Lazy Garden Days

Finally, we have produce! With the strange Oregon summer this year, it was nearly the end of July before our garden started popping off. Thankfully, the sunshine finally arrived and the rains are staying away (most of the time) which has left the garden with lots of warmth and room to do some growing. Above is a shot of one of the five varieties of tomatoes we have growing this year, a few are Oregon heirloom varieties.

One of my favorite plants this year - my sunflowers! The fastest way to win my favor (besides baked goods) is by gifting me flowers.

I have no idea how I ended up so lucky as my neighbors on both sides of me have had a terrible time with sunflower gardens this year, yet here they are! Gorgeous, soft yellow sunflowers. I swoon every time I walk by them.

As most of you may have guessed, our garden is strictly organic. No pesticides allowed in here, baby. I have a few homemade recipes in my arsenal to keep pests at bay, but for the most part I try to do companion planting. The blue cabbage head above is a good example of my gardening mantra - the pests can have their small share as long as I get the heart of the plant.

While our cucumbers aren't the happiest of the garden lot, the squash and zucchini are doing fabulously. We already have a few sugar pumpkins, black beauty zucchini, acorn squash, and are waiting on a Japanese hard squash to fruit any day now.

And of course, the feathered ladies are enjoying the extra sunshine! Nosy and inquisitive as ever. The pullets are just about to start laying soon...

Finally, for those of you who haven't met him yet...Tubbers the special needs kitty. I say special needs because the cat has a serious issue with abandonment, as well as with overeating. We are still trying hard to integrate him into our little urban farm, however if he keeps up his late night meowing when he is lonely he may soon find himself sleeping with the chickens!

In Chicken News...

The weather here in our corner of Oregon has been less than summer like of late. Rain when there should be sunshine, clouds when we should have blue skies on the horizon. It makes for an unhappy garden and testy chickens. Come back soon, sun!!

The flock integration continues, although not with as much success as I had hoped. The older gals still pick on the pullets, sometimes with a streak of meanness, yet the younger ladies are slowly fighting back. The two flocks still maintain separate space for most of the time, however they have formed this habit of hanging out in each others hen houses (trading spaces chicken style?).

Most mornings involve me rushing outside at the sound of an unhappy feathered lady to play mediator in the chicken hierarchy that is my backyard. After some feather flapping and squawking, things calm down until the next incident (hence why I'm so unproductive...well, there may be other reasons too).

With the garden finally producing some crops, they ladies have been getting their usual summer spoiling with fresh veggie treats. They've also witnessed the slow transformation of the garden, with the addition of a new bark mulch (or is it barkamulch) path. The plus side for the chickens - they get to chow down on all the weeds I yanked out of the garden path. Win win for everyone!

LeLu is still the sweetest of all of the feathered ladies. Both her comb and wattle have come in nicely, turning a beautiful color red. Signs of a good layer-to-be! One of my most favorite things to do is to pick her up, take a lazy stroll with her tucked under my arm, and sing to her in a low, melodic voice. Yep, I'm the crazy chicken lady. No fighting it any longer!

Big Girls & Flock Integration

My little feathered ladies aren't so little anymore. And my gosh, are they gorgeous birds! Doesn't Athena look very regal?

In this shot, LeLu is up front and inquisitive as ever, followed by the ever standoffish Barney, and a few tail feathers of the the blonde one of the bunch, Athena. They are definitely in their teens as pullets, but are showing some signs of calming down and leading normal chicken lives.

Over the last few weeks, I've slowly tried to integrate the two flocks (Starbuck seen above from the mature flock). For any chicken owners out there, you know how tricky this can be. Funny as it sounds, there truly is a pecking order within the lives of chickens. At the moment, Starbuck's near-twin Ramona is at the top chicken in the older flock. I don't think the younger ladies quite know much about this chicken hierarchy yet, but they are sure curious!

I admit, I have a sweet spot for this little lady. LeLu (one of the sci-fi named birds) is the sweetest little thing. She let's me carry her around, coo to her, and is the most calm of the pullets. Notice her tiny little crow developing? Yes, I'm becoming that crazy chicken lady (if I wasn't before).

Barney is definitely a wild bird in spirit. She never wants to be held, touched, petted, or have someone come too close to her. Her feathers are finally all coming in, and becoming so dark she is taking on a greenish-hue in the blackest areas (very pretty).

As of now, I have the newer flock's chicken tractor parked in the fenced in area where the older ladies roam. This has allowed the two flocks to observe each other through the safety of the chicken wire that keeps the pullets in their tractor.

Every few days, I let the two groups out together to graze, positioning myself in between the flocks to diffuse any tension. Ramona, being on the top rung, inevitably goes after one of the pullets to show her dominance, however every time we do this exercise it takes her a little longer to show aggression (a good sign). Once the pullets grow a wee bit more, likely another week or two, I will attempt the full on integration. Stay tuned because it will likely involve a few ruffled feathers!

The Move!

Well, the big day arrived. About two weeks ago, actually, and damn me for not posting about it sooner. These little ladies have been enjoying spring from their new home for the past while.

We call it the Mini Coop. A Panda-sized chicken tractor, painted red for kicks. This one is much more portable and transportable that the giant behemoth we have for the first generation flock.

Barney and the wee gals love it. And after some time, they'll get integrated into the larger flock with the more mature ladies. Due to social chicken dynamics, waiting until the younger pullets catch up in size to the full grown hens usually benefits everyone in the end. For now, they will become acquaintances through the fence in a slow and patience process.

Chick Update - Nearing The Move!

These gals are definitely ready to move outside. Like yesterday. With the rains and some changes happening on the home front, it is taking a wee longer than anticipated to move the second generation chickens outside to their new home. However, the day is nearly upon us!

Barney (above), LeLu and Athena - my rambunctious, yet oh so sweet, young pullets. What's a pullet? Why it's a young chicken, specifically one that is no longer a chick yet not yet a layer (or a year old, by some definitions).

By far, Athena has turned into the gentle giant of the group (there is always one in a flock). She is kind, sweet, and loves to listen to me sing to her. Ok, having a crazy chicken lady moment here...

One of the most exciting moments still a ways off is when the wee ones begin to lay. Specifically, when they begin to lay chocolate brown as well as blue colored eggs! In a few months time, in addition to the pinkish brown, darker brown, and white eggs our current ladies lay we should see a few more hues and colors. I can't wait! I plan to make some homemade chalk out of egg shells when we get to full laying production (possibly xmas gifts?).

Do expect several more posts about the new brood as their personalities grow and show themselves. For instance, LeLu the ham for pictures.

And not to leave anyone out, here is a parting shot of Blanca running around under the blooming pear tree.

Chick Update & Chicken Tractor Building

We are nearly into week 7 now for these little rascals. Definitely at the height of the 'they're so ugly, they're cute' stage. And Ms. LeLu here surely knows it.

This one is entitled 'Feathers' for obvious reasons. For the most part they have the beginnings of feathers, however there are still little tufts of soft chick down here and there throughout their bodies.

Their newest trick is to see how high they can jump, which apparently is very nearly close to the height of their moving box brooder. Barney was getting ready to do one of her flighty hops when I snapped this shot off.

I have to be watchful around these little ladies. She looks like she is plotting something, right? Athena is still the largest by far of the new additions, although she is as gentle as can be. I call her Big Bird from time to time.

The Tall One has been steadily working on a new home for these guys: the Panda-sized chicken tractor. As we have fewer birds we're raising from chicks this time around, and because I am so much smaller than the Tall One, we figured having a me-sized chicken tractor will benefit us all.

If you aren't sure as to what a chicken tractor is, well it is just that. A hen house/run combo that is setup in such a fashion that the chickens act as natural tillers, tilling the soil for us gardeners such as a tractor would.

Building a chicken tractor is a fun and creative experience. From the type of structure to the color of paint to where the door placement ends up, the builder gets to decide while meeting the needs of his or her specific flock. For me, building a chicken tractor is the epitome of urban homesteading. People are so into them that there is even a gigantic gallery of different types of chicken tractors.

In the meantime, our little ones will continue to live on with us in their giant moving box brooder. Hopefully they will enjoy their first night out under the stars soon. A few more months until we get eggs!

Time In The Garden

Well hello there! At four weeks old, we've officially reached the teenage years for these little ladies. Curious, jumpy, and rowdy as ever. From left to right: the edge of Barney, Athena towards the back, and LeLu up front. 

This picture is from today's outdoor play time. Little Barney is in the rear. Oh my, are they growing like weeds!

In between baking and chick rearing, I had a chance to snap off a few shots of the first generation flock. Our sweet layers.

 

I love this shot; all five of them make an appearance! Left to right: Blanca, Chatty Cathy, Inara peeking from behind, Starbuck, and finally the edge of Ramona.

Over spring break we managed to do some yard work, moving the old chicken tractor, and beginning construction on a new one. Am happy to report the shallots and garlic are springing up.

One of my favorite gifts, an adorable little rose bush, is making a wonderful comeback. It's been amazing to watch everything start to return to life after such a cold winter.

It's definitely time to take a few moments out for the simple pleasures. For instance, working in the soil and earth for a few days.

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.  ~Ruth Stout

Baby Chicks!

Aren't they adorable? Please excuse the funny lighting, they reside in a red heat lamp environment until they get old enough.

It's official, we are now a multi-generational chicken household. Our original flock is about two years old while these little ones are only a few days old.

Meet Barney the barnevelder.

Athena the ameraucana, named after the Battlestar Galactica character.

And LeLu the dominique. Lelu was named after the namesake character from the Fifth Element. That makes four of our extended flock named for sci-fi characters (can you say uber dork?).

For the next few weeks, our make-shift brooder will be their new home. The tall one is in charge of building a smaller chicken tractor/coop until we can merge our two flocks into one, which will likely be a few months as the original flock needs to get used to the idea of the newer ladies.

I had planned to post all sorts of chick-rearing tips in this post, but hell the cuteness factor overtook me. Expect many more postings on the growing little ones soon!