tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17142911115692858202024-03-19T03:36:23.182-07:00Flora Vale FarmsteadTales from a Hobby Homestead. Gardening, Self-Sufficiency, Chickens, and just living. Mythical Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10476927037533184731noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714291111569285820.post-53931268056947045092014-07-05T07:37:00.003-07:002014-07-05T07:37:53.586-07:00Turning the Wheel, or, Let's put the Rooster in the Stew...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdvwNHwiRzrIOGaevedK-hAaSMojwllpQIz6CIBbq2QyxKCwLH6tgtUx7f8gjW90SpTEGSgYHuk2a3s_007EX1tL8E10TVfXm_0et9aTZJkgNZ3mF-F70m1V9HxbDWPo7mkkatthjSFI/s1600/In+Memory+of+Little+John.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdvwNHwiRzrIOGaevedK-hAaSMojwllpQIz6CIBbq2QyxKCwLH6tgtUx7f8gjW90SpTEGSgYHuk2a3s_007EX1tL8E10TVfXm_0et9aTZJkgNZ3mF-F70m1V9HxbDWPo7mkkatthjSFI/s1600/In+Memory+of+Little+John.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
Also, "You Always Remember Your First" and "Life isn't Easy"....<br />
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<u>NOTE: The following post will contain images of animals being slaughtered and processed for food. If you're disturbed by such, please stop reading now. In fact, as we are farm and garden blog, you might want to reconsider following us, as that will be a fact of life on our posts. </u></h3>
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So, that's Little John, our first rooster. He was a good boy, as roosters go. He did his job. Protected the hens. Called them for treats. Let loose with loud gusty crows...regularly,...so all would know they were his hens, and he would challenge all comers. In short, a rooster. <br />
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Like many, before he reached sexual maturity, he was easy to deal with, we could catch him, give him treats, let him range with the girls in the yard, etc.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They all start off cute. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A young rooster and pullet hens before they even started laying. Kids in the run. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He was grumpy that I was holding him, but not terribly aggressive in this pic. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ranging with the girls, and not even attacking us. Still young. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone needs an old fashion portrait with their rooster. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very handsome sir. Classic Strawberry Comb on a Golden Laced Wyandotte.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glorious colors. He shimmered in the sun. The red of his upper wing was always a favorite of mine. </td></tr>
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So, as time and hormones would have it, he grew up. His spurs came in, his attitude followed. It's what Roosters do. However, they don't all attack the people constantly. Little John did more and more. He got to point where he would hit the wire of the coop and run as we passed by. So, why have a rooster? <br />
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The reasons to have one are simple. Breeding and Flock Master/Protector. <br />
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He was breeding the hens, but, his genetics weren't the best. He was purchased as a chick from a local farm store. Just a standard straight run Golden Lace Wyandotte. His spurs were a bit crooked, and the scales on his legs were misaligned, both signs of genetic issues. Pretty common in the big hatchery runs. Also, as he was a Golden Laced Wyandotte, the breed isn't one we wanted a rooster in after him. They are known for being a bit twitchy and aggressive. <br />
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He was a good flock master, in general, as far as the hens were concerned. He called them for treats, was excellent at predator awareness. His loud croaking calls would scatter the hens into cover, etc. However, his aggression with us meant that we couldn't have him free ranging with the girls. Also, we couldn't freely go into the coop/run without separating him. So, towards the end, the hens were spending most of their time in the run, and we weren't able to interact with them. He was causing us concerns, and eating food, but not contributing otherwise. Mostly cons, few pros. <br />
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We had been planning it for some time, as we had gotten in six more hens to add to our flock. We knew that Roosters are beneficial for integrating flocks and he was doing a good job at that. However, he had worn down and over bred our two Leghorn hens until they were barebacked and ragged. We kept discussing when we would take him out. Then, one day he pinned one Leghorn down at the sill to the coop door. She was hurt and wouldn't lift to breed. He got more and more frustrated, bit her harder and treaded on her until she was raw and bloody. That was it. We broke it up and separated him, and did some hen first aid. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bare back was from winter over breeding. You can see the abrasions on her form the treading. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rooster gave her a bloody nose. Now, let's not blame him. Instincts and hormones. She normally submits to breeding quite readily. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step one in first aid was to saturate the wounds with a bit hydrogen peroxide. Clean them up and get the dirt out. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step two was to give her a nice seal of Blu-Kote. A veterinarian antiseptic. Seals the wounds. Also, the blue covering hides the blood, which the other chickens would peck her to death because of. A fact to keep in mind if you are having some anti-rooster and pro-hen feelings. Chickens are dinosaurs and just are what they are. Better not to mix human emotions in. </td></tr>
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So, with that, we pulled the rooster out of the mix, and isolated him in our newly built nursery area, attached to the existing run. We left him there for almost 48 hrs. No food, although he was able to pick through the remains in the litter and get lots of grass and scratch. Only water. Yep, seemed like a death watch kinda thing to do. It was. Best to be honest about it. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjibr8fXnJZ6nbq-qTLWSYIwT0js_r75tesOqFYWBvNMDpUKiuvh5o7kA7eRd3wHPQW7Xfe_h1HU5iJ256DF5orwh8L7RTXMGLMCTcPQ24EFJ7QqSKuGm15nfzVW1_tsnBfA33qZA-FM/s1600/100_3727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjibr8fXnJZ6nbq-qTLWSYIwT0js_r75tesOqFYWBvNMDpUKiuvh5o7kA7eRd3wHPQW7Xfe_h1HU5iJ256DF5orwh8L7RTXMGLMCTcPQ24EFJ7QqSKuGm15nfzVW1_tsnBfA33qZA-FM/s1600/100_3727.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little John in the pen. Leah giving him a final meal of some grass. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If he looks pissed off, well, that is what roosters look like. However, he was. Very. Hit the wire constantly while separated. Can't blame him. He can't help. He was his default setting, once he got to maturity. Hence, the problem. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gallows. </td></tr>
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The tripod is our gallows. I hadn't thought of it that way until I put it up. I immediately realized that was indeed what it was. Very symbolic. Very appropriate.You can use cones for slaughtering, or hang them from convenient trees, or sides of barns. This worked best for us. We have a few of these tripods around for trellis, etc. and easy to work around next to our benches. The tub is for catching blood and feathers and gore. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6Lw94R1qUUdeQxVjqiq0OUFnF1-89cjOHWghtjvkkmWqPXEkvf8ELEi1a-BUEfFRLo18yHa7xn5SFPweHKz08iCudAKV6dIXHHau0R3ehZjSEauZ7JkfYlL8I7f2lF07xU-qBgkCtwc/s1600/100_3729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6Lw94R1qUUdeQxVjqiq0OUFnF1-89cjOHWghtjvkkmWqPXEkvf8ELEi1a-BUEfFRLo18yHa7xn5SFPweHKz08iCudAKV6dIXHHau0R3ehZjSEauZ7JkfYlL8I7f2lF07xU-qBgkCtwc/s1600/100_3729.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lining up and getting ready. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Setting everything out. Pot of scalding water for plucking, heating on the camp stove. Bleach for the surfaces. Baskets to catch feathers in. Bags because we had intended to freeze him. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QsOok9MCowFtLE52bg4xUFwGRc99YShHRMgn5aaChGi9gCr16lKa5XGpRQ15CjZdm9HKm8eJ0XJbfexI_TqfpT2_YLpDZE2EqeOBEY6deLlCqLQiAfCqZ-3gToqZRWl9qDZltR0mTPk/s1600/100_3730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QsOok9MCowFtLE52bg4xUFwGRc99YShHRMgn5aaChGi9gCr16lKa5XGpRQ15CjZdm9HKm8eJ0XJbfexI_TqfpT2_YLpDZE2EqeOBEY6deLlCqLQiAfCqZ-3gToqZRWl9qDZltR0mTPk/s1600/100_3730.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sad that I am about to do in my rooster. Only other male on the property. I purposefully used a knife made by my great-grandfather who was born in France. Seemed right. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXCiB42x-GIKVZviAcsmK34j5YXhIyh6PtLNNVBvaxCEnQArrwtYUk_v9IsxXdUd_Qvfr1pY6oShLlMsMSub3t4GbMGVeS8R9t4JzMmFs89LvnLr0mT2Vt_Oxvp_03lurAr29TZKF7m8/s1600/100_3732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXCiB42x-GIKVZviAcsmK34j5YXhIyh6PtLNNVBvaxCEnQArrwtYUk_v9IsxXdUd_Qvfr1pY6oShLlMsMSub3t4GbMGVeS8R9t4JzMmFs89LvnLr0mT2Vt_Oxvp_03lurAr29TZKF7m8/s1600/100_3732.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One unhappy rooster, one unhappy homesteader. Note gloves, long sleeves and safety glasses. Respect the rooster. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQFQcrOSPCcb0QVIrvNV6bdgmKsA7_6fQcHsr1C_1U_sbcHbS5j84c-3U32n86TurdtiOyHW8Pnvd1HEJzJVqFR5-zAukjea_RzEkApEP7aCOHWBN5Oj1fF3CZTNGe8qCGzQpuM2-aLc/s1600/100_3733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQFQcrOSPCcb0QVIrvNV6bdgmKsA7_6fQcHsr1C_1U_sbcHbS5j84c-3U32n86TurdtiOyHW8Pnvd1HEJzJVqFR5-zAukjea_RzEkApEP7aCOHWBN5Oj1fF3CZTNGe8qCGzQpuM2-aLc/s1600/100_3733.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A final indignity. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2p-HDMOkIrMTAqelI5Eq6E570P6pXQStJm_0QLsEjctVDhMhFil5rwYr2YrT9U2j19-L99stBb5lS9kp32xyfmyZJEG7CleP8E37zyokpS8UpXvnH5FTVmOG0e4dfmpQ_eK7nugaJH4/s1600/100_3734.JPG" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hung on the gallows, feeling the rage. Poor guy. It's what happens. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had wanted to catch him and give him a final holding, send him out
peacefully. He wanted none of that. So, we used a piece of ply as a
shield, cornered him in the coop and caught. Tied his feet together and
hung on the gallows. Goodbye Little John. You were a rooster. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTd7Vl7KLtNJOeZ79JAc6ocf8vM1SG43z1MxDjC7wNAH88FI7_6atNoG527P0NoBSeyBIF5rqErRQn-aXUjKmibSBzywLuTVaFHjkti142MrBL7YDBE2_cAvya_rXHkBSax8oFXqiKXY/s1600/100_3736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTd7Vl7KLtNJOeZ79JAc6ocf8vM1SG43z1MxDjC7wNAH88FI7_6atNoG527P0NoBSeyBIF5rqErRQn-aXUjKmibSBzywLuTVaFHjkti142MrBL7YDBE2_cAvya_rXHkBSax8oFXqiKXY/s1600/100_3736.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cutting. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, we decided to end it with the quick cut method. Bleeding out has been shown to be the most painless and best way. The traditional chopping block and hatchet severs the spinal column and there is more blood in the meat, etc. A clean slice, and the brain goes to sleep and the blood drains out. However, this was our first. Now, I have slaughtered a number of animals in the past. I raised rabbits, have hunted, with bow and gun, and have had to euthanize farm animals. This was our first poultry and my first time with bird anatomy. In all honesty, I bungled it. I hesitated. I loved him. He was my boy. He bled badly. Finally, I went back at him and took off his head. Yes, they flap. Yes, there is a lot of blood. It's death. If you can't do that, don't have chickens. However, I would recommend the hatchet. Quicker and less anxiety. This is the one thing I have pangs about. Would have liked to send him on efficiently. He won't be my last bird, so more learning is ahead. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jqzUL95BEpijPCp-n1vChKbByhOcnIwVV1JA8GKDWmul1Dw_ozZ6id_yZbwglvojF3213cxQCEXlrKBHxkei9vZa6PBp-fDonkIppll1YRdWCgi3grhPogoh7YHuR0n2T2W-IAzPd-c/s1600/100_3737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jqzUL95BEpijPCp-n1vChKbByhOcnIwVV1JA8GKDWmul1Dw_ozZ6id_yZbwglvojF3213cxQCEXlrKBHxkei9vZa6PBp-fDonkIppll1YRdWCgi3grhPogoh7YHuR0n2T2W-IAzPd-c/s1600/100_3737.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting the plucking. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We wanted his feathers for crafting. I have been making jokes for months about his tail as a hat pin.. So, before scalding, we started plucking. It's tough, but doable. There are lots of details about how to kill to get the feathers to relax, etc, but we just plucked hard. We pulled, sorted into baskets, and bagged, until we got what we wanted. Tail, wings, hackles, then dunked into the hot water and hung to pluck. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h8lxtovTYe5r-tTMYUnsE-t2Fry_UZiFt8sn833aQahGFhwI0faz0z-zhEnWFnSkpHo-YVE0d1gtwsn-HRVFMu-7obPFKWZC324suqDDvORGmstilDfoVWhPUYdVFw44-Ul9EjdruDQ/s1600/100_3738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h8lxtovTYe5r-tTMYUnsE-t2Fry_UZiFt8sn833aQahGFhwI0faz0z-zhEnWFnSkpHo-YVE0d1gtwsn-HRVFMu-7obPFKWZC324suqDDvORGmstilDfoVWhPUYdVFw44-Ul9EjdruDQ/s1600/100_3738.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The messy side of it all. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyJR-U14p8tRg3blxojkZNxjcRMBWoYLVNHjo54s8ZZvn_jSV6lhQAb0BsoYXqmxrUjdIL2g7vz8SZhgfGI0S4Z7kEtjAN2kaGMvTo1baS0O9ij_LZ42i01v9a3QOOH3lKkgP5otE5GQ/s1600/100_3739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyJR-U14p8tRg3blxojkZNxjcRMBWoYLVNHjo54s8ZZvn_jSV6lhQAb0BsoYXqmxrUjdIL2g7vz8SZhgfGI0S4Z7kEtjAN2kaGMvTo1baS0O9ij_LZ42i01v9a3QOOH3lKkgP5otE5GQ/s1600/100_3739.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very messy. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We over heated the scald, scorched some of the skin, and ended up damaging it. Practice. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc36bVYF_IUkIi3FIMY3bJU4xdZkbNA687wOdyl5iScb6VI6A7y_7fbCMjdxiXfLp3gBMVfpf7Sbg_2CThxM_AtQy8XvK2Fz5RjWRjLiar3xjJXzKlNfR82hNBCQ4UUldJOrllE7Hsl1o/s1600/100_3740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc36bVYF_IUkIi3FIMY3bJU4xdZkbNA687wOdyl5iScb6VI6A7y_7fbCMjdxiXfLp3gBMVfpf7Sbg_2CThxM_AtQy8XvK2Fz5RjWRjLiar3xjJXzKlNfR82hNBCQ4UUldJOrllE7Hsl1o/s1600/100_3740.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scorching down pin feathers and the little sensor hairs. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN-qQIsRzm6b9b45KJjfn2ikFImKozR2q2nLsLx2zzc5daKTewgR-i-6TARajHuws15gWPkZNJ2Xca45abxcsOO2ADeH9PQBYtzdZ1JzjKDYNy0R5L1xqoiAjnDaFgIwhT3DBSTK9j74/s1600/100_3741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrN-qQIsRzm6b9b45KJjfn2ikFImKozR2q2nLsLx2zzc5daKTewgR-i-6TARajHuws15gWPkZNJ2Xca45abxcsOO2ADeH9PQBYtzdZ1JzjKDYNy0R5L1xqoiAjnDaFgIwhT3DBSTK9j74/s1600/100_3741.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were both on a learning curve. We did good. </td></tr>
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Once we had him headless and undressed, we started the eviscerating.
Now, we won't show you a big step by step and how to. Those are out
there, and as this was our first bird, we aren't the ones to be
teaching. We are just sharing our experience. Maybe on our 100 bird, we
will. So, we followed the process, did what needed doing. If you looking
for a step by step, go to your searching engine and have fun. There are
tons of videos and blogs out there. I will say that mammals are far
easier. You essentially just undress them and the body cavities are
easier to clean out. Other than that, gutting him was simple and you can
learn if quickly. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOlJQGtfwlcbdzLX6KZQkTmQd6etlqv_n3S7AJwfWHyuV_jUQlCwHTaWrVOSfTccEuNCn0zoECFBE9BJ8NAzVFrTKaXczcGWAO6J9DrGhXLWgr129q18FRlxqvXImrAQKlmUvBGtmm8M/s1600/100_3742.JPG" height="320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dressed out bird. Neck on the side. You can see the damaged skin from scorching. A common mistake. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKBRUrgkcJm7-UxLhIKHjeoeAiP0K3cLhsnCLHxpeQPg417snIpVDN4Myohjk9RYnsRRkbud77f-qlaR5NeVtqoLQQ-5uYNzInz_u_XxhjhVIdFttIJPrakwSlKUNu2gc9y3sKCejhK8/s1600/100_3743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKBRUrgkcJm7-UxLhIKHjeoeAiP0K3cLhsnCLHxpeQPg417snIpVDN4Myohjk9RYnsRRkbud77f-qlaR5NeVtqoLQQ-5uYNzInz_u_XxhjhVIdFttIJPrakwSlKUNu2gc9y3sKCejhK8/s1600/100_3743.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only organ picture we took. The source of his roosterness. Very large testes. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETLfaixBFfeTEHjJ-YMJyyJYnrozmTWtI6zOgtyi6alsGwkoVc0szLiFOCOmtNPzrhtLaws-kAUGG8E3aGe__hLTQJyh_FD5CRn2gEHhVtTpNujZmUcAPuHPRNZT14l6emy6CxHqgF1Y/s1600/100_3744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETLfaixBFfeTEHjJ-YMJyyJYnrozmTWtI6zOgtyi6alsGwkoVc0szLiFOCOmtNPzrhtLaws-kAUGG8E3aGe__hLTQJyh_FD5CRn2gEHhVtTpNujZmUcAPuHPRNZT14l6emy6CxHqgF1Y/s1600/100_3744.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rooster teeth. The stones in his gizzard. </td></tr>
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We took some the opportunity, as we always do, to home school. The whole process was a life lesson, anatomy, biology and a dissection. Each organ we took out and discussed its place in the system that is rooster, and how it functions. We opened the gizzard, and looked at the ground corn and grass inside, and washed it out to find the stones. We have talked about giving the girls quartz crystal grit for that. We have a lot from crystal mining. It would be fascinating to see them once they are worn down. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmm1tq6LlyFmfNw8-U9MiRBSKQiY0ATVDKqBg3ymPBHWmV4Vqo_55auWoO7eZNLHckd1OhQsZchsQUOs-awE3nAq5NpbfyKRM6cWHSDNDMb3RPQvjHScayOokOJKd045h1TgBMYwH-eg/s1600/100_3745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghmm1tq6LlyFmfNw8-U9MiRBSKQiY0ATVDKqBg3ymPBHWmV4Vqo_55auWoO7eZNLHckd1OhQsZchsQUOs-awE3nAq5NpbfyKRM6cWHSDNDMb3RPQvjHScayOokOJKd045h1TgBMYwH-eg/s1600/100_3745.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First things first. Fry up the gizzard and heart. I over cooked them. Very tough. Ate them any way. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kex0wrcnwGGMkPifAddCzgDQRqUMnNneOSw0ebiEgFrMF4VVVi2ZVQbg7sHckRmYcpiS4YSIpi-F50ts8vx_KUnbEaQEK5nzvpf3qQXqV59Tn4VD4EhVlfdUMbnpI6xxdYPw5HdSrrQ/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kex0wrcnwGGMkPifAddCzgDQRqUMnNneOSw0ebiEgFrMF4VVVi2ZVQbg7sHckRmYcpiS4YSIpi-F50ts8vx_KUnbEaQEK5nzvpf3qQXqV59Tn4VD4EhVlfdUMbnpI6xxdYPw5HdSrrQ/s1600/001.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had planned to freeze him, but decided an immediate cooking was best. So we aged the carcass for 12 hours in the fridge and Leah boiled it down for stew the next day. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rooster was in the stew. He was, in a word delicious. </td></tr>
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So, in a surprising coincidence, friends a few miles away, decided it was time to slaughter their 30+ Cornish Rock meat birds just a day or so later. We went to visit to see how they do it, and learn from more experienced hands. We could have benefited from this before we did in our Rooster, but still the chance was too good to pass up. I won't go into the whole process here. There are lots of better blogs for it, and detailed videos. Suffice it to say that it is a huge bit of work, and messy and needs prep, and space, and a stout heart. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The range shed for the meat birds. It is built of livestock panels and sits on skids, pulled with the small attached tractor. They birds are gently moved every few days onto fresh range. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ranging Meat Birds in the their movable shed. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gallows for multiple birds. Slaughtering, bleeding, & plucking is done here. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leah helping at the processing table. Custom built for it. Sink hooks to a hose and drains off to a field. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is some of their new layer pullets in a grow out space. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Growing girls and one rooster. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ellawyn checking out their adult layers in their movable coop.</td></tr>
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<br />So, to close, processing animals for food, is by it's very nature, brutal. With attention and care you can mitigate this, but there is no removing the fact. It's not for the faint hearted, and any livestock will, at some point, require culling. It's the nature of things. There are some great blogs on the tough side of chicken keeping and my favorite is all about why..<br />
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<a href="http://www.nwedible.com/2013/05/you-absolutely-should-not-get-backyard-chickens.html" target="_blank">You Absolutely Should Not Get Backyard Chickens</a>.<br />
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I love that article and tell anyone who expresses interest in poultry to read it first. If you are unable to do the deed, and don't have the space for an "Old Hen Home", or "Randy Rooster Retirement Center" then, perhaps poultry isn't for you. If you do think you can, then the rewards of raising, caring for, and processing and animal you have known is remarkable. We know that some livestock folks can't name the animals they may slaughter. We understand. However, knowing our animals, their personalities, and lives, is part of it. We love them, we name them, we respect them, and ultimately, we respect their life when we take it. <br /><br />For now, we are deeply enjoying life without a rooster. Ranging our birds is difficult in our mountains already, due to several issues. So they tend to range only on paddocks with protections. It's been a few weeks since we did the deed, and we socialize with our hens far more now. We miss the crows, we miss the presence, we don't miss the aggression. <br /><br />So, I will wear his tail feathers in my hat with respect and try to show as much pride in them as Little John did. Thanks rooster. You did good.<br />
<br />Happy Hobby Homesteading. <br />
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<br />Mythical Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10476927037533184731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714291111569285820.post-49742640757734906552014-05-28T19:01:00.000-07:002014-05-28T19:38:33.112-07:00Weaving Bean Catchers <h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga49-kxjfySb9pKUc9DtWr3Wc8r9qIa3SICbJ4VRVZJi3bwmHunMxNTFJExm4KWSoXCgySM8vs9W-x09tCcJofYbaqwAv2ksmh69M9wQw3nkn2f3bidyFmSo2zWCrNNeuJ5wxeRHCsWIA/s1600/100_9807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga49-kxjfySb9pKUc9DtWr3Wc8r9qIa3SICbJ4VRVZJi3bwmHunMxNTFJExm4KWSoXCgySM8vs9W-x09tCcJofYbaqwAv2ksmh69M9wQw3nkn2f3bidyFmSo2zWCrNNeuJ5wxeRHCsWIA/s1600/100_9807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a><u>Weaving "Bean Catchers" for Happy Gardeners & Healthy Green Beans: </u></h3>
Around here we are all about hobby gardening for fun and skills. <br />
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Hobby gardening and homesteading doesn't mean we are trying to be totally sustainable or attempting to raise the majority of our own food. What we are doing is enjoying the experience, participating in the learning process, and co-creating a beautiful and healthy space in the time and abilities we have. <br />
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This means that we don't grow as much as we can. We grow as much as we can manage. It also means we don't always do things the easiest way, or the most efficient. Sometimes we do something the most fun, expressive, and even lovely way we can. <br />
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Bean Catchers are surely one of those. <br />
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We hit on the idea when building our traditional bean trellis, out of saplings, down branches, and twine way back in 2009. Here it is, a fine clever green bean trellis. This one was done as a bean tunnel for our then six year old daughter. Look closely and you'll see a small section, woven as a "Dream Catcher" pattern, on the far right end. We were almost done I realized I could weave one there. <br />
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Now, it's not our goal here to precisely teach you how to weave Dream Catchers. In fact, that entire craft has come to symbolize a rather distinctive form of cultural appropriation among the Native American community. We were once directly involved in that community and while we did learn a number of crafts, such as this, during our time among it, we also developed a deep respect for the reality of they indigenous cultures of North America, and not the the idealized mythology that come to be prevalent in some of the dominant culture. So, this brief rant will suffice to express that. To do this simple garden craft, you do need to know the weave pattern used in Dream Catchers. So go online, learn the process, and bring it to your garden for it's decorative style, but please don't assign any contrived Native traditions to it. These are, in fact, just a nice weave of cordage, that looks good and holds up beans. Nothing more. <br />
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So, you've learned to do the basic dream catcher pattern. Now, you can create it in other forms. <br />
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Once we did the one above, we experimented with a few other bean trellis techniques. We used a straight fence one year, and the deer created a perfectly straight browse line down it, neatly cropping off all the beans and leaves from 4 ft. down. With much experimentation, we hit on this. A series of tripods, woven on two sides, and between each set, with Bean Catchers. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013 Bean Catcher Trellis</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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So, you need a tripod of strong sturdy logs. I used standing dead wood from our lot. I rarely cut green wood, but yes, there is sometimes a need. You can find much in the way of useful standing dead wood, dried and ready to use. Don't take too much from a particular area as many animals use it. Shown here are 2-4 logs of mostly locust, a very hard, very rot resistant wood. Some are also hickory, similar to locust, but lighter, and will rot in the ground. (Locust can last for decades if not longer!) Also, likely some maple in there, which works just fine for our need here. </div>
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In the pics below, you can see the details of lashing the tripods. I am using a particular hitch, which is also a Native American technique, called a tipi hitch. It is used for lashing the tripods of those iconic lodges together. It is very strong and puts the logs in a particular order that holds the tripod firmly. It also creates a tripod that is pitched back and flatter on one side. This allows for a more even spacing for us, with our path system through our beds. You'll note in the pics we are using plastic bailing twine from our
straw bales. This is one of the few times we ever use any synthetic
materials in our garden. We intentionally use biodegradable twines for
almost everything. This is so if we lose material in the garden, it will
rot away properly. Additionally, birds and other wildlife will gather
fibers of any kind for their nests. You only need to find a bird with plastic line
wrapped around it once to make that a firm rule. However, for secure structure, it is best that the line not have a chance of rotting out and failing, so we use the twine. We are very careful to recover it each year. <br />
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We learned this hitch from putting up tipis in past years with friends. However, we did refer to the important work on the tipi, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Indian-Tipi-History-Construction/dp/0806122366" target="_blank">The Indian Tipi: Its History, Construction, and Use by Reginald & Gladys Laubin</a>. It is a great book that is filled with interesting ideas. Every homestead should have it on their shelves, in honor of this land's first homesteaders. However, as long as the book is out, and you are using the lashing up to teach a little bit about tipi construction and Native American life, you might as well let your home schooler read under one a bit. <br />
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So, you've got your tripod up, and your ready to weave a bean catcher....not quite. In our area, our gardens are a bit exposed, and sometimes windy. Also, the tripods are very large, over six feet tall, and rather heavy. We don't want them falling on anyone or anything. So we stake them.We cut stakes from similar wood as our tripods, only slightly smaller in diameter. I tend to make a half dozen or so a year, adding to our stock of stakes and replacing any that have rotted or have broken. They are about 18-20 inches long and cut and sharpened on one end with a hatchet. They are very useful in the garden for such things, and additionally, you are fully prepared for any vampire attack. <br />
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Most feet of the tripod get a single stake, lashed thoroughly. The center point, downwind side, gets two, set in the ground at angles for extra strength. Our winds are not usually that fierce, but why take chances and worry about it? Take the extra time in your garden spaces, to do jobs well, and you won't have a mess to clean up, or lose a crop in a storm. Hobby gardening doesn't mean sloppy gardening. Quite the opposite in my approach. Not doing too much, means doing what we do, better. <br />
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Build your tripods correctly and securely and at the end of the season, you can pull your ground stakes and just fold the tripods up and store them for the next year. You'll certainly need to recheck them, and maybe relash, but it does make it easier. Here we are pulling out the tripods for the 2014 season. You can still see the weaves from the previous year on them. We cut those free and composted the twine. Then we just stood them up, and staked them down. <br />
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Once the tripod is up, and secured, we are ready to weave. Once again, I
won't show this in detail. You need to go learn the weaving process and
practice it. Part of what makes this fun and easy for us is that we have
made so many in the past that we can weave fast. About the twine, we use jute, not sisal, not hemp, not cotton. Jute. It lasts a long time, and it is
inexpensive. For three full tripods, woven on two sides, with a third
space between them, we used about 500 feet of jute. It cost $2.69 on sale
at our local farm store. You'll use most of it so buy two rolls, one for
your tripods and one for your general garden needs. Jute is great stuff, and it is our favorite
fiber for using in the garden. <br />
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Now, let me be clear again about this. This isn't the easiest or simplest weave for a bean trellis. There are lots of others out there that work just as good or better. This is very strong and support an abundance of growth. It allows easy access to the mature vegetables. However, most importantly, it is neat, fun, relaxing and attractive. We've never seen anyone else do this, and we hope that this post will spread the fun. If we were growing beans on a commercial level or practicing large scale sustainability, this wouldn't be practical at all, but we aren't. We're hobby gardening. This is fun. <br />
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So rather than try to show a bunch of details of how we weave, with confusing pictures, here is a short video of the process. The video is a little shaky as it was filmed by our girl, but it gets the point across. <br />
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Once they are up, prep the soil underneath and plant your climbers. While we primarily use them for green beans, they work for any climbing vine. We tend to inter-plant with cucumbers. We also sometimes add a bit of nasturtiums on the ends for snacks and sunflowers for their sheer beauty. Once the beans, or other foliage is up, they are so thick and dense you can sow greens, like lettuce, that benefits from the cool space under. Of course it's nice to get under them as well, so leave a little room for that, or build over a bench, like we did this year. <br />
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They really do look great. You can hang ornaments from the center of the webs, or wind chimes off the tripods. It is a garden ornament and structure all in one. The beans certainly love it. Here is one year when the catchers were catching their fair share! <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Hobby Homesteading. Go make something beautiful! </span>Mythical Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10476927037533184731noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714291111569285820.post-14323659689178704922014-05-23T08:03:00.001-07:002014-05-23T08:03:16.254-07:00Garden Journal: May 23, 2014 <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8usabgQ0hlTwPWTLTXrpKh0kg7dW3U_6hTtIfSummc9Oy-uy5fxPha8RcUqIkrrFtlT1xmW1LSc_LwTtV45_jElgoD14xNs5Yo5BHb7G47vYRVEE0LUkis6kMfrhU82pVanobxUYmNw/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8usabgQ0hlTwPWTLTXrpKh0kg7dW3U_6hTtIfSummc9Oy-uy5fxPha8RcUqIkrrFtlT1xmW1LSc_LwTtV45_jElgoD14xNs5Yo5BHb7G47vYRVEE0LUkis6kMfrhU82pVanobxUYmNw/s1600/001.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cold Frame Border of timbers around a bed of cabbage, lettuce, and broccoli. </td></tr>
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Catching up is so hard to do....<br />
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It's been 29 days
since our last update. This is entirely due to our hectic crafter's
life. We do want we can, up to the end of April, then spend a few weeks
working frantically for our Mask Making business with Spring Shows. This
year was a bit more challenging due to vehicle troubles. However,
gardens and homesteads know no calendars other than turning of the Wheel
of the Seasons, so, we soldier on. <br />
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Just before we left for our first show of May, the <a href="http://www.spoutwood.org/fairie-festival" target="_blank">Spoutwood Farm May Day Fairie Festival</a>, which happens to be on an amazing and lovely organic farm in Glen Rock, PA, we finished our second coop area.The garden has been going on it, like crazy, and work, work, work. So, this will be a picture post, mostly up to May 20th, and more to come. <br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPI6swYTuDVQjCmxdXw1X5HByuFjSwtA4Y5KPTjOTTkPlfCYKwQu64H2lv9jx6pwWUHTgMXAYJj3BUOvlUN3OtXr775BsN-w94hkerJVl333v4FZpZMYjKLDPpatCBssII6aIFdlFXXY/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPI6swYTuDVQjCmxdXw1X5HByuFjSwtA4Y5KPTjOTTkPlfCYKwQu64H2lv9jx6pwWUHTgMXAYJj3BUOvlUN3OtXr775BsN-w94hkerJVl333v4FZpZMYjKLDPpatCBssII6aIFdlFXXY/s1600/007.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the stone balances in our rock field are the ones I did the week we moved in, eight years ago.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSde_tg4FrXF_SCeUQ7Jg9t5wACb-5YYNR6D-nBCkr-qsx2tBmQjAKLRKtcHPpqqafcQRnJKgU_NeEwSJxu1kDsRQNFRM6_93_kgRB9Y1E8nTpa7rxA5V4Ik3cvJdg_9CX2JSfy24h7PI/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSde_tg4FrXF_SCeUQ7Jg9t5wACb-5YYNR6D-nBCkr-qsx2tBmQjAKLRKtcHPpqqafcQRnJKgU_NeEwSJxu1kDsRQNFRM6_93_kgRB9Y1E8nTpa7rxA5V4Ik3cvJdg_9CX2JSfy24h7PI/s1600/010.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare sight of our adult girls ranging on a bed. Home in the mtns. lots of predators, and no fences, and nasty rooster, so they spend a lot of time in the run. We had a chance, with the rooster in the coop. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mKPhyphenhyphensXvrJZ2tc3seC52jdoOzTocLS5krvvJL-3Jmxii0A5TZyudpLnQ6bLNyegrd-d48JJRDYnw-XQrSTMC6Mu_OHo3tC1ZmC1dh-w4WvbZk1Oh7aELx96BQjMc7AaBySMx41nArF8/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mKPhyphenhyphensXvrJZ2tc3seC52jdoOzTocLS5krvvJL-3Jmxii0A5TZyudpLnQ6bLNyegrd-d48JJRDYnw-XQrSTMC6Mu_OHo3tC1ZmC1dh-w4WvbZk1Oh7aELx96BQjMc7AaBySMx41nArF8/s1600/001.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding a half lap joint to make a strong door. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUS6527H5DxshZbQRdBceNzHhxmPrjlBobwtgIA81qPwnJqUmnwKP37dQoFZ7l0EjBgsKVdB1HlN8pkcG_XhpkMkUlDFR7ZxDm04-B1iGHKuuWzeSjpNeM73HxwEaOTEItYNlmxeg2oAs/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUS6527H5DxshZbQRdBceNzHhxmPrjlBobwtgIA81qPwnJqUmnwKP37dQoFZ7l0EjBgsKVdB1HlN8pkcG_XhpkMkUlDFR7ZxDm04-B1iGHKuuWzeSjpNeM73HxwEaOTEItYNlmxeg2oAs/s1600/001.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The funniest news of April. Getting our egg license. State of MD regulates egg production for health issues, so you need to be licensed. We can now sell eggs at events. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC93vh_AZ9gFwpYl_mFaZpbbGrPk_RbOkuXk0U2_egFFFam-TRWR52uHnTlI82pKHw1A9iePioAqcP1npgjlO2OmFo06zEqBbSocuOh_dZoznHzq9mj1Xz2FAQyU9rX2hI_Hgt5NqgXU/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxC93vh_AZ9gFwpYl_mFaZpbbGrPk_RbOkuXk0U2_egFFFam-TRWR52uHnTlI82pKHw1A9iePioAqcP1npgjlO2OmFo06zEqBbSocuOh_dZoznHzq9mj1Xz2FAQyU9rX2hI_Hgt5NqgXU/s1600/004.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASZg4LNZ4VcRyFSRuwwDBfAzNkc0ou7pKuKmqDDupeWySjOpSr5FrfDlyiqM_4D8aZ6ZbjBpeOyKEi4CvSlF4WbwfnlqUTxqLzkAjZf5ms08VaIDyEpGb4KsOX3BEZVyN8iwwtc8o2mA/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASZg4LNZ4VcRyFSRuwwDBfAzNkc0ou7pKuKmqDDupeWySjOpSr5FrfDlyiqM_4D8aZ6ZbjBpeOyKEi4CvSlF4WbwfnlqUTxqLzkAjZf5ms08VaIDyEpGb4KsOX3BEZVyN8iwwtc8o2mA/s1600/006.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring rains, and heavy mud and long work days. I am the Green Man, and am sprouting. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I1hbShgjykG7Gg_GT5lUS5ZWYCrytWiVmSEijkmZOKm3ycjTvHjwWrfwQErZBS4bycNow-J3s9YFVLJ5ihyA38SCkj4v7D1RwU7ZGaK5Lxjx5wMOu_kbb_lMUcUsmSUOxzemF1e3Z2s/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I1hbShgjykG7Gg_GT5lUS5ZWYCrytWiVmSEijkmZOKm3ycjTvHjwWrfwQErZBS4bycNow-J3s9YFVLJ5ihyA38SCkj4v7D1RwU7ZGaK5Lxjx5wMOu_kbb_lMUcUsmSUOxzemF1e3Z2s/s1600/010.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our finished coop addition. We call it the nursery. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWPa2m5ofdmTlq_p5tiWPpIi1hPGdkwsjuHra8Lvf0YAGqcghxpFyEuI3GKbBrLiJJLED8DUzyP0GXbq09UF9-q8GNt8DKq2vjSinhKCwmEDBDKLEhSui2BHIBUfTDMwPIHehds_eoK4/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWPa2m5ofdmTlq_p5tiWPpIi1hPGdkwsjuHra8Lvf0YAGqcghxpFyEuI3GKbBrLiJJLED8DUzyP0GXbq09UF9-q8GNt8DKq2vjSinhKCwmEDBDKLEhSui2BHIBUfTDMwPIHehds_eoK4/s1600/012.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Littles in the Nursery Coop addition. Wire fence between them and the Bigs for integration. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9hmJ7Mr4eHzkmoU7AC-2mvasq-LXwGNVDpPhcvFp3AAzkpxQ8YiLeBDByrr9q9HQ2BPpU87es3vZLa-Fr4QFT2O2Vqm3c3Vxx0iXKGT7qR8Nh1W-XutJbiaTyqRuqNce-bDsA7x3uAA/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9hmJ7Mr4eHzkmoU7AC-2mvasq-LXwGNVDpPhcvFp3AAzkpxQ8YiLeBDByrr9q9HQ2BPpU87es3vZLa-Fr4QFT2O2Vqm3c3Vxx0iXKGT7qR8Nh1W-XutJbiaTyqRuqNce-bDsA7x3uAA/s1600/013.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the addition. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuOErcdSk_BaZC9vCaMb3Czomjk8ktUdFwLR7Dhd7PFjdNnNVDnf1JRrhIZacnio3r5RFvwFvuFuCHHPjGX79mNwhuwD-Qzr0DbZJYR1YLuctiigeWxHzetADhXqNCOvmIKEzztKteag/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuOErcdSk_BaZC9vCaMb3Czomjk8ktUdFwLR7Dhd7PFjdNnNVDnf1JRrhIZacnio3r5RFvwFvuFuCHHPjGX79mNwhuwD-Qzr0DbZJYR1YLuctiigeWxHzetADhXqNCOvmIKEzztKteag/s1600/014.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pallet half wall for draft protection. Roost behind it, but the don't use it. Roost on the top of the pallet. The long term goal is a small coop in that corner, like a half size of our main one. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5sbBb9oWy8jbzoAy2OD3JAffvOrWCz7XixDuIVc2akiXCBCmJRq4hlOJqNvjSn2xPv_0Tj56zBH7hoo4VJAT5Kah0L1gdw61Q92UW0aIZkz8oeVzUjfi2152ek1bnp1I0SVAz2QfTNE/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5sbBb9oWy8jbzoAy2OD3JAffvOrWCz7XixDuIVc2akiXCBCmJRq4hlOJqNvjSn2xPv_0Tj56zBH7hoo4VJAT5Kah0L1gdw61Q92UW0aIZkz8oeVzUjfi2152ek1bnp1I0SVAz2QfTNE/s1600/001.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leah working our cold frame bed. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand feeding the Littles. Very different flock than our others. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSkjDg7NWFbUVtRSN3Q5qKviTHtAERscR9CVgxY-v0aShB6lY4JLkX1l8faPvOGSWsClhBrvoL_qZKWTwhagIuTyIuFvC9CoRrjeeYxgrqv3hOjaSE2wt4CPFBkZOaKKFbD3xG5IQvv0/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSkjDg7NWFbUVtRSN3Q5qKviTHtAERscR9CVgxY-v0aShB6lY4JLkX1l8faPvOGSWsClhBrvoL_qZKWTwhagIuTyIuFvC9CoRrjeeYxgrqv3hOjaSE2wt4CPFBkZOaKKFbD3xG5IQvv0/s1600/004.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A robin egg, found under a tree with a Blue Jay nest in it. Confused us for a bit, until we learned that Jays will steal and eat eggs from other nest. Yet more proof that Jays can be kinda jerks, but that is their nature. They are part of the crow family. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsUw3Ri4L4TlzyN4x95hRf9_1qE0Pb6z4W9dzCFFAA8VdEq3WIvuoINQd8aMLuu2_7YorcKya2mMbagxVRM5zVv7MnvEOFae-HtZ2waxnXlC3Rp3qLSYLq6nXkVi1bk4EJi3trNUeQkM/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsUw3Ri4L4TlzyN4x95hRf9_1qE0Pb6z4W9dzCFFAA8VdEq3WIvuoINQd8aMLuu2_7YorcKya2mMbagxVRM5zVv7MnvEOFae-HtZ2waxnXlC3Rp3qLSYLq6nXkVi1bk4EJi3trNUeQkM/s1600/005.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White violets from Spoutwood and silly girl. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJ7bpcC7GyTC0EFmFmcs_72zAqEXEWHcH0oaJv1SbDGS8PLVSDSY9uJTg0Rj2L0GF1lkwHIQ3G6fCJAJJILsp8PmHfK7N1uDSuwf3wJhNvUlZrXoyAaxnYLXA9y4ocGxat6j1MTUEBuM/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJ7bpcC7GyTC0EFmFmcs_72zAqEXEWHcH0oaJv1SbDGS8PLVSDSY9uJTg0Rj2L0GF1lkwHIQ3G6fCJAJJILsp8PmHfK7N1uDSuwf3wJhNvUlZrXoyAaxnYLXA9y4ocGxat6j1MTUEBuM/s1600/007.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Violets tucked around a stone and dancing fairy. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDZI5dD1axUfxCf5ZGDSmJp03Oa0647RQ-B6CUAinj2Ltm-V8vsoKaPcXPvymPr5_XO1JqsWc0AnWTbAMpK61Hh_GODDbA0MZGp3hpSNxAvFJkrUpLtk2fy9LIw6Po8Ma6eEUCP8gsPY/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDZI5dD1axUfxCf5ZGDSmJp03Oa0647RQ-B6CUAinj2Ltm-V8vsoKaPcXPvymPr5_XO1JqsWc0AnWTbAMpK61Hh_GODDbA0MZGp3hpSNxAvFJkrUpLtk2fy9LIw6Po8Ma6eEUCP8gsPY/s1600/008.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most awesome news for us. Our asparagus bed made it. Shoots coming up. Photobomb by Ellawyn. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2rO7NGQCsQAb42z0YH3QoGY1862k6X7WCJJ2YCGgemaDpljQ4LFD7ZWxMpGkbalUXnOAFObwtpEswfcg1IvKYwIi9gtfSGq-J72bAVzt4_0USBcyvB1r6sVRLf5NRTJ3WYel9CjIrrw/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2rO7NGQCsQAb42z0YH3QoGY1862k6X7WCJJ2YCGgemaDpljQ4LFD7ZWxMpGkbalUXnOAFObwtpEswfcg1IvKYwIi9gtfSGq-J72bAVzt4_0USBcyvB1r6sVRLf5NRTJ3WYel9CjIrrw/s1600/010.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Spoutwood gift. Compost. Biodiversity shows that individual compost bins have not only different micro flora and fauna, but perhaps entirely unique ones. That is, the bio-digesters in the Spoutwood bins may be genetically unique to that valley, that farm, and maybe even that bin. So, mixing it up, bringing in compost from other bins, as long as you know it's safe, can increase the diversity and strengthen your bio-herd. Now, that said, there is also a spiritual and psychological thing about bringing compost from Spoutwood. Fellow composters will get that. Fellow lovers of the marvel of Spoutwood Farm will get it even more. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76ZybqGv-gmbQC11vBlfKUKdfg46E9v0b3-WMDROLqvojoukvmVSMt-JIUSvKEoUr6VgyDpElWU7Ze6KufBI4_obvciOmLpFWM1q_N0Np-uKQFSqiQ0telfSsnke83985GtAWNrHuyiI/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76ZybqGv-gmbQC11vBlfKUKdfg46E9v0b3-WMDROLqvojoukvmVSMt-JIUSvKEoUr6VgyDpElWU7Ze6KufBI4_obvciOmLpFWM1q_N0Np-uKQFSqiQ0telfSsnke83985GtAWNrHuyiI/s1600/022.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbehrLhFmHMBdGuET5De0TVaJ_e6Z8bco7HdNizs5Csy6izIoVlczWAAm6wt49hsb1faBOkdFoJCg8BCyKxz-Fn-2bg2uFABcKMtqInqcz1_rtbHMISpqlt_TPCGfrRe-7-u09wS0IaA/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbehrLhFmHMBdGuET5De0TVaJ_e6Z8bco7HdNizs5Csy6izIoVlczWAAm6wt49hsb1faBOkdFoJCg8BCyKxz-Fn-2bg2uFABcKMtqInqcz1_rtbHMISpqlt_TPCGfrRe-7-u09wS0IaA/s1600/029.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz971_KJNHYqkIAzz3_PUlxZdJ_iRwP23CLdWpgCytHjTf9EmA0ZTvD5wIQww9F0irFRqGJoTdvrJi9rMeSC8xsufHEwtcE6ztW_sOkloYPLjbxitAzsQFoEzvVaG-jUP3Dwp_dfzITig/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz971_KJNHYqkIAzz3_PUlxZdJ_iRwP23CLdWpgCytHjTf9EmA0ZTvD5wIQww9F0irFRqGJoTdvrJi9rMeSC8xsufHEwtcE6ztW_sOkloYPLjbxitAzsQFoEzvVaG-jUP3Dwp_dfzITig/s1600/003.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like dandelions. Certainly, broadleaf weeds crowd out grass, and become an issue. However, we know they are sign of healthy system. Whenever we drive past a home, with a perfect lawn, mowed in lines, with no dandelions, we know that is a home that uses herbicides. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjislkXxIBPOwRgybmdFEkSnOA_Ou4YIwD3vTx4ygxtQapiD-S_WfwsuR5XeNdSdxEAM9Q1r-qHkwmg-ebL8tGnHLmeTFGEM8tpM9HN0RSOHNCUlQYH1-mFkrFgoNQSYEV-7HgdUFe6DiU/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjislkXxIBPOwRgybmdFEkSnOA_Ou4YIwD3vTx4ygxtQapiD-S_WfwsuR5XeNdSdxEAM9Q1r-qHkwmg-ebL8tGnHLmeTFGEM8tpM9HN0RSOHNCUlQYH1-mFkrFgoNQSYEV-7HgdUFe6DiU/s1600/006.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofzj2FhckHu0OthYxEryooAvjm1u_XKrvbiIab-ysgqKe-pmwKAwiAn0Q_mj6oXFbU7nX656V7HL4uui0t4ioT8hvHu6AuRzt1lUBmUdTOJpcOIfWKG_m0g2cgBxN_PZPC6ixNcC5nKI/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofzj2FhckHu0OthYxEryooAvjm1u_XKrvbiIab-ysgqKe-pmwKAwiAn0Q_mj6oXFbU7nX656V7HL4uui0t4ioT8hvHu6AuRzt1lUBmUdTOJpcOIfWKG_m0g2cgBxN_PZPC6ixNcC5nKI/s1600/007.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meager, but one of the first harvests of the season and the first EVER of asparagus. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQdR5IpfXRm1ui3HHrxe56ib6qKDFDP1FcO42PzZ1ML1CpoEoVUtsbbO4YZcWoyjgRYG4oD_UkWquWU-IYX5y8MO7t3m68SUVyTAgqAa8yIbXu9LlrUnFFpQjvgIbVNnHsGcyuN9-8zc/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQdR5IpfXRm1ui3HHrxe56ib6qKDFDP1FcO42PzZ1ML1CpoEoVUtsbbO4YZcWoyjgRYG4oD_UkWquWU-IYX5y8MO7t3m68SUVyTAgqAa8yIbXu9LlrUnFFpQjvgIbVNnHsGcyuN9-8zc/s1600/001.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvq0_qCdbWY5SlH7wLulnAgiw120xOXu3adQR16mXi8h9lURsjFdfTQkOn3kt3vpnW_jVqrZpVMk1OyP_gI0mxv76VIj5N96L_yrB0TfZdaZjfHB1FZUEoX4SL3K3Uhy5Fz-LEFsinqWE/s1600/004a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvq0_qCdbWY5SlH7wLulnAgiw120xOXu3adQR16mXi8h9lURsjFdfTQkOn3kt3vpnW_jVqrZpVMk1OyP_gI0mxv76VIj5N96L_yrB0TfZdaZjfHB1FZUEoX4SL3K3Uhy5Fz-LEFsinqWE/s1600/004a.JPG" height="462" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbows over our home. We get them a lot. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYIzLIPj8vAsNHLq06NnXf0Ydxp8CV5Qa4swl3Q_weFwnkN3_pmrl1J2Wn1X7j_LWEkBvuasLj81pCDEb40XwWyrkGVtkfNHdPRrjXaKvG546it-ARq7ViZzovSGaZwevTtf58ByumNM/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYIzLIPj8vAsNHLq06NnXf0Ydxp8CV5Qa4swl3Q_weFwnkN3_pmrl1J2Wn1X7j_LWEkBvuasLj81pCDEb40XwWyrkGVtkfNHdPRrjXaKvG546it-ARq7ViZzovSGaZwevTtf58ByumNM/s1600/006.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring rains mean glass season. We joke we will start our own pick your own broken glass and rocks farm. That bucket has pickings from about a hour of weeding. The shard in front of it, sticking out of the ground a good two inches, is directly in a spot we've weeded many times. Erosion, frost heave, etc, brings it up. If we put our shovel into the ground in a new place, we tend to turn up glass. That is a fact of life in the Appalachian Mtns. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92MQj7vUYIMUoEOP4Tp1awquCXEnw1B7dQvadIenO4a8WAcDgnS_-ksxAD1BuKYdb4ph3EV6mv3VEtLchCyiVBOBa9sSDRQr3MuMd-7cqKbQ42Nj1ZbetVML88rPVQoWUV8LOqGg67F0/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92MQj7vUYIMUoEOP4Tp1awquCXEnw1B7dQvadIenO4a8WAcDgnS_-ksxAD1BuKYdb4ph3EV6mv3VEtLchCyiVBOBa9sSDRQr3MuMd-7cqKbQ42Nj1ZbetVML88rPVQoWUV8LOqGg67F0/s1600/009.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life is lovely, and it's better if there is a Scarlet Tanager in your trees. Pretty nice. The Rainbow, the Tanager, and the Swallowtail below all happened on the same day. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5AReMP34XzsWIOKXLkFiL_fGlh5hDJeJE2E1HUhezH0phCs3BU8WMzI9wx8feUaJyw4Hgxn3QZQmPbnKOBB9x5fTkmcHUWnGzZn8lRgbRBvb3ltz3O-m-GuLmTDS-OOotv5WF1P_KVs/s1600/014a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5AReMP34XzsWIOKXLkFiL_fGlh5hDJeJE2E1HUhezH0phCs3BU8WMzI9wx8feUaJyw4Hgxn3QZQmPbnKOBB9x5fTkmcHUWnGzZn8lRgbRBvb3ltz3O-m-GuLmTDS-OOotv5WF1P_KVs/s1600/014a.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just gorgeous. Better because the pic was taken by our daughter. Feel free to use it as a desktop. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOat03XkgRutWE63cxtc3I6T0lJnZBQfRhsjYYioJ5AJd6eOth0hwPvUZrEP7oMMk5YwB0aV5aY1DrimOGTHyZ9A-WrRTsOReO6qsIZBjBB3Vo5etU-a2XOpzKCHb6R8G1PWgNuhyDAFU/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOat03XkgRutWE63cxtc3I6T0lJnZBQfRhsjYYioJ5AJd6eOth0hwPvUZrEP7oMMk5YwB0aV5aY1DrimOGTHyZ9A-WrRTsOReO6qsIZBjBB3Vo5etU-a2XOpzKCHb6R8G1PWgNuhyDAFU/s1600/002.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planting a free tree from Arbor Day. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJq5LhVpU_1Ag8tniDDoPecLQuYNAl7x4KHrn0cFVpmgPNTknPU-ToOfy24yMbrxzYdBZHb1dz6aRhr19Cfi8xwZnbtJoZflJQkRSXeTxhuwXEnc2ek_L9K4pl7LrKmOIqrVjuZq2i9k/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJq5LhVpU_1Ag8tniDDoPecLQuYNAl7x4KHrn0cFVpmgPNTknPU-ToOfy24yMbrxzYdBZHb1dz6aRhr19Cfi8xwZnbtJoZflJQkRSXeTxhuwXEnc2ek_L9K4pl7LrKmOIqrVjuZq2i9k/s1600/015.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So glad the Hummingbirds are back. Our home was famous for them before we moved in. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzL4-OjtrCzNg_M3WafOqvlJWYey7c5i-DkAPo0Mk9qmiaDCJK8lktqRuw5SJ6LpvqY-LzNxDPtALMaqM7IUi4ltV2LMvlddDugY-BztcZ9QH_TU8cJZddRCCM7R9bcOWb5C5eKoiZlGM/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzL4-OjtrCzNg_M3WafOqvlJWYey7c5i-DkAPo0Mk9qmiaDCJK8lktqRuw5SJ6LpvqY-LzNxDPtALMaqM7IUi4ltV2LMvlddDugY-BztcZ9QH_TU8cJZddRCCM7R9bcOWb5C5eKoiZlGM/s1600/001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creating lilac water for bathtime.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakuTjShsmUPlopZTW-iG6JDEuZMJqQ8B1Uu1iZdJlcq6JKNOEMVK2eIcOOhZ-KHbwTN8bqqAGoq3HawoTQAkoHs9ALC4utLfHHwhe7WEg7fO_cYCwIyTVAI3Za4rnX1Y8gBZuw6INLrM/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakuTjShsmUPlopZTW-iG6JDEuZMJqQ8B1Uu1iZdJlcq6JKNOEMVK2eIcOOhZ-KHbwTN8bqqAGoq3HawoTQAkoHs9ALC4utLfHHwhe7WEg7fO_cYCwIyTVAI3Za4rnX1Y8gBZuw6INLrM/s1600/006.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life in hand. Every Amphibian is a precious gift. They are the first great casualties in these dying times we are living in. I hope we can turn back as species, instead of joining them in that. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tMgJwiA6ODZltNv-YTTykKJEe6xIZ0m-ac6EqwOiHL2AgOyL9oLk0lqIyYEXPRuxoHzn23Wv2efIk1mweEpVfehh9NUXHbPPvlk7HNspP8ojsIgUhu6yQZhHjvauC36pd-k39qX5BtI/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tMgJwiA6ODZltNv-YTTykKJEe6xIZ0m-ac6EqwOiHL2AgOyL9oLk0lqIyYEXPRuxoHzn23Wv2efIk1mweEpVfehh9NUXHbPPvlk7HNspP8ojsIgUhu6yQZhHjvauC36pd-k39qX5BtI/s1600/009.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, it's true. Once you get chickens, then items featuring them become more appealing. We are picky and careful with out money, etc. However, this chicken shaped basket was at the thrift shop and had to come home. There were two. We have them on the counter for sorting eggs. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring is wet season. Our first one with the coop in place and we are learning our drainage problems. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZS3zddfF5K32Uhcs_7AIQlkOj2J8MuCsfJb2Q6RhcP7zyGbEvyp8MYFKWiNiRFN_fLO7z6q_Y0INdrSVXdQ85_xd38_QaT5cA4_QnPMekjctYSuxDcxbP3cMR4wXpxm-Xyq8kRrBRJo/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZS3zddfF5K32Uhcs_7AIQlkOj2J8MuCsfJb2Q6RhcP7zyGbEvyp8MYFKWiNiRFN_fLO7z6q_Y0INdrSVXdQ85_xd38_QaT5cA4_QnPMekjctYSuxDcxbP3cMR4wXpxm-Xyq8kRrBRJo/s1600/003.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A moat around the back of the coop ready to be filled with gravel. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJizYQ7MohJgqj2bF0VwtkpI_DJlTV120qZFHpkGHMWRZk831SkePCGHbJD1BmgrS-t_ctNgdvdDIJNHY_ZQz5mxcW7KJwReNAz4DNvrtUALpdzJu57BSpgb9V0nh49MPRIzogNTW6vg/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJizYQ7MohJgqj2bF0VwtkpI_DJlTV120qZFHpkGHMWRZk831SkePCGHbJD1BmgrS-t_ctNgdvdDIJNHY_ZQz5mxcW7KJwReNAz4DNvrtUALpdzJu57BSpgb9V0nh49MPRIzogNTW6vg/s1600/007.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mulching the upper bed, with pumpkins in it, with paper and straw. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW03FV-d3YQDYIQgrQFtZbvnGui1-brEj-yXv3KMm94tnk1fHFUU1u__V3usWYz4hp4wUEy7Av6QT00da9jjmcWPgQD4PPnVjU75QwauI560fD-O_YuMhTRPsCJX3THZ4bzOXUHo7kl-k/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW03FV-d3YQDYIQgrQFtZbvnGui1-brEj-yXv3KMm94tnk1fHFUU1u__V3usWYz4hp4wUEy7Av6QT00da9jjmcWPgQD4PPnVjU75QwauI560fD-O_YuMhTRPsCJX3THZ4bzOXUHo7kl-k/s1600/009.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All tucked in. The far end is pumpkins. Then a couple of rows of onions. Finally the asparagus trenches. We haven't needed to fence this one...yet. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JxQL1SdGeJBr0w2m1SbndUU_1FWdfiObb9TOTWs7gulODsFPgFgS38VRTDBI5NnOFI8HhbyJCWB1a4rKr9iC0dFZPMP8a10_jwPfTDiHbUgZSuXxDvbywaS1WjeNZ3_bJ3Q_Lr_akyI/s1600/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JxQL1SdGeJBr0w2m1SbndUU_1FWdfiObb9TOTWs7gulODsFPgFgS38VRTDBI5NnOFI8HhbyJCWB1a4rKr9iC0dFZPMP8a10_jwPfTDiHbUgZSuXxDvbywaS1WjeNZ3_bJ3Q_Lr_akyI/s1600/005.jpg" height="640" width="504" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So nice is the weather, that our Tree Dwelling Faeries have awoken and rehabbed their door. Chinked in with moss over a clay and compost cob mixture, with embedded crystals and a jaunty fern growing from the top. A spring wreath adds that home touch. </td></tr>
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<br />Mythical Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10476927037533184731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714291111569285820.post-4587627570489215612014-04-23T21:47:00.001-07:002014-04-23T21:47:37.233-07:00Garden Journal: April 24, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We're way behind on our Garden Journal, as it should be this time of year. Means we are in the Garden. Of course, we are also in the Studio a lot. We make our living as full time professional artists and just as the Spring Plantings are going in, the Spring Festivals need work! So, busy, busy! </div>
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Got our asparagus beds all weeded out and remulched, as well as the upper beds cleared. This is the fourth year with asparagus beds, however, we had trouble in the beginning, and haven't gotten a good harvest yet. Hoping the 4th year is the charm, as long as the bitter cold winter didn't kill them. <br />
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Warm weather is tea weather. Here is a jar of sun tea, with a mix of green and black and some lemon ginger, and those roots are sassafras roots. You shave some into the tea for flavor. We don't use much and use it very rarely, only a couple of times a year. It's been shown that sassafras carries a very strong carcinogen, so caution is best. <br />
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Warm weather and the potatoes had to go in. </div>
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The weather also meant the rest of the plastic "green house" covering over the chicken run off. It worked great and we will store it carefully for next winter. We supported it on scrap wood frames. <br />
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Warm spring weather and April showers mean flowers. So, we are cutting for indoors. </div>
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Spring also means frosts and tender plants! So we sometimes cover the blueberries with old flannel sheets and taps, and the delicate flowers with buckets. <br />
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Of course, the variable temps mean all sorts of new life coming forth. Our first salamander of the season.</div>
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During cleaning, we found an old seed source. A garland of marigolds from 1988. A special gift from teacher in a Hindu Temple, during a time spent studying there. It's been dried and stored all these years, so we will see if we can get any to germinate. They are likely large lion mane type species. <br />
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Everyone loves the warm days. Our young pullet hens, chicken littles we call them, are getting some excercise time in a play pen paddock while waiting for their grow out coop and run to be built next to the Chicken Bigs. Our young Girl Child Little is getting some sun and some chicken little time with a Buff Orphington in the lap. They are known to be a breed with lots of cuddle, and it makes her very happy. <br />
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Good warm weather means compost turning. On the left is the bit I turned a couple of weeks ago. Turning it into the one on the right, and adding some carbon. Collecting masses of earth worms from it while doing so, in the white bucket, to feed the chickens of various sizes. <br />
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Every one is out enjoying spring. The Blue Jay couple is building a nest in our pines. We can watch them studio windows. So we put out a basket of nesting materials. Always use all natural, bio-degradable materials. We use hair from our brushes, some unspun wool and some hemp & sisal cordage. They haven't taken us up much on the offer. Some birds will, others...not so much. Jays are flighty. Pun intended. </div>
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The blue jays aren't the only wildlife enjoy the spring weather. Large black bear scat found in the yard, along with a torn up bag of trash. A neighbor said it has been seen a few times. Facts of life in the mountains. We aren't fazed. We build our projects thinking about them. They lived here first. <br />
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Spring certainly means lovely sunsets.<br />
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Of course, Spring means Easter, and we found where the local Easter Bunny finds the eggs. In the Chicken Coop of course! </div>
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Naturally, we did some natural egg dying. </div>
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Sometimes the eggs aren't so pretty! Found one of the only few malformed eggs ever from our chickens. This one was under the roost, where she must have accidentally laid it while sleeping. It wasn't fully shelled yet. It happens.<br />
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The back corner behind our main coop and run. It was left empty on purpose as part of our expansion plan. Adding a Grow Out Coop and new run area, by roofing it, and wiring it in. </div>
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On the day we set the corner post for the addition, our daughter took a tumble on stone steps, carrying a basket of four eggs from the Chicken Bigs. She was ok, if bruised, and all the eggs were shattered. We scooped them up and used them in a traditional cornerstone type offering to the construction. So, four eggs and a small measure of our end of the day beers when into the hole! We like the rhythm and relationship to such traditions, and tend to incorporate them into our lives. <br />
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Step one, build the back wall and hang the rafters. We will write up the whole coop build in detail one day. So here it is getting started. We bought new rafters of 2x4 treated, but walls were pallets and all other lumber is re-purposed. We spend as little as possible on coops to make the eggs cost efficient.<br />
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The back wall is North, and built of pallets. Over that goes a 2 foot wide section of 1/2 inch grid, with half buried in the the footer trench. Over that goes tar paper, and then ply. Stones and soil fills the trench.<br />
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When building the entry wall of the grow out coop area, we needed a wooden base for the door frame. In our salvaged wood pile is some old bard timbers. Pulled from a downed pile possibly from the late 18th or early 19th century. Amazing really. So a big timber, with adze marks, and beam notches, from 200+ years ago, saved from the fires, and used in our chicken coop. <br />
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We did the a similar process to make our main coop and run. Pretty good looking. </div>
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Everyone enjoying the sun. Rosie the Cat of Three Colors is enjoying her cat grass as well. <br /><br />
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Spring is in the air here. Tomatoes are busy growing on our bedroom seed rack. Also pallet built. It will still be a while before they can go in. Our final frost is May 15th...give or take. However, there is lots to do before then, and not nearly enough time to do it all. <br />
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Just do it. So, keeping it simple. we use a three bin system, built of pallets, which we picked up for free. Many people worry about the content in the wood. If so, do some research into the differences. I usually just screw and wire them together, not using painted ones. It's a compost bin. It's going to rot and degrade. I fix it when it does.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Happy Place</td></tr>
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This is our main compost area. It consists of three pallet bins on each side. On the left is storage for the leaves we racked up and litter material (mixed leaves, straw, and pine needles) from the chickens. The last bin we use for weeds with roots attached. We just pile that up and when it breaks down we use it for leveling and yard fill, not in the garden beds. <br />
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On the right is a three bin system for main compost.<br />
Each bin with a sign on a nail. Feed Me. Cookin. Use Me.<br />
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The sign on the posts above. Latin motto. Omnia Mors Aequat. It means, "Death Makes Us Equal". Sums up our feelings about compost perfectly. We would love to be composted upon death. <br />
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So, the bins are made of pallets. Here is some more detail. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting a new pile on a thick layer of leaves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of what was left of a Cookin Pile from over the winter. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compost Shed Area. </td></tr>
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The shed on the end is for tools. I keep a plywood cutting board for chopping, a box for any trash,and an old coffee can to collect broken glass in, which is a constant issue on our property. I also store some tubs for sifting into and the sifter, built of wire screen and wood. The main tool used is a big pitch fork for turning, tossing, etc. Also, to build, we stand the pallets up, then use long screws to mount together the backs. I might throw some scrap lumber across the back to stabilize it as well. Then, wire the fronts on, and make "hinges" by using scrap electrical wire. We use the big white wire with copper inside called Romex. I raid demo piles and if I see any I grab it. It's got three wires inside, all copper, which doesn't rust out. So I split the Romex with a utility knife and use those. Works great. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sifting screen. Made it of to small of wire grid the first time. Want to make a new one with bigger grid.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABwr2R6J8v3qJfrI4JoGcrLeY4dJ2S5Pgpy2ZQJLRZiCVSykaite3hphpCzjVUhPEI1L5BOTxEzCS3fKg6xNe4Y3y-fUFxiV-yYfVwwDUG4T-jHmWnMOCwozzetuKWooRnqujtMW_DXo/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABwr2R6J8v3qJfrI4JoGcrLeY4dJ2S5Pgpy2ZQJLRZiCVSykaite3hphpCzjVUhPEI1L5BOTxEzCS3fKg6xNe4Y3y-fUFxiV-yYfVwwDUG4T-jHmWnMOCwozzetuKWooRnqujtMW_DXo/s1600/013.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A favorite activity. The compost bucket next to the bins ready to be emptied. To a gardener, that's a beautiful picture. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60fJF-gD6mXzjaLmF36xg4o6QIuOxrxlv73D3stmw0JnwTShcKnvgJOuiAgTkbuSYLueuxHslc72lxsKt10dxz0kUPZ_f1ZWmFC8J0ZJdjVxNzr6zgiC_KeETV9LcnJsfuAqQvQ6yLmQ/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60fJF-gD6mXzjaLmF36xg4o6QIuOxrxlv73D3stmw0JnwTShcKnvgJOuiAgTkbuSYLueuxHslc72lxsKt10dxz0kUPZ_f1ZWmFC8J0ZJdjVxNzr6zgiC_KeETV9LcnJsfuAqQvQ6yLmQ/s1600/017.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Use Me bin. Broke down all winter. Used for potting soil at the first of the season. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sJAJXgmDg6DVoTvJv1RqED9CwrnttvkH5doYFbDjdPSnTC1DjLtIb7wO-XPE2ubCNB_ZrltkMGyLJ3ECbjSpzD6Irzbdg_yHxUjYlLspO7g_WGxqLlz8vgizmGEmi5GKR9SzswNiEq4/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sJAJXgmDg6DVoTvJv1RqED9CwrnttvkH5doYFbDjdPSnTC1DjLtIb7wO-XPE2ubCNB_ZrltkMGyLJ3ECbjSpzD6Irzbdg_yHxUjYlLspO7g_WGxqLlz8vgizmGEmi5GKR9SzswNiEq4/s1600/018.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tie wires cut from old electrical cable.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcajHi3GVsFqJvxht7eMIWaw8wMuucQrsdGyQSe4rbCsx1P-5fOnYBOBKNyWQyQQ-vresIjv7u-tB-swAJcTlHhLaqT5UQ9iHjay1ocJoEm9lElTdz0uzkdOrxL8pTpHQliV3T-xpLgkI/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcajHi3GVsFqJvxht7eMIWaw8wMuucQrsdGyQSe4rbCsx1P-5fOnYBOBKNyWQyQQ-vresIjv7u-tB-swAJcTlHhLaqT5UQ9iHjay1ocJoEm9lElTdz0uzkdOrxL8pTpHQliV3T-xpLgkI/s1600/019.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bins in action. In the middle is Cookin. On the right is the start of Use Me. I rotated piles between bins and move the signs as needed. If I decide to turn them, I just flip from one to the other, or pull out to the front, and pitch back in. </td></tr>
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<br />
So, the hows and the doings of. <br />
<br />
Building a Fresh Pile. Lay a
layer of branches to promote drainage. Then a thick layer of leaves and
straw. Use an indoor bucket. Five gallons. Green. Big sign on it that
says "Compost". Collect kitchen waste. Please note. We compost
everything. Everything. Even the bread and meat that many guides say not
to. Everything. All goes in the bucket. Now, before chickens, more went
in. Now, not so much. We don't feed the birds meats for the most part,
and some left overs, if we have them, so it takes longer for the bucket
to fill now. Still, all of it gets composted. This includes household
paper products. Tissues, paper towels. We can do this for several
reasons. One is the passive method means a LONG composting time. So lots
of break down time for the pathogens that meat might supposedly grow. However, it may be that the fears of composting meat are over done. We do it right. If I have meats of any kind, I bury them deep in the pile. I have, in fact, even buried a ground hog in there. Two is that in a rural area, if the raccoons get into my
compost, it's not a problem. They are just turning it for me. So, we compost....everything. <br />
<br />
So,
layer of brown matter, and we dump a bucket of scraps in the middle.
Over that goes two or three big fork fulls of leaves collected each
Autumn. Now we have the leaf litter from the chickens, so adding that,
which has some manure and additives to it. Over a 3-4 months, a cake of
carbon (brown & crunchy) and nitrogen (green & squishy) is built
up. I might periodically throw a pile of seed and root free weeds in
during the summer, or a basket of grass cuttings. We get huge stands of
jewelweed, and I pull some of that and throw it. Once the bin is full, I
might turn it into the adjacent bin, and mix more thoroughly. Keep your ratios right. See my previous post on the subject, <a href="http://2014/03/the-gentle-art-of-composting-part-1.html" target="_blank">Composting: Part 1</a>, or even better, go searching for many of the detailed guides out there, if you're worried. I have read them. I'm not worried. More brown than green. Check. Keep air in it. Check. <br />
<br />
Then,
we let nature do what it does. Passive. Fill it up and leave it. The
cycle of it it is right in time with our gardens. Start filling one in
Autumn, do so all Winter. By Spring, the big clean out from the chickens
gets mixed in. However, the pile that I started over the Summer, is now
broke down totally, and we have a cubic yard of compost to start with,
in the Spring. The one I start building in the Spring, will be ready in
Summer, and I will start another one then. <br />
<br />
Now, there is one more secret ingredient. <br />
<br />
Human
Pee. Yep. Just piss in the pile. As a male gardener, I do so directly,
when outdoors working, or even just to keep from running my septic
system during the day. Periodically walking outside, to go pee on the pile is a brief break of time in my day. All seasons, all weather. The black capped chickadees are usually there. I like birds. We rarely, but occasionally, collect night urine
in a bucket, like a chamber pot. Did so over the cold winter to keep the
nitrogen levels very high in it. We are installing another
pallet bin area, with possibly a floor, and a roof and a bucket seat
system for female gardeners. Maybe a nice flower box and a dry space for
paper goods. We won't collect fecal matter for now, but that is
possible as well. Composting that is done in a passive manner as safe for that, but you might want to know who is going in it, and it's best used not on rooted crops. If we ever do, I will put it around my fruit trees. <br />
<br />
So, there you go. When done, black gold. <br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxE_yYe_B38KajjtTK6tdqC11M4z2rR49R5KZC3ukZQttoOD8KRk3H1cCaTMTRj49b0fcUTJ1cLWESSprcsx-tDHwvnabFgNxNSKEPjkZO3Lj0e7CKrq_5363CN5YRAmaEyMg6AqIzq-Y/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxE_yYe_B38KajjtTK6tdqC11M4z2rR49R5KZC3ukZQttoOD8KRk3H1cCaTMTRj49b0fcUTJ1cLWESSprcsx-tDHwvnabFgNxNSKEPjkZO3Lj0e7CKrq_5363CN5YRAmaEyMg6AqIzq-Y/s1600/005.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sedimentary layers of the piles with the imprint of the pallet front. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Gold. </td></tr>
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The point is composting is simple. Nature can do most of the work. If it
stinks, add brown carbon (leaves). If it's to dry and isn't breaking
down well, add less. Turn it over if you want, or use the worm turned
stuff at the bottom and throw the rest back in. It's not alchemy
and if your situation allows a toss and let it rot process, do so. If you
use enough brown and crunchy materials and you're in a more rural area where
you don't get rats, etc, then fancy bins and complicated formula are not
necessary. Once you understand that, and go for it, it gets easier. If
you understand the concept, you start looking for additives and get
excited to throw them in. We bring home maple leaves to sweeten it up,
because our oaks are acidic. We add hardwood ash from the fire pit, and
long for cases of rotten veggies from local stores. However, mostly, we
pile it up and let it do it's thing. The sifted material in the hand picture above is going to be made as side dressing, planting hole additives, potting soil, or
compost tea for the plants. We aren't making a lot, but we make what we
can, and it's all ours. Like baking. Like Sourdough. Your compost is
alive and loves you...well, maybe not that last bit, but feed it and it
will feed you back! If you make your own potting soil from it, it gets
you kinda giddy even! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13iGIFao1OW__xfsb03p5qL0gt3cgIZUrAX7tosKxdUteyCFnKXlnWuSMeZjfbayThmAlD_xJqjsFM85yaVL0TlQg_DB7-IYLldn2VNzvegNXKMg8PNonxsRkzLO_Z0qJLpwOmu70C8Q/s1600/100_2868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13iGIFao1OW__xfsb03p5qL0gt3cgIZUrAX7tosKxdUteyCFnKXlnWuSMeZjfbayThmAlD_xJqjsFM85yaVL0TlQg_DB7-IYLldn2VNzvegNXKMg8PNonxsRkzLO_Z0qJLpwOmu70C8Q/s1600/100_2868.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leah the Garden Gnome giddy for her homemade potting soil! </td></tr>
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Keep Composting!
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Been busy days here on the homestead. Spring is sprung and that means between our home business and property chores, the journal is lagging. So catching up with some pictures. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kbSe5pRdUAeOFRhZKecl5GhDd_fSTjUOjgh2t1s3vk5OTFg2Dqz7VcdxYcImF1n4LI7PObsnlj53PpgyZ7Fn3ItCTGq1najSn96MJqAV3UzGuYdF05qbGsw0i7FKlhnpyA2g26e4kiw/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kbSe5pRdUAeOFRhZKecl5GhDd_fSTjUOjgh2t1s3vk5OTFg2Dqz7VcdxYcImF1n4LI7PObsnlj53PpgyZ7Fn3ItCTGq1najSn96MJqAV3UzGuYdF05qbGsw0i7FKlhnpyA2g26e4kiw/s1600/034.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post cleaning cast iron ready for scrubbing.</td></tr>
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We cleaned and re-seasoned our cast iron. We cook daily in old cast iron, family heirlooms. So there were in dire need. Put them in the oven on self cleaning cycle. Once done, they are covered in rusty powder. Then after brushing out doors clean, use steel wool to scrub hard. Then dry in oven. Then oil with Flax Seed Oil. There are lots of sites out there, and we aren't going to do a blow by blow, however, Flax is best. Lots of research on that. Most any food grade oil or fat will work, but flax works due to special chemistry. Use flax. <br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDv0ZlnbiBzzwO0Ktr9U-h3vFE2ee78DNSoNAkyBjbrucqeOnPknUwpYP3GoVwoxRk6yTrQAco-G61x_Azp8iIYfDf58MIC5PTva4XEP3GXvA715DhNSWyIsMkQ_18hyFWyQWrIiCufoU/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDv0ZlnbiBzzwO0Ktr9U-h3vFE2ee78DNSoNAkyBjbrucqeOnPknUwpYP3GoVwoxRk6yTrQAco-G61x_Azp8iIYfDf58MIC5PTva4XEP3GXvA715DhNSWyIsMkQ_18hyFWyQWrIiCufoU/s1600/001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />We did the big seasonal process at the compost areas. Flipped the "Cookin" mass to the neighboring bin, turning in the process. Then, the bin it was in, becomes the new "Feed Me" bin. Over the layer of broke down compost inside, add a thick layer of leaves. <br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqyDl9W5Xg7W0XOklXlzB0twRUw0vZNuJFJmwwIRXrpobTVznYcgsULtnjP9Qt1tlqQSA3C99XTctxiJ5P-MJ6s9OWhw_Ht570Uls-QNyKp8ssLIOUePSxxUHSdWp0qusD71Ti9qMyA3I/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqyDl9W5Xg7W0XOklXlzB0twRUw0vZNuJFJmwwIRXrpobTVznYcgsULtnjP9Qt1tlqQSA3C99XTctxiJ5P-MJ6s9OWhw_Ht570Uls-QNyKp8ssLIOUePSxxUHSdWp0qusD71Ti9qMyA3I/s1600/002.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Over the layer of leaves for a base of the new "Feed Me" bin, we add a couple of mixed layers of finished compost. This is an inoculate of bacteria and microorganisms to get the pile going. <br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzaMDmyDrzTRV0TulfUUrUIVRVV2R204scXQkGUlPnEysEpp1CmiKvs_14kiqUqYqrU_QJ_zXVRfvdcQsxhQD_-UAGtpfdn63VowWDrq68CEn-kYPTLF1uXlDWC6SGtM-MSVvKnIodgc/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzaMDmyDrzTRV0TulfUUrUIVRVV2R204scXQkGUlPnEysEpp1CmiKvs_14kiqUqYqrU_QJ_zXVRfvdcQsxhQD_-UAGtpfdn63VowWDrq68CEn-kYPTLF1uXlDWC6SGtM-MSVvKnIodgc/s1600/003.JPG" height="320" width="240" /> </a></div>
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Just a few days after turning the "Cookin" pile is down over a third of it's mass and still hot. I flipped it back into the center later, and will likely turn it once more. </div>
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In the process of digging into the leaf bin that we pull from for the carbon, I found a surprise. A mass of frozen, ice incrusted snow and leaves. This is from weeks ago. That pile of leaves spends hours everyday in full sun and it had been in the upper 60s F for several of those. A surprising testament to the insulation abilities of leaves. Got us thinking about root cellar type experiments with storage. <br /><br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXBx0vTxCj7Soxb6cUJLsVy2fyKR5gGcIJQgIC8X9typLChVkR_goR9uw15V1WOffUXG3xvHUKEpnqemnoaq3H8W6xLEg1_FBFuaTp3nLNNNJdP6-mShWlNcpRHRYM4ruwMGQvci1abI/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXBx0vTxCj7Soxb6cUJLsVy2fyKR5gGcIJQgIC8X9typLChVkR_goR9uw15V1WOffUXG3xvHUKEpnqemnoaq3H8W6xLEg1_FBFuaTp3nLNNNJdP6-mShWlNcpRHRYM4ruwMGQvci1abI/s1600/006.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Everyone is out and enjoying the sun. It has been a very long winter. Rosie the cat on the deck. Of note, our cats are indoor pets. Best of them. Best for the environment. The deck is hers and she spends most of the day there. We do have to watch, as she was semi-wild when we bought the home, and sometimes sneaks out and goes roaming. The trellis is there to dissuade that. As she has aged this is less and less. <br /><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfigQL2DHy3ZH4pApNKABi2EJM7omrTvdvA58jfsW1hSwvGfcUEUfGeLe_hufr6uO_Q7x21sEzmCZwzgR-OFnBFoO_zUe67RWOd-X_ubj4HjZgiWdD125z2EU6NWgC_iVo73KpcjOOn8/s1600/011.JPG" height="320" width="240" /><br /><br />With warmer weather we got the growing pullets well situated into their outside temporary quarters. A fence off area of the garden shed. Until they can be moved into a new secondary coop.<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kSVDi-eIzeAuxvy5tJGTZt9KUwdVtepaQ1BKOsZkWlgUW_LqapMunmxdtdtv5OrnBSEakN6YBLZSvnqkgBrImX8aUhhtIqpXN57clSruGZb6_iJm6jbH6imvoJ6tuswkV2nTXtlGY6Y/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kSVDi-eIzeAuxvy5tJGTZt9KUwdVtepaQ1BKOsZkWlgUW_LqapMunmxdtdtv5OrnBSEakN6YBLZSvnqkgBrImX8aUhhtIqpXN57clSruGZb6_iJm6jbH6imvoJ6tuswkV2nTXtlGY6Y/s1600/016.JPG" height="320" width="240" /> </a></div>
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Some bonding time is necessary. Certain breeds like it more than others. Buff Orphingtons are famous for it. I would call these two who love human lap time an good example of that. </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8sA_H36oZDzZPlw4Xej5xBKPXR6GGAC1i5qOzrgR1bAZ2afs51HVrUA1VKD3hyphenhyphenvk_0nKkNoJYy4C74tUWi6K-4DBylpww4fn4hLW0T6QOXe5eRKakKUYCJmzNDUxj7n-cvA9Vy05sWM/s1600/019.JPG" height="240" width="320" /><br /><br />Ell called this Chicken Yin-Yang. They went to sleep like that. Buffs. Great birds. We have a feeling that there will be more buffs in our future. <br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5TiTWA2XO2I6gKxp12XNGKty9mWV5x0l2Kct-SYIDADruM_yccbPmUqVceMg1QpNUr-d4qTwsnPAbtf-cpBBtFe7iC96PMTX_PgRx_TQhA3NSqzD3OUAO2YTUv6kyLwUCU6E3irKVdA/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5TiTWA2XO2I6gKxp12XNGKty9mWV5x0l2Kct-SYIDADruM_yccbPmUqVceMg1QpNUr-d4qTwsnPAbtf-cpBBtFe7iC96PMTX_PgRx_TQhA3NSqzD3OUAO2YTUv6kyLwUCU6E3irKVdA/s1600/009.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Leah and the growing birds, got into the bonding time as well. Enjoying the sun in the play pen area. <br />
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<br />Warm weather mean repairs as well. Broke the wheel barrow handles last year. Bought replacements, never got around to it. Finally. Nice to have it done. <br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gtbgIySthq4Rzme6N-v2ztfRxFjzebXmULwONs-raewFqrdax0nHd2Yg7fAo94KkoN7YtmoErKPfbMoRmdUZdfxToVk5dBaKKaYHHKF9TfzasK_pdkM6isVWeojZKIwEOvTSeeC8OTA/s1600/002.JPG" height="320" width="240" /> </div>
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The MOST important warm weather chore. Mucking the coop and run entirely. We do a modified deep litter method. So, thick layers of pine straw, a free resource due to a row of white pines as a wind break. After using the pines so much, I would encourage planting them on any property. They produce prodigious amounts of dried needles. Since they are pine, they are natural bug repellant. I can't be sure, but we have not mite problems. Do research on the best litter method for your birds. We piled it deep, mixed with leaves, and turned it occasionally all winter. Broke down well. In this pic we're pulling it all out, onto a tarp, down to the dirt floor. The litter goes to the compost to make rich additives. The inside was scrubbed with a mild bleach solution allowed to dry for hours. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkN5sNyx2g8AtjZF9CRLJtGCPmdheuAb4kVrCra4Yj4pyKnq8vISBgdzdUr2PGn4e7sE3BMOshi3GuxjE-j9mH3yLxpI20qmYG9a1rx5tYWT7M7ZTwxnN5zkzy9xyvLxXBiMcL8_G5YiE/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkN5sNyx2g8AtjZF9CRLJtGCPmdheuAb4kVrCra4Yj4pyKnq8vISBgdzdUr2PGn4e7sE3BMOshi3GuxjE-j9mH3yLxpI20qmYG9a1rx5tYWT7M7ZTwxnN5zkzy9xyvLxXBiMcL8_G5YiE/s1600/004.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />The inside after cleaning. Looks good for having birds in it. It wasn't very dirty but very dusty. You'll note the respirator on Leah during mucking out above. Wear one. Don't mess with that. It's easy and your lungs are worth it. Birds are known for their dust, and the cleanest chickens can get you very sick indeed. We wear N95 type dust masks for many interior chores that might stir up dust, or keep us in the area for long. We wear full respirators for mucking. Take the advice. <br /><br />
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<br />Warm weather brings out lots of birds. Happy to see an Eastern Towhee. Favorite bird of ours. <br /><br />
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<br />Egg smiley face, purely by accident, while making omelets. A friend pointed out how yellow they are, a sign of "Winter Eggs". Soon, as the available greens increase, more bugs, etc, the yolks will turn a bright orange. <br /><br />
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Little John the Rooster, calls out his defiance. His days are likely numbered, but for now, strong wire, and a warning sign keep him in his place, and everyone safe. Behind him, the four original hens, ignore his masculine thunders. Still, he has been a good roo for what roos do. <br />
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Wednesday, April 2, 2014: Scattered morning showers, gave way to partial clouds and sun. Temps in upper 60's. </div>
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Finished
the last of the Maple Syrup. Boiled down to about one more quart. Final
vat was very dark and smoky flavored. Late draw of sap. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straining out Sugar Sand. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roiling boil. Almost syrup. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using a shot glass for viscosity testing. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking the sweetness in a cup of tea while the steam rises.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: Last weeks sap draw as syrup. Right: This week's and final draw. </td></tr>
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The garden work for today was more chicken chores. We removed the plastic wrap on the east end of run. It had been wrapped for the winter. We also managed to isolate the rooster in the coop, which allowed us to catch each of the four "Chicken Big" hens, which are about a year old, and give them a good examination and check up. All were looking good, if a bit winter worn in places. We haven't had hands on them in a few months. </div>
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Then we got the Chicken Littles better set up in our garden shed
with temporary quarters until they're coop addition is built. We did more
planning and thinking for that. While surveying the property we found blooming
Coltsfoot along our stream. <i><b>Tussilago farfara. </b></i>One of the earliest spring flowers.<br />
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We were sad to find a window strike killed, <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/song_sparrow/id">Song Sparrow. Melospiza melodia</a>. We have one plate glass window that we have had a couple of kills on, despite some precautions. We will try to apply more to keep them from hitting it. However, this is still a learning opportunity, so we looked it over, and discussed the similarities in the bird anatomy we had already been learning. <br />
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We also laid out our seed potatoes on the downstairs table, because it's in the basement, where the light is subdued. This will help them make eyes better, and start the growing process. Potatoes are one of those crops that if we had unlimited time and space, we would grow a huge collection of. As it is, we pick up our seed potatoes from the local stores and just go with that. The varieties were Yukon Gold, Red Chieftain, Red Norland, Kennabec, Irish Cobbler, Katahdin, and Green Mountain. <br />
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<br />Mythical Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10476927037533184731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714291111569285820.post-3277564376189712422014-04-02T11:24:00.000-07:002014-04-02T11:24:59.899-07:00April 1st, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In in effort to maintain a Garden Journal here, as well as how to articles, here are our tasks today.<br />
April 1st, 2014: <br />
Warm weather at last. Upper 60's. Finally moving our new flock of 5 week old pullet chicks out of our downstairs workshop, and into the back garden shed, until the backup coop is built. We'll talk more about our chicken process later. So, this was also an annual day for us, that falls on a variable date due to the weather. That is, to clean the shed out and begin to organize for the coming season. We put away the Ice Melt/Salt from the long hard Winter of 2014. Those are accessible, as our last frost isn't until mid-May and we could still get a wintery mix, but they don't need to be stationed next to doors anymore. We took the Chicken Littles outdoors and they got their first sun and time on grass. We created a smaller "Play Pen Paddock" within the Chicken Yard, which is a fenced garden bed, the other flock, Chicken Bigs, have been on during some of the winter.<br />
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Our daughter joined the Littles in their playpen and socialized with them while the Bigs stalked around the outside and checked everyone out. We will do this for a while until we can integrate the two flocks. While the birds and girl child were getting some sun, we cleaned the shed and made space to put the pullet chicks in their cage in there. The goal is to create a larger cage on one side of that, to give them some growing room, while we expand our pre-existing coop and run. This also got them out of the workshop, as they really do create a ton of dust. We cleaned and cleaned and cleaned the shop, mostly done by Leah, the lady of the family. This is because Shane, is asthmatic and the dust was intense. <br />
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Also, today signaled the end of the Maple Sap run, and all day we were boiling off the last of our sap on the stove, making one more quart of syrup for ourselves. We pulled our jugs and buckets from our moderate "Sugarbush" area, and the last bit of buddy sap was tried, and spit out. Definitely the end of the season! It was a good one wi almost 8 quarts of syrup made this year.<br />
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A fitting end to a long tough winter. A day where the sun felt great on our faces and the work was long and dirty and when we were done, there were cleaner, tidier work areas and a bit more of a plan for our season's building projects and gardening calendar. Life is good, and the garden is waking up! Mythical Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10476927037533184731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714291111569285820.post-34336352371199723772014-03-30T12:16:00.000-07:002014-04-19T08:47:59.661-07:00The Gentle Art of Composting, Part 1: Active and Hot. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished compost, sifted and a bit wet. Gardeners call it "black gold" for a reason. </td></tr>
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Composting methods and instructions are found easily online. There are plenty of definitive guides. This isn't one. This is how we do it. <br /><br />(Part 2, which is how we mostly do it, is now done and here: <a href="http://floravalefarmstead.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-gentle-art-of-composting-part-2.html" target="_blank">Composting Part 2: Passive & Easy</a><br />
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Like all our entries here, our goals are not to show you the all inclusive method or technique, but to share our successful methods. They may not be the best, and they may not work for you at all, but they did for us. <br />
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Many composting guides explain two methods. Hot and Passive are common names. Our method is primarily the much easier and basic Passive Method. It is the one we use almost exclusively and it is the most straight forward technique for the average gardener and homesteader to learn and implement. However, I will cover that in Part 2. <br />
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The most important thing to remember is that composting is easy. Nature does it all the time, and will do it without any help from you. <br />
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Compost is the action of organic matter breaking down into humus. The rich fertile loam of the forest floor is nature's compost. It renders the nutrients and minerals in the organic matter into a more available form for the plants to use. It alone, can be used for potting soil or garden amendment. This isn't entirely practical for several reasons. One is that to gather it from the forest floor would strip it from around root areas there, disturbing the ecology. The second one is that the forest humus is often composed of single tree leaf species. This can cause an imbalance, such as Oak leaves are acidic, the ratio would be too high in carbon, etc. <br />
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So all this might seem like a bit too much chemistry for some, which puts many off composting. Don't let it. Just assume that if you took a bunch of humus from the forest floor and put it on your garden, your plants won't do so well. That doesn't mean humus isn't useful in you compost, and I will explain that more as we go on.<br />
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The basic ratio of compost is 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. 30:1. I often explain this as 30 parts brown and crunchy to 1 part green and squishy. However, most of the vegetable and green matter you use already has a lot carbon in it. For example, grass clippings tend to be 20:1, so add a bit of leaves and you're good. The simple way is to remember to add lots of carbon. That will become clear as you read along. <br />
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So, about Hot Composting. I explain by laying out my most successful attempt I have had so far. This was many years ago and our goal was to create finished usable compost, for side dressing plants, very quickly. This method of hot composting is entirely akin to cooking. That is, we assembled all our ingredients, mixed them correctly and maintained it until it was done. <br />
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Here are the ingredients. <br />
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<li>Llama manure. About a cubic yard. This is the manure, mixed with rotted bedding, a mix of sawdust and straw. Any pelleted manure, little round droppings, are heaviest in nitrogen and very useful for compost. We used this because we had access to it via a local farm. </li>
<li>Several buckets of forest humus. This was my "inoculate". Like a sourdough bread starter or the yeast for brewing. I knew it would be packed with the micro-organisms useful to breaking down the compost. It would have worked without it, but perhaps not so well. </li>
<li>Rotted vegetables. A dozen cases of tomatoes, watermelon, lettuces and other greens, etc. A local grocery store gave them to us. </li>
<li>Rotted corn stalks. A base layer of 3-4 bushels, plus interspersed layers. </li>
<li>Pond scum and duck weed. Yep. We threw buckets on ropes out into a pond covered in algae and duck weed and hauled them in. This was, in fact, like a secret ingredient. VERY hot with nitrogen. </li>
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We created a base layer of corn stalks, approximately 5x5 ft and about 8 inches thick. Next we layered it with 10-12 inches of manure followed by a thinner layer of rotted vegetables, wetting it down with a bucket of pond scum, then a thin layer of corn stalks, and repeated. Then shook a healthy portion of the forest humus over each layer. We reached a level of about five foot. Then kept it wet the whole way with the nitrogen rich pond scum. Used corn stalks vertically as well, building up around them. These let air down into the cooking pile. We set up a piece of scrap ply and old chopping knife to dice corn stalks and veggies as we went along.<br />
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Once our pile was built, we waited for the cooking to start. We measured the heat with a compost thermometer. Like a big meat style one with a 1 foot spike on it. The heat started the morning of the first day after building it. By the third day it was well over a 130F! That was exciting. The pile was built in an open stack, just behind a barn, so I turned it with a pitch fork by simply tossing the pile over a few feet. This cools it initially, but it quickly reheats. I took the piles temp every day, just because I was getting such a kick out of the experience. Every three days or so I turned it. By the 7-8 day it was cooling some. By the 14 day, it was mostly finished compost. Black, earthy, broken down to components and full of earth worms. After a sifting out, we had over a cubic yard of compost. <br />
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So this was great, exciting, and a massive bit of work, but the experience was well worth it. If you have access to the ingredients all at once, and have the time and inclination, I highly recommend it. In fact, I think anyone who is seriously interested in the composting process should try it once. It was very educational. By doing it that way first, I came to understand the whole process better, and it means that I have continued to have composting success. <br />
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In my next entry, I will detail how we passive compost, our pallet wood bins, and the joys of growing good dirt with little work. Mythical Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10476927037533184731noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1714291111569285820.post-3187234747464829092014-03-21T09:50:00.000-07:002014-03-21T09:51:18.400-07:00A Clutch of Eggs for the Future...<br />
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<br />Mythical Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10476927037533184731noreply@blogger.com0