Windy Night

Despite the balmy temperatures yesterday I left the row covers up anticipating dropping temps soon. The wind had fun with them last night! This is the sight I was met with this morning ...

The wind is still blowing mightily ... and today's wind is a cold wind!

Strange Winter Weather

It's 70 degrees at 9:15 PM outside my open window on January 30. The wind is blowing ominously. A front is moving in, bringing a 20 degree drop in temperature. Tomorrow's high will be 50 degrees. Rain is expected tonight. Tornadoes are a possibility.

We had a blast of arctic air this past week ... our first real taste of winter this year. Temperatures dropped into the 20's. Yesterday, a wintry mix fell from the sky ... some snow, but mostly freezing rain and ice. It didn't amount to that much, but was enough to ice over everything, making travel treacherous. Road crews were prepared, spreading salt and sand on main thoroughfares.

Still, there are plenty of opportunities for slipping and sliding this morning, especially on bridges, back-road, and shady spots. Temperatures are expected to be above freezing by mid-day. Mother Nature will make short work of cleaning up mess this through the power of natural thaw.

The garden is tucked in under protective fabric row covers. The chickens are cozied up in the coop. All is well.

Oh, No-o-o-o!

My favorite Ameraucana fell victim to one of the resident hawks this afternoon.

Number One and First Lady shared the top spot of the pecking order. Number One is the hen that would come right up to me, tilt her head one way or the other in order to give me the eye, while seeming to declare, "You ARE giving us some fresh water today, right?" or "The feed is getting a little low, you know." I knew exactly what she was saying!

I'm sorry that she suffered this end and sad to see her go. She will be missed in the chicken yard. RIP Number One.

This is a Hawk Attack

WARNING:  Not for the faint of heart ...

 ... a big pile of feathers ... the back is pecked out ... the head is missing ... one of my girls is dead ... dadgum hawk ... and where was the bodacious guardian of hens?!

Salad for Lunch

Bo

Bo-Roo-Guard, a.k.a. Bodacious Rooster - Guardian of Hens

Bok Choy!

The egg carton is full again!

As the length of winter days dwindle, so goes the egg production. At or about the time of the winter solstice (December 21) the number of eggs found in the hen house drops to zilch, and remains at that level for up to two weeks.  This is a very inconvenient timing as holiday cooking and baking increases the need for eggs!

Artificial light may be used to encourage continued egg laying, but we don't routinely use it. There's no source for electricity at the barn. Unless temperatures drop severely, to the point of requiring heat in the coop, we don't fool with running extension cords.

After the first week or two of January, eggs are back on the menu. This year, the Ameraucanas were the first to resume laying. The Dominiques were not far behind. Then the young red sex links began laying their first eggs. Their eggs are a rich, chocolate-brown. Combined with the light-brown eggs of the Dominiques and the blue-green eggs of the Ameraucanas ... the color palatte is quite lovely!

A Little Help in the Garden ... So Nice!

The chick weed and other undesirables have been growing like crazy. Andrew has been weeding. What a joy to look out over those neat and tidy beds!

We've had unusually warm temps ... mid 70's yesterday! The tatsoi, the mustard, and the arugula are bolting. Is is possible the lettuces could go bitter in the middle of January?

Mid-Winter Gardening in NC

The winter garden is my favorite ...  delicious greens, a few herbs, root veggies, and NO BUGS!! Here's what's on the menu right now:

Salad Turnips ... Crunchy, sweet and turnip-y. Delicious sliced into a salad or eaten out of hand. The turnip tops are pretty tasty, too!

Radishes. We have several different kinds. They are crunchy and perfectly spicy.

Arugula and a variety of delicious lettuces.

Bokchoi, collards, kale, tatsoi, mustard, etc, etc ...

Fava beans, to be harvested in the spring.

Changed my mind ... Great Horned Owl #1 Suspect in Death of Hen

We've recently had a pair of Great Horned Owls on our property. We've heard them call in the middle of the night ... a mellow "hoot" or "who-o-o-hoo-h-o-o".  I actually heard one calling yesterday morning as I walked out to the hen house. In fact, I SAW the bird as it dropped silently down from its perch and flew away from me. I thought it was cool! I backtracked into the house to tell Andrew about it.

That was before I knew I had a dead chicken, and I don't know why I didn't put two and two together once I made the discovery! There are always plenty of hawks around, and I've seen them take down my chickens. I guess you could say I was predisposed to suspecting a hawk.

But get this. The Great Horned Owl is the largest and most powerful of all nocturnal raptors. They will take birds right off the roost - e.g. from the top of our magnolia tree. When prey is abundant they are known to eat only a specific portion of the body ...  the head ... which contributes to the horned owl's reputation as a bloodthirsty predator. These owls hunt at night, typically between 9:00pm and midnight, or early in the morning, 4:30am to dawn.

It's really just a matter of time before chickens who roost in the great outdoors are consumed, one way or another.

Hawk Gets Little Red Hen

One little red hen down.
It was inevitable.

Late in the afternoon yesterday I released all the hens into the big yard to do their free-ranging. As daylight began to dwindle my intention was to personally escort them (especially the red hens) into the chicken coop. But when I went out to check on them they had already gone to roost! One of the little red hens was happily embedded with the rest of the flock. The other five had chosen perches high up in the magnolia tree. I left them there.

This morning I called and clucked to the trouble-makers. They gladly came running to follow me into the chicken yard where I spread their daily ration of two-grain scratch. Bad news. There were only four in that little parade. After I turned out the rest of the hens and secured all the birds in the chicken yard I went in search of the missing hen. I found her. What was left of her. Something had eaten her head and neck. I have read that hawks will eat the head. Here's what I found:

I think the kill happened early this morning, when the birds first came off the roost. I gathered them up at 8:20am ... too late for this girl.

The red hens are certainly putting themselves at risk when they spend the night in the great outdoors, but their errant behavior is endangering the entire flock. Once a hawk decides there's good and easy food available in the area it will return over and over again.

Andrew and I were talking about what must be done. I think he has the right idea ... no free-ranging for a period of time. The red hens like to stick together in their own little flock. We must force integration with the original flock and force habitual roosting in the chicken coop.

The good news ... chickens are creatures of habit. Wonder how long it will it take to re-shape this habit?

Little Red Hens are Juvenile Delinquents!

Hmmm ... I may have spoken too soon about everything being "well" in the flock.

I have never had a problem with my chickens putting themselves to bed. When the sun goes down they go to roost ... in the chicken coop ... where they're safe from predators and from the ravages of foul weather. The Red Sex Links are not following the rules!

The moon was full on December 28. We were late closing up the chicken coop. On his way to the chicken house, Rouse saw one of the Red Sex Links roosting on the trailer we use for hauling mowing equipment. He tried to pick her up, but she flew away, and he decided not to chase her in the dark.

It turns out there were several little red hens out that night. And the next night when we closed up the coop after "free range" time several of the red hens were missing. They were roosting in the big magnolia tree! Well, we figured we better nip that habit in the bud. Rouse climbed the tree and knocked them off their perches. They easily flew to the ground and we herded them into the coop.

We thought it was a problem of young hens who were not solidly established in their bedtime ritual being confused by the brightness of the full moon when it came time to return to the chicken house after free-ranging. Then they started flying the coop!

Late in the afternoon, if I don't open up the chicken yard to the main yard these girls take charge and fly right over the chicken wire fence. They have their fun scratching for greens and grubs. When the sun goes down they settle high above the ground on sturdy magnolia branches. We actually let them do it a few nights. But I need to know they're safe ALL the time... when we're at home to gather them up again in the morning (they do follow me right into the chicken yard to get their allotment of chicken scratch) or when we're away for a weekend depending on others to care for them. Good chicken habits make for safe chickens!

So tonight Andrew climbed the magnolia tree where 5 of the 6 red hens had gone to roost. They flew down. I guided them into the chicken coop. Later, under cover of the dark of night when chickens are easily handled, Rouse and I entered the chicken house and clipped the wings of all the little red hens. I hate to do it, but they must stay in the chicken yard and go to bed with all the other chickens!

Happy New Year from the Garden!

January 1 was a drippy day, teasing us with a day-long drizzle of much needed rain. Today it's gray and cool ... mid 40's. Filling up waterers in the winter time is not the most pleasant task, but the sun did manage to wink at me as I completed my chicken chores this morning ... broadcasting the kitchen scraps and scratch feed, releasing the birds into the chicken yard, making my daily inspection of the girls, and of course, refreshing the water.

Peace reigns in the chicken yard once more. The pecking order is in place. The girls are happy with the new roo. Egg production has resumed. Behavior has normalized.  All is well.

This is a good time of year for fresh goodness out of the garden. We are eating glorious greens! The fresh salad mix includes lettuces, beet greens, arugula, spinach, tender kale and mustard ... enhanced with sweet salad turnips and spicy radishes. We've been cooking turnips, baby kale, mustard, spinach, tatsoi, and bok choy. We're still waiting for the collards to get big enough. Fava beans are thriving.