snowy day

 

Yesterday we awoke to the first major snowfall of the year.  There was about four to six inches of the white stuff, enough for the school bus to be cancelled. 

The trees looked beautiful all decked out in white.

 

Well, except for this one.  Yes, that branch is leaning on the side of the house. Yikes!

 Miraculously, it managed to land without breaking any of the four windows, nor did it damage the woodstove chimney.  We are so thankful for that. If you look closely you can see David firing up the chainsaw.

 

It's always funny to see the chickens' reaction when they see the first snow of the year.  They just stop in their tracks while their tiny brains process what they are seeing. 

 

It takes a while, but they do bravely venture out.

 

They stay pretty close to the coops though.

The goats aren't sure what to think.  All they can be sure of is that this is all my fault, and they make sure I know it.

Best of all are the ducks. They have no problem with the snow, even though their bellies are dragging in it and their little legs sink right down.  But they are still quacking joyfully and wandering all over the yard.

And of course Tessa loves the snow.

Guess it's not a good day for hanging out the laundry.

a tale of two chickens

When we got our chicks in August we had a bit of a dilemma.  We had ordered both white rocks, which are broiler chickens, and red shavers, which are layers.  Should we raise them in the same brooder box?  The white rocks would definitely grow much faster than the reds.  But, it is easier to only have one box to deal with, so we put them in together.

They all got along just fine.  Although the white rocks quickly outgrew the reds, they are not at all aggressive, so there was no fighting or pecking their smaller companions.  If anything the reds encouraged the whites to be more active.  When the screened lid of the box was removed for adding feed or water the whites would sometimes attempt to fly out.  This is not something we usually see them do.

So they grew and grew, and went outside to their movable pen. And there, in the sunlight and fresh air, they grew some more. Usually we would keep them confined to the pen until they are about the size of our silkie, a bantam chicken.  This is to protect them, not only from potential predators like hawks or foxes, but also from being picked on by our other chickens or turkeys, who free range around the property. But when the whites had reached that size the reds were still quite a bit smaller, so we left them in another week.

They are enjoying being outside.  The other birds did peck at them and chase them a little at first, but mostly they just go about their business and ignore them.  Looking at them, it is hard to believe they are exactly the same age.









 
And they continue to grow and thrive.  We move their pen daily to give them fresh grass to sleep on.  White rocks do not roost, since they are so large they are not able to fly.  The reds would roost, and they do sometimes hop on the feed trough handle, but usually they snuggle up to the whites right on the ground.

They still get along, even with the size difference.  In a few weeks, when it is time for the whites to leave us and head to freezer camp they will be missed.  But for now, they are all best buddies.

 

Meet the Bloody Butcher

Back in January, in the dark days of winter, I spent a lot of time on gardening web sites.  On a cold day it is fun to think ahead to spring and plan what new and interesting veggies to plant this year.  One of my favourite sites is Terra Edibles, which is a small garden center that specializes in heritage seeds and plants.  They carry many, many obscure varieties that I have never heard of, and it is fun to try new things each year.  

This year a variety of tomato caught my eye, intriguingly called the Bloody Butcher.  According to the description it is early, not very big, and has a rich tomato flavour.  How could I resist that?  

They have begun to ripen this week.  David requested a couple of tomato and cheese sandwiches, so out to the garden I went.

 

There were a few ripe ones.  Actually, the Bloody Butchers are the only ones even close to being ripe.  All of the other varieties are still very green. They aren't very big, about two inches in diameter.  They are about the same size as the "cocktail" tomatoes you see in the grocery store.

Although small, they do slice neatly for sandwiches.  They are nice and juicy and have a great flavour, just a little sweet. 

And, they make a great sandwich.  They would be ideal for in a salad, but they are also good just picking them and eating them right in the garden.  We will definitely be planting these again next year.

A day in the life

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that I could not resist grabbing the camera for a little show and tell.  The ducks are enjoying their new pen.  It is actually a large dog kennel, which gives them lots of space, and protection from any coyotes or other bad guys that might be lurking.

They are using a plastic sled for a pool of water.  How many ducks fit in a sled?

 We will need to get them a bigger pool. 

The white rocks are enjoying the sun.  

They still stay in the pen, but in a week or so they will be big enough to free range with the laying hens.  They love being outside in the grass, where yummy bugs can be found.

In the small coop we have six Ridley bronze turkey poults and four polish chicks.  The dark ones are the turkeys.

It would appear that two of the chicks are cockerels, which is good since we currently don't have any roosters.  This might explain why the kids sleep so late.  Or maybe not.

Isn't he handsome?

Out in the yard the layers are having breakfast.

That is Pookie in the middle.  She was one of our first chickens, and is still a favourite.

In the coop are Broody Twins #1.

After taking this picture I got three eggs from underneath them.  Then they pecked me.  Silkies may look cute and fluffy, but don't tick them off.

In the turkey coop are Broody Twins #2.

These two have been sitting on eggs since the first part of May.  Some of their chicken friends have also contributed eggs. While the chicken eggs will not hatch due to our lack of rooster, the turkey eggs are probably fertile, judging by some interesting turkey behaviour of late. 

Since we have seen coyotes in the neighbourhood lately, Oreo is on the alert.  He takes his job seriously, like a good farm dog should.

  

 Tessa can be a big help too.

But she always has time for kitty kisses.

This is our potato project.  As the summer progresses we will add wood to the sides of the frame and more soil.  We hope that the potatoes will continue to produce and we will end up with a lot of potatoes in a small area.  Next year we will make a raised bed in this spot and we will plant a strawberry patch.  The ugly orange fence keeps the chickens out.

We moved the firepit to a new location.  You can tell by the weeds that we haven't used it much this year.

Our redneck garden bench.  This one is all David, he put it there thinking the dogs might sit on it.  But they only liked it when it was in the van.  I think it's time for it to go.

Leaves of three, let them be...

I love this time of year.  Spring is in full swing, the trees are once again leafy and green, and the chicken water founts don't ice up at night.  It's the perfect time for a walk in the woods.  Here in Ontario there is an added attraction in the woods this time of year.  Of course I am talking about trilliums.

From late April to early May they bloom.  The snowy white blossoms light up the woods, fluttering and swaying with the breeze.  

 Sometimes trilliums can be pink, or even dark red.  The red ones are quite rare, but we did see several pink ones on our walk.

 A lot of people think that it is illegal to pick trilliums.  That is not actually true, although they are protected in provincial parks and conservation areas.  But it does add to the mystique and makes these pretty flowers seem even more special.

  Too soon the blossoms will wither, and the plant will fade into the background. But for now they are a perfect excuse to head for the woods with a camera in hand.  But don't forget the bug repellant, because blackflies are also in season.

So what's in a quail egg anyway?

Since our quail started laying eggs we have been setting them aside.  They are so tiny that it would take quite a few to make a meal.  So, they have been accumulating and we have been admiring the pretty patterns on their shells.

As of today we have 22.  Although they are small, that should be enough, shouldn't it?

They were not easy to crack.  The shells were brittle and it was tricky to get them open without getting little pieces of shell in the mix.

As it turned out, 22 quail eggs amounted to not even a cup.  Clearly this would not be enough. 

So, I added five chicken eggs.  Now I had about two cups, enough to scramble.

They were delicious!

I think we need more quail.

First Quail Egg!

The wait is finally over.  This is what I found in the quail hutch this morning.

 For comparison, here it is next to an egg laid by Pookie this morning.  She lays pretty brown eggs that are about the same size as a large egg that you would buy in the grocery store if you were not fortunate enough to have chickens or know someone who does.

Quite a difference!  The quail eggs will get a bit bigger, but not much.  It will still take three of them to equal one chicken egg.  No quail egg omelet today I guess.  But seriously, doesn't it look like it should have chocolate inside?