Comings and Goings...

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity surpassing even our usual schedule.

We had our first Integrated Pest Management Workshop. We were thrilled by the great attendance. Our speakers from Lincoln university were knowledgeable and so very willing to help with anyone's "pest" problem. Read all about it HERE Click on SARE Research Study.

It involves beneficial insect plantings, sacrifice plants and chicken tractors. Now how could you not be interested in that!

My little sick hen went to the Great Chicken Yard In The Sky. She gave it her best but just couldn't pull through. I partially blame myself because she spent that night out in the cold rain after she was getting better.

I was asked a question about the apple cider vinegar. It was an ingredient in my health potion. No, it's purpose is not as a sort of smelling salt. The organic components of the ACV are health promoting and life giving. Watch for details at my other blog Nana Earth.

Farmers Market is booming. I just love being with like-minded folks. It's energizing. For those of you in the Kansas City area, drop by: Bad Seed Farmers Market 1909 McGee KC on Fridays 4 to 9 pm. It's a happening organic market..you're gonna love it. And, stop by my booth for World's Best Eggs. Their production is overseen by Mable, Queen of her Kingdom.

This is my little sweetheart, Mable. She loves attention. Read some Mable stories HERE.

Remember my camera saga? Well I have lots of new photos on it, but haven't had time to download the software on my computer. Soon....

Part of my extra activity has been to go to the Iowa Sheep-Fiber doings in Des Moines. My daughter gave me a male Angora bunny for Mother's Day (ADORABLE) He was born on St Patricks Day so I named him "Sean Patrick "Paddy" O'Hara. (Again, photos in my camera!)

I plan to spin the bunny fiber so we thought it would be a grand adventure to go to the fiber-festival. We took a class to learn all about Angora bunnies. It's quite different than raising regular rabbits and I look forward to getting a female.

FarmBoy Gary is going to add on to my bunny complex.

I'm sure I've mentioned loosing half my garden to the freaky hard-freeze in May. I did replant with what I had in my greenhouse, Sprout, but it didn't fill all the spaces. A friend of mine has thousands of extra plants so I made a trip to his place and brought home literally a Patti-car-load of plants.

This is PT Patti Petunia. She's a purple PT Cruiser and I can PACK her FULL. I mean FULL. This photo is at a farmers market.

So, now, my task is laid before me...plant, plant, plant.

Good Chickens Do Good Fences Make

Some of you may remember when we erected a five foot chicken fence between us and our neighbor. It was the result of said neighbor's dog attack on my Mables. I had 15 at the time.

Now, in all fairness, the Mables probably instigated the attack. Unintentionally of course. Our neighbor keeps a large pan of dry dog food in his garage which he subsequently leaves open for his dogs to eat a la carte. Mabels had developed quite a taste for it and I'm sure that played a part in the fatal ambush of most of my Mable flock.

After burying multiple Mables FarmBoy Gary and I put up the fence between chickens and dog food. The problem was that at one end of the fence there was a space of several feet occupied by large LARGE and thick and did I say large poison ivy vines, bushes and small hedges. Neither of us wanted to tackle it in it's present leafed out state.

Eventually a few chickens found their way through the poison ivy jungle. One of those chickens was Milly. She did this recon prior to her adoption of 20 chicks. This week they have ventured further and further from the hen yard.

Today Neighbor called to say Milly and all her chicks were pecking away happily at the dog food. How rude.

Consequently, FarmBoy and I scuttled our previous plans for the day and tackled that poison ivy so we could finish the fence. Since we've had several freezes the poison ivy patch was manageable and the fence is up.

Milly and her delinquents will have to find other diversions tomorrow.

GAP

Today I begin the GAP course for product safety--Good Agricultural Practices-- offered by Cornell University. GAP Certification is not yet a requirement and is still only a suggestion from the USDA but many restaurants/grocers require it. In all probability it will become the standard and trickle down to the farmers' markets and individual farm sales. I am being proactive here and trying to stay ahead of government mandates. I hope it proves helpful and informative instead of boring and useless. After all, I am sacrificing quality garden time!

Mable is so much better today. She is perky and gobbling food right in there with her sisters. I may let them out of their confinement later today...test them to see if they remain on our own property instead of meandering over into the great abyss where the chicken-eating dragon lives-- aka the neighbors yard and German Shepherd.

All of the young Mables (20), Millies (22), Tillies (10) and Lillies (4) have reached egg-laying maturity--20 weeks. I am confident that when this hot weather breaks (yesterday we registered 111) I will have eggs to eat and share. My customers are getting restless and I fear they may wander over to other chicken havens to sample their offerings. However, there are NO eggs like Rocky Creek eggs and my customers have attested to this on numerous occasions. Perhaps it would be a good thing for them to try other chickens eggs; it will make them appreciate Mable's all the more.

And, I have had nothing but rave reviews on our garlic. This is the first time I've ever grown it and am so happy folks love it. It is a robust garlic and not for the feint of heart and just full of healthy nutrition. Life is Good.

Mable Saga- Day Three

It has been three days since the Great Chicken Massacre. The next day after the fiasco Hubs rescued a Mable literally from the clutches of the domestic predator. She appeared to be in bad shape: wing drooping, limping, lethargy, pale. I gave her some Rescue Remedy, some nettles and comfrey in her feed and isolated her in what is now the bunny pen/chicken brooderhouse (a tiny shed with roosts and hay connected to a good sized chicken wire pen with a rabbit hutch). Charlie, the rabbit, looks on with casual interest.

Recuperation Mable was pretty out of it the first day and come evening I lifted her into the brooder house and set her on a soft pile of hay for the night. Yesterday morning I lifted her outside and put her food and water beside her. She pecked at her food (oats and herbs) and drank a little water, but was still totally uninterested in her surroundings. By bedtime she hadn't changed much. Today we went thru our morning routine. She wasn't as pale (her comb was pink instead pale pink) and although she wouldn't get off her bed until I picked her up, she seemed a little stronger.

Everyday since the incident we have watched the remaining three Mables and Jack closely; sure enough two of them meander around until they finally get over to the neighbors house with the offending dog. We go over and round them up, Cassie's herding instincts kicking in and heading them home. After numerous times our frustration level has risen dangerously. Finally, this morning Hubs says we have to pen them up.

So, the only place to do that is in bunny/chicken pen where Recuperation Mable is convalescing. I'm afraid they will peck her and interfere with her healing at best and possibly kill her at worst, but decide to give it a try. I pick up the troublesome two and as soon as their little chicken feet hit the ground they begin to gobble up Recuperation Mable's special diet. The moment she sees them she limps over to them, gets between them and half-heartedly pecks at the food. She's happy to see them! They ignore her, but at least they weren't picking on her.

The third Mable had been busy laying an egg while her two trespassing sisters were on their adventure. After I collected the egg Hubs and I agreed that she should be shut up with the others as well just as a preventative measure. She was just in time to get in on the last of the gobble-fest; their little crops are stuffed and puffed out like a balloon. They also seem to love the nettle/comfrey tea that replaced their water.

I waited to see what the dynamic would be after the food was gone and they got bored. Recuperation Mable started grooming one of the newbies. I think she's definitely glad her sisters are in there with her. But, Egg-layer Mable was stressed. She was fast-pacing along the fence wall and working herself into quite a dither. After watching a few minutes I elected to let her out rather than allow her to make herself sick. The second I opened that door she raced outside and into the chicken house and up on a nest. What? She's already laid one egg today. I just checked on her a few minutes ago and she's still on the nest. I have no idea what she thinks she's doing, but she seems happy so I'm going to leave her to it. As long as she stays home and away from the neighbors, I'll be happy, too.

Hubs has the fence all marked but now we have to wait on the utility company to come out and do their thing. Hurry up and wait. Yes, in spite of it all, Life is good. :)