As i said before in a previous blog, my family and myself have moved to a new home. I have been doing some thinking and some research. I want chickens! I can't own my self sustaining farm right now. I just don't have the funds for such a venture yet. But I can bring some of the adventure and education of wholesome living to my family by just a few hens.
I own a large home with a nice sized fenced in and a non-fenced yard. I can do this. So my planning has begun. First I found the where?. I have chosen MyPetChicken.com for my hens. We decided on ordering day old chicks. We have picked out the Easter Egger-Standard. It is a very attractive bird. They are an enduring bread. I live in planting zones 5-6. So we have a wide variety of weather climates here. I need a bird small enough for my property but heat and cold tolerant. The Easter Chickens are a hybrid type bird. Their bodies are small enough to tolerate the heat and their smaller pea comb makes them compatible with colder temperatures. Hopefully not as susceptible to frostbite. Another wonderful feature of these birds is that they have multi colored eggs, blue, green etc. My kids will surely love them. I can order them sexed, Do NOT want roosters! no way. Wow them boys got a voice box. (I'll wait for my farm). Also I can order them vaccinated. Safety, safety....
I have the blueprints for the tractor-coupe that we will build for the hens habitat. I have searched for quite a while for the right design. I have chosen the tractor type because its portable (that baby got wheels.) I wanted to make sure both my new editions and my family would be comfortable. I looked around the house for suitable materials because (here's a word you'll be seeing allot in my blogs) why buy it, RECYCLE it. I have all the information about raising, feeding and nutrition, I googled everything!, and what I couldn't find out I asked.
The chickens will be perfect! We can Recycle our kitchen scraps not only to our compost but to the chickens, they can keep those nasty garden eating pests at bay, I hear slugs, worms and those darned earwigs are definitely on the menu. They will provide eggs for my family and maybe instead of cookies for those festive times for the neighbors and relatives there will be eggs! If I feed the chickens just right, I'll have fresh manure for all of my plants! This bird is definitely beneficial and Recyclable. Also the eggshells that are left over are also wonderful for fruit bearing plants, Like tomatoes. The eggshells provide much needed calcium to the plant when they produce fruit. Rinse them off and let them dry, I have a mortar and pestle handy (yes its a bit overkill but my plants are my babies too.) just grind up some left over shells and dump right in to the Topsy Turvy and add water.
I'm so excited about this new project and turn in our family's lifestyle and future. I want my boys to learn good values and a little Independence from the mass marketer and commercialism won't hurt a thing. More people should practice or at least know how to be a little self sufficient.
Speaking of self sufficiency my plants are doing well. I would of liked to plant a bit more but I still have allot to consider about the plants placement on the property, what gets the best sun and at what times, where is the shade, the best drainage. I did a few soil samples thank goodness I haven't found intolerable conditions yet. The land needs work but at least its workable. To do the test was quite simply a glass of water. I added a few tablespoons, a drop of dish washing detergent, shook and waited. Really, I went and tended to our new bird feeder and trimmed that shade tree, I spoke of in my previous blog. We have a new occupant in our shade tree we have a few robins that have moved in. Baby robins sounds are sure to be coming. I cut the grass and made diner. I should of let it sit overnight but I didn't. I found out the soil wasn't the perfect ideal mixture but close. The ideal soil would be 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay. The lightest floats and the heaviest( the Clay) sinks. the glass should look like it has layers and if not, wait longer.
I could test for drainage but I didn't see any signs of problem areas. I didn't see any moss or slick green areas. If I was to do a drainage test I would dig a 1 foot square in a low spot on the property or in the garden I have chosen. I would then fill the hole with water and see how long it would take for the water to dissipate. Too fast there is too much sand. Too slow and there is too much Clay. Clay doesn't drain well and the plants will get wet feet. Most plants don't fair well at all in those conditions.
I haven't quite chosen weather or not I want to till up my gardens or make an above ground planter. I have found some old tires that are not usable on any of my vehicles so I have decided to Recycle them. I set them in my garage for paint. ( well they have to look nice too!) I will be making potato planters in them. Again I'm excited. I will tell you all about how that goes later.
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