Wahsega Valley Farm

Veggie Garden

I've had a couple of requests to see my veggie garden, so thought I'd post a few pictures of it from yesterday. It's just starting out so isn't too exciting yet. I've already found two squash bugs and several cucumber beetles, but I've got a plan this year and have already begun spraying with neem and dusting with DE. With my zucchini I've even mulched it with aluminum foil! Sounds weird, but some say it helps keep the vine borers from getting a foothold (the moths get confused by the shiny foil and can't get to the stalk to lay eggs as well). We'll see how it goes. I'm also planting marigolds here and there and if they don't scare off the bugs with their scent, they at least look pretty, right?

But enough jabbering for now; here are some pictures. This is shot from behind the chicken coop and shows the whole garden area. The bushy plant at the right bottom of the garden is a huge lemon balm I planted last year. Today I planted four types of mint near it 'cause I love mint tea (mixed with a little lemon balm). 

Here are about half my tomatoes - a few temporarily staked until Mike can help me build the trellis this weekend like we had last year. These were all from seed and did great. My peppers were a big fail this year though for some reason and I had to buy most of them.

Here is macho Dusty with the sun-setting light shining. He must have seen Sophie and was on his way to wrestle with her.

Here is one of the bean tunnels Mike designed for me and we put up last weekend. We're putting up two of them. It is easily taken apart to be used again and again. It will be so cool when the beans are growing all over it and it really becomes a tunnel. I love it. The beans should be poking up real soon.

Here are my baby sweet potatoes. I'm covering them every night to keep the deer away, but might devise a low fence/wire thingie that covers the whole area. I'm sure Mike will come up with a stellar idea.

And here is my garden buddy, Sophie. She's so nice and quiet and calm while Dusty is such a goober. He runs all over the place, pees where I just planted a veggie, keeps getting in my lap and cries a funny kind of wail when he gets bored and wants me to go back up to the cabin. Is that the difference between men and women? Ha! Naw, just kidding.

And, for the cat people, here are the two of them "dancing".

 
I've just about finished planting but have some weed clean-up to take care of around the edge of the garden and then can shift into maintenance... and stay on top of the pest problems. I'm going to get them this year before they unpack their little suitcases and move in.

Oh yeah, I started a little herb garden behind the cabin and will take pictures of that soon and post.

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.

Lazy Sunday afternoon

I was in the kitchen preparing the chicken's snack a little while ago and when I glanced into the living room, I saw a couple of sleepy-heads.

That's Mike and Sophie snoozing. Sunday is Mike's only day off, and with the rain we're having, he just slowly melted into the couch while I was up and doing my thing. And I guess it looked like a good spot for Sophie to settle in too.

By the time I got back from feeding the chickens and cleaning off their poop board, Mike was once again sitting upright. Not Sophie though... she's still out like a light.

There is now some coffee brewing and I think it's snack time for us now.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. 

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!

Anyone have a good turnip recipe?

I thought I'd have time to write a catch-up post today, but Mike came home from work last night with a lot of kale, collards and turnips with the greens attached. One of his customers asked if I'd like them and I said "Yes!" since I didn't grow any greens this winter (due to having such a hard time with pests in my summer garden... I just wanted a break!). So today I've been washing and cutting them up and it's taking up most of my day. Not complaining; I love free food, but it's keeping me away from other want-to-do things.

Here's the beginning of the cleaning process, with my helper, Dusty, in the box the veggies were delivered in:

The collards are soaking in the sink and you can see I have quite a few turnips - with red Georgia clay still clinging to them. Does anyone have a good recipe for them? I've never been a big turnip fan, but I've not had it fresh very often. I'd like to give it another chance and have been looking online, but have yet to find a recipe that tempts me. I'll have to check all my cookbooks next.

The chickens will get a lot of cast-offs in the cleaning/cutting up process; they will be thrilled at something different from their usual cabbage and lettuce. By they way, remember all those green tomatoes I had from the garden at the end of the summer? They all turned red and ripe and I only recently ran out. They were so nice to have and the chickens ate most of them; it's one of their favorite treats.

Here is another shot with Dusty looking quite demure, which is laughable considering he is usually running around the cabin like a raving maniac. 

Well, the kitchen is a wreck with bowls all over the place and mud in the sink from the veggies, so I must run. 

Have a nice New Years Eve everyone!

Always a trade-off

Just look at this face:

Isn't he cute? Aw, I just want to pick him up and pinch his little cheeks and hug him.

But then again, maybe not... mice just like him (of the particularly small and cute variety) have moved back into the cabin now that the weather has gotten cooler and even with three cats, are leaving mousie poops in all kinds of places in the pantry and kitchen. This morning I reached onto the top shelf of the cabinets to get a bowl to mix two eggs in. I cracked the eggs into the bowl and then wondered what the heck is wrong with the eggs... they had black spots in them! Were the chickens sick or something and laying eggs with spots in them?

Of course not... it was mouse poop in that bowl and I was irked. Irked!

I know the mice are only doing what they know to do; they aren't irking me on purpose, but we can't have mouse poo in our dishes! I already turn all the pots and pans in the lower cabinets upside down, but now I've gotta do it with our eating dishes as well.

I guess we will have to get some sort of traps and I'm not looking forward to it... any more than I look forward to tripping over a mouse carcass first thing in the morning on the way to the bathroom after a night of kitty hunting.

I love living in the country, but there are always trade-offs in life it seems. Mice pooping in our cabin seems to be one of them.

What's lurking at the top of the stairs...

What do you think?

a little closer...

and closer still...

HA!

It's Dusty of course, crazed out in his stalking mode, getting ready to pounce on me as I am walking up the basement stairs. Ha! His ears are usually even flatter in his attempt to not be seen, but I was lucky to get these pictures. He has more than doubled in size since we got him and has turned to greased lightening - running around like a madman - so getting good photos has been difficult; they are always a blur!

His eyes are still blue, but don't really show in the pictures above - that were taken three weeks ago when he still looked like a baby. He's going to be a big cat and is already almost as big as Sophie.

I had a scare two weeks ago with ol' Dusty. I was washing dishes and cooking something on one of the front burners on the stove when I noticed he had suddenly jumped onto the very front of the stove (he's still learning where he can and can't go). Before I could move him (I was just three feet away) his whole right side caught on fire! Fortunately, my gloves were all wet and he seemed to jump off about the time I got to him and he was okay, but looking at his fur ignite like that... I feared his whole body would go up in flames! Just the ends of the fur was burned and it smelled horrible, but didn't hurt him. It was black and crunchy though and the bad thing is I don't think he had a clue how much danger he was in because he still wants to get up there and check things out. He's going to be a stubborn one, I'm afraid.

Here he is recently, sleeping in my bay plant pot:

And, about a month ago, sleeping in a trash can:

That's the Dusty update for now. Oh yeah, he hasn't destroyed anything yet, but as I was writing this he tore off a big leaf from one of my plants and is now running around the cabin at super speed with it in his mouth. What a goofball. We love him!

*****
I will respond to comments soon; I know I am way behind! But for now, I've gotta make some bread!  

My Life as a Turkey

A kindred spirit notified me of this beautiful film that I watched yesterday online. Check your local PBS channels, it might be coming your way! If you are an animal lover, you've gotta see it. If you're not an animal lover, you gotta see it. It made me laugh and cry and I think I fell a little in love with Joe Hutto.  

From PBS:

"After a local farmer left a bowl of eggs on Joe Hutto’s front porch, his life was forever changed. Hutto, possessing a broad background in the natural sciences and an interest in imprinting young animals, incubated the eggs and waited for them to hatch. As the chicks emerged from their shells, they locked eyes with an unusual but dedicated mother."

Here is a short preview:

"Deep in the wilds of Florida’s Flatlands, Hutto spent each day living as a turkey mother, taking on the full-time job of raising sixteen turkey chicks. Hutto dutifully cared for his family around the clock, roosting with them, taking them foraging, and immersing himself in their world. In the process, they revealed their charming curiosity and surprising intellect.

There was little he could teach them that they did not already know, but he showed them the lay of the land and protected them from the dangers of the forest as best he could. In return, they taught him how to see the world through their eyes."

Another short preview:

"Based on his true story, My Life as a Turkey chronicles Hutto’s remarkable and moving experience of raising a group of wild turkey hatchlings to adulthood. Hutto’s story also became a book, Illumination in the Flatlands. 

“Had I known what was in store—the difficult nature of the study and the time I was about to invest—I would have been hard pressed to justify such an intense involvement. But, fortunately, I naively allowed myself to blunder into a two-year commitment that was at once exhausting, often overwhelming, enlightening, and one of the most inspiring and satisfying experiences of my life.” – Joe Hutto, "Illumination in the Flatwoods"

*****

To see the whole video, click here. It's a little over 50 minutes long, uninterrupted. It's beautiful, touching and extremely well-done. 

Thanks, WW. :)