My Divergent Hen

So we moved the chicken tractor the other day  (Saturday) while the chickens were out and about.  I debated as to whether this was a good idea or not.  I thought perhaps we should move it after the hens and Snowball were in for the night but I took pity on Farmer John who wanted to move it in daylight.

The chickens could have cared less about it during the daytime but come dusk...

When I went out to shut them all up for the night, where were my chickens?  Standing in the exact spot that the tractor used to be in.  Talk about creatures of habit.  It was like they thought the chicken tractor would just appear over them.

So myself, Farmer John and two of our children had the ever so fun task of getting them to the chicken tractor.  We tried bribery with cracked corn, we tried herding and finally we had to result to catching them by surrounding them with chicken wire and then picking them up one by one and moving them to their new home. Can we say, "Roosters are feisty!"

Well, it took forever but finally all twelve were in for the night.

Sunday night, I went out with my daughter and Farmer John to shut  up the chickens again. It went fairly better.  Two hens were already inside and we managed to herd six more in with little difficulty.  That left four chickens... three hens and Snowball.

Andi and I managed to herd Snowball over but he would not go inside.  He flew to the top of the tractor and perched.  Then he jumped down and ran all over with us trying to cut him off.  Then we got him back over to the tractor where he proceeded to do it all over.  Finally we got him to go in... cracked corn was just too much temptation.

While all that was happening Farmer John was herding the other three hens.  When we finally thought we got them all in we did a "Chicken butt check".  We open the back side of the tractor and count. Hmmm... eleven.  We must have miscounted.  Nope after counting multiple times, pushing and prodding chickens so we could make sure one wasn't hidden, and me climbing into the tractor to count from the front (I sight to see.)  We still only came up with eleven.  Oh yeah!  We left one out and it was getting dark fast.

Enter my Divergent Hen!

We searched high.  We searched low.  In the barn, under everything, in every tree, in every bush.  Around and around the house we went.  It got dark.  We used flashlights.  All to no avail.  We finally had to call it quits and hope that where ever this hen had got herself to, she was safe.

Next morning I awoke to Snowball's usual crowing.  But then I heard a most joyous sound.  Clucking!  I never hear clucking.  My hen must have come out of hiding and is alive and well.

I got up and got dressed and went out.  She wasn't at the old chicken tractor spot.  She was however at the back of the house. All safe and sound. I approached her with some cracked corn but she wasn't too sure about me.  She didn't come up to me like the hens usually do.  I figured she was still upset over the fiasco herding efforts of the past two nights so I tossed some corn her way and left to let the other chickens out.

She was so happy when the other chickens came out .  She joined right in when they came over by her.  But she didn't join them at the tractor.

Now comes last night.    Seven hens in the tractor come dusk and two hens and snowball on the roof of the tractor.  The two hens went in right away.  Snowball took a couple minutes of herding but then he went in.  Two hens left to go.  We walked over to were they like to hang.  No chickens. Sigh.  We walked around the house. No chickens.  Great! Now my Divergent Hen has a friend.  Finally we heard a cluck and hastened toward it.  One chicken, sigh, not two.  We managed to herd her to a fence and catch her.  She got carried to the tractor.  But still no other chicken in sight.  We searched high.  We searched low.  Under everything, in every tree, in every bush. Around and around the house we went.  We did several chicken butt counts.  Only eleven and night was falling. Curse this blasted hen.

Farmer John had the gall to ask us... "Is it the same hen?"  They all look the same dear! But I would bet it is the same one.

I don't know where this chicken goes but she sure hides herself well. I hope I hear her cluck this morning and see her out. I don't want her to end up as anything else's food. Only me and my family have dibs on eating her when her egg laying time ends.

What the heck do I do about this Divergent Hen?  The nights are going to get colder and she will need to be with her flock.  And then when it gets really colder they will need to move into the barn for the winter.  That will be another story because then they'll need to share with my red hens.

Featherside Story: How two flocks became one.  Featuring the Red gang and the Rocks gang. Instead of clicking their fingers they cluck. I prefer an alternate ending to the Westside Story ending because I don't want any dead chickens.

Any one have any suggestions as to how to help little miss Divergent go back to the chicken tractor?

Update:  When I went out this morning.  I found that Divergent had lain an egg by the back porch.  It was nice of her to lay it where I would see it.  And I found her perched on top of the chicken tractor where she quickly joined the flock when I let them out.  She even entered the chicken yard and ate cracked corn with the others and then went into the tractor to eat and drink.  I think she was cold and lonely.  Maybe tonight she won't be Divergent any longer.  We can hope.

Bad Surprises!

Yesterday I had good surprises.  Today... not so much.

Bad surprises:

1. All those lovely tomatoes I thought I might harvest?  1/2 of them have blossom rot.

2. My smallest daughter got stung by bees... 4 times.

3. A predatory bird (hawk, falcon, etc.) tried to sweep down and steal one of laying chickens this evening as we were putting them away.


Praises:

1. At least the chickens get to eat well.  Lots of tomatoes went their way.

2. Taylor seems not to have had an allergic reaction any more serious than some nausea and slight swelling around the stings. We are keeping an eye on her.

3.  The bird did not get my hen.  She ran for cover as I ran at the bird.  The bird aborted and landed in a tree on the property line.

Lessons learned:

1. Blossom rot can be caused by lack of calcium in the soil.  High amounts of nitrogen can also cause it. I don't know about the calcium levels but we did have the chickens in that bed before we tilled it and planted.  It is possible that the chicken manure was too "hot" for the plants.

2. Keeping baking soda, topical benedryl and ibuprofen handy is a good thing.  Also learned that nausea is part of an allergic action.

3. Must keep an eye out for predatory birds.  If anyone is gonna eat chicken it's me! Also apparently I will run toward a predator to save a chicken.  Maybe I should start carrying a sling and a stone.

Wow! What will tomorrow bring?! Tomatoes with noses?

Does This Qualify As "Red Neck"?

You see this bucket sitting neatly under the tree?

Yeah... this one...

My husband saw road kill on the side of the road last night on his way home from work...

yep...

He stopped and scooped it up and brought it home.  At least he had the decency to inform me before I wondered why a bucket was sitting under the tree and opened it!

Actually, Farmer John has a good reason for bringing road kill home as disgusting as it sounds.  He will put it in our "protein out of thin air" chicken feeding program.  NO... the chickens don't eat the road kill.  You can read about the process here.

I recently read a book by the CEO of Duck Commander, Willie Robertson.  He said when he was little and his dad ran a crawfish fishing biz that they would always scoop up road kill to use as bait.  They had an entire freezer full of it.  Ewwwww!!!!!! I'm gonna have to put my foot down if Farmer John wants to do that. I think one bucket is my limit. But I guess we are in good company  Maybe we should start a biz called Chicken Commander and we could have a reality tv show called Chicken Dynasty? Whadda ya'll think? Red neck enough for you?

Grandparents, Shopping & Beestings!

Grandparents:

 

Mom and Dad Schuh

We said goodbye to my parents today.  They headed toward home this morning.  I always love when they come and I hate it when they leave.  I love living in Michigan except for being so far from family.  The spot where they parked their trailer looks sadly empty.  Sigh. 

 The entire clan posing for the camera (set up on the BBQ)

 Closer pic with me at the camera... the way I prefer it!

 The kids... do they look hot and sweaty?  We all were... it was right before we finally got a storm to cool things down.

 

Shopping:

I made two discoveries while out shopping today.  1. If you are looking for flip-flops and/or sandals now is the time to buy.  All the stores are clearing out their summer stuff in order to make room for fall items.  My pair of dress flip-flops (yes, I said dress flip-flops- I might be a redneck.) broke a couple of days ago necessitating replacement.  I found a great pair for $8- 1/2 off. I am pleased.  I was willing to spend up to $15. 2.Sadly, it is cheaper to buy full length pajama pants at Old Navy and Sears and cut them to the needed length (long shorts) instead of sewing your own.  My daughter needed some summer sleepwear and she didn't want the short shorts or full length pants that most stores have.  She was willing (and able) to sew some but the fabric she wanted was $6 a yard (which is actually not that expensive as far as fabric goes) and she needed around 3 yards.  Hmmm... $18 to sew or $10/$12 dollars premade.  For pajamas we'll go with the latter but it is still hard for me to buy something new and then cut it up.  It seems wrong, just like buying jeans with the holes already in them.

 

Beestings:

It would appear that some type of stinging bee-like creatures have made a nest in the ground in my red lettuce.  I was picking tonight and felt a prick.  I thought maybe it was a thorny weed I had brushed against but while inspecting the injury (on my lower leg) I noticed "bees" flying around the area.  Ahhh... I've been stung.  The pain was not very strong at first but boy did that pain level rise.  I had to call harvesting to an end and rush inside to tend to it.  Thank goodness for plain old baking soda and water paste.  It may look funky on my leg but the relief was almost instantaneous.

 

What home-remedies do you use for bee-stings?

The Eggcellent Adventures of Mrs. P and Mrs. Q

I have two defect-ies from my flock of older chickens. You all know about Mrs. P., she's the one that I isolated for awhile in the brooder box because the other chickens pecked a hole in her.  I don't know that I shared about her name though.  She is Mrs. P. because I kept calling her P names but couldn't remember which one I gave her; Prunella, Pricilla, Prim, Primrose, Penelope, Perdita all came out of my mouth at one time so since the P was constant... Mrs. P.

Anywhoo... I put her back in after she healed up only to find her out of the area again and obviously picked on again.  The feathers she had started to re-grow were gone.  I figured that if she was comfortable out in the greater regions of the barn then so be it.  I put out food and water dishes for her and called it good.  The next morning when I went out I was surprised to see she had flown back over the little fence in the barn to roost with the other chickens.  I figured it was her choice, so be it.  But later that day she had left the flock again.  This time she was missing all her feathers on one leg.  Poor thing.  She has not gone back to the flock since. She has left the flock for good of her own choice. She still stays near the others just on the other side of the fence. She will occasionally leave the barn to forage outside but never leaves the vicinity of the barn.  Since I have no gardens near by I'm cool with my free-ranger. She likes to roost on my husband's bike/bike tire or on top of our chipper/shredder.

Mrs. P

Once Mrs. P left, the flock started picking on the next lowest in the order.  So a couple of days later I was not so surprised to find that Mrs. P had a friend who joined her in the free-range of the barn.  Hence Mrs. Q was named.  I like to watch my P's and Q's ;).  I just added more food to the dish and figure if they're happy, I'm happy.  The only problem with Mrs. Q is that she has chosen to roost on the steering wheel of the tractor.  My husband will be displeased with the gifts left on his seat.

Mrs. Q

Chickens certainly do have minds of their own.  Every day brings something new. Before we made some nesting boxes out of old cardboard boxes, the hens didn't like the crates we provided and weren't laying (so we thought).  My husband and Reagan were out in the barn one afternoon and watched one of the hens fly over the barrier fence into the barn and worm her way under a ladder and behind a lawn mower near the side of the barn.  She went and sat down there.  My husband went to retrieve her. (This was before P and Q were free-ranging.) and was surprised to find a stash of eggs- Five total!  Silly chickens!

So now, even though the hens are laying in their new boxes, I still check every nook and cranny in the barn for eggs.  It should be especially fun to find Mrs. P's and Mrs. Q's eggs.  They are not currently laying but perhaps soon.

I also wonder how long till another chicken defects from the flock.  Soon I may have the trouble makers free range and the nice ones get the chicken yard.  My husband keeps finding excuses not to put them on the chopping block.  I'm thinking a chicken pot pie would be nice.

As for my chicks... they are still happily peeping along.  They have trained themselves to go into roost at night so all I have to do is close the door now instead of catching each little chicken, putting them in and having someone stand guard to keep them in until we were done.  Andi Rose even said she heard Snowball, our little rooster, try to crow yesterday.  She said it was not a peep but not a big guy call either.  I'm sorry I missed it.

 

One of the peepers in the chicken tractor

 

Reagan takes a selfie while photographing  the chickens!

Chicken Education

You know when you read books on chickens and the experts say not to buy them off craigslist or just any Joe Schmoe.  Yah... don't.

We went ahead and bought 8 chickens from an ad on craigslist.  At the time we thought we'd just work them and then stew pot them but now their work in the garden areas is done and my DH likes the 4 or 5 eggs we get a day from them (Or used to- more coming on that.) so we made a new home for them and won't butcher them until our chicks are laying.  But they are... well... they're not well behaved toward each other.

I believe they were cramped and bored and not managed well at their previous home.  They are very cannibalistic!  The 6 hens are missing massive amounts of feather everywhere  (they were like that when we picked them up) and the tiniest hen (lowest in the pecking order) is always trying to hide and get away from the others.  Today I went out to find her with her neck and most of her body through the fence barrier in the barn.  (A couple times she has made it through)  She was trying to hide but of course the others knew where she was and just kept pecking on her.  I pulled her out from the fence twice but she just would return to the same position and when I pulled her from the area and put her down on the other side of the pen (safe from the others) she immediately found something to hide behind.  Then when I pulled her from hiding I noticed a large puncture on her back under her wing.  Not a bloody peck but an actual puncture.  That's it!  She is now being housed alone in the brooder until we decide what to do.  Well, until we do what needs to be done.  She is going to have to be butchered.  I don't trust her with my chicks and I don't trust my chickens with her. 

I think it would be most compassionate to put her out of her misery.  I'd rather do the deed quickly then have her be pecked to death in the hen house. (This wound may heal but they'll just keep on her and she'll get another.) I'd be happy to keep her alone but I've read that chickens don't like to be alone so looks like we are butchering sooner than later. The rest of the flock seems fine with her gone. I'm watching the next one on the pecking order closely.  Hrummph!

Next issue:  Since we moved the chickens from the chicken tractor to the barn we have only gotten one egg for two days and finally today... a whopping TWO eggs.  I've started leaving the light on during the day to lighten the barn and keeping the big door wide open and have moved the nesting boxes around and filled them with nesting material (like in the tractor) instead of dry grass. I also threw a lot of cracked corn out in their yard to encourage them to hang out in the yard instead of in the barn. I'm hoping this gets us back to our 4 or 5 eggs daily.  If it doesn't I'll have to do more research or more butchering.

My baby chicks... the only problem with them is they haven't figured out to go inside the tractor house at night by themselves yet.   We have to pick them up and put them in.  I hope they figure it out on their own soon! My little one, Samantha, the one the bigs pecked on is doing fine even with her bald head. I do hope her feathers come back.

Ahhh.... the joys of continuing education in chicken raising!

Anyone got any input for me and my chickens?

Warning: Greenhorns Moving Chickens!

My family really should have its own reality TV show!  We spent Sunday prepping a home for our big chickens in the barn and then it came time to move them.  Two roosters and three hens got caught and moved individually and three more got moved in a box all at once.  The comical thing was the little peepers were out and about while we were doing the round up of the bigs.   It was so funny trying to catch them and keep them away from the peepers at the same time.

The best moment was when I was transporting a hen I had caught and I looked back at my son and husband who were trying to herd the big chickens into a corner.  The big chickens flew over the little piece of fence my hubby had set up as a corral, immediately started chasing the chicks and the chicks ran around the fencing and flowed out of the garden area into our yard.  It was one mass exodus of chickens and my husband and son standing flabbergasted.

Since I was already half-way to the barn I just shrugged and kept going.  By the time I got back, my daughters had been called over and the last of the chicks were being put back into the garden area.  Oh, to have had video of that.  Duck Dynasty doesn't have anything on us!

 Corner of the barn with makeshift roost of a 2 x4- they love it!

 Old "milk" crates being used as nesting boxes.  They don't really like those.

 Another 2 x 4 roost set up across the nesting boxes.  They don't really like that one either. I wonder if they smell remains of skunk odor from earlier this year?

 Their new yard!

 

Their grand doorway to and from the barn!  I was glad the previous owners had it already put in.

 

 

Now the peepers have the stylish chicken tractor all to themselves!

My Babies Are Growing Up!

 

My little chicks are heading into their teen years.  They love being out of their brooder as long as the big chickens are kept away from them.

The older chickens we acquired have pre-developed habits that are bad. In order to protect our little ones we keep them separate.  I tried to introduce them and it didn't go well.

We are in the process of creating a permanent home for the big chickens and the little ones will move into the chicken tractor.  Once the little ones have grown (11 ladies and 1 cockerel) and are laying then we will bid farewell to the older chickens.

 This is "Snowball" our cockerel.  Our four year-old named him before we knew it was a him.

 This is Samantha, "Sam".  She is the only other chick we can tell apart from the others at this stage.  The first day we tried the big and little chickens together she got attacked and all the feathers on the top of her head were pulled off and she was bloody.  She was clearly traumatized and I thought we might lose her.  But I pulled her out and cleansed her wound with witch hazel and lavender essential oil (1 Tbsp. of witch hazel and a couple drops of lavender eo) dabbed on her head lightly with cue tips.  Then I put her back in the brooder with food and water and pulled out another chick to be her companion .  Later that evening I collected the rest of the chicks and put them all back in the brooder because I wasn't going to risk putting the chicks in the tractor with the big guys.

I had nightmares that night.  I thought for sure I would go out and find her dead in the morning.  I felt so guilty and was ready to throw in the towel with the animals because I really felt it was my fault for forcing the chickens together and expecting harmony.  Next morning I went out and she was doing much better.  And now, a week later, she is totally back to normal except for her bald head.  Poor thing.

 Here are Sam and Snowball together.  They seem to have a strong bond.

Taylor enjoys the chicks while the big chickens look on from the locked chicken tractor.  We just haul out the chicks in a cardboard box and corral them up in the evening and take them back to the brooder.

Mosquito Part Three (Finale)

We've all felt the itch of mosquito bites.  Even with all the precautions mentioned in Part One, Part 2 A and Part Two B, you can still end up itching.  Lady mosquitoes (male skeeters don't bite) inject their saliva into your skin when they bite.  The saliva prevents blood clotting and allows the insect to feed uninhibited. It is the saliva that creates the bump and the itch.

The best method for relief is not to scratch but if you are like me then that isn't happening.  I have no will power in this area.  The options I choose from then are:

1. A baking soda paste- mix baking soda with a bit of water to form a paste and apply to each bite.

2. Bath in your tub with 1 cup of baking soda and 1tsp. lavender essential oil.  Soak for 15 to 20 minutes. (This is my favorite and feels heavenly!)

3. A drop of tea tree essential oil or lavender  EO dabbed on your bites will bring relief.

4. For a splash: 1 part apple cider vinegar mixed with 3 parts water.  Stand in tub and splash on areas that are causing you discomfort.

5. You can dab neem base oil onto your bites and also aloe vera.

Of course there are always the standard OTC remedies too: Benedryl (topical and pill), calamine lotion etc.

To purge your body of toxins from the saliva of the mosquitoes drink red clover tea.  It is actually a really yummy herbal tea with no stimulants. (Pregnant women or those having surgery should avoid drinking it.)

There ya go folks.  Have a great, mosquito bite free rest of spring and summer! I'm off for a baking
soda and lavender soak! Thank goodness these skeeters are only supposed to be around for a couple of more weeks. They are special type thanks to our spring flood. You can read about it here!

Mosquitoes Part 2 For Real This Time

This is the post that I tried to do yesterday and failed because of technology problems. And as I sit here typing I am itching something fierce!  Western Michigan has a small mosquito problem right now.  It's pretty bad everywhere you go.  So what can you do to avoid the itch?

1. Wear light colored clothing, long pants, long sleeves, collars high, and leave as little skin available as possible.

2.  Keep a smudge or smokey fire burning near you. To make a smudge tie together dried lavender stalks, dried peppermint sprigs, dried mullein and dried catnip sprigs and light on fire.

3. Crush a handful of leaves of a mosquito repelling plant (see here) and rub on your body as needed.

4. Watch what you put in or on your body.  Lotions, soaps, shampoos and perfumes can attract insects. Eating sugary processed foods attract them also.  Eat a wholesome real food diet rich in nutrients to keep your body chemistry from attracting interested bites.  You can take vitamin B6 supplements but it would be so much better to get your B6 from real food: Bananas, potatoes, tuna, beans. Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide you exhale so eat lots of garlic and onions too.  This is a case of bad breath being great!

5. Use a natural repellent.  Repellents block your pores so the mosquitoes can't sense the warmth and moisture of your body.  Though DEET is the most effective repellent it is a chemical cocktail of yuck.  Would you rub nuclear waste on your body?

To make a repellent take 2 cups of witch hazel, 1/2 tsp. each of citronella, lemongrass and lavender essential oils and 1Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar, mix together and put in a spray bottle.

To make a rub on massage type oil take 1/2 cup base oil, (I think olive oil would work good.  I would avoid coconut oil unless it is unscented.) 5 drops each of lemongrass, geranium and catnip essential oils and 10 drops of basil and eucalyptus essential oils.  Mix and use.  I do not recommend a spray bottle because the oil will clog the sprayer.

To make a balm take 3 Tbsp. of base oil (olive again is my choice), 1 Tbsp. of neem oil and 1Tbsp. of beeswax and heat together on a low heat.  Cool slightly (but not too much for the beeswax to solidify) and add 20 drops of catnip EO (essential oil), 10 drops each of lemongrass, rosemary and thyme EO's and 5 drops of cedar EO.  Pour into a container and let harden.  Rub on.

For the more adventurous herbalist try Joyce A. Wardwell's repellent salve from her book, The Herbal Home Remedy Book. She uses fresh plantain, lavender, peppermint and thyme to make infused oils which she then turns into salve with the addition of beeswax and cocoa butter. (Again, I would recommend an unscented cocoa butter.)  The entire process takes a couple of weeks though because the herbs need to soak in the oil.  It is a plan ahead project.

Well, I'm off to make some bug spray and soak in a lavender bath with baking soda.  I'll share about the bath on Monday.  Here's to an itch free summer!

Mosquitoes Part One

Since Creek Cottage Homestead has been inundated with mosquitoes lately I started researching the best ways to deter them.  Unfortunately it seems the only really effective way is with poisons/chemicals and that is just not acceptable to me.  There is not one "natural" solution that can be called the end all of mosquitoes.  There are, however, many different ways to deter them that when employed all together just might make outside living a little more tolerable.

1. Don't give them places to lay their eggs. Make sure to empty toys, birdbaths, kiddie pools every few days.  Keep your grass cut!

2. Employ predators: chickens, bats, purple martins and dragonflies.  Each species will help but don't expect them to totally clear up the population.  Chickens are limited to where you keep them.  Bats will eat the skeeters but will usually go for the biggest bugs it can find which might not be mosquitoes and it can take up to a year for bats to settle into bat houses. Purple martins are daytime eaters and mosquitoes are early morning and evening creatures.  Dragon flies need a clean, fresh, permanent source of water to live near and it is not recommended that you purchase them.  You either have the habitat for them or you don't.

3.Employ cultivated plants: Citronella/West Indian Lemongrass, bee balm/horsemint, marigolds, Ageratum/flossflowers (Ageratum is not to be rubbed on the skin.) Catnip, Scented geraniums, Peppermint, Rosemary, Lemon balm, Garlic, Clove, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree and Lavender.

4. Employ wild plants: Vanilla Leaf, Sagebrush, wormwood, mugwort, Pinapple weed, nodding onion, bergamot, snowbrush, sweet fern, cedar

The plants in three and four really work best when crushed and rubbed on your body but just their presence around outside areas where you like to gather may be enough to keep yourself at least slightly less itchy.  Take note of what you plant.  Some plants may not overwinter well and will need to be planted in containers so they may be put inside or in a greenhouse .  Any plant with attractive flowers will attract wasps and bees. It may be best to not put them on table tops or up close to where people will be sitting.

Tomorrow I will discuss how to avoid being bitten in Mosquitoes Part two!

Got Skunk?

We do! Or we think we do.  There has been a den hole in the barn that appeared sometime this winter.  We didn't think much of it because there has always been holes dug into the barn.  I guess this is a hazard of not using the barn for anything but storage.

When I went into the barn yesterday I was met with the faint but obvious smell of skunk.  Yeah!  Not just a wild animal but one with stink spray!  That is always good with kids around.  John agrees with me that our new resident is likely a skunk by the smell of things.

So tell me, my few precious readers.  How do we solve this issue? Trapping, hunting, filling in holes, flooding, poison?  I want to rid ourselves of this pest without coming away smelling for weeks.  I'm just glad we don't have a dog.

I didn't watch the Partridge Family much growing up (I was more of the Brady Bunch type.) but all I can think of right now is the episode where the skunk got trapped on the bus with them and they all ended up stinking.

Country life is anything but dull!

If you have any ideas that might help please leave a comment!

 An exit hole from the main den.  There are at least three or four more outside the barn in the field.

Bikes buried by the digging.  The den is on the other side of the pile.  Not cool!