Diary 12/21/11

This is a pretty nice egg from the shortest day of the year!  Don't know which hen is responsible so I thanked them one and all for a job well done.

Diary 12/7/11

More sunny days and cold nights.  Pretty cold in the mid-west, too and pretty wet in the east.  I better not snivel.

Harvested a bit of this and that to make 5 bags.  They all had potatoes, onions, lettuce and cilantro, and then it varied form there with kale, chard, cabbage and turnip greens. The chicken yard needs some attention tomorrow and there are plenty of dry leaves along their fence to throw in there.  I have been hauling greens from the greenhouses including grass clumps, other weeds, and mushy tomatoes to the chickens. Still getting 4 eggs most days.

Diary 8/21/11

Two weddings coming up over the next two weekends.  Both are using fall colors.  Here are a few of the flowers I planted for decorating and making bouquets, etc. Chickens are doing well, at least 3 eggs from the four each day. We are calling the rooster Mr. Darcy and the girls Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, and Lydia, although it is hard to keep the Barred Rock girls separate.  Jane is a Sexlink and a red color. She is also older than the rest. At least Mr. Darcy has recovered from whatever was making him fall over all the time.  If he reached back to preen, he would fall over like a domino.  He seems to be doing better and has taken his job of protecting very seriously which will be important for their survival.

Diary 8/8/11

Worked on the old chicken pen today.  It is basically ready for occupants. So made a deal with my neighbor to purchase 5 chickens either tomorrow night or the next.  It will be nice to have eggs close by, though the neighbor is going to lose a good egg customer.  It is also a good source of manure for our compost pile.  I haven't had chickens for a couple years.  The seven I had previously were killed in a fox massacre when the door was not latched all the way. We were away, so did not even hear the racket as we might have had we been home.  So, it has taken me until now to want to have chickens again.  I was very attached. The heat of the day has been spent painting 25 more CSA bags. There are many beauties among them. Even the ranch hand, Butch, got involved.