. It's kinda fun. Yeah, I guess I'm a child. 

They're smashed pretty well here.

I use an ancient coffee grinder (that has remnants of ground flax seeds here, I see) to grind the shells into powder. You can also use a blender or food processor, but this works fine for me since I do small batches at a time. 

Here is the powder after a very short time.

And in a bowl so it can be seen better.

That was eight eggshells. I think it rule of thumb is that one eggshell equals about one teaspoon. Sounds about right. 

Now I can sprinkle it around my tomato plants and any other veggie that needs a little calcium boost. Cool, huh?

Weed smorgasbord

Earlier this spring when I was pulling the weeds that were taking over our garden area due to our very early wet and warm weather, I'd give them to the chickens. If you know anything about chickens, you know they eat most anything green they can get to, so their run looks like a barren dessert. I give them a midday snack of lettuce and cabbage and other things every day since they can't be free range here and I think they need some "greens". But the weeds were a nice change of pace and the went crazy over them as you can see. I picked them in the morning right when they were all dewy fresh and green.

You can see Clyde making sure all is well and that his girls are all getting their share. He's a good rooster (other than being way too amorous).

They picked all the leaves off the weed vines and had a ball doing it. Soon they'll have lots of tomatoes to eat; they looove tomatoes.

Here is my best chicken buddy, Flapper, running up to me hoping to jump in my lap when I crouched down to take a picture. She's a lap chicken for sure.

Today's eggs

Here are the eggs I brought in today from my chicken girlfriends. They're in my special egg basket that I've had a long time - way before I ever had chickens or thought I'd ever have the opportunity to have chickens. It's thick so is kinda padded, making it perfect for egg gathering. There are 13 in the basket and we get that many every day! We give some away, eat some and scramble them up for the chickens who loooove them. 

With all the eggshells I have I've started drying them and then grinding them up for calcium for my garden and even the chickens. And sometimes if I'm lazy I just toss them into the compost pile. 

I love my chickens like pets, but it's sure nice that they "give back" and kind of pay their own way.

Flapper update

Flapper the chicken, who had a big bald spot on her back and bad wound there, seems to be doing fine back outside now that she's been wearing her saddle. Here is a picture of her and Dusty last week before the saddle arrived:

They were looking out the window towards the other chickens. I had pink towels on the couch in case Flapper jumped up and decided to poop. She didn't, fortunately.

Her saddle showed up a day or two later and here she is eating her afternoon snack with the other birds:

And in her nesting box - top row, in the middle:

It took her about ten minutes to get used to it and I'm just glad she's kept it on. The other birds didn't bother her or her saddle at all, thankfully. They can be rather cliquish you know. From the dirt I can see on it, I can tell Clyde has climbed on top of her once again. What a horndog. She'd still be inside with us without that saddle! Here is a better shot of her donning her new accessory:

In other chicken news, we sold Andy, Buzzard and Stanley - our other roosters, to a family who is loving them a lot. Andy has been in the new owner's house because they love him so much! He even sat in the new owner's lap in the car on the way home (her husband was driving). That was a good sign. Mike and I hated giving him up, but with Clyde being the dominant rooster, the others were always getting run off and there was a lot of friction in the coop and run. Lotsa drama! So, it's peaceful out there now. Andy was a good looking boy and huge... and very gentle:

And in a bit of sad news: we had to put Betty, our first egg layer, to sleep. She had an impacted crop and after trying to make her better for about four days and then consulting our vet, we decided the kindest thing to do was put her out of her misery. It was sad for me, but I knew when I got chickens there would be situations like that. It's not easy though.

My cochins, the youngest birds, are finally 100% integrated with the other chickens. Finally! It happened once we sold the extra roosters. When they were here, it just freaked the cochins out... too many roosters going after the hens all the time and fighting over them y'know. Once they left, there was peace in the chicken kingdom and they mixed right in with the big group. Here is a picture of three of them, with Betty's sister Veronica, in the back. They are the coolest looking birds, all big and fluffy:

We're getting lots of eggs on a regular basis and the birds are still as friendly as always. They are such fun to be around and watch. Flapper is getting better and Clyde is the head honcho now with no competition whatsoever. He's been strutting around a little taller lately. 

Dusty and Flapper hangin' in the kitchen

Flapper is still inside the cabin due to the cold weather and her lack of feathers thanks to Clyde. She has one of the largest combs and large, red combs seem to turn the roosters on. So the ladies with the biggest, baddest combs get the most action, which can lead to feather loss. Poor Flapper even has a bad abrasion where Clyde's claws scraped her - another reason to keep her inside, so she can totally heal. Men! ;)

Since the dog crate is quite confining, I've been letting her out some to stretch her legs and get a little exercise. She wonders all over the place with Dusty in tow, who is totally absorbed by this new non-cat creature. Once he experienced a couple of pecks on the nose, he figured he couldn't hug her like he so wants to do. Flapper is no shrinking violet and puffs up, looking almost twice her size and runs after him if he gets too aggressive. It's a sight. Sophie and Miko just get on high ground and watch. Sophie is used to chickens... ho-hum, and Miko would rather be left alone to sleep.

Here are some pictures of Flapper and Dusty in the kitchen yesterday.

If Dusty had his way, they'd be best buddies. As it is, Flapper offers endless entertainment for him. 

I hope to get the chicken saddle in the mail soon. While it's entertaining to have a chicken in the house for a short time, chickens don't have sphincter muscles and poo whenever and wherever. I've been lucky so far, but it's just a matter of time before I discover a mess.

Even if the weather warms up, I can't put Flapper out with the other chickens unless I remove Clyde, until the wound heals. She might be inside for another four or five days and I'm not sure how such a distraction will affect me. But, I don't think I've mentioned that she is my favorite hen because every time I go out to the coop/run, she follows me around wanting me to pick her up. I sometimes walk around for ten minutes with her in my arms. Yesterday we watched a little Masterpiece Theatre together, her sitting in my lap (on a towel, just to be on the safe side). Dusty was taking a nap in the sun at the time. Peace in the cabin.

Too cold for fun

Here it is 10:30 and it's finally up to 22 degrees F... up from 18 with windchill down to 9 degrees. Ugh. Do not like. I had to bring Flapper, my favorite buff orpington hen, inside for the night since too many of her feathers have been removed by an overzealous Clyde via passionate love making. (If you ever saw a rooster mate a hen, you would more likely call it chicken r*pe, however; it ain't a loving thing!). With so many of her feathers missing close to her body, I was afraid she'd be too cold in the coop.

The wind was blowing so hard all night long that I was expecting to see the Wicked Witch of the West fly by. It gets sooo windy on this hill. I'm just glad we closed off all the windows to the coop, though some people don't recommend it. It's covered with thick, clear plastic so the sun can get in, but the wind can't. There are vents right near the ceiling all the way around, so there is plenty of ventilation... just no wind. I had to change out all the birds' water this morning because it was frozen most of the way through. Ah well, these are things I expected. Not a bald backed chicken though (well, almost bald)...

I've ordered Flapper (so named because her comb flaps to one side, unlike most of the hens) a "saddle" to keep her warm and Clyde's claws off her poor back. The one I ordered is fleece-lined so should help keep her warm. It will give her feathers a chance to grow back, poor thing. Until I get it, I need to keep her separated from Clyde whether it's cold or not. Maybe I will just remove him from all the ladies for awhile instead of removing her. Give 'em all a break.

Here is picture of what a chicken looks like with a saddle on:

I would never get a pink one for my chickens though. And, I would make my  own if I had somewhere to sew, but alas, I don't - especially with a big ol' dog crate in the living area with Flapper in it. She's not thrilled to be away from her "people" and Dusty has learned that his crazed curiosity will warrant a peck on the nose. And now there are pine shavings and straw strewn about the living room floor.

Being a chicken mama sure is entertaining. :)

And I look forward to spring!

Goodbye summer

I've been busy bidding summer farewell these past few weeks... cleaning up the garden (and weeding still!) where veggies are but a memory, and picking lots of peppers and tomatoes and a few beans and okra. But the leaves are really starting to turn now and it won't be long before all the plants in the garden are gone. This year I'm prepping the ground a lot for next spring and adding the chicken poop and shavings directly to the top. Come spring it'll be nicely decomposed and we'll dig it all in. It'll help keep the weeds down and the ground from crusting over in the meantime. 

I've dehydrated trays and trays of hot peppers and tested some tomatoes yesterday. I think I'll dehydrate the rest of the tomatoes I get this season that I don't give to the chickens (they love 'em). They take up so little room once dry and I can use them when I make harrissa.

And my big lemon balm plant dehydrated down to a little jar-full once I crushed the leaves. I need to grow way more herbs next year! My brain is racing now that I have a dehydrator; it was really too humid to dry much here in the summer by just hanging them in the kitchen, so with my new toy the options are much greater.

I'm going to miss certain rituals I had going this summer with the chickens. Every other day I'd change out all their water containers and let the water run from the hose into their outside area. They loved walking through and pecking at it and it cooled them off. But now as the weather is turning cooler, I've stopped getting their area wet. I can tell they miss the fun of running water on their feets. Changing the water in the winter won't be nearly as much fun - and I think I'd better get some warm, waterproof gloves very soon.

I haven't mentioned it, but I lost six of my guineas. Awhile back, when it was time to let them out at long last, they wandered away and only three came back. I was heart-broken. But a neighbor thinks my missing ones have joined up with his. I hope so! The three I have - Larry, Moe and Curly - never leave now. They just hang with the chickens all the time. Well, they hang with Andy mainly, the brahma rooster. Where he goes, they go; it's so funny. They are like his shadow - and biggest fans - and he is so patient with them. They sleep with the chickens and I feel relieved that they are locked up at night with everyone else. Here is Andy with the silly guineas.

This is the perfect weather - no heat or air conditioning needed... just perfectly comfortable temperatures and humidity. But I have to move all my houseplants inside soon since cold is right around the corner - and that will be a challenge again. We did it last year, but some of the plants have gotten bigger. Where on earth are they going to go? 

We've adopted a new kitty! It (we don't know the gender yet) is only four weeks old so we won't be picking him/her up until the end of this month. We just stumbled upon the kitten and fell in love. Someone put it and its sibling in a dumpster and a kind soul heard them crying and rescued them, taking them to the no kill Humane Society here. I'd like to put the person who put them in the dumpster into one where they couldn't get out. What is wrong with people? 

It's a windy, cool, cloudy day... and seems as though winter is introducing itself, saying "How do you do?". The changing of the seasons... it really affects my activities and soon I'll be crocheting up a storm, making body butter and soap (I'm almost out of both) and toting wood once again into the cabin for day-long fires. I hope the chickens like winter; they're certainly dressed for it.

Mike and Clyde

Poor Clyde has been limping around for the past four or five days due to a cut on the bottom of his right foot. We've been cleaning and bandaging it to keep it from getting infected and maybe progressing on to the dreaded bumblefoot. Heaven knows he walks through enough chicken poo during the day to create a horrendous breeding environment for infection to occur in an open wound. We keep their living quarters as clean as possible, but there will always be poo on the ground.

Day before yesterday I took some pictures just to show what a good boy Clyde is - and what a good chicken daddy Mike is. Mike held Clyde while I put on the betadine, neosporine and bandaging. Before we could do that though, we put Clyde's feet in a nice, warm epsom salt bath. Here he is (resting on Mike's lap with his feet dangling in the water while Mike moved it around a bit) getting the soak. He didn't mind it at all... in fact, I think he enjoyed it.

Then, after drying off his foot, he laid back on Mike's lap and almost fell asleep. His eyes are barely open in this picture. I dressed the wound and he wasn't the least bit bothered by it. 

Aw.

Today his limp is a little less pronounced and I have my fingers crossed that one more night of re-bandaging him will be all it takes. Yesterday he was confined to a smaller part of the coop with Betty and Veronica to keep him company - just to give the foot a softer surface and keep him less active. And let the cut heal. It seemed to help, but the chicken yard sure wasn't the same without him. 

Clyde's a good bird. He's a little bossy sometimes, but he takes his girlfriends special treats often and it's the cutest thing. I gave him a big ol' juicy grub the other day that I know he would have loved to eat, but he called Betty over in his nice boyfriend voice and gave it to her. What a guy, huh?

Our first egg!

We got our first egg yesterday -  whoopee! 

And we got another today! Here is a picture of our first egg layer, Betty (in front) with her boyfriend Clyde and sister Veronica. It's not a very good picture of her, she has beautiful black feathers that seem to be misted with an iridescent teal. 

Right now the eggs are smaller than the standard large size, but from what I've read, the first ones are usually smaller than those that follow. Soon her sister should be laying and then everyone else. Well, except for Clyde, Buzzard, Andy and Stanley of course - our guys. These girls are the oldest at 26 weeks - which seems a little late to start for her breed, but the hot summer weather could have slowed 'em down. Yesterday and today are cool autumn-like days; it was in the 50's last night. Maybe that helped jump-start the process.

Whatever, it sure was exciting seeing that first egg!

Sunday visit

Jesse, Sarah and Margot came a-callin' yesterday and we had fun playing with the chickens and wandering around the garden. I also tried some new recipes on them - trying to use some of our garden produce - that I'll post about tomorrow or the next day. I'd not seen Margot since Christmas and she is now walking and talking! Not a lot of talking, but certainly a lot of walking! 

Sarah had a new camera and took many pictures; I can't wait to see them. I handed photo duties over to Mike since I was picking beans, squash and cucumbers in the garden and messing around with the chickens to show how friendly they are. 

Here is Margot with her daddy, walking cautiously towards the chickens. I love the look on her face. 

And here she is approaching me...

... while showing her how friendly the birds are, hugging on a Brahma girl (pardon the construction background)...

... and then me smiling at Mike while holding one of my Buff Orpingtons.

 
Here's Margot getting close to some of the chickens.

She ended up petting some of the birds later on, but I don't have any of those pictures. She was quite taken with them and it was fun watching her reactions.

After hanging with the chickens, we walked down to the garden and I picked lots of green beans, some cucumbers and summer squash while Sarah took more pictures and Margot took it all in.

Here she is, shot through some cucumber vines.

And here, apparently in deep thought...

Sarah was taking so many pictures, Mike only got one shot of her...

... taking pictures!

We had a nice time together and next visit I'll be going into town to see their new place. It's in an old neighborhood not far from where Jesse and I both grew up called Virginia Highlands, so it'll be fun being there again. And maybe we'll all go to the DeKalb Farmers Market together. Oh, how I miss that place:

For a foodie like me, it was heavenly... so many foods from all over the world and local stuff too. So many choices at the best prices. Sigh... it's so far away from me now. 

Maybe when the summer heat has left, I'll go to town. I don't want to wait too long between visits this time.

*****

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