5.5 Pounds and Counting

It's week 7 and the Cornish Rocks have reached 5.5lbs.  I expect them to reach 7 within the next week.  Think I'm ready for what comes next.  I have new knives, cones, a scaulder, a plucker, an evisceration table (actually it's for cleaning fish), plenty of tubs and coolers and shrink wrap bags and labels.  I even have  a new pop up canopy and tarps to block the view of the messy stuff from the neighbors in case they come by.

Out of the 38 I started with I've only lost 4.  Two chicks died early.  I also left 5 with the batch of egg layer chicks I bought.  I moved most out in time but two got bullied, trampled or pecked to death.  The couple of egg layers I left with the main batch of Cornish Rocks are doing well, but the eggs layers are too active for the much slower more feeble Cornish Rocks.

The "freezer chickens" are having trouble moving their heavy breasted bodies around the yard.  It's almost comical, but having arthritis in my knees, feet and hands I kind of feel for them.  My arthritis aches and pains seem a bit worse lately.  Don't know if that's sympathy pains or just the cosmos telling me I should go vegan.

Couple lessons I've learned are to start them on the grass earlier (week 2 or 3) and put a few eggs layers in with them to show them how to forage and get around.  The do forage some, but not as much as I had hoped they would.  They pretty much wattle after me looking for hand outs. 

Hoping starting them on grass younger might get them to forage more and reduce the feed bill.  They are like Parana around the feeder.  Then they fall asleep with their heads resting on the feeders so when they wake up they can start again.

But definitely don't leave any with a larger group of egg layers.  Egg layers are significantly more active and aggressive than the eat, sleep and poop Cornish Rocks.

Ouch......

This is today's egg collection.

I don't have a duck or an emu.  Look for the hen that is walking funny....

Ouch..

2013 Vegetable List

In addition to raising chickens and planning an aquaponics project I'm expanding the vegetable garden beds this year.  Much to the dismay of the guy who cuts my lawn.  I'm fortunate to have a neighbor who runs a lawn service and gave me a great price on cutting the grass.  This frees my time up for more interesting adventures.  But the more projects I get going the more difficult it makes it for him to cut the grass.  Every action has an opposite and equal reaction.  Thanks Jimmy for making it possible to do the more fun stuff.

This year's vegetable list is :

Tomatoes (7 different kinds)

Potatoes (sweet and golds)
Cabbage
Onions
Radishes
Green Beans
Lettuce (Iceberg)
Bell Peppers (Green, Yellow, Orange, Red)

Butternut Squash

Golden Globe Turnips

Carrots

The herb garden is pretty much the same as last year;

Basil                         Parley

Thyme                      Dill

Oregano                   Rosemary
Sage


The Lettuce, green beans and the bell peppers will be part of the aquaponics project.  Hoping the evenings will warm up enough to move the tilapia out to the raised pond next weekend. It's going down to 38 here this weekend.  I purchased 30 tilapia fingerling's (1-2inch) about a month ago and they have more than doubled in size while living in the 30 gal tank which are their temporary living quarters. 

This will be the first time I've tried turnips and carrots.  Wish me luck.  I'm also planning to build a potato box.  The last time I grew potatoes it was in some old tires.  Worked well, but didnt' look so good in the yard. 

The potato box or stacked tires works on the idea that potatoes are like tomatoes.  Bury the stem and it sends out roots.  As the potato grows you keep building the box higher or stack another tire and fill it with dirt.  The stem turns to root and you get more potatoes.  The tires worked pretty good because they warm up the soil (the black rubber holds in the heat and moisture) and when harvest time comes you just knock over the tires and dig out the potatoes. 

I'm going to build 3 or 4  2ft square boxes and stack them up as the potatos grow and take them down once harvest time is here and hope for as many potatoes as I got with the tires.  I got almost 50 pounds with 4 tires.

The carrots, potato box and pumpkins will be part of the new raised beds going in this weekend if the rain holds off.  Sorry Jimmy, but at least it's a square bed.

New Directions

As anyone who is more than 20 years old has probably already figured out... life sometimes changes directions.  Whether it's a new job, new career, growing family or just your blog, things change and head off in different directions.

No new job or career  and my nephew is expecting a second child so my extended family does continues to grow.  But it's my blog that is taking a new direction.  You can tell from the first few posts that I originally started this blog to diary my adventure into raising chickens.  Well I've decided to start an aquaponics project (fish and plants together), expand the garden with a few new beds and have been looking at plans to build a small green house.

Yes I have too much time on my hands.  But as I explore the world of food and how it gets to our tables I realize I like the idea of urban farming and taking control of that part of my life.  So much of our lives are out of our control or we simply don't think about it.  Well I've started to think about it.  And started to research it as you can tell from my previous posts.  And I don't really like what I'm finding out.

So I'm expanding this blog to include all of my adventures into urban farming and some of the other projects I do.  As you can see from the pictures spring is here in Kentucky and it's the perfect time to think about growing things like flowers, trees, vegetables, new born animals and green...oh so green grass. 

So follow my adventures and hopefully you can learn something new, be a bit entertained and just perhaps be inspired to explore your own adventure, whether it be raising chickens, starting a vegetable garden or simply learning more about where your food comes from and how it gets to your table.

Look for farmers markets in your area and support your local farmers.

Coming to terms with killing the animal you are going to eat.

Processing day for the chickens is only a couple more weeks away.  While I've done my initial trials to make sure I could actually do it (too many extra roos that nobody seemed to want), the thought of processing 25 birds is still a bit unnerving.

Here is a good article on coming to terms with this part of raising animals for food.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-emotional-side-of-chicken-processing

Remember whether you raise your own chickens or buy them from a grocery store they come from living, breathing, eating, drinking, clucking animal who's life had to end.  How they lived and how that life ended is the question those of us raising our own chickens and other livestock are answering.

If you asked yourself at every meal "how did this food get here, how did it live and how did it die to become our dinner?"  First of all...could you answer that question (many people have no idea how food gets from farm to supermarket) and secondly are you OK with the answer?

Something to think about next time you pick up that fork.

 

My chicken tractor

I have put the "freezer" chicks in the new chicken tractor I build a couple weeks ago.  My thought for this was in addition to being movable and provide outside access to grass, bugs etc and not have to clean up the poop.... but to have a tractor that I could easily dismantle and store.

These are shots from my Chicken Diary that I use to keep daily tasks, chores, events etc.  I researched a lot of different tractor ideas before coming up with this design.  The dimensions are 10ft by 4ft.  A bit smaller than I would normally have for the 20 chickens in there, but in about a week I'm going to start opening the tractor and let the chickens have use of the yard when I get home from work and on weekends.  It's moved daily.

It's a simple combination of 2 PVC panels covered in welded wire and 2 wood triangles.  All held together with zip ties and bungee straps for easy dissemble and storage.  Cost was less than $100 for all materials and that is if you buy everything new.  Easy Saturday afternoon project to assemble and seems to be working out OK. 

 

I would not suggest this design for a high predator environment.  My yard is fenced with horse rail and welded wire 2x4 fencing.  So far the biggest thing I've seen in it is a squirrel.  I expect to start processing the chickens in about 5 weeks.

 

What does the law say.

For anyone interested or thinking about raising chickens in Louisville KY where is a link to the animal ordinance for our area.

http://www.louisvilleky.gov/AnimalServices/animal_ordinances/animal_ordinance_faq.htm

The only reference to chickens is:

All crowing and non-crowing poultry must be kept on tracts or lots of at least half an acre or more. You can have one crowing and five non-crowing birds on less than half an acre.

Remember you do not need a rooster to get eggs and a good egg laying breed such as the Red Star can lay 300 per year.  Not to mention the reduction in bug population and the free fertilizer you will get for your lawn or garden.