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It's hard to know what to get chickens for the holidays. They get treats regularly. They don't care if I redecorate their huts. And they can't play video games. The main thing they covet is freedom! So, out they come while I wander and dither with things outside since they get a little too focused on yummy grubs and aren't great at keeping an eye out for danger, so I am that eye. Soon it will be a new year and hopefully it will bring some snow to shield the ground from frigid temps. Even so, the hens are still laying and the microgreens are still growing, plants and animals don't take a day off or understand holidays. Stop by tomorrow from 12-1230 in Libby at Fireman's Park to pick some up!  A day out on the pasture! It's a little damp, a little chilly, but there is still green grass!  The best place for the hens to find fresh grass is the past footprints of their own huts!  The hardest part about getting good pictures of the hens in that they know that I equate food, so the closer I get the more they all come running for handfed yummies!   Santa always brings me tools and equipment. The latest addition is a new portable work table with lots of cool features! As you get older, Santa gets more and more practical. #adulting  Hella also enjoys her outings, even if she tolerates the damp even less than the chickens and follows me back inside as soon as possible. What's available this week?
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For the most part chickens don't mind winter. As long as there isn't too much snow, too much cold, and too much darkness. Yep, they are a goldilocks animal. Luckily all those things are easily mitigated with some heat lamps, lights, and a roof. If they are kept happy, like goldilocks, they keep laying their plump eggs until something gets too extreme. In winter this is usually the cold, as keeping them warm enough to lay when it is well below zero can be hard as they also need plenty of fresh air. And actually, the first sign that something is too extreme for them is that they slow down laying eggs. Then I adjust and try to keep them as near to the goldilocks zone as possible. So far they are happy and laying up a storm! So don't forget to stop by tomorrow in Libby at noon to get all the eggs and micros you need for the holidays! P.S. Duck eggs make delicious baked yummies! Even if you don't wanna make 'em, give some to someone who does (or who you would like to) so you can have yummy holiday treats!  Dust bathing is important for hen health and comfort. It's their daily shower and salon sesh and it gets rid of icky mites (the bird version of lice), and keeps their feathers clean (which is integral to keeping them warm and dry). They have a few favorite spots that are super dusty and stay super dry! Once those spots aren't accessible from heavy snowfall, I take those blue and gray totes, fill them with nice soft dirt and place them in their runs to provide fun group bathing opportunities all winter long!   The best is when you are the top hen and get a pile all to yourself!  Either a baby T-Rex of a couple of big fluffy hens stomped through here.  The only time of year the field is devoid of Elk is hunting season. As soon as it's over, they return. #theyrenodummies  What's available this week?
A few weeks ago I went to bed just as 30mph winds picked up in my valley and lasted through the night. I didn't sleep well knowing that I might find a mess in the morning. Winds aren't uncommon in my valley but sustained speeds that high are unusual (I can track this now thanks to my fancy shmancy weather station). Upon waking the hens, who all made it through just fine, I found a few scattered pots and a squished in corner on my temporary garage/storage shed. The most disheartening was that the one high tunnel plastic that was up had broken a rope and slipped down. The upside was that I found and developed a way to get it up and over by myself and had some great friends willing to come out to help me tie it down. Of course, there will be eggs and microgreens available this Friday at the weekly winter egg/microgreen delivery from 12-1230!  The aftermath doesn't look like too much since the top ropes keep the plastic from completely flying away but it needs to be lifted back over. Not usually an easy or fun job but less easy and fun when it is cold, wet, and frozen. The ground covering tarps were scattered about as well but that is nothing new. The first step of lifting the plastic by myself was to tie it up like a long burrito. Next I used the side curtain clips (which help to raise & hold the sides up to ventilate) as an elevator to lift the entire roll about ¾ of the way up. Next I started to pull one side up and over the peak, clipping the ties as I went. Since the plastic was held by the clips and ties, I was able to wait for an absolute 0 wind day to unfurl it all! I continued down lifting the edge up and over the ridge as far as I could reach from the ladder until it was all over. Then walked that side and pulled it all the way to the ground. I adjusted to make sure it was pretty squared up before releasing the side curtain clips to bring down the original side.   The key to holding it in place is the wiggle wire channels. They go on the ends and lock the plastic from slipping or lifting.These weren't in place originally as it was a breezy day when the plastic was put on then and we had to tie it down quick. But with this in place it ain't goin anywhere!  The chickens don't mind the damp chilliness as long as there is dirt to scratch and things to peck at.   A handful of microgreens atop leftover meat sauce and a soft boiled duck egg is a warm and filling meal on a cold mushy day! Where to find it all?
The winter egg/microgreen delivery is every Friday from 12-1230pm at the Fireman's Park Parking Lot. The long nights are closing in and the lights for the chickens and ducks are all on keeping them up to scratch and squawk and eat earlier in the morning and later into the night. They have gotten the hint and have begun laying closer to normal and with the weather not being so cold there are plenty of eggs for this Friday's delivery. Stop by the Fireman's Park parking lot from 12-1230pm this Friday, Dec 6th to get some farm fresh rainbow chicken eggs and duck eggs! I'll have some microgreens as well. I'll also be in Troy this Saturday, Dec 7th at the 4-H Christmas Bazaar. Come see all the great gifts everyone will have available! It's at the Morrison Elementary School, 9am-4pm. I'll have everlasting wreaths, hand-crocheted bowls, handwoven scarves, hair barrettes, and more!   The hens have gotten used to their lights and take advantage of the extra time to eat and run around. Their 'stomachs' are small and they need to eat little but often so the long nights of winter makes them ravenous, but keeping their 'daytime' a little longer helps them keep their bellies full and them to stay warm on cold nights. Some of the everlasting wreaths that will be available this Saturday in Troy. All are made with flowers dried and grown on the farm and greenery collected and dried from the edges of the fields. If kept out of direct sunlight and away from rough treatment like kitty claws they will last for as long as you want!  Wintertime is the time to catch up on indoor tasks like bookkeeping and website updates. Hella is the living paperweight that help all the receipts not float away, even when there is no wind inside. What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
December 6th, the egg/microgreen delivery every Friday from 12-1230pm. Saturday, December 7th, I'll have a table full of everlasting wreaths, hair clips, handwoven scarves, hen saddles, and other wintertime farm crafts in Troy at the 4-H Christmas Bazaar from 9am-4pm at the Morrison Elementary School. |
AuthorI'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog. Archives
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