Adios August

August is finally over.  PHEW!  It's such a hard month in our family.  Back to school for the college and for us means the entire month is spent either stressing about how much stress we are going to be under in a few weeks, or actually stressing once those weeks have arrived.  We did manage to be smart and NOT take our one yearly vacation in August this time.  It's a tradition that I think will continue.  It was nice to get home and still have summer left before the dreaded August arrived.  

As awful as it usually is, we did manage to squeeze in some fun.  I wanted to get some pictures up...nothing philosophical to say, just memories to share.

The mound of heirloom tomatoes after peeling.  My first canning experience.

I was very proud.  All those tomatoes in these jars.  It was a ton of work, but at least the sauce is delicious.  (Sam F.-I still owe you one of these!)

Our first library trip before the start of the school year.

The Block Party at the school is always a huge hit with the girls.  Caeley loves the velcro wall.

Meara got stuck on upside down by Daddy!

And Ailin loved the bubble machine.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a single decent picture of her dashing around in the bubbles.  

Rock wall.

Happy climber.

Waiting in line for a ride.  This was what we stared at for hours while we waited.

Finally our turn!

The view heading up.

The balloon driver ALMOST got a perfect shot.  Poor Meara got half a face.  That's the church we got married in behind us!

Looking up into our balloon.

Fooling around with the iPhone camera.

These pics look grainy.  I was thinking I was getting old until I realized the girls look grainy too.

Rock On!  Or God Loves You.  Either one could work.

It's a good thing she's so darn funny and cute.   She loves "Mommy's Gackies."

The best thing about August is that it means September is coming.  And football.  And fall.  And apples. And fall colors.  And soup.  And chili. And the awesome pumpkin drinks at Starbucks.  And then October, which is really the best month of the entire year.  Oh I'm SO excited!!!!  The best, absolute best time of year is here.  

Fall Unharvest

The idea of a "fall harvest" is a bit of a joke around here.  I harvested the only really useful stuff out of my garden a good three weeks ago...a late summer harvest, if you will.  We did get some great spaghetti-ish squash, some summer squash, some tomatoes, lots of herbs, peppers, pumpkins, etc. so the summer wasn't a total wash.  But we did have our bug issues and our watering issues, which I think I ranted about in an earlier post.

The good news is that I refuse to give up, and my fall planting has finally been done.  Most of the summer stuff has been ripped out, except for the basil, tomato and pepper plants.  I've also left the herbs in place since some of them do well through the cold or come back each year, like chives and rosemary.  (The sage, oregano, rosemary, and thyme will eventually be under the hoop, so I'm hoping I'll have them for much of the fall and early winter.)  There's also a tomato update:  I'm not sure if I'll get many, but since I picked the dead, bug eaten ones off the vines, and since the rain and heat of last week,  I do seem to have tons of green tomatoes.  I'd love to get a last minute windfall of usable tomatoes, but won't hold my breath.  The varieties I chose seem to be super cranky.  

Hoop Bed

Side bed. 

Before planting, I added some compost and peat to my beds.  I also installed the first part of the "mini hoop house" that will act as a season extender over one raised bed.  The plastic will go over the hoops as soon as it gets cold.  I'm hopeful that I can be eating my OWN greens through most of the winter, with some creativity and a bit of work.  I've never tried to garden past August, so this will certainly be an interesting experiment.  My fall seeds went in last Saturday, right before Irene hit.  So far, it looks like I'll be naming a chicken Irene, since the water and wind didn't seem to affect the planting at all.  In fact, my turnips are already coming up!  (What is it about seeing seedlings sprout up that makes me more giddy than a toddler in a candy store???!!!)

With the fall garden, I'm hoping that the bugs will be less of a problem, and as long as I can be better about watering, we'll be seeing green around here for a bit longer than usual.

Easy Rider

She finally did it!  Meara rode her bike without training wheels yesterday!!!  She has been super anxious to get this task under her belt because her sister just graduated to a real big girl bike.  I think she was starting to feel a little green.  Caeley took time after dinner to give her lessons and was a super patient, loving teacher.  And I've NEVER seen such shared joy between these girls.  I was so happy to catch the laughter and excitement.  Shortly after the first video she took off across the grass and will never look back!

The first moments without training wheels:

And the celebrations:

Once the girls came inside, we overheard Meara say (as she was getting ready for bed), "I'm so psyched!"  (Long pause.)  "I don't even know what psyched means!"  (Caeley had to teach her this too!)  What an awesome way to end our second day of school.

Best First Day Ever

Our school year "officially" began yesterday, after our "practice week" the week before.  It was probably one of the best days we've had together in a long time.  I've missed the real focused, one-on-one attention that school really allows with each girl.  (Even Baby A joined us for our story time!)  As usual, the "lessons" we learned had less to do with Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, or the Indians of the Northwest Coast, or multiplication, or place value, or how many sounds the phonogram "OU" makes.  The best lessons are the ones we learned by spending time together, loving each other, helping each other overcome our weaknesses, and bringing each other to Heaven.  Days like today remind me why I do this.  And while I anticipate there will be many that will make me wonder why with equal ferocity, I hope I can refer back to this post and these pictures for motivation throughout the year.  Happy New School Year everyone!

Waiting for noon mass to start after walking to campus.

Acorn Hunting

She has always been such a monkey.

Remember to look UP Mommy!

Look what I found!

Funny Fungus

Father DuBois' feet make a nice lunching place.

School's Out!  We picked up the next books in the "Peter and the Starcatchers" series and headed to the playground.

Baby A is suspicious.

Quack.

She's feeling very affectionate, apparently.

Considering Chickens: Episode 2 (Home, Home on the (Free) Range)

(This post took several days to write.  After all, I am trying to think about homeschooling again.  Because it wasn't a "one shot" post, it became a lot longer than intended.  For the Cliff Notes, skip to the bottom and read the section "In an Eggshell.")

Time for Episode 2 of my Considering Chickens expose.  (Pronounce that "ex-po-zay" because I don't know how to get the accent mark in there.  You'd think I would, being a former Spanish teacher, but it's all different on a Mac...)

When choosing how to house your chickens, there are quite a few options.  I am going to jump right into what you need to consider for chickens once they are past the baby stage and can be safely placed in a real coop.  (I suppose I'll have to do a post on the baby-rearing stuff, but really, that isn't hard--you can raise chicks in a cardboard box.)  Here's a quick peck at chicken housing options.  For simplicity's sake, I'm only going to hit the three main types of housing options as I see them.  Please remember that I am NOT an expert on chicken raising.  I have done a fair amount of research and have one failed flock under my belt, but if you are really considering a backyard flock, be sure not to take my word for anything!  These are just ideas to get you thinking.

Option 1:  Total Stationary Confinement

Raising chickens in "total stationary confinement" certainly is a choice that is out there.  It wouldn't be my choice, but I thought I'd mention it here because you will see it with backyard chicken raisers.  Total stationary confinement means that the chickens live and forage in a single area.  Most often these coops are like sheds that are built on a fixed piece of land, surrounded by some sort of chicken wire or fencing.  They may have a run instead of a large fenced area, and the size of the run varies widely.  People would choose this type of housing because it requires slightly less work on the part of the chicken owner, it keeps the chickens away from the house, garden, etc. and is generally a very safe option against predators.  However, there are some serious drawbacks to this type of setup.  1.)  The chickens will destroy the ground within the coop area very quickly.  There will be no fresh grass left to eat.  There will be no more bugs left.  This is like taking away a chicken's two favorite things in the whole world.   2.)  There will be a lot of poop left in the area, which will encourage disease and pests in the chickens.  3.)  The chickens will get little to no exercise.  No one said they should be running marathons, but they should probably be able to do a little five yard dash here and there.  Perhaps with some wing-flapping.  But this really isn't possible in this type of coop unless the chickens are taken out regularly.  I hope I haven't condemned this option too much!

An example of a stationary coop.  This is a great "Craftsman Coop" with a small run.  This is only one type of stationary coop.  There are many other types.  I considered the "wheeled" version of this coop, but it is so heavy, and so expensive that I looked into other coops.

Option 2: Movable/Portable Confinement

This type of chicken housing is often referred to as "chicken tractoring" and the coops have many names, such as "mobile chicken coops," "chicken tractors," "movable chicken coops, " etc.  With chicken tractoring, you are keeping your chickens safe from predators from above, for sure.  There is a slight decrease in your ability to protect from ground predators, especially from things that would tunnel under or try to rip open the caging material of the coop.  The main advantage to this coop is that you can move it around.  Not only do the chickens eat fresh pasture and bugs every day, they do not destroy or wear away the grass, and they will produce healthier eggs for you.  There will not be a buildup of poop in the run area, which helps prevent disease.  However, the disadvantages of this system are: 1.)  If you want a decent sized flock, which I consider six or more, you will have to invest in a fairly sizable coop/run combination.  This could end up being somewhat heavy or awkward to move if it is made of wood.  Please be sure WHEELS are a part of your life.  Otherwise plan on two adults moving it.  And this could be detrimental to an otherwise lovely marriage.  2.)  It requires serious commitment on the part of owner to make sure to move the coop often enough.  3.)  Because it is made to be moved, the chicken wires/fencing will not be driven into into the ground.  This makes it less predator-proof as I mentioned above.  4.)  It requires more thought as to what feeders and waterers you want to use.  Remember, every time you move the coop, the feed and water containers have to move, too.  This is much easier if you find a way to attach them to the coop, instead of having to move them separately each time.  This isn't a huge deal, just something extra to think about.  5.) You must have the space to do this.  If you are trying to raise a large flock in a small yard, your yard will begin to show wear.  But who decides to raise a large flock in a small yard?  Probably not many.  6.)  The issue of exercise is also a factor here.  Chickens do like to frolic.  I'll talk about this at the end of the post...

A small chicken tractor

A large chicken tractor.  I considered this coop for our new chicken adventure, but decided on another one.

Option 3: Stationary or Movable Coop, But Chickens Free Ranged All Day  

With this option, you would have a stationary structure for a coop, or even a movable coop that you don't have to move, but the coop will function differently here.  It will serve mainly as the place where chickens retreat in bad weather, to lay eggs, or to sleep at night.  Or one might think she's hatching out a wooden egg and sit in there all day.  But the chickens are not stuck in the coop or coop area at all.  The chickens are let out at dawn, and head back inside when it gets dark.  They spend all day frolicking and eating whatever they want.  This is an ideal situation, but has its drawbacks, as I learned from "Chicken Adventures Part 1" a couple years ago.  1.) The chickens will peck your house.  Loudly.  At 5am in the summer.   2.)  They will poop on your front porch or your back porch when they hanging out there getting shade or protection from the rain.  3.)  They will eat ANYTHING you planted in your flower beds around the house.  4.) While chickens will usually not wander far from the coop, without a rooster, they can get pretty far if you don't have any fencing or natural borders to keep them contained.   5.)  Safety from predators is virtually nil in this situation WITHOUT A ROOSTER.  The reality is that most backyard owners will not be able to keep a rooster, and if you can't, just know that your ladies, however lovely and wonderful, are stupider than Jupiter.  Oh, they will hear you open the door and come running if they think you have food.  But they aren't smart enough to keep safe from hawks.  On a real farm, a rooster would sound an alarm, and the females would take cover.  But without him, they are free game.  Literally.  Or maybe it's free poultry.  Either way, someone is getting a chicken dinner, and it isn't you.  On a real farm, there might also be a "farm dog" that has been raised to leave chickens alone and act as the flock protector as well.  With no rooster and no dog, I'd highly discourage this option.  (Tidbit of chicken info:  Did you know a hawk won't attack a chicken with another large mammal around?  Once he strikes a chicken full-force from above, he is stunned for a moment while he sits on his kill.  In this moment of "gathering his thoughts" he is vulnerable to predators, and so he will generally not attack if he knows there's another large predator around that could get him while he's stunned.  Hawks are not stupider than Jupiter.)

This coop has no "run" and so your chickens would be out all day.

Chicken Housing: Our Past and Our Future

On our first go-round with chickens, we utilized option #3 above.  We built our own wooden coop, using some plans we purchased online.  It was supposed to be a "leave the chickens in the coop" type of coop, but it was so small, and they seemed so restless, that option #2 quickly became option #3.  The coop was just not big enough for the amount of chickens it was advertised for and I felt like they were too cramped!  We also used untreated wood because I read that was best for chickens.  They wouldn't like the smell of treated wood (said the froo-froo organic-raising chicken books), and all those harsh chemicals---gross!  What they don't tell you is just how fast untreated wood will succumb to the elements, and how red mites, a super invasive, hard-to-get-rid-of pest, LOVE to nest in untreated wood.  I ended up with some visibly sick chickens at the end of last summer, not realizing they had been slowly victimized by red mites.  Not to mention, the inside of a wooden coop is just super hard to clean.  Imagine how hard it is to scrape dried bird poop (a HUGE pile) off your car.  Now imagine your car is made of wood, and think how hard it would be then.  That's what cleaning the inside of a chicken coop is like.  Even when you use lots of bedding, which I did, they still soil the roost bar, the ramp, and even manage to get poop in the nest boxes if they dig down through the bedding.  It's just not an easy task unless you have lots of time and like to clean poop.  For me, this was strike two for wood.  (I should mention that great strides are being made in this area in terms of chicken coop design.  Many of the premiere wooden coop designers, the Amish being one, are starting to line the floors of their wooden coops with linoleum or a sort of plexiglass.  This is great for cleaning the floor, but it should really be done to the roost bar, although this would make it slippery, and most importantly the nest boxes as well.  But these "features" cost extra, and you can end up taking the price of your nice Amish coop right through the roof by the time you pimp it out, as I quickly learned.)

For our new chicken adventure, I took quite a long time pondering the housing situation.  I knew I needed something with an enclosed run.  (I had my rules, after all.)  There are lots of options out there for movable coops with runs, just google "chicken tractors" and see what happens!  However, it finally boiled down to two things for me, the two things I struggled most with the first time:  ease of cleaning and pest problems.  I considered wood.  I built and re-built (like you would a new car online) my dream wooden Amish coop.  I wanted electricity.  I wanted an electronic, sun-sensing door.  I wanted the plexiglass floor.  And apparently I also wanted to win the lottery.  Then I wanted metal.  Easy to clean.  Light enough to move.  But reviews said that the metal coops heat up too much in the summer and can also lack the proper insulation in the winter.  I also couldn't find one big enough to house ten chickens.  I was losing hope on finding something that would work.

Enter: The Omlet Eglu.  Made of recycled plastic, easy to clean, will not rot and create holes for mites to hide in, movable, and able to contain my flock.  (Our run will be bigger than the one pictured here.)  I debated about plastic.  I really did.  But the reviews on this coop are fantastic.  Original models had a slight leak issue which has been fixed with the new models,  and they even have good resale value if you decide chickening isn't for you.  Omlet is having trouble keeping these stocked in the country (they are manufactured in England) because they are becoming the go-to choice for backyard chicken owners.  I read review after review.  Many of them said, "You can make your own coop for practically nothing, why would you spend money on this?"  (I thought, yes, we did that already and look what happened!)  And other reviewers would post, "The only people who don't love the Eglu are the ones who've never had one!"  SO....this will be where my ladies live.

That said, I DO plan to also release them into my garden frequently, not only for exercise, but also to pick the bugs and nasty critters out of the garden beds and off plants.  While there, they might also provide me with some free fertilizer!  As long as they tame well, and I keep my pockets full of sunflower seeds, I also think that we can "play" with one or two at a time outside of the coop.  This will all depend on who the "good girls" are, but we had such great ladies last time, that I'm hopeful we'll get to do this often with all of them.  They do so love to dash around like idiots.  (For any husband that might be reading this:  I promise, they will not get on the porch or within 20 yards of the house.)

In An Eggshell

The three things you need to consider when choosing chicken housing are:

1.  Type of Housing:  Will your coop be stationary, mobile, or a combination of both?  (See options 1, 2, and 3 above.)  How much freedom and exercise will the chickens get?  No matter which option you choose, you want your coop to have proper ventilation, access to light, grass, and the eggs for collection, and be easy to clean.  

2.  Material of Housing:  Wood is beautiful but hard to clean and prone to pests.  It also requires maintenance and can be heavy if you want a movable coop.  Plastic is...plastic.  But it is easy to clean, won't harbor pests, and is very low maintenance.  Metal is easy to clean also, but can get very hot in the summer and lack proper insulation in the winter.  

3.  Cost:  What can you afford?  What will yearly coop maintenance cost in money and time?  (Do not overlook this!)  Will you be constantly cleaning, repairing and re-staining the coop?  Base your flock size on how much coop you can afford.  If you are super handy, build your own and save money, but consider treated wood, or some alternative materials.  (I've seen some made out of that wavy, corrugated plastic stuff, which would be a neat option.)  There are literally millions of plans and unusual coop designs to check out online if you want ideas!  Here are some of my favorites:

This is by far my favorite coop I've seen online.  Any car aficionado has to appreciate this.  Ellie, tell Fred this one is for him! 

A "trash can" coop designed to hide a couple chickens being raised illegally in a city.  How stealthy.  Love's and Schwenkler's, this one is for you!  

I can't tell what the housing area of this coop is made with, but I think the design is awesome.  I wonder how heavy it is??  If it were light, and I were handy, I'd definitely build myself a couple of these.  I love the separate little food and water area!

Stay tuned for Episode 3 of Considering Chickens: Birds of a Feather, where I will ponder (hopefully in much fewer words) the different breeds of chickens for your backyard flock!

Considering Chickens: Episode 1 (Why?)

As I ponder our future with round two of chickens, I thought I'd avoid acknowledging that school is about to start post a bit of a "series" about my experiences and thoughts on raising chickens.  Our first episode is titled "Why?" and will be handled in two separate sections:

Why Would Any Regular Person Consider Raising Chickens?

My next question should be "Why would any regular person consider having a dog, cat, rabbit, turtle, hamster, ferret, parakeet....?"  I really think that these days, chickens have left the confines of the farm and are starting to infiltrate American backyards.  And it isn't just a trend or a fad.  Raising chickens is a great idea because:

1.  They provide a learning experience for children.  (Did you know that hens DO NOT need a rooster around to lay eggs?  Did you know that their pee and poo comes out as the same kinda watery/poopy mess?  Did you know they take dust baths to naturally rid themselves of pests?  See, even adults can learn something!)

2.  They are OUTSIDE pets.  I don't think I'd be so opposed to dogs if A.) I weren't allergic to basically anything with hair, which is an allergy that is getting worse for me as I get older.  It used to be just cats, now it's all furry things.  Or B.) They didn't shed, have to go outside and come back in with muddy paws, drool, bark, snot all over me, pee on the floor, or take up my bed.  Chickens do none of these things.  (Unless you are a really crazy chicken owner that gets chicken diapers and keeps chickens inside.  Or unless you walk to Daddy's work one day, the wind blows the front door open, and when you get back there's a poop trail around the entire first floor and evidence that a chicken has napped on the schoolroom cushions.) 

3.  Chickens can be raised from chicks to be completely tame, wonderful pets.  All they want is a snack.  Bribing with food is so easy, and no matter what, they will come when you call, or cluck, or whistle, or however you train them to respond.  Our last flock even came to our call of "Ladies!!!  Ladies!!!"  Seeing all their tail feathers go rushing down the hill as they hoped for a handful of sunflower seeds was so fun.  That said, they get less agreeable to being manhandled by children when they are older, but they are overall very friendly if raised from chicks.  (Caeley once kicked a chicken that flapped at her, and from that day on, they had a total war-like relationship.  I would say that this one lady went so far as to pester Caeley any chance she got, but I think she was the alpha female and Caeley was just small enough/big enough to be her "next threat."  Actually really funny.  But don't tell Caeley I said that.  She's still not over it.)  

Okay, so we did raise them in our not-used bathtub, but they moved outside after that!  Here the girls are laughing with chicks on their stomachs and making the chicks bounce up and down.  They look so YOUNG.  (The girls, not the chicks.)

4.  If you garden, chickens are absolutely indispensable as a means of organic (and totally easy) pest control.  I suffered horribly with bugs this summer, and couldn't figure out what the problem was.  And then I remembered that I used to have chickens that did all my pest control for me.  This was a large part of my decision to revisit the chicken issue.  

5.  Eggs.  The best eggs ever.  However, it is really a mistake to think that you can completely cover your costs with chickens.  Unless you can really and truly build your own legit coop, buy the cheapest feed possible, and have enough chickens to lay enough eggs, it isn't possible in the short term.  In the long term, however, after your coop and startup costs are covered, and depending on the price of feed, breaking even is more of a possibility.  But, like any pets, they are an investment, they take food, they sometimes take medicine, you buy them treats here and there, and so they do cost something.  The nice thing is that you DO get something in return.  From a potential sustainability standpoint, chickens could be valuable.  In a super tight pinch, you could feed chickens mostly table scraps, grass, and bugs, use chicken feed as only a supplement, and hope to get by with a really cheap source of protein, I suppose.  I'm not sure what impact this would have on the chicken's health or lay-rate, but I hope I never have to find out.  We kinda spoil our chickens.  

6.  Chickens will eat all the stuff you feel kinda bad about composting.  Like that tomato that is too gross to eat but not gross enough to throw away.  Or the last little bit of watermelon rind with lots of seeds left in it.  You name it, they will eat it, for the most part.  

7.  You can recycle their poopy bedding into your compost, which makes wonderful fertilizer for the garden.  

8.  There is constantly something cute, or funny, or interesting to look at.  Chickens do weird things.  They did dust holes and flap around in them.  They scratch through fallen leaves in autumn looking for bugs.  They fight with each other.  They establish pecking order.  They tilt their heads up in the strangest way when they think they spot a hawk or other large bird.  If you appreciate nature or the outdoors, or you like birds, you could never get tired of watching chicken antics.  

9.  It gives you a total new respect for farmers who run sustainable operations.  It is not easy to dig a chicken coop out of 18 inches of snow.  It's not always enjoyable trying to keep water from freezing so that the chickens can get a drink.  But imagine if you had many coops.  Spread all over a farm.  And those coops didn't have electricity because it is too expensive and awkward to electrify free range coops.  And you collected eggs three times a day instead of one.  You get the picture.  Raising chickens can give you a perspective on "raising food" that you never would've had before. 

Why Am I Doing This AGAIN?

Those of you who know me on Facebook or in real life followed our first chicken journey.  But here's a quick recap:  Basically within a week of getting our first chickens, I found out I was pregnant.  I got horrible morning sickness.  I couldn't stand the smell of anything.  And we had 8 baby chicks in our downstairs bathroom.   (Think POOP.  Lots of it.  And only more as they got older!)   Ken had to take over "chicken duty" and because my pregnancy was so rough, that kinda didn't change for nine months. Then I had a baby.  And the story was the same.  Much of the work fell to him, and when we ended up with only 2 chickens left due to hawks and foxes, we had to give the two chickens away to friends of ours because chickens can't survive the winter in a coop with such a small flock due to lack of body warmth.  But I have missed the chickens terribly.  I have always been an animal person (excluding cats) and dream of being a small scale farmer on some beautiful country homestead.  This is a part of me that isn't tied into my children, my job as a mother, or my homeschooling persona (although it is educational).  It is a part of me that is just me, as a person.  As Christine.  It is one of MY personal interests, something that makes me happy to pursue.  (We were just discussing in Bible study this morning how it is so easy as mothers to brush our own interests aside and always be caring for our husbands, children, etc.  We can end up losing who we are as a person if we don't take the time to cultivate our own interests and dreams.  As dumb as it sounds, chickens are that for me.)  I'm not going to lie, it took some convincing on the part of my better half, although not nearly as much as I thought it would.  I was given rules.  Three strict ones:  

1.  The chickens are to be contained completely.  No pooping on dress shoes.  No lounging on the outdoor furniture or taking shelter on the porches. 

2.  The chickens may not be raised in the bathtub.  Even the one we don't use.

3.  The chickens can't come within 20 yards of the house.

That's IT?  Adhere to those rules and I can have chickens again?  DEAL!  I have learned so much from my last adventure with chickens.  I will probably cover all those things in my next episodes.  But for now I hope I have answered the "Whys" from a generic and also a personal perspective.  Stay tuned for Episode 2: Home on the Range.

This girl was TOTALLY smitten with the chickens.  And was quite the chicken whisperer.  I can't wait to see her at it again!  (Doesn't she look like a BABY here....she's going to be SIX soon!!!)

Happy Return

What do you get when you take one of these,

add in three of these, 

(Easter Egger/Auracana)

three of these,

(White Leghorn)

two of these, 

(Speckled Sussex)

and two of these?

(Silver Laced Wyandotte)

A very happy, extremely excited, can't wait until October 17th Chicken Lady.  Please join us on our adventure!