Time to Redefine our Lives in Oregon

Archive for the ‘Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix’ Category

And the Sun Emerges

Has it truly been almost a month since I have written on this blog? Just about every day I think, “I’ve got to write about that,” and then I get distracted with life. That being said, you can catch up with us a bit on http://haveadanehilldanes.com as we walk through our days analyzing every droopy face, every burp, every ….. well, go check it out …. there may be new additions to the family soon.

Okay, so where do I begin? Winter is quickly fading into spring out here in the Pacific Northwest….really quickly. The goats are getting “itchy”, literally, to loose their fluffy, winter coats. They are rubbing on trees, scratching their backs and sides with their horns, and enjoying laying down under the mid-winter sun breaks.

The hens went into an egg shut-down this year, and virtually stopped laying. Since late October, we have only gotten 1 – 2 eggs every couple of days….within the past two weeks….production has increased, and we are now up to 3 – 4 eggs per day! Thank you increased daylight…with morning and evening combined, I think we are up to almost two more hours of light in the day than we were in the deep dark of late fall-early winter.

My two young hens have even started their egg laying careers……

…..these tiny eggs are perfect when you want to make a 1/3 of a cookie recipe or something. Who would want to only make a 1/3 of a cookie recipe, you may ask….well it’s kind of like buying already made refrigerator cookie dough, and only cooking part of the package….but I wouldn’t know about that, because I have these little eggs and I just make 1/3 of the recipe. HA!

One of my young layers…her name is, Summer….she is very friendly thanks to my niece, Justine, who spent a lot of time holding her, as a young hatchling, this summer…and quite fittingly, she named her, Summer! 🙂

Speaking of recipes, I’m on a mission to “lighten” our lives a bit. At this point, I’m not overzealous, but just making changes where I can. I’d like to share with you this recipe I made for the Super Bowl….it is a lightened up version of Spinach-Artichoke Dip…

….it was full of flavor. It did feel lighter in texture, not as creamy, but totally okay because the flavor was there…..honestly, I did miss the creaminess a little, but I can live with that. Here is the link to the recipe…. http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/hot-spinach-and-artichoke-dip.html

Thank you for visiting the farm today after our long absence. We hope you have a most wonderful day.

Your friend from Oregon,

Tami

#lighterversionofspinachartichokedip #spinachartichokedipwithgreekyogurt

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, building a new home, Goats, Lightened Up Recipes

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The Skies Have It!!

If you are living anywhere considered within the western states….I think it’s safe to say, basically….you have been on fire, or benn breathing the results of the many, many fires filling the air with the smells of a huge campfire….

http://viewer.smoke.airfire.org/run/standard/PNW-4km/2015081600

The blue skies of Oregon…

…have turned into a blanket of grey….

….and although the picture doesn’t show it well, the smoke lays lightly low within the trees. Thankfully, for our homestead, the fires are not threatening our surrounding forests. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have been evacuated, or may soon have to leave their homes.

The sunsets have been erily beautiful.

The smoke has also created a cover for airborne predators….the kind with sharp beaks and talons….the kind that pluck young, feathered friends up off the ground, and carry them away. We’ve had two attempted hawk attacks on our young flock within the past three days. Thankfully, the juveniles are getting their feet accustomed to the great outdoors in a safe environment….

…this is what you call the awkward, in-between stage!! hahaha!

In both instances, the hawk did not perceive the chicken wire are a barrier and rammed right into it with talons blazing. One tussled with the wire mesh, trying to find an opening, or create one….the other immediately flew up into the tree adjacent to the flock’s enclosure. In both cases, the hawks flew in with a stealthy silence, minus a forewarning shadow due to the haze of smoke. Outside of their enclosure, these, Littles ,would not have stood a chance…..

The good news……

…..my blues skies of Oregon have returned…

….Mama Chardonnay, hatched two little chicks (they’re still playing hide-n-seek at this point)….

…we harvested the most delicious watermelon EVER!!……

…and these little beautiful Chardonnay gems from our new vines, give us hope for the future. I can’t wait to grow enough to actually make our own mead wine. Next year??

Hey, thank you for visiting today!! I hope your day ahead, or the one behind is or has been MAHVALOUS!!

Your friend from Oregon,

Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, building a new home, Chardonnay Grape Vines, Hatching Chicken Eggs, Hatching Chicks, Smoky air, Watermelon

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Welcome to my Chaos!!

Yesterday, was a day of chaos reminiscent of a black & white silent movie. Things were moving in fast forward, and none of the participants seemed to care. Not one paid attention to the part I played of the ever-present traffic cop, standing in the middle of the busy intersection, blowing my whistle for everyone to just STOP!! They didn’t; they kept on in their chaotic quest to…do whatever it was they had a mind to do.

Goats were running a-muck…outside of their two acres of enclosure.

They have been pushy lately….well one has been pushier than the others….this guy…..Lott…

….has been trying to breach the boundaries of the gate…not the fence line, the gate. He sees me leave…and I think his goat mind goes to…”well, I must leave also.” So he RUNS to the gate to get there before I can get through and close it so that he can put himself in the gap and just push forward like the stubborn goat he has become. Yesterday, he and Montana worked in unison, while gentle, little Clark …

…stood close. They saw their opportunity…pushed behind me, and they were out. I held the gate open so that Clark would not be left out of the grand adventure.

Trying to get them back into their enclosure was a comical scene…two goats would follow the goat treats,

while one preferred the leaves of the oak tree just outside of their enclosure….

…I’ve truly come to understand the saying, “Stubborn as a goat!!”

While the goats were in the chicken’s realm…

…..the chickens were in the goat enclosure.

Then, mama hen, Kermit, at some point in the afternoon, decided that it was time to do this…..

…..okay, that is fine except…. it was very close (well maybe not as close as I originally thought) to the point in the day when the hens and Benedict start to gather before they move into the chicken house for the night. My mind went to that automatic door, and what if those little chicks could not get back up onto the porch. What if one, the littlest one, was still outside when the door closed, and she ran under the house where I couldn’t catch her?

I decided to corral Kermit and the chicks back into their house. The porch is elevated…one chick could jump up onto it, the other two fell short. It took about twenty minutes of getting Kermit on the porch, followed by one chick, while the others called to Kermit, who then jumped off the porch followed by the one chick who was on the porch…gather up the babies and put them on the porch hoping for Kermit to follow, only to have the babies jump off the porch because Kermit wouldn’t cooperate…then placing a plank hoping for the chicks to walk up to the porch….NOT……trying to teach the chicks to walk up the plank…running around to catch the rogue chick that runs the other direction….corralling mama hen to get back on the porch….and FINALLY, timing it all where chicks and mama are in the same place at the same time…and then all walk through the chicken house door!!! OMGOSH!!

Finally, everyone was where they should be…..

It was time to feed Penni, so into the house we go…and see this….

…..one of our neighbor’s peacocks…..the other one is running around on the roof. And the chase begins…

…..but then, finally, there was calm….and a beautiful sunset.

Oh wait…I still had to close the goats in for the night………..

Thanks for visiting the farm today. As chaotic as it can be, there is peace.

I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful Sunday on this Memorial Day weekend.

Your friend from Oregon,

Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, building a new home, Chickens, Free Ranging Chickens, Goats, Meat Goats, Spanish Meat Goats

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Creepy Crawlies….YUCK!

Less than a day after the hatching of chick number two, Kermit, left the nesting box. She moved herself and both chicks down to the larger brooder area, leaving five eggs behind. I have seen this happen with Chardonnay, but normally that took a good four days, or so, before she totally let the eggs go cold. This move was definitely early, but this was her first brood, so I chalked it up to inexperience….until…….

……WAIT…….WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!!!!

As I was reaching down to move the eggs back under, Kermit, hoping she would hatch one or two more….I paused…..looked….what’s on the eggs? Tiny, tiny little specks…and they were moving!! I looked at my hand…tiny, tiny little specks were moving on hand, on my shirt sleeve, both my hands….WHAT WAS GOING ON??!!!

Photo captured from http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/insectid/2014/03/07/bird-mites/

MITES!!! Oh my gosh!! It was so gross. I have never had mites, at least I have never seen evidence of mites, on or around my birds. What was I supposed to do??? I remembered the goat rancher saying to get diatomaceous earth (DE) to powder the goats if they got itchy….in other words, fleas, ticks, etc. I had some…..I ran to the shop.

By this time I was feeling things crawling on me….on my face and in my hair. KEEP CALM!!! I put on gloves, and a heavy duty mask….I was already wearing glasses so I thought that would suffice for eye protection….put a bunch of this fine powder into a bucket and ran back to the hen house. I doused the nest, the brooder area, and even mama hen, Kermit.

There was no evidence of the creepy crawlies on any of the eggs laid that day, but I wasn’t taking any chances….everything got dusted….every nesting box, every roosting board, window eaves, and the entirety of the floor of the hen house. The place went from a pine, wood board color to grey. I left a good amount on the roosting boards so that the hens, and Benedict would be laying in it as they roosted for the night. Then I went out to their usual dusting spots, and dusted those areas.

I dusted the goats…for good measure. I used the residual dust on my gloves to run my hands over Penni and give her a light dusting, I dusted my clothes….then….oh gosh…I can’t believe I’m admitting this…..I very, very, lightly dusted my hair.

OH MY GOSH!!!! SO GROSS!!! I could feel the creepy crawlies on my scalp….. BLEH!!!!

I left it on for about fifteen minutes, then showered. They critters were gone, which gave me good hope for the hen house.

That night, however, I didn’t sleep well. My mind was all about having to clean up the chicken house, and having bugs crawling on me. Thankfully, after leaving the place thoroughly dusted for three days, when I did clean it from top to bottom this weekend, not one creepy crawly was felt, or found on me, or anywhere else.

OMGOSH!! I don’t know what caused this to happen. I’ve never had mites in my flock!! There are two things that I suspect…I used straw as bedding the last couple of months; I normally use pine shavings. Straw, apparently, has hollow spaces perfect for little mites to thrive and populate…ok…back to shavings we go!!! Secondly, mites are spread by other birds…and the other birds hanging around ALOT right now are my neighbor’s peafowl (two peacocks and a peahen), the Canadian Geese have gone.

In the meantime…this little beauty hatched in the incubator….

…..and is running around with Mama Kermit…and his siblings…

All is well!!!

Thanks for visiting today….no itchies for you!! Hahaha.

Have a great evening, afternoon, or morning (depending on when you’re reading this!!

Your friend from Oregon,

Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, Chicken Mites, Free Ranging Chickens, Hatching Chicken Eggs, Hatching Chicks, Peacocks

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Outside the Box

It is spring…in case you didn’t know!! The grasses are tall…very tall. The wind is blowing, and the rain is falling…and for obvious reasons, that’s okay!!

With the wind and rain came two more things….well, I don’t think I’d really call them, “things!”

Both look like Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red mix chicks. I’m hoping to have one that is a true Buff Orphington chick … it would be a Benedict / Claudio baby, my only pure Buff Orphington adults.

With the wind and rain, also came a realization….these little cuties were going to need a little extra heat in their brooder. How was I going to hang a heat lamp with my makeshift design? So I started thinking….a tripod? That could work! I looked around, and my eyes landed on a more stable alternative……

….it works, and I think it is a little more stable than a tripod. Sometimes you have to think outside the box…inside the box.

And so it continues as there are six more eggs to hatch…I expect at least four more, there are two that seemed a little questionable when candled a week and a half ago. Exciting times!!

Thanks for stopping by the farm today. This cool spring day has been full of blessings! I hope you find the blessings of your day too!!

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Brooders, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, Hatching Chicks, Rhode Island Reds

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Cardboard Brooders??

The objective…..use these materials (wire structure that they are lying on top of not included)…..

….and figure out an acceptable brooder for the impending hatching. It has to be able to house mama hen, and chicks, within the current chicken house, and allow an ease of cleaning. (more…)

Category:

Brooders, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Cardboard Brooders, Chicken Eggs, Hatching Chicken Eggs

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Benedict’s Bungalow

A few posts ago, I hinted…well maybe more than hinted….on the flock’s new house. it has been a work in progress….work a little…..NOT…..work a little….NOT, and finally it is finished I had very little to do with this construction project beyond design …. Tony did 90% of the work, my son…..maybe 10%. So, although the new little shelter should be called, Tony’s Place, (or something like that), it has to be….Benedict’s Bungalow!!!

It started with a moveable foundation, built on skids. The one part I did help with was the building of the trusses for the roof.

Every hen house deserves a nice porch to sit out on while enjoying those long, summer evenings!!

YES!!! We are wired for electricity!!! No more flashlights, or construction extension cords draped across the ground from the shop. Hey…we have to have….

……Christmas lights!!!

Insulation for our fine feathered friends!! They deserve this…they work hard for us.

I think I could live in this little house!!!

I think they are enjoying their little house!!!

The flock is really enjoying this set-up of their roosting boards. There seems to be a lot less picking on each other, and there is enough space for those ladies lower on the pecking order to find a peaceful resting spot.

The new 16″ x 16″ nesting boxes.

I think the girls are happy….I know they are! With more light, peaceful nights, and these amazing nests…we are getting between six and nine eggs a day now!!!

And with this automatic chicken door….. I’m a happy camper too!!! It raises and lowers with the light of day, and as night descends. Now that I trust that the flock understands that this is their home, and they haven’t missed getting into the house on time for two weeks…I am not running out every night to check on them. I’m trusting that everybody has made it in… it’s very liberating, actually!!! 🙂

So, I leave you with this….the next time you crack open an egg…..think about the hen that gave you that little gem, and thank her. If you think it’s easy work….just listen to our morning……they do carry on!!!

Thank you for visiting the flock today!! I hope your time here was fun!!

Your friend from Oregon,

Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, building a new home, Chicken House, Chickens, Rhode Island Reds

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Dotting the Landscape

Miss Fozzy Bear

The moisture in the land this time of year brings about a true richness and depth in the natural colors that dot the scenery. I love how the redness in the wood that ladens the land pops through the bright green of the winter moss, and grasses.

A stray piece of Douglas Fir bark becomes a topographical mapping of the roadways various insects have taken to navigate their way, to and fro.

Stumps that are being slowly broken down and decayed dramatically showcase tunnels and caverns.

Stray branches damaged by weather, and time create an amazing centerpiece fit for a king’s table.

Even the flock want to get their feet onto a wooden surface………nope, not that one ladies…..no way….

….that’s more like it!!

Those are some beautiful girls!!

Thanks for visiting our forested farm today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Your friend from Oregon,

Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, Chickens, Douglas Fir wood, Rhode Island Reds

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Back to Business

Seems as though the holidays are over…the tree is down, decorations put away, lights on the house coming down today…..however….we are still munching on these….I couldn’t let my son down….I had promised to make these for him since Christmas…..besides….it truly isn’t Christmas until my Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies are made (a tradition from my childhood…thanks Mom!!! 🙂 )

I can’t really call these Christmas Cookies…I made them on New Year’s Day. Haha…better late than never.

….and these….

Beautiful chestnuts!

…well, we’re not really still munching on the chestnuts. Sadly, this was a bad batch, and had molded on the inside. We were really disappointed, especially, Tony, as he bit into a mold pocket…YUCK!!! Chestnuts became a tradition during the very beginnings of our life together, as Tony’s family usually had them as part of their Christmas tradition. I love this tradition. The last two Christmas’, however, we have gotten bad nuts, unfortunate as their season is very short. If you remember, we planted our own chestnut trees last fall…

…but with the deep freeze and copious amounts of snow last winter, followed by a really dry, dry summer…the jury is still out as to whether or not the nut bearing grafts have survived. We did not expect nuts this year, and we did not get any…spring will tell us the true story of the damage they received. I would so love to harvest our own chestnuts in the fall. Keep your fingers crossed…we certainly are!!!

Chickens and chow mein!!

The flock celebrated their first day of 2015 with leftover chow mein and fried rice. They were in heaven!! Grabbing a noodle, I’m sure their chicken minds went to the free range find of the coveted earthworm!! To say they were entertaining would be an understatement. One would grab a noodle, and with a quick look around, would take off running in a guarded attempt to get the noodle-worm down without having it stolen by another hen. Once gobbled, it was an all out sprint to get back to the noodle pile for another prize. So funny!! As always, our rooster, Benedict, was the ultimate gentleman and held back while the girls consumed. Once in awhile he would poke his head in, and using a very mannerly approach, would take a noodle from the edge of the pile. The hens were much more demanding. They could take a few lessons from their mature patriarch.

As we get back to the business of the farm for the year 2015, we welcome the newness, and the potential. We’ve identified lots of goals, and in turn created lists of tasks that promise to keep us quite busy. I look forward to sharing these times with you!

Thanks for visiting the farm today!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Your friend from Oregon,

Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, building a new home, Chestnut Trees, Chickens, Rhode Island Reds

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The Littlest Hen

The morning was filled with the warmth of summer in late July. Anticipating the freshness of the day, the flock was noisy, calling for their freedom. I pulled opened their door, and quickly, hens rambled outside. Opening the “people” door, I heard that familiar little sound. Although, somewhat muffled, it was undeniable. Peering into the brooder, my eyes landed on the source of the high pitched “peep peep peeep”……

…she would have been easy to miss, as she quickly hid in the warmth of Mama Chardonnay’s wings. Out of seven eggs, she was the only one to hatch.

The baby chick quickly grew, and became her mama hen’s little shadow. Chardonnay shared all of her food with the chick, always allowing her to eat first. She has always been such a good Mama Hen.

Mama and Chick catching some rays.

She grew, and grew.

Corn has always been one of her most favorite things.

Free ranging everyday, she diligently followed Chardonnay, listening, watching, imitating, and learning. She became well integrated into the flock, and was rarely chased or pecked at by the older hens.

As is the danger of growing up in the middle of a farm – forest, predators are a real threat when feathers cover your body. The flock works hard to safeguard themselves against these threats, and they do very well. Sometimes their efforts, and our efforts are not enough. Something attacked our littlest hen.

The undeniable evidence.

I found the evidence yesterday morning…I’m not sure if it happened Saturday evening, or Sunday morning. Usually, I count the flock to make sure everyone made it into their house for the night…I didn’t do that Saturday night. I don’t remember specifically seeing her come out of their house on Sunday morning, but nothing alerted my conscious thoughts to her absence. In any case, she is gone…I wish I knew what got her!

It’s that circle of life thing. The flock knew it and were on high alert all day, hiding underneath things..running from cover to cover to change locations. They felt the loss, and the danger. This is the life of a free ranging chicken. There are real dangers, and in spite of that, there is real freedom….and sometimes, if I catch it just right, I think I can see them smiling!

Sorry little girl!!

There are definite life lessons that occur in nature, look for them, they’re there.

Thanks for walking through nature with me today.

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, building a new home, Chicken House, Chickens, Free Ranging Chickens, Hatching Chicks, Hawk attack, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Rhode Island Reds

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29 Hours on the Farm

I’ve come to realize that my life is all about the chickens…and of course Sir Benedict.

They tell me, under no uncertain terms, when to wake up. On those rare mornings that I have not gotten out of bed before sunrise, Benedict loudly calls from his high roost, and the hens squawk and complain….and poop…everywhere. Since I clean their roosts, nesting boxes, and platforms in front of their nesting boxes every morning…it’s a good idea to get them out just as the sunlight crests the darkness. I fudge this timing, just a little on the weekends, but still need to get out there before the hens have need for their time of privacy.

This flock dictates how late I can stay out at night…somebody has to close the door to the hen house after dark!! Predators in the forest = a definite need for security.

The flock and I have a symbiotic relationship…..they poop…I pick it up. They eat…I buy more food. They get blown by the wind….I cover up the drafts…. (this will be the last time I do this….more on that in my next post.)

The UPS guy told me that that was the most “Red Neck” chicken coop he’s ever seen…hahahaha!

…..they poop…I pick it up (yes, I said that twice…I spend a lot of time picking up chicken poop!) My flock free range. They follow their natural food sources, and always end up back in their house at night. Sometimes that means this……

Hey, get off the porch…that water is for the dogs!!

….and this…..

Seriously…that is chicken poop…That’s ridiculous!!!

….so, I follow them around picking up their…not so golden surprises. In the end, I believe the flock is healthier (I know we are!) and happier.

If you have 41 seconds….take a look at our little video, 29 Hours on the Farm , …. this is the reason I let this flock run my life ….

….next stop….well, we’re looking at goats (any ideas?), but I think I need a trip to Disneyland first!!! I’ve definitely got the bug!!

Thank you, for visiting the farm this morning!! Have a wonderful Sunday!!

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, Chicken House, Chickens, Dogs and Chickens, Free Ranging Chickens, Goats, Great Dane, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, Rat Terrier mix, Red Neck Chicken Coop, Rhode Island Reds

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Nope, Not Moulting

You may remember this guy…..

Benedict….our Big Daddy Rooster!! Patriarch to the Middles, and the Littles (aka the Muppets.)

….big daddy, Benedict….our gentleman rooster. Always polite, never asking of his hens without the traditional dance. He doesn’t eat of the discarded kitchen goodies until his family has had the chance to partake. This boy keeps his eye on the sky and warns the flock of any impending dangers…Yes, he is the stud of the farm.

The past couple of months, Benedict has become somewhat of a bully to a few select hens. Oddly enough, these are hens of his roo-hood…the full Rhode Island Reds, all of them…except mama hen, Chardonnay. He will literally chase them down, not necessarily to mate, but often times just to, well…stand on them. Really, at this point, I know the difference..hahaha! Their backs are bare, or in various stages of feather regrowth.

Poor little Reisling’s bare back…FYI she had just gotten up from a dust bath, her back looks dirty.

I’ve read about this. Their feather loss is not due to molting, there are even thick wing feathers that have been broken off, not pulled out. And I’ve witnessed it…I’ve seen the intentional chase..mount..stand, just standing, no rooster duties going on. Sometimes, Claudio, our Buff Orphington hen, gets in the act with Benedict, and will run over and start some weird kind of hen attack…plucking at the other hen’s feathers while Benedict stands on them. Is this common behavior??

Benedict and his harem…including the 4 bare backs.

As the colder weather approaches, I’m a bit worried about these girls. At the advice of our local feed store, the flock is now getting supplemented with Purina Flock Raiser which is higher in protein and fat than regular chicken feed (Purina Layena.) It seems to be helping with feather regrowth, and since the cold weather is currently knocking on the door, I’ve made this their primary food. As the feathers attempt to grow back, those thick shafts stick out, and it seems much more painful for them when Benedict does…whatever it is he is doing. I’ve become, Alpha Rooster, and chase him away from these girls when he pursues them…he does seem to be listening. I’ve read about hen jackets that are made for this reason, however, you run a greater risk of a mite infestation with the jackets….I don’t think I want that…but I also don’t want my girls to be cold. The only thing I know is….there’s a lot I don’t know!!!

HEY!!! Get off the porch!!!

Thanks for checking in on the farm today. When I tell the flock that you’ve been here…they get very excited!!!

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Bare Backs on Chickens, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, building a new home, Chicken House, Chickens, Free Ranging Chickens, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Muppets, Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, Rhode Island Reds

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An Incredible Find

Have you ever seen the artistry in the routine? Birds nest….an incredible, yet routine event in their lives…

The Muppets hatching.

Chickens do not really build a nest, they find a cozy, quiet spot. Many of the flock will then lay their eggs in that same location, resulting in this…

Six nesting boxes….this one was the hot spot today!!

….that was all from one morning. Where is the artistry in a nesting box full of eggs? If you look closely, each egg is very different…size, shape, color, decorative “freckles”…they are each very unique….

That’s one big egg!!!

That being said, I think the true artists reveal themselves every spring with the creation of an incredible piece of workmanship. The structure is amazing, and the question that usually arises in me every time I, happily, encounter one of these delicate yet strong, masterpieces of construction is …. “How did the bird build this without the use of hands?” You will not believe the incredibly gorgeous piece of true art that I am so blessed to have come upon while hiking with my Great Dane, Penni.

It must have blown out from the trees this past week…. are you ready…..

Look at this closely…

So completely incredible…

Look at this closely…imagine the time it took to build. The supplies used were ingenious…feathers from the chickens supply softness, hair from the mane or tail of our neighbor’s horses provide structure, and a little peacock feather for a splash of color….completely, insanely gorgeous!!!

By the size of it, my guess is a hummingbird nest. Truly amazing…

I feel like it is truly a privilege to have found this little beauty, and I’m so happy to be able to share it with you!!

Thank you for taking a walk with me this morning, I hope this little gem of the forest will help to make your day just a bit more special.

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Autumn, Birds of Oregon, Birds of the Pacific Northwest, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, building a new home, Chicken Eggs, Chicken House, Chickens, Great Dane, Hiking in Oregon, Homesteading, Humming Bird Nest, moving to Oregon, Nesting Boxes, Penni the Great Dane

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Tule (Tooley) Fog

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” ― Henry David Thoreau

Okay, that’s pretty much true…unless I have a chance to sit on the couch and cuddle with this sweetheart…

…..uuuhhhmmmmm, I mean this sweetie…

As if scripted by a professional screenwriter, Autumn rolled in, in the form of the very familiar covering of ground level fog…in the SF Bay Area, it’s called Tule (Tooley) Fog.

I called the valley fog here in Oregon, Tule Fog once…..I got blank stares accompanied by a smile or two…hahaha…nobody seemed to know what I was talking about..hahaha! So, I don’t really know what to call it…I guess just fog..haha. I had no idea that that particular weather terminology was specific to California.

Rain is in the forecast, in fact, it drizzled much of the day, and has now rained throughout the night. So at the great advice of two of my friends from work (thank you Sabrina and Angie) I picked the rest of my tomatoes. Many were immensely green, but off the vine they came.

These will, hopefully, ripen in a paper bag, and be no less than the quality of a tomato bought in a grocery store. At least I will know that these were grown without pesticides, and unnatural fertilizers.

The corn stalks came down today, as well, to keep them from molding. I like to use them for outdoor decorating…they don’t usually last very long…the chickens like them too!

While we wait for the rain, Penni promises to keep watch over the tomatoes.

Thankfully, they don’t taste like blackberries…that bucket would be emptied by now!!

Looking forward to sharing this wonderful season with you….thanks for visiting the farm today! 🙂

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Autumn, Bay Area Fog, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, California, Fall Decorations, Great Dane, Harvesting, Home Grown Tomato, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, Roma Tomatos, San Francisco Bay Area, Tule Fog

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Autumn is Fall-ing

I had help writing this morning…

We’ve been seeing the tell-tale signs of the wilting and turning of leaves…some are starting to drop. The season is beginning, yet summer is giving its best effort to hang on. Yesterday, the last day of summer, Se˜or Verano, decided to flex his muscles for one more day here in the Pacific Northwest. Take a quick look at this comparison to areas that are typically on the hotter side this time of year……

1:40 p.m. PST (time that I looked at it )… 3:40 p.m. EST (actual time of temp.)

……What….doesn’t everyone have Disney World and Disneyland programmed into their phones?? Typically, the Bay Area gets hit with a late Indian Summer in Sept…uhhmmm, hmmmmm. In contrast….

Take a look….this was at 6:00 P.M.

it seems since we moved up to Oregon the sustaining heat followed us….don’t laugh too loudly!!! It’s been a hot, very dry summer. We, on this little farm including our fine feathered friends…

…have had a collective, sigh, as the forecast shows dropping temperatures and RAIN in the forecast. For the flock this means the emergence of bugs, worms, and a bit of fresh, greens growing up out of the dry soil….for the humans it means sweaters, warm coffee, an eventual lift in the burn restrictions equaling in the ability to mow down those darn weeds, and the chance to build outdoor / indoor fires…yes, we are ready!!

While we wait, there are tomatoes to harvest, watermelon and pumpkin yet to ripen, a new hen house to build (that’s a different story), and hopefully one more blackberry harvest. I do hope the watermelon ripens!!

Thank you for visiting the farm today!

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami

Category:

Autumn, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Chickens, Dogs and Chickens, Free Ranging Chickens, Grape Tomatoes, Great Dane, Home Grown Tomato, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, San Francisco Bay Area, Summer, Watermelon, Wild Blackberries

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My Least Favorite Time of Year

Do you like summertime? I do! I like harvesting, sharing, and eating the beauties from my garden….

I like the long days that stretch into the later hours…

……and the hot summer night sounds from my neighbors Peacocks

I like the warmth of early summer….

…..when the ground is still green…

Happy chickens in the warmth of early summer.

THEN…..August thinks it can just come along and spoil the goodness of my green summer days……my least favorite time of the year!!

What’s that??? Hey who invited, August, to our summer party??

August brings the heat, and the dryness to the land. It is the time for getting poked from stickers that get stuck in your socks as you walk through the dry grasses.

Unfortunately, a bolt on the mowing implement attached to the tractor was broken for awhile at the end of June. Burn restrictions went up on July 3rd…since we have rocks, and metal blades against rocks can create sparks…sparks against dry grasses can create fires…mowing season ended earlier than usual. I didn’t have a chance to do the final cutting…so, unfortunately, the weeds are larger, and uglier than I am happy with…

YUCK!!

The chickens get hot, and scrounge the dry grasses for bugs and seeds. I hooked up a fan in the chicken house for relief of the hens while they conduct their “business”…then I turn the fan in the afternoon toward the roosting boards so they can find some relief as they need it.

The pond has receded….thankfully it has never gone dry! But this summer…actually, the past two summers, have really tested our little pond….

The pond is way down…this “green” area is usually not as large.

See the green ridge above the water line? This is where the pond usually recedes too…the ridge above it is where the pond sits when it full…I call that the NORMAL part of the year!!

Saturday, August 30th, did bring some relief…

Fall can’t come too soon!!

Thank you for sharing the first day of September with me. I hope your Labor Day is spectacular….put one on the barbie for me, and I’ll add a burger on my BBQ for you!!

Your friend from the NW,
Tami

Category:

Brush Hog, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, Chicken House, Chickens, Creeks in Oregon, Free Ranging Chickens, Great Dane, Hiking in Oregon, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Mowing, Oregon, Penni the Great Dane, Pond, Summer, Summer Rain

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Oh, Did I Tell You…

It seems like forever since I have sat down to write. It is that time of year. Mid-August usually demands a certain amount of sweat-equity…not only from the summer heat,

Oregon’s best kept secret….

but also from the demands of the oh-so-soft-spoken ripening garden. It has been dry, really dry.

The ground is so dry.

Everything, is feeling thirsty from the lack of those wet, drippy things that fall from the sky. It takes a bit of an extra effort to keep the flock in fresh water (they get overheated very easily), to maximize the benefit of the water given to the garden, to water young fruit, nut, and Sequoia trees one by one by the bucketful, while keeping a balance with the water level in our holding tank. That tank holds water from our well…which in turn, waters this family.

“Yeah, I’m guarding the water!”

In spite of water rationing for the garden, there is plentiful ripening. Harvesting of more than just a couple of tomatoes here…a pepper there…has begun! We are starting to enjoy the “fruits of our labor”, especially in the berry department. Wild blackberries are ripening at break-neck speed, and my little strawberries are right behind them. When you pick them at that juicy, sweet ripened stage from the vine, they don’t last long. The upshot of that is turning this…..

….into this!!!

Making jam…

Strawberry jam

And this….

Bucketful of Blackberries

…into this…

Blackberry Cobbler!!!

Oh boy!!!

A little time consuming, but totally worth it!!

Oh, did I tell you….

The newest addition.

….welcome to the farm little Roni Jr. ….. hatched on my daughter’s half-birthday. Out of six eggs, this is the only one that hatched. After several days, Mama Hen abandoned the nest, and the eggs went bad. The baby is out and about free ranging with the rest of the flock, watching every move Mama makes.

Thank you for sharing the long days of summer on the farm with me!! Hope you are having a wonderful August!

Your friend,
Tami

Category:

Blackberries, Blackberry Cobbler, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Chicken Eggs, Chickens, Free Ranging Chickens, Harvesting, Hatching Chicks, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Rhode Island Reds, Strawberry, Strawberry Jam, Wild Blackberries

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Dinner Last Night

There is artistry in the food we eat. I realized this with last night’s dinner. I don’t mean in the way of how it is displayed on the plate, or the unique style in the craftsmanship of the porcelain it sits upon. More and more, thanks to the numerous cooking shows on T.V., I’m experiencing the depth of flavors one can create when the main seasonings go beyond garlic salt and pepper (that’s where I’ve been stuck for many years.) Even this, however, is not really what I’m talking about right now. Although spices add to the complexity and success of the dish, the main ingredients, the stars of the show, are what my thoughts have been focusing on.

OOOOPPSSS…how did those Little’s get into the garden??

Dinner last night, the sustenance of nutrition, was completely grown, or raised, on this little beginnings of a farm…right here on Haveadane Hill. Okay, so the spices I used and the local honey were not…but….does that count??? Something to think about…can I grow my own cumin, how about ginger?? Something to definitely investigate!!

Baking chicken on the grill.

This beautiful bird (one of the roosters of the Littles, aka The Muppets hatching) was hatched, raised free ranging from day one, culled by Tony, cleaned and processed by my own hands, chilled in the fridge for a few days, and became the star of the show!!

Isn’t that gorgeous??!!

I made a rub of powdered garlic, cumin, ginger, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. This little bird was well coated and cooked up beautifully!!

Then I chopped up onion, crookneck squash, young yellow bell peppers, and zucchini…all from my garden…sauteed them in olive oil (well..no, I didn’t squish the olives hahaha)…cooking the onions first, sprinkled with cajun spices until well caramelized, then added the two squash.

As the veggies started to release their juices, I added the wonderfully delicious local honey I discovered a couple of weekends ago (I was not at all fond of honey until I discovered REAL honey…not the junk sold in the grocery store.)

The end of the honey drizzle….who wants to lick the spoon??

I thought that I had possibly cooked the veggies too much…I didn’t want mushy, but I wanted them to be cooked through. Much to my delight, they still had a nice crunch from their skin due to the just, picked, garden freshness. Next time for color, I may add some spinach at the end of the veggie saute. I think that would be good!!

My completely home grown dinner…delicious!!

The little rooster was really, really flavorful…and a bit tough. He was a very fit bird, with very little fat. Butterflying the bird and roasting it on the grill breast side up (thank you FoodNetwork – The Kitchen) allowed the spices and the small bit of fat from the skin to permeate the meat making it very moist. The veggies were outstanding, and the sweet honey added to the brightness of the cajun spices really complimented each other. The flavor that stood out to me the most, however, was how absolutely fresh everything tasted…really, it was amazing.

Making chicken stock.

THEN….not wanting to waste one bit of this amazing little rooster, I added water (we’re on a well so again…straight from the farm), carrots and onion (from the garden) and made a wonderful stock.

Stock after sitting in fridge overnight.

There was so little fat that rose to the surface, that this is all I could skim off….

I’m proud of my little rooster…he was one healthy bird!! He provided my family dinner last night, and will provide us broth for a great soup once the weather turns cooler.

Cooled, skimmed, and ready for the freezer…to enjoy as soup in the cool of a fall evening!

Who would have ever thought that this city kid from the San Francisco Bay Area, who ate in restaurants more than she cooked, could move to the country and raise the meat and veggies entirely on the farm for dinner last night?? I’m so excited to explore what is next for the farm…I keep talking to Tony about a couple of cows…he keeps talking about a couple of pigs….bee keeping for honey is totally on the list…stay tuned, there’s more to come!!!!!

Thanks for sharing my dinner last night!! Have a wonderful, wonderful Sunday!!

Your friend,
Tami

Category:

Bell Peppers, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, building a new home, Chickens, Cold weather, Cooking a Rooster, Crookneck Squash, Free Ranging Chickens, Harvesting, Homesteading, Honey, honey bees, Local Oregon Honey, moving to Oregon, Oregon, Rhode Island Reds, San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, Zucchini

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The Cool of the Morning

In the cool of the morning life again starts,
In the cool of the morning nature becomes art,
In the cool of the morning something departs,
The cool of this morning has broken my heart.
by Tami

It started as a normal summer day. By 6:30 a.m. the first of my morning chores were completed…the chicken house was opened and cleaned for the morning’s egg-laying activities…

No more rooms at the Inn!!

….Benedict and the hens were out to free range for the day, as the patriarch of the flock danced and strutted to remind the ladies of his presence…chicken feed was scattered about to supplement their free ranging…the dogs were fed…and so on, and so on. Finally, it was time to sit with a cup of coffee before starting out for the rest of the morning chores.

As I was pouring my cup, WHAM!!! A loud, familiar, yet more striking, noise came from the windows facing northwest. The man who really tames this forest, looked out and confirmed a bird had flown into the solid illusion of open space. It was laying on a cushion from our patio swing. Any bird that flies into the window is an urgent concern to me. Given time, and the safety of a secluded environment, most get over the confusion of what is probably a massive headache, and are able to be released back to their avian lives. Unfortunately, this beauty was laying on its back, feet curled….lifeless.

As suspected, it was a big bird. Normally the beauties hitting the windows are more like finch size…this one was dramatically larger…and so beautiful!!

A beautiful, beautiful tragedy!

How gorgeous is this!

God is quite an AMAZING artist!!!

She was called a Flicker. She was an ant eating woodpecker. She was a welcomed friend that I would frequently see, and hear on our trees. I marveled at her beauty from afar, and am totally amazed at her stunning beauty at close examination. I will miss seeing my friend in the mornings, and the early evenings. I will miss the familiar knocking that causes me to look up and seek a glimpse of her. I hope she doesn’t have young ones in a nest somewhere waiting on her return, it is later in the season so hopefully her young have left the nest.

Photo by Dennis Paulsen, posted on Slater Museum of Natural History website.

If you want to read more about her, check out this website… http://slatermuseum.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-ant-eating-woodpecker.html

Goodbye my friend!!

Thank you for sharing my morning!

Your friend from Oregon,
Tami
****UPDATE***** I realize I left you all with the sadness of the morning…let me add a little encouragement with some light-heartedness…how about the newness of life beginning with this cute little critter….

Category:

Ant Eating Woodpecker, Bird hitting window, Birds of Oregon, Birds of the Pacific Northwest, Buff Orphington / Rhode Island Red Mix, Buff Orpington, Chicken House, Flicker, Hiking in Oregon, Homesteading, moving to Oregon, Northwest Flicker, Oregon, Rhode Island Reds, Woodpecker

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Of Summer and Chickens

A little chicken humor to start your day…

A Pig and a Chicken are walking down the road.
The Chicken says: “Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant!”
Pig replies: “Hm, maybe, what would we call it?”
The Chicken responds: “How about ‘ham-n-eggs’?”
The Pig thinks for a moment and says: “No thanks. I’d be committed, but you’d only be involved!”

Here’s something else that I find very humorous….

YES!!! That’s our Benedict!

…Benedict!! Our gentleman rooster kicking back and spending time with mama hen, Chardonnay. She’s been broody lately, but non-committal. She’ll sit for a couple of days, then I find that she has switched nests. I’m fine with that as I really don’t want more chicks right now. I think Benedict misses her!!

With mama hen broody, I don’t think she is laying right now which is totally fine. Out of nine laying hens, eight are very active. I have more eggs than I know what to do with. Here’s a peek into my fridge….

Eggs galore!!!

…..EGGS, so many EGGS…..they are taking over!! I’m averaging six eggs a day. Once in awhile they all get on the same page, and all eight will give us a beautifully formed gem…

Beautiful golden gems.

….with four more hens coming of age (remember the Littles), I’m going to have to open an egg stand at end of the driveway! I’ve read of those farms that will have an “on you honor” system wherein they have a cooler with their eggs, and people just stop and pay for what they take. I may try something like that. I figure, if someone needs to steal a dozen eggs, then they must be really hungry and they can have them for free!!

Speaking of the Littles (aka the Muppets)…..

The Littles

…they’re not so little anymore! Can you see the three young roo’s in this bunch? Their plumage is really becoming apparent, yet, at this point, I haven’t heard that tell-tale croaky call that shouts they have come of age. Benedict does do a good bit of chasing them around, so the day of reckoning is close at hand.

Other than that, the flock is basking in the joy of summer. They lay in the sunshine and spread their wings wide, then shuffle, shuffle, shuffle in the dirt allowing themselves a good old fashioned dust bath. In the heat of the afternoon, they find a well developed shade tree, or hang out wherever shade is cast.

The flock freely moves about, picking the seeds off the mature grasses, and wait for me to come out with discarded fruit, or leftover corn that may be hanging onto a half way eaten cob. They stay up way past their bedtime, since the sun set after 9:00 pm, and wake up demanding to be let out of the house at 5:15 am every morning. They thoroughly enjoy their remodeled house, and complain loudly when something disrupts their solace. Life is good!

Oh, by the way, they have a new friend who greets them as they enter their house…the first of what will become a collection to garnish the outside perimeter of their home….