Comments From the Coop

Tis The Season to Start Planting (Indoors)!

I feel like of all the things I try, this is the one I have the worst luck with - starting veggie plants indoors. This is year three, and Im hoping the "3rd times a charm" rings true. This year Ive got a wonderful weapon on my side - the infamous grow light. In the past my tomatoes and pepper plants have grown ghastly tall and scraggly, always reaching for the light they cant get enough of. Ive started my plants that all require 6-8 weeks of growth before being transplanted outside. I plan to plant my garden the first week of June, which is usually after the last frost. So my tomatoes are on week 2 now. I also have cabbage in, ground cherries, some herbs, a couple flowers. The majority of my tomatoes germinated the first time around, but the ones that didn't I replanted last week. Im waiting for them to germinate. Its a tricky balance of watering too much and not watering enough. I try to check and water as needed in the mornings. The grow light stays on overnight and they get natural sunlight through the window during the day. This week I have to plant my melons and squashes and my popcorn - along with the last of my herbs and some turnip. My only issue is that Im running out of space to put them all. Maybe a greenhouse will be an investment for the future..

Mornin' Chorin'

Let me start off by saying:

This basically sums up morning choring!
Actually, I find it quite fulfilling doing chores up at the farm in the morning. The smell of a barn wakes you up with a stronger smell than fresh brewed coffee! I hear the rooster crowing. The barn cat rubs up against your leg, awaiting his snack of milk for breakfast. The cows are mooing, eager to get outside and check the weather.
Theres lots of stuff to do when you've got a barn of cows to care for. Now that I have Holly, my little Jersey cow, I go up every morning to help with the chores. Along with her in the barn there are 4 Jersey ladies, one more female Jersey calf, 2 one year old Jersey males, 7 Hereford females and 3 fresh and new Hereford calves. Its a very complicated routine to get everybody looked after in the mornings - each cow has its own needs depending on age and breed, but I will try to generalize the process.
1. Scoop poop and refresh bedding
2. Give water to cows that stay indoors
3. Feed grain ration to some of the cows
4. Milk the cows (that are producing milk) and feed milk to calves that get milk
5. Let (some of) the cows out - separating old from young and keeping some indoors
6. Give indoor and outdoor cows hay
All the morning chores take about 1 1/2 hrs with two people working. But the routine continually changes, as the seasons change.  
Later in the day theres more chores that get done, milking again in the evening, putting the cows in etc. Im not too familiar with those chores though because Im the morning chore girl! Its so much fun having a cow, and getting to be up at the farm every morning. Theres endless things to watch - the animals are steady entertainment. If everyone took up farming, there would be no need for T.V.!

When a Cow Gets De-Horned

Yesterday marked two weeks since I bought my lovely little Jersey girl, and hard enough to believe, it also marked one week since she was de-horned. In all the haste of caring for animals and trying to develop my homesteading skills, I forgot to write down all the juicy details of what goes on when a cow gets dehorned. Here is the foundation of information I learned about cows and their horns, to start with. A lot of meat breed cattle have been bred (I assume by a series of parents with this gene) to be polled. This means they have no horns, they cant and don't grow them. But, dairy cows have only recently been developed to be polled, and the majority grow horns. Now, lots of farmers keep their horned cattle, but you can have trouble getting the cows into stanchions (the things their heads go into to "tie" them), they may fight with the other cattle - and damage them, they can be a danger to you, either intentionally or accidentally. And so a lot of people get their cows dehorned -like I did. The best time to get a cow dehorned is when the weather is cooler, before the flies are out and when the cow isn't more than 3 months old. If theyre before 3 months, the horns haven't grown very much, and aren't more that a little bump, which gets burned off and prevents the growth of the horn. Whereas, an older cow has more horn, which the vet has to cut. Holly wasnt the ideal age and if the weather was any warmer (as in a typical year) we`d already be into the flies by now. But the vet still came to dehorn her. The vet does dehorning all the time, and in total he didn't take much longer than 15 minutes to do the job. So a week ago Wednesday, the vet came out to the farm, I showed him the cow and told him where I got her. Then he tied her up in the pen with her halter on again. I held the rope tight and he gave her a needle on the left and right side of her head, just below the horn to freeze the area. Some vets will put the cow right out, but after seeing it done it seems like it wouldn't really be necessary. Holly didn't fuss very much at the needles. So then we took her out of the pen, walked her up to the electrical plug where there was a strong post and tied her there. My neighbour held the rope that time, a full time and full body weight job! When Holly couldn't move her head away from the post she got upset and tried to back away by lowering her body. Meanwhile the vet worked quickly. He took his big pair of snippers, squared them up over the first horn, and snip! The horn when flying, a squirt of blood went flying out and the vet grabbed his heat element, and seared the wound quickly to prevent it from bleeding. That stunk a bit.. Then he did the same thing on the other side. Holly was trying to swing around left and right and what a job the vet has to keep her from moving and get those horns done. But he did a great job, he was quick and he didn't charge very much, only $58! When we took Holly back to her pen she was a bit upset, but by evening she was perked back up and was as good as new. Now we have to wait 6-8 weeks for the wounds to heal, that means she cant go outside. There are crevices in her head where the horns were, but they'll heal over. The vet said to cover the wound with a piece of cheesecloth, superglued to her hair if the flies start - to keep them away from bothering her. But so far no flies, which is great! So unless something happens, that will be the only vet checkup for a which for miss Holly. (Good thing too because I don't think Holly will remember the vet wiht very fond memories..)

The Great Chicken Adventure: Three Weeks Old

Its hard to believe that my chickens are already three weeks old. Although I do feel like Ive had them forever. The birds will stay inside the coop for several more weeks until they can handle a cooler temperature and have grown a bit more (plus their outdoor pen isn't built yet..). In one week their growth rate is incredible! When I pick up a chick now, I can feel the strength in their feet. Their wings have grown and they are quite capable of flying out of your hands if you try to hold one. They run their exercises in the coop and they can jump up over a foot high. They eat a lot - we're up to about 7 cups of feed a day. This morning was sunny and clear (and still bug free) so I painted the first coat on the outside of the coop. Im not sure what colour Ill do, I was thinking red with white trim - classic. The thing with farming is you cant spend time sitting around - theirs always work to be done and critters that depend on you, but its oh so fulfilling!

The Maple Syrup Run is Done!

After a strange season of maple trees running off and on, we have finally pulled out out spiles, boiled the last of the sap and called her done for the year. With the weather we've had they may still be running, but since our schedules have become packed with other things (namely: cows, chickens and lawn care/indoor planting) we called it quits. The trees ran inconsistently, but really picked up for three days on the weekend, go figure we collected about 300 litres of sap, all which we boiled Friday through to Monday. Sunday was sunny and breezy, so we did our spiles and pails then, rinsing them and air drying them so they don't rust in storage over winter. Our final amount of finished syrup was 18 litres. Last year we had 21 litres but that was more than plenty. Its great fun when its going, but towards the end, you can feel when its time to quit. But the last days of boiling was good opportunity to get back to my knitting. After I finished a row, I knew it was time to add sap to the pans and stoke up the fire. There is a lot of sitting during the boiling, with a quick dash out to the bush to collect sap when its running good. But you cant go too far, because you daresnt burn all your precious hard work! Theres nothing more satisfying than tasting the liquid gold after you've put countless hours into making it!

No batch of maple syrup is the same, the colour always varies throughout the run.

The Spring Peepers are Out

One thing I love most about living in the country in the springtime is listening to that lovely chorus of spring peepers at night. Just two nights ago I heard them for the first time this spring, but I know they will continue loud and clear for the next couple of months. When we're in a rush, so often we miss the most simple and beautiful things in this world. When the peepers are so loud at night when Im trying to sleep, instead of getting exasperated, I listen. You can almost pick out their different voices, someone going hoarse from singing too much, someone trying to show off with fancy notes. Somebody off beat from the other guys. The rise and swell of the melody as they all sing together then break apart to sing on their own beats. Sometimes we just go too fast, and miss too much - simple, enjoyable things that God has made purely for our enjoyment.

Some interesting reading from Wikipedia on spring peepers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_peeper

The Great Chicken Adventure: Two weeks old

Wednesday was moving day! All the chicks are happily settled into their coop now. The afternoon sun was nice yesterday that day so I unplugged both heatlamps inside and got them going in the chicken coop to warm up for a couple of hours. After about 3 hours the thermometer was reading 19oC just a slight ways away from the lamp. We moved the chicks out in a cardboard box, with the flaps down to keep them protected from the cold. Once inside their coop they were eager to spread their wings and dart around in what would have seemed to them like a football field!  They had to get used to a new feeder and a new waterer, to accommodate their growing size. Now Ive figured out a new routine with my chores, I take food out twice daily - morning and night, combined they consuming about 4-5 cups per day. I change their water at the same time, but they don't go through very much of that. I have a thermometer in the coop to monitor the temperature. The past couple of days have been warmer, and tonight the temperature read 25oC, so we unplugged one of the heat lamps. They weren't panting but they were lifting their wings a lot. With my new cow chores up the road I haven't had much time to keep track of the changes in the hen house, but theres no doubt about it they are growing! We also had a comeback run on the maple syrup - we collected about 300L in the last two or three days and again, that takes a lot of time to deal with.
Enjoy the photos of the "interior decorated" hen house (the rooster pictures on the walls are to encourage my hens to lay eggs quicker and the roosters to grow fancy feathers!)

 Here is the nighttime glow of the heat lamps - it makes for a strange sight.

When It Rains, It Pours! (With Farm Animals)

If you've been following my blog at all over the past little while Ive been recording my experience hatching and raising chickens. That was a dream I had for many years. Another dream I have is to raise bees, ducks, rabbits, sheep, pigs, goats and most importantly cows. Well, I had a message from my neighbour the other day (the famous ones Im always quoting), saying "give me a call back, its not very important." Well I called them the next morning and the first thing they asked me was if I wanted a Jersey cow! They went on to tell me that another neighbour had told them about a Jersey for sale a couple towns away, for just $350, a female, six months old. I said "well of course I want it, but I couldn't keep her here!" Then they said that I could board it there - they had room. So I got the number, thought about it for a split second and called the cows owner. And as things sometimes progress at lightening speed, we set up a time to meet the next day, leaving a lot of loose ends for me to tie up for this to work. First thing I called my neighbours and confirmed they were ok with me boarding the lady - they said yes. Then I dared ask if one of them wanted to come look at her - they said yes. Then I called my mother in law to see if I could borrow the livestock trailer - she said yes. THEN I asked my husband - and he said do what you think. So I rounded his answer up to a yes and made up my mind to learn to drive the truck with the trailer. Driving forward was no problem, watch the bumps and everything was dandy. Driving backwards, well that was hard learning - especially at 10:30 at night. I got the basics and memorized that wherever you feel inclined to turn, do the opposite. So this AM me and my neighbour set off with the trailer, made good time and arrived to the farm. She was a lovely cow, friendly, nosy, clean, visibly disease free. We made a deal, I gave her the cash and we headed home with my new piece of meat - haha. I forgot to mention the three times I had to back up - theyre not much worth mentioning. The way I back up is slow, talking to myself and a series of over- and under-compensating. But the job got done. When we arrived "home" I hopped into the trailer put the halter on her (although she hadn't been halter broke the lady sent me a halter). She was fairly agreeable in the barnyard, probably because she was distracted by the other cows across the fence. But when we got to the barn door she got scared I guess and started prancing about, I had a hard time hanging on to her, and staying upright in the foot deep mud! After a very ungraceful brawl about the yard, I managed to drag her to the barn door and shove her in. From there my neighbours dragged/coerced her into her new pen. Once she was in she was happy as anything. A lot of cows have trouble being trailered, they get nervous and have diarrhea. This little lady was pooping hard little pies within the hour (which is a good thing). She was drinking water and eating hay just fine. SO first day of being a cow owner went well! I am so excited and glad and thankful! I will have more chores to do but Im ready. My chickens will tie me down this summer, so why not a cow too?! The little lady has a name; Holly  but Ive added a middle name - Rosa. Holly-Rosa. Shes an uncommon dark Jersey, but will lighten up at around a year old. Below is the best picture of her that I could get, since she was moving around lots and looking for someones hand (and camera string) to suck on.

Note on words used:
-I refered to the cow as lady
-Jersey cows are dairy cows, in two years she can be bred and after she has her calf, she will produce milk for 6-8 months

The Great Chicken Adventure: One week old

This weekend marks my chicks survival for a whole week! How happy am I! Things have gotten into a temporary routine, changing food and water twice a day, turning off the heatlamps in the afternoon for a couple of hours (because of the afternoon sun), checking in on them every couple minutes - that was a joke. Ive changed their bedding twice now, and they sure make a mess of it. I thought they were eating lots of food (which they are), but I think theyre dropping as much as they eat on the floor of the cage. Chickens are such a temperature gage. When Ive had the heat lamp off too long, they all huddle together in the corner. When its too warm for them, they hang their beaks open, panting. They are starting to stink and are making a real mess of their "nursery." This weekend they will go out, as soon as the final preparations are done in the chicken coop. We have yet to hang up the curtains, cover the windows with chicken wire and put up hooks for the extension cord. But that's minimal. I think being outside will be so much better for them - the temperature will be comfortably cooler (with the accessibility to the heat lamp still). All the birds seem healthy. They are growing so quickly, and getting stronger. They have a defined gumption in their pecking - one had the nerve to peck at a scratch on my hand when I was changing their food. I can feel the stability in their feet and legs when I pick them up. And their wing feathers are really growing in. They can lift themselves by flapping their wings now. One even dared to fly out of the cage on me. That was one of my little brown ones and I wouldn't want anything to happen to her. She was fine, just a little afraid I think. Sometimes the chicks have little races, one will fly/scamper across the cage then everyone else will try to as well. Then they'll have a moonwalking party. They do this ridiculous frontwards motion, while moving their feet backwards. I guess that's the "chicken scratch." I had one little chickie who developed a troublesome drumstick. He would stand and his right leg would slide out from under him. I noticed it particularly the 3rd day after they had all hatched. Upon the recommendation of my farmer friends, I made an elastic brace for him that has been successful. I took a small elastic and double knotted both ends to make loops. The loops went on each foot and since its elastic, it gives enough for him to be able to walk without slipping. He seems used to it now - at first he had a hard time not tumbling forward. He's eating and drinking - a sure sign that he is well. Heres a picture of him with his brace: