Category: Farm Life

Bambi in the Chicken Pen

Happy Father’s Day to my wonderful husband, my Dad who is an inspiration to us all, to my sons by birth and marriage and all of my readers.

Our overnight guests departed for home half an hour ago, facing a 7-8 hour trip in Sunday traffic on Father’s Day, but he has his youngest son on break from college in Pennsylvania with him and his wife to help share the driving.

We were sitting on the front porch in the sun, it got quite chilly last night, watching them depart when Jim started pointing to the east and repeating, “Look, look.” I didn’t see what he was excited about and ask and he said it was a solo fawn, probably only a month old tearing down the side of the driveway and around the house. I jumped up and ran through the house to the back deck to see if I could spot it before it reached the tall still unmowed hay to be and realized that the little guy had somehow gotten itself through the fence to the chicken cull pen. That fence is not very well set and he was terrified, bleating and slamming his little body against the more stable chicken run fence that makes up two sides of the cull pen. This in turn had all 22 chickens upset. The cull chickens and Cogburn hid in the chicken tractor squawking like they were being attacked. The teenagers who were in the run were flapping and escaping over the 4 foot fence, others in hiding under the coop or in the coop. Fearful that the little fellow was going to injure himself, we quickly pulled down the cull pen fences and stood back as the fawn took off across the back yard for the woods. We don’t know where Mom is. Perhaps our cousins leaving separated them on the road and the fawn ran down the driveway while Mom ran back into the woods. Hopefully Mom wasn’t killed or injured last night and the little fellow is alone as it is much to young to survive.

The fences are back up, the escapees captured and put back in the pen, the chickens have settled, breakfast is cleaned up and the dishwasher is running so now we will just settle back and enjoy our morning before we figure out where to hang Jim’s Father’s Day gift.

And later drive to “the big city,” Roanoke to buy him a Father’s Day meal at his favorite Mexican Restaurant.

No fawn rescue photos, it happened too quickly, but the little fellow was so cute and so afraid.

June 15, 2014
The King, the Queen, and the Evil Keeper

“I am the King of all Buff Orpingtons,” says he as he struts around his farm yard, bold and proud. “I would protect my subjects with my life.”

In reality, he is kind of a “chicken” so to speak. When trouble threatens, he is generally one of the first to flee the scene. He has even been known to dart into the garage and hide behind the ladders, while his ladies fend for themselves in the yard. He generally tolerates the Evil Keeper, as he must perceive her. She does bring his court food and water, but also, she separated his kingdom with a tall wall that he can see through, but can’t breech. When his kingdom was divided, the Evil Keeper put him on one side of the wall and left his Queen on the other side. How cruel could she be?

“I am the self proclaimed Queen,” says she. “No one in the kingdom lays such beautiful eggs as I. When the Evil Keeper erected the wall to divide our kingdom, she placed me in charge of half and my King in charge of the other half. Though I adore being in charge of all of the other Buff Orpingtons, including those terrible teenagers, who I must spend too much of my time putting in their place, I missed my King.”

“The Evil Keeper does not realize how sly and cunning I am. Each day when she would check on us and bring us treats, I would be visiting the other side of the wall with my King. Some nights I would fly back to bed with my subjects and to torment the teenagers, other nights I would choose to stay in the smaller Palace with King Cogburn and his ladies in waiting. My behavior baffles the Evil Keeper as she never knows where she may find me or where I may lay my beautiful olive eggs. Sometimes I hide them from her in odd places. One night recently, when I decided to spend the night in his half of the kingdom, she grabbed me from my throne, took a sharp implement and sheared my flight feathers from one of my wings. She is such a horrible keeper. Then she put me in the castle with my two grown subjects and all of those noisy teenagers. They are so annoying as their voices change and they are growing so fast that they take up so much more space in the castle. For the next several days, I was distraught as was my king. I paced the wall and he crowed until he was nearly voiceless. He still has 6 subjects to rule, but we want to be together. When the Evil Keeper isn’t watching us from that lush paradise she considers her domain and won’t share with us, I have been scratching in a soft spot near the wall and finally, yesterday my tunnel was large enough to allow my escape back to my King. My Buff Orpington subjects are too fat or too stupid to realize that they too can escape. Last night I was able to rejoin my King. But alas, the Evil Keeper blocked my tunnel and now I am stuck in the smaller Palace and yard and one of my subjects is studying to be the new Queen of the Castle. I fear my behaviors may result in my being banned to exile in freezer camp soon.”

What the Queen doesn’t realize, is that as soon as the teenagers are a few weeks older and the Palace hens are exiled, that Cogburn will rejoin his new Queen in the Castle and the Palace will be cleaned and prepared for 15 young subjects destined also for freezer camp.

June 5, 2014
Farm Chores and Relativity

For several years, we have had a burn pile of scrap wood collecting near a huge nut tree and a rock pile. It makes mowing that area difficult and haying that area impossible. A couple of years ago, I placed a Craigslist ad for free lumber and siding and had a few takers that reduced the size of the pile some. Two years ago, the neighbor that hays our fields came over and removed cedar trees that had grown up in the hayfields that we had just been mowing around and while here, he stacked the scattered parts of the pile more compactly and cleared up some rocks that were also an impediment to the mowing and haying. Every time we think to burn the pile something gets in the way. You have to dedicate an entire day to the job as it has to be watched constantly and a hose needs to be nearby to squelch any errant flames. We will plan the burn after a heavy rain only to have several days of too much wind. Today was perfect. I had mowed two brush hog widths around the pile, a couple hundred feet of garden hose were connected to each other and the yard hydrant and we set the pile ablaze.

The burn was a little slow starting but once the two sides merged, we were a bit concerned as the flames leapt dangerously close to the lower branches of the nut tree.

We hosed and watched for hours as it burned down, never both of us leaving at once. Unfortunately, much of the wood contained nails, screws and large fasteners that hold our logs together, so now that the fire is out, there is much cleanup to do so we don’t pop a tractor tire on a spike. We also discovered a pile of large rocks under the burn. They are perfect to use for the retaining wall at the end of the garden, but it will take both of us and the tractor bucket to move them and they need to cool first.

I have oft mentioned the pups. Big dog, little dog. Ahh, no, Big Dog, Bigger Dog. The Shepherd weighs about 75 lbs., the Mastiff a slight 210 lbs. She is the dominate one. She can run under him, grabs him by the legs and pulls him down, but he is so gentle and tolerant of the behaviors.

May 19, 2014
May Day – ooops, almost

The past two days have been beautiful after the heavy rains of the prior days. Jim has gone off on his Harley for short rides that turned into long rides, but he is enjoying it and getting more comfortable on the big bike.

Me, I just enjoy the farm and the beautiful weather. It was still wet outside yesterday to do any playing in the dirt, but today, since the garden is still pretty soggy, I worked on the porch and deck pots. This winter was hard on the shrubs in front of the house and we lost everything except for the Barberry. It looks lonely amongst the dead Nandinas and the other shrub, I can never remember, that we should never have been sold for our climate. I have to decide whether to move the Barberry or replace the other shrubs. The front bed is under an overhang and has to be watered, it is also on the north side of the house so it receives no direct sunlight. The shade plants that I am most familiar with all are deer magnets, so I don’t want to replace the shrubs with them. Before the shrubs were put in, I had a perennial bed of English Daisies, grape Iris, and a few daylilies. After the regrading was finished a couple of years ago, I moved them to the east side of the garage and put in the shrub bed. I should have left well enough alone. I think I will just put several half barrels along the front rail and plant annual flowers in them for spring and summer color.

Today was just flower pots.

A quick trip to Lowes to fill up the back of the CRV with plants.

Petunias and trailing petunias in the front.

Geraniums with Verbena on the south deck, they match the cushions and umbrella and the hummingbirds love them. I still have a large pot that goes between the garage doors that needs something tall and spiky and a hanging pot for the shepherds crook. Last summer I never had to water, but also could never eat outside. I would rather have to water and be able to enjoy dinners on the deck this summer.

Now to go run the chicks out of the coop for some sunshine.

Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.

May 2, 2014
Easter Sunday on the Farm

Today is beautiful, no Easter snow, thank goodness. Bright sun, azure blue sky, calm wind, and grass, oh my it has grown in a week. It must be at least a foot high in the back. It will have to be mowed this week or we will start bringing ticks indoors and I don’t want that. I started the tractor and used it to move some compost and some old wood a few weeks ago, so I know it is running. The lawnmower for right around the house hasn’t been started yet, but it was only used a few times after it was purchased late last summer, so hopefully, it also will run. Fuel is needed for both and since it is Easter Sunday, that purchase will have to wait until tomorrow or the next day, though the little general store/gas station in the town is open today.

The chicks are now more than 6 weeks old and did fine in the coop while I was away, in spite of several below freezing nights. Last night they were all on the perches in the coop, lined up like big girls instead of huddled in a corner. Today they are getting outdoor time.

Though they still sound like chicks, they look like small chickens. They poked their head from the temporary pen into the permanent pen and promptly got pecked. Now the hens and Cogburn have lost interest and the chicks are foraging the long grass for new treasures.

Shadow and the chicks being desensitized to each other. She would lie down quietly by the pen until I moved and then she bolted away. Since the electric fence is now only around two sides of the vegetable garden, the dogs can get right up to the chicken pens and they weren’t used to being able to do that. At first the chickens are alarmed, but I am trying to get the dogs so they don’t activate prey instinct when the chicken flap and run, I would like for the chickens to have some free range time without being chased by the dogs. She did really well and the chicks quickly ignored her. The dogs need to learn that they are farm dogs and can’t chase everything that moves or flies.

And of course there is time for tug-o-war with the big ball on a rope. Ranger was working on drop it and leave it, then I would throw it out into the yard for a chase and tug session.

Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.

April 20, 2014
Here we go again!

Yesterday was in the low 70’s and sunny, today in the mid 60’s, but a front is roaring through, house shaking wind, torrential rain this afternoon, and plunging temperatures. We took a day trip today to two Harley Davidson shops, each more than an hour from here for Jim to check out new and used motorcycles with a bit of size to replace his Honda Rebel starter bike. We got back just in time to pick up our generator and take it to the repair shop and drive home in the worst of the rain. The generator that we bought 7 years ago was used during construction of the house prior to the electric service being brought down to the house site. Since that time, it has sat unused in the barn. It is a sizeable unit and was unfortunately stored with some fuel in it. We have had several times when having it functional would have at least provided us with some light and ability to keep the freezer working. It seemed like we should deal with it, so it has gone to the shop to be cleaned and tuned and hopefully made fully functional again. We would like to have it tonight. The thermometer plunged 20º in the hour after we got home. It is falling into the teens tonight and staying near freezing tomorrow daytime and back into the 20’s tomorrow night.

With the strong wind, we again face the threat of loss of power. Though we and the dogs would be uncomfortable, we would survive it well, the 5 day old chicks would not. I moved their set up into the basement as the basement having 3 walls underground hold its temperature better than the rest of the house. I also turned the thermostat up to warm the space more and have brought in wood, paper and kindling to start a fire in the wood stove if the power fails. The chicks will be placed as close as safe to that stove in hopes that they make it. At less than a week old, they need 90+ºf temperature and that will not be able to happen for the next 36 hours if the power fails.

The other preparations for storms have also been handled. The guest bath tub has been filled. Extra straw placed in the chicken coop. Wood brought into the garage, fires laid in the fireplace and the wood stove, just awaiting a match. Oil lamps filled, batteries in flashlights and lanterns checked. I keep hoping that the prep will ensure that the power stays on. I would rather be ready and not need it.

Next time we are threatened, hopefully we will have our generator back and will fret a bit less, but we still will have no heat and no water if the power fails. And tonight I will not sleep well, I never do when the wind howls even though there are no trees near the house. There is a shed roof over the heat pump to protect it from snow slide off the roof, but I always fret about it’s stability in high wind.

As the temperatures were falling and the winds rising, the dogs again decided it was time to wade in the muddy creeks in the sinkhole. I am not amused with this behavior.

Winter will end, I have confidence, but as it darkens, it has dropped 30º already and it is sleeting. After much coaxing, the chickens have been closed up for the night.

March 12, 2014
Critters

Another beautiful day, a ride for Jim, some free range time for the flock, a trip to town for me to deliver a few items I sold on Craigslist and to purchase a 50 gal plastic (Christmas Tree) storage tub for the 4 day old chicks. When we brought them home on Sunday, I took the bottom half of a large plastic dog crate and cable tied the door in place. That was set inside a large dog wire kennel cage set up in the garage and the heat lamp hung over it. I realized that was too drafty and we are expecting another temperature plunge tomorrow night, down into the teens and the garage will be too cold even with the heat lamp.

The new set up can be brought into the house if necessary without getting pine shavings and chick poop on everything. I don’t like them in the house, but if it is below freezing while they are this young, they will come inside. The large storage tub having sides keeps the pine shaving contained and helps retain the heat. An old clothes drying rack with the lower bars removed gives me a structure with metal bars that sits astride the tub and the heat lamp can be dangled over one end of the brooder, giving the chicks a warm spot to go when they are cold and enough space to get away from the heat if they are too warm.

They will stay in the garage tonight and during the day tomorrow, but they will then be brought in for two nights and a day until we have another bout of milder weather. I will be glad when my hens can start raising their own chicks without my help.

Once Jim was home from his ride, we turned the pups out to roam and romp our farm for a while and they disappeared. It is rare for them to leave the property, but since there has been very little leash time this winter, both are more stubborn about coming when called, especially if they are well away from the house in one of the fields. After they had been outside for at least an hour and had disappeared from view I started calling, walked the long uphill driveway to check mail, still calling, walked over to look down into the sinkhole area still calling. No response. After getting in the car and driving up to the nearest main road, back down and around the perimeter of the two large fields calling and not seeing them, I walked back to the sinkhole. Both creeks are flowing strongly into the sinkhole and it is wet and muddy. The dogs finally wandered up, wet and muddy and quite content with themselves. No way I was letting either of them back in the house I had been cleaning all afternoon, so both got hosed off at the yard hydrant and that water was cold. Then both tied to heavy furniture on the front porch until they partially dried.

At least it was 73ºf outside. I finally dried them off with beach towels and let them back inside. So far we haven’t figured out how to keep them out of that part of the farm and as soon as it is consistently warm, we need to get back on leash work to remind them who is in charge.

Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.

March 11, 2014
Easter Egg Hunt

The cold winter has taken a toll on egg production and on the cleanliness of the coop. I use the deep litter method. For you non chicken raisers, that involves starting with a very clean coop, putting down a few inches of pine shavings or fine straw, then piling dry straw, leaves, etc on top and stirring it up every day or so like compost, adding more straw or leaves as necessary. If this is done correctly, there is no odor and in the spring, you have a coop full of hot compost to add to your pile for further decomposing. Because we have hay fields and they are mowed and baled each year, I squirrel away 2 round bales that are stored near my coop and covered with a tarp for use in the coop. I know, you aren’t supposed to use hay, but so far I haven’t had any problems. Because hay generally isn’t as dry as straw, I do have to fluff and turn it daily and keep all ventilation holes open whenever the temperature is above freezing, but because of the cold and snow this year, the birds are spending more time indoors than I would like. As a result, it has been harder to stay on top of the turning and fluffing.

It isn’t spring yet, but I was beginning to detect odor and knew that something needed to be done. Leaving the compost part in place, I removed most of the hay from the coop and threw it in their run. Pulled out the last of one of the big bales that had gotten very dry and added a new thick layer in the coop.

The chickens are very curious whenever I am doing anything inside their coop and they always come to supervise. They lean out the open doorway, peck around in the corners, and get just where I need to be. As soon as I put an armload of hay down, one would push it around and make a bowl shaped nest in it. I would shoo one away to put hay down and another would be there. By the time I finished layering new hay in the floor of the coop and under their perches. Removed and replaced the old hay from their nesting boxes, I had about half of them in the coop making “nests” in the floor of the coop and trampling down the fluffy new hay.

I’m betting that today’s egg collection will be an Easter Egg Hunt throughout the floor of their coop. Funny birds. I just wish spring would come so that the egg production picks up. At least I have gotten eggs all winter.

Live is an adventure on our mountain farm.

March 1, 2014
Spring time? We wish!

A week ago it started to snow and snow it did for 30 hours, a record breaking snow, more than a foot and a half. Last night it rained and this morning, the remaining snow was spotty.

We loaded the dogs in the Xterra and drove an hour southwest of here to the Harley Davidson shop to get more body armor for Jim’s jacket. He wants desperately to ride, but the roads are still too wet and muddy. Ranger was allowed to go into the shop with us and as usual, his 200 pound bulk attracts attention and everyone wants to have their picture taken with him, to give him love which he reciprocates with kisses and smiles. Shadow was leashed and made it as far as the foyer before her shyness kicked in and she began to tremble. One clerk came out and gave her some loving too and she finally came in too, but hid behind me. The dogs love the rides and the plain hamburgers that they get as a treat.

Today is 60ºf outside, very springlike. While we were gone, it melted most of the remaining snow.

We have one more day of this then it rains and cools down again with another snow storm due early to mid week next week. We will take what we can get.

Yesterday afternoon, I went over to the coop and pen to spread scratch grain for the chickens and there was one head too many. A small 5ish pound opossum was in with the chickens scratching for food. He showed no fear of me, hissing and growling at me as I tried to encourage him out of the pen with a garden stake. He just hunkered down in the farthest corner under the pen. With a pitchfork, I dragged him out and penned him down, then grabbed his tail and hurled him as far from the pen as possible. He landed in the snow, got up and shook off and waddled away. This afternoon when we got home, I went over to see if he had returned and to collect eggs. In taking the above photo, I managed to drop the basket with the 3 eggs and broke them all. Three more hens were in the coop, so there may yet be a few more today.

Life is an adventure on our mountain farm.

February 19, 2014
Beauty and Hazards

The snow pack is thinning. Our neighbor that hays our fields for the bulk of the hay came down after dark Saturday night with his behemoth tractor with climate control cab and plowed out our driveway. As he was the one who constructed it for us a couple of summers ago, he knows generally where it is under the snow. This allowed us to bring both vehicles back down to the house. To change things up a bit, this morning we drove into the university town to a little local diner for breakfast. The nearest parking is across Main Street and slightly uphill and though the access was cleared, the parking spaces have been trod by many feet in the past half week and between each parking space is an ice slick. Both of us had slides, fortunately with no fall just trying to get out of the car and to the cleared walkway.

Yesterday as the roads seem to be mostly cleared, we took a jaunt 2000 more feet up our mountain to see more snow.

If you ever watched “Dirty Dancing,” this is the “lodge” in the movie, also know as Mountain Lake Lodge, a hotel with adjacent cabins. Though it is closed this time of year, except for special weekend events, it is still beautiful.

The elevation there is about 4400 feet and the ridge has trees frosted generally from frozen fog that forms.

The property on the near edge of this valley belonged to my grandfather’s family, though when we bought our farm, I had no idea that it was literally walking distance away. My hubby teases that I did know, but I had never even been to this county or seen that area at the time.

As we were going up to see the lake and the hotel in the snow, we saw this. It is not our car, there was no one in it, but this is a lesson on why you don’t drive a 2 wheel drive vehicle on snowy, icy mountain roads. The only thing keeping this car from tumbling on down the mountain side is the tree behind it that it hit as it slid over the embankment. Hopefully, no one was hurt. It will take a thaw and a creative, daredevil tow truck driver to get that one out.

That is the mountain on which the red car, the hotel, and our home are located.

Fortunately, this snow did not take out our power, so all of the prep we did for it does not have to be done again for the ice storm due tonight that more than likely will steal all of the conveniences from us for at least a day or two.

Life is good on our mountain farm.

February 17, 2014