They're Still Alive!

With our first accumulation of snow and some below freezing temperatures "the girls" hunkered down for their first winter in Brooklyn. I made some insulated panels to attach to the sides of the coop for a little added protection from the elements. The panels can removed come spring, but for now remain in place. Uno, the Araucana from south of the boarder, has been freeloading for months without an egg. Red, after her molting period, got right back in the saddle and turns out an egg a day. 

Take a powder

It's fall and it's time to reinvent the garden. So far I've planted over 100 lettuce, arugula, spinach and radish plants which should be ready for harvest in January/February. I have redesigned the raised beds with 1/2" pvc pipe covered with clear, used, shower curtains. Leafy greens like cool weather so I'm still hoping to plant mustard greens and kale. Space is, as always, at a premium. An interesting part of the fall is, as I now know, dusting the "girls" for mites. As their dusting area is compromised by the fall weather we must help them out with a forced dusting.

It's not JUST about the chickens

One of the philosophies I try to embrace is sustainable living. Getting the chickens was a further step towards what we started 8 yrs ago in our back 40 . . . feet that is. (This is Brooklyn, after all.) We have encouraged our tenants to contribute by giving them a house warming gift of a compost bucket. They have responded very positively. Their "trimmings" not only feed the "girls" but also feed the two compost bins we have. This year's produce has been spectacular. With tomatoes weighing in at 1 lb+. We've had squash galore, cucumbers for days. prolific peppers and green beans beyond number.

Whose idea was this, anyway?

Guest blogger Wende:

When we first got the chickens, I asked BJ how often they needed to be fed. "Twice a day," she answered matter-of-factly. "We'll never travel again," I lamented. That's not true. BJ has gone upstate to sing at the Bard Music Festival this week, and I'm home tending the ark: dog, cats, chickens.

I have to say that our little quarter-pound-egg-producers are less than docile at dinnertime. I'm feeling eerily like Suzanne Pleshette in The Birds every time I step out into the garden with a bowl of fresh greens.

Do life insurance policies cover acts of chicken?

Good eats!

With artisanal bread, Flying Pigs bacon, microbrewed beer and our own eggs, it's hard to imagine greater bounty! We are blessed indeed.

You are what you eat

OK, these are the best fed chickens in Brooklyn. Possibly the best fed chickens in New York City. They get organic greens, morning and night (leafy greens and root vegetables). Because we have the whole house composting for us, I have no hesitation about picking out the choice "trimmings" from our tenants' compost buckets: strawberries, tomatos, melons, etc. They also get 1 1/2 cups of laying feed and 1 1/2 cups of cracked corn with oats each day. I'm a little put off by their carnivorous nature, but they also enjoy raw meat, so I've been giving them extras from our dog's raw food diet.

The girls follow me around in the garden. They know where their "bread & butter" comes from.

All of this good eatin' is making good layin'. I had to laugh when I brought in the biggest egg I'd ever seen come out of a chicken this morning. It weighed nearly four ounces minus the egg cup. And that brown egg is from Red, our "little" hen. Her big sister Uno makes the little blue eggs.

Get out of Jail Free

The girls LOVE to be in the garden. I usually let them out in the mornings with me before it gets too hot. They're quite good at spotting bugs and tender greens to nibble on. As much as I'm not concerned about my "lawn", we will certainly have the best bit of grass in the neighborhood with all their fertilizing. Our cat Scooter is, I think, somewhat intimidated by the chickens, and yet curious. "What are these large birds? And why are they in my yard?"