Chicks for the Holidays
Well, a 10X10 coop just wasn't quite big enough to accommodate a triple-roost, nesting boxes, feed, and supplies so we added another 10X8 bonus room. It is separated from the main coop and is great! The picture below looks like a porch but it is now fully enclosed with a door and a window. The chicks started out in a large dog kennel in the main coop with a circular corrugated wall. After Ronny finished the "nursery", he built a large removable box on a rack that gave the girls more room to grow, was easy on my back, and functions as a cabinet now. He built a rack on the wall and stood the box up on it on its side. The floor rack functions as a low roost as the babies learn to fly up to the higher roost. Ronny is so smart!
Beware that extra buildings on your property increase your taxes. A representative from the Appraisal District paid us a visit this week and told us that anything larger than 10X10 is taxable. Maybe, we should have gone vertical?
Of course, all things with chickens are not always rosy and easy. We lost our first bird to a hawk. It was one of my Speckled Sussex. They are especially sweet and friendly birds and we were so sad to lose her. Our rooster has also been a bit of a problem. He is fiercely protective of his flock and attacks at will. So far, he just spurs. I tried the nice route of trying to establish dominance, holding him, and backing him off by getting eye level with him. I even resorted to a squirt bottle. The "nice" things didn't work so well. A leaf rake to the chest has been the most effective thing and he seems much less inclined to come near me now.
 |
| Babies getting their feathers |
 |
| The bonus room to the Chick Shack |
Getting the Garden Ready
Of course, besides birds, gardening is just my thing! Since I don't have a greenhouse yet, I am using my breakfast nook as a greenhouse. To date, I have started asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, and peppers in the greenhouse. I have some excellent mentors at Garden Inspirations who have been a fantastic resource in green thumbery. They offer a wonderful variety of classes including monthly sessions that teach you how to prepare and amend your soil, what to do in the garden each month, what seeds to order for upcoming plantings, how to successfully plant transplants, and how to plant your seeds. They give great lists on plants that are successful in our region, ideal garden amendments, companion planting, and so much more. You can purchase heirloom seeds from them as well. Check out their website and all the great resources and knowledge they provide.
I "greenhouse" my seeds in Dixie cups and baking tins with plastic lids. They are on bakers racks and as soon as the seedlings emerge, we put them under fluorescent grow lights that are suspended from the tops of the shelves. I also have a space heater in the room and attempt to keep the temperature around 75 degrees. As soon as the plants look ready, I transplant them to organic cowpots. The broccoli and cabbage are on the carport hardening. Tomatoes, peppers, and asparagus are growing in the greenhouse. Onions, spinach, lettuces, radishes, carrots, and potatoes are in the ground. I just planted potatoes this last weekend after a few weeks of curing in sulfur dust. Ronny is working on chicken-proofing the garden so they don't eat our seedlings. It is a huge area, so the fence work is a work in progress.
We prepped the garden with at least 100 bags of leaves this winter. We hired a truck full of kids from our church to spend an afternoon with us. We raked a huge yard for free and got 56 bags from that property. We have also collected leaves from a variety of other sources. We spread the leaves over the entire garden and tilled them in. I can tell a huge difference already this year as the soil is looser, softer, and less clay-like. We will also begin a compost tea spray regimen of the entire property 4 times a year. This will rehab the soil by adding essential bacteria back into the soil. Composting is a huge part of sustainability and gardening. I currently have a tumbler composter, two tub composts, and I do deep dirt composting in the coop. We are getting pallets soon and will build a compost area to allow for easier turning of the compost and better aeration. I have started recycling all paper products from our home into my composting technique, as well.
TOFGA
One of the best things we have done for ourselves as farmers is join the Texas Organic Growers and Farmers Association (TOFGA). We attended their annual conference a few week ago. I went to the gardening and sustainability sessions and Ronny attended livestock sessions. We learned lots of new things, went on a farm tour, and networked with people from our region. Two of my favorite sessions were one presented by Betsy Ross that covered soil health and one that presented the dangers of GMO seeds and Round Up (glyphosate). I also learned a few things about sustainability. We would like to continue to develop the farm into a sustainable site with added solar power and rain water harvesting.
Upcoming Events
I will be attending the 2013 Sustainability Summit at the end of March. I am really excited about hearing the keynote speaker, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm. Our son recommended his books when we first bought the farm. We will also be participating in the DFW Truck Farm Fun Run in April. Truck Farms are a new concept in the U.S. and the only one in Dallas is owned and operated by Garden Inspirations. Join us on the Fun Run for a fun day during the Earth Day Dallas celebration. You can register on the Fun Run link highlighted above.
Sad Farewell
As you might remember, we adopted a dog with the property. Sometime in November, she started getting picky about eating. After a few weeks, she started eating again and then after Christmas, she went downhill rapidly and ultimately died of liver cancer. After her diagnosis, we chose to bring her back to her farm. She died peacefully in her sleep, curled up facing the entire property. It could not have more perfect. We miss her. I accidentally called the cat by her name today. Thanks for being a great little farm dog, Shasta.
So as you can see, these are busy days. Ronny is working on building his barn and a hog pen. I am dreaming of dairy goats and making yogurt. And of all crazy things, I want more baby chicks. Visit us on our FaceBook page at Scasta Farm to keep up with harvests and news. We will offer Pick-of-the-Week produce, figs, eggs, and PYO blackberries this year. HAPPY FARMING!
