Happy Hunting!

Chickens are carnivorous, believe it or not. The other day I watched out back as "Red" chased "Uno" around the yard. "What's going on?", I wondered. I stepped out back and continued to watch. Red would chase Uno. Uno would outpace her, stop, and then Red would chase Uno again. Our # 1 mouser since the fall has been Scooter, our Maine Coon kitty. However, now we've got a team. "The girls" appear to be very good at catching mice who like to frequent our two composts. Uno caught a mouse the other day and Red was obviously quite envious of her prize. 

We never lost hope . . .

On the eve of the inauguration,  after not laying for well over three months, Uno made her contribution to celebrate a new era: a beautiful blue egg. Despite the subzero temperatures the girls continue to thrive. I am amazed by their heartiness. After all, we humans wouldn't survive a day in weather like this. The lettuce I planted in October is still doing well under clear shower curtains. I expect to pick a few heads in the next couple of weeks. The seed catalogues have begun to arrive and anticipation is high all around for an expanded garden planting (think roof top).

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.