December 2015

   Its been awhile since I last posted anything here on the garden. Been busy with the chickens and getting ready for home renovations.So I will try to sum up a few months on here now.

  The garden did well . Weeds did get the best of the onions though. Peppers tomatoes beans and squash crops did great though. Looks like I'll cut the bean crop in half this year as many went to waste, people never show up like they say they will. Easier to go to Wegmans I suppose.

  The chickens have all made it. With a sad note I did have to find my rooster a new home. He was quite good at his job of protecting his girls. I tried to keep him but he kept after me all the time while I was giving them fresh water and feed. Startles you when a full grown bird charges you at chest height. Just wouldn't learn I was his friend. Now he has a good home free ranging on Wetzel Road. Hope he doesn't give Jack any trouble. With this warm weather the girls have been egg laying machines. Sometimes I can get 10 a day from 11 hens, although the average is about 7. Seem to go out of the door faster than I can collect them.

  House has been taking up lots of my time. Hopefully by the middle of January it will be done. Yard all dug up and now its just a mud pit back there.

  I'll close with a few pictures and wish you all a great Holiday Season and hopefully we'll see you in the yard come spring. Looking to plant new varieties of flowers and vegetables in the greenhouse.

Spring vegetables starting to come into season

Some early peppers tomatoes and squash

Pepper and tomato 

The girls eating the special salad Margaret makes for them

Oscar with his favorite chicken or the one he could catch

The crew who tore off the back porch and siding

Some of the eggs the girls have given us.

New entry going up

Garden salad for the girls to give the yolk the rich color

One of the wheelbarrow loads of squash we collected

July's post

Been awful busy here with the new chicks and getting the garden in. Everything always happens at the same time during planting season. The garden is doing well and so are the weeds. Just can't keep ahead of them this year. Can hardly see my tomato plants

Chicks we picked up at the end of May. Tiny little things but growing quickly. Have to make sure they are warm and eating and drinking. They all have names now and actually tell them apart, except the Buff Orpingtons. Might leg band them with colors when full grown.

After seven weeks we needed to move them outside. Was dividing them in two groups every day.Finally to the main coop. More room for them to stretch their wings and strut. 

After some time in the coop so they know where they live we let them out. It was close to two weeks they were inside. Cozy and secure and learning how to roost. Beside thats where they get their special salad Margaret makes them. She talks to them and they sit and listen. Chicken talk. 

 

The trench has been dug for water and electricity. Very easy digging as it was all sand. Pulled in 15 conductors so I can switch lights from the house shed and coop.  Was an easy pull with the help of a good friend Fenton. Would still be out there if I was alone. Water has been installed at coop, greenhouse, and shed. Just an upright faucet at each location . Nothing fancy,just convenience for me.

Its nice and warm outside so we decided to let the girls out early. The pop door was opened last Sunday and they were coaxed out be Jenny with some scratch. I guess they are real chickens as every  morning they go out and are back in the coop in the evening. Their safe place.When I'm out back working they watch me and yes I do go over and talk with them. No chicken talk regular conversation. Maybe thats why I have nothing to say at dinner. Used up all my talk with the chicks and dogs. So some time in late September or October I should start to see some eggs. Until then have to just take good care of them and watch for any signs of predators lurking around. So far so good. Take care all my friends gardeners and all you chicken people out there. Its a lot of work but keeps us young and active. Better than going to the gym and have to pay to get your workouts. Home grown workouts.

WELCOME TO THE CIRCLE M COOP

Been awhile since I posted. Its been a very cold and snowy winter. When I wanted to work on the coop I had to shovel around it. But Its done now with some much need help from the family. Putting on the board and battens was the easy part.

 

All started with Oscar helping me square the base frame off.

Built the walls off site and found out I couldn't carry them. So Brian and Sara came over to bail me out. Moved them to their location and fastened them down securely.

Once the walls were in place Jenny came over and put the middle supports in with pocket screws. Sure did stiffen the building up and a place to nail our chicken eire on.

Ridge bean and rafters went on next. Its getting cold out and the weather is not going to hold up. So Jason came over and we put a tarp over the building so I could work through the winter.

During the nice days of our cold winter I worked on the coop part itself. Finishing the interior with tar paper and then pallet wood so the girls would be draft free during the cold months. Even though it was a nice day my fingers were always splitting open from the weather. Some days it was only an hour or so. Not to mention I also had to keep the driveway open and the run for the dogs.

Next some board and battens went on and the electrical went in. Yes spring has arrived. Nest box installed and ready to roof.

Finally roofing day has come. One phone call was all it took. Family showed up and it went fast. Jim,Jason on the roof putting the plywood and tar paper on along with shingles, Erin Sara Brian joining in after it get started. For those that don't care to be on the scaffold doing the high work the nesting boxes had to have shingles also. Even Murphy had to help carry the lumber. One very productive morning.

As you can see from the last six pictures it came out well. A painted blue ceiling to a vinyl floor. Three insulated nest boxes and some nice secure windows to keep them safe at night.The eleven birds have been ordered and will be here by the end of the month. It was a great project and made me feel good to see the family jump in to help. Could have never put that roof on by myself. Age has caught up with me.  Thank you everyone for the help.

February in upstate New York

  This winter has been a cold one. Once the snow started it never stopped. Not even a January thaw. With all this snow its going to be a late season for starting seedlings in the greenhouse. It seems everyday me and Margaret are out there with our carhartt's on shoveling snow or using the snowblower. Had over 55 inches this month alone. The cold temperatures with wind chills at -25F don't help. the wood stove has been working overtime. Being a short month we still went through 2 1/2 chords of wood. It seems like I'm filling the porch every 4 days. You all know how it is as we are all in the same boat sinking this winter. One thing though a day with sunshine makes you feel a whole lot better. Today is one of those days. Good day to be ice fishing. Enjoy a few pictures of the season and think spring.

 Looks like it will be awhile before I get to the greenhouse

Rabbit looking in the dining room window waiting for Margaret to feed her.

Nothing getting done in the coop                                                                                     

Dogs having fun in the snow.