Self-Sustainability Takes Patience....we won't starve

We won't starve!

   Okay, well maybe that's a little over the top but after 28 weeks of waiting two of the five hens are finally laying eggs every day.

The Steel Magnolia gals and supposedly one guy, Drum, came to me on a very cold March morning as tiny little fluffs of fuzz and feet. I can remember saying to myself "how in the world will they survive?"

I don't dare calculate how much money is invested in chick grower feed. They always were a messy little bunch of fluff. It didn't take much to tip over or get into their feed somehow. They were really good at tipping their water over no matter what it weighed. I think there was a Superman vitamin in that feed because they grew by leaps and bounds overnight.

In mid-April they were moved into a small coop that I bought at Tractor Supply. Ha! Like that was going to work. It didn't take Clairee, Weezer, M'Lynn and Truvy plus Drum to outgrow that space. Oh and let us not forget to mention that what I thought was a Shelby was actually Roo 2. Yep, now we had two roosters. A few short weeks after moving them to the small coop we knew we had to give them a bigger home. Too many hawks, foxes and coyotes live in our area so it was going to have to be an enclosed coop with a big pen. Enter the teenagers! Thanks to them and a weekend or so of work we converted a playhouse that I won with a two dollar raffle ticket in 2003 we had us a secure place for the babies to go.

Then about the end of May the impatience set in. I wanted eggs. The gals had a great place that was warm, dry and secure. It was summer time and they were suppose to start laying. Check the chicken care book.  By the way if you are new to raising chickens I highly recommend Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. There is not a question asked that they don't answer. And according to them I should have eggs in a few weeks. Well, it did take a little longer than a few weeks. The first Monday of August I checked the nesting box as I always do not expecting much. But, look! There it was THE FIRST EGG. The angels sang and Heaven sent down a sunbeam to shine upon the new, freshly laid egg. Cue the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. And every day after that right on schedule one egg was laid.  ONE? Wait, doesn't she have four hens? Uh, yes I do. So? Um, well, the rest seemed to be lagging behind a tad bit. Thinking that possibly two roosters was one too many disturbing the peacefulness of the flock, Roo 2 was dispatched outside the coop. He is doing nicely with this arrangement and it has been more peaceful. That was about two weeks ago. I lamented that the other three hens even knew where the nesting box was. So, being the good chicken mama I was, I took the uninformed into the coop and sat them in the nest thinking it would trigger a laying hormone or something. And so two weeks went on by until this past Sunday. Yes, finally, there were two eggs in the nest. That meant someone got the idea . There are still two hens that haven't laid any eggs yet, but I do have hope that before weather turns chilly and the days get shorter that Weezer and Truvy get the idea to give us some more eggs.  But, with two eggs a day, we won't starve. Self-sustainability does take a little time and patience though.

Michele Brown is the owner of Possum Creek Herb Farm and the mistress of her one acre homestead in southeast TN. When she isn't growing herbs and updating websites, she is coaching her chickens to keep up the good work.

Rainy Days Means Mud

 

 

Rainy Days Means Mud

 

How funny! Here it is Saturday again. I seem to be in a pattern with my blogging. So sorry it has been so long since a post. It has been a tad crazy here on the farm. The Spring weather has been beautiful for the past week. Brillant blue skies, coolish temps and sunny days. Daylight is longer now so some chores can wait until after supper instead of that rushed get it done before dark dash to get it all done. I even had a few minutes to walk through the woods and see what Mother Nature has been doing. The dogwoods, crabapple trees, privet (ugh) and some of the blackberries are in bloom. Ferns are unwinding from their long winter sleep and I am seeing  new patches of Sassafrass and Solomon Seal showing new green. I can really tell we had a wet winter. We are living in a green tunnel of new leaves.

 

The farm is showing some new life this year. Over the years many of the raised beds that the herbs were grown in also known as the tour gardens were removed because there just wasn't enough time in the day to be in the greenhouses, marketing, shipping, doing farmers markets and well, living, to get an acre of gardens weeded to be suitable. So, when the farm closed to the public in 2006 we took out a lot of the beds. Now, instead of a lot of herbs to look at and manage, fruit bushes are going in. Bush Cherries are going in. These bushes grow four feet up and out and provide a midseason harvest of 7-10 lbs of fruit per bush. They are a Montmorency type of cherry which means sour enough for jellies and pies. I am hopeful that there enough harvest to share at markets but that is another year or so down the road. Golden Raspberries are going in where the Ajuga was along the fence next to the barn. No more ornamental plants around here. They must provide something. Whether that is flavoring to a culinary dish, medicinally, or a food such as fruit. I won't take out the Japanese Maple planted fifteen years ago or the Hydrangeas that bloom pink, lavender and blue but it was close. The Elderberry, figs, blueberries, and strawberries are already in and blooming. The deer have been around leaving their hoofprints but so far so good with the nibbling.

 

Business has been crazy good this spring. A late spring in our neck of the woods means local deliveries of wholesale plants came late but it has been very steady for the last several weeks. This is temporary but it has put enough demand on me that I have had to miss a Saturday market now and then. I expect to be back full time before Mother's Day. Last Sunday was Opening Day for the 2013 season of the Chattanooga Market. It is the start of my eighth season and I am right back where I want to be in my favorite spot surrounded by my favorite farmers. Sales were brisk and the crowd was massive. Learned some things last week and am making some simple changes to help me serve everyone faster. It just takes a little bit of time to get back into the swing of things.

 

Being back at the Chattanooga Market meant fresh lettuce from Lee and Gordon's Greens and eggs from the ladies at Sheerlark Farm (and Larry too). There is nothing better than fresh produce and food after a long winter of store bought. Sorry, BiLo and Publix, I won't be in your produce departments for about nine months or so. I am anxious for the CSA to start with Brown Dirt Farm but content myself with looking at the photos of the plants going into the ground up there in Dunlap.

 

There are some things in the works for later this Spring. Research is needed so consulting my massive bookcase is first because I have BOOKS on almost every subject relating to farming, raising food and herbs, chickens and kids. Chickens were just the first installment in this homesteading adventure and the installation of the fruit bushes was second. Much more is to come if this is to be successful. Just hope I don't run out of space.

 

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