Adventures of an urban homesteader growing greens, preserving the harvest and tending a backyard barnyard
Spring is turning into summer in a blink this year and the homestead is in full swing. Here is a rundown of some seasonal chores we do every year in mid-Spring to prepare for the warm months on the horizon. A little extra time spent now will keep your garden so much more manageable this growing year. Livestock Care Twice a year we do a
To light or not to light the chicken coop? For many chicken keepers, that is the wintertime question. Chickens and other egg-laying creatures (like ducks) take a hiatus from producing eggs in the winter – and it’s natural for them to do so. The decreased sunlight tells them it’s not a good time to make babies, as it can be much tougher for a tender new
We’re slowly working on getting settled into our new homestead, which came with a dilapidated shed in the backyard. I specifically recall the house listing stating “shed has no value”. Although it was a major eye sore, I saw the potential for both garden tool storage and a sturdy chicken coop. A local contractor rehabbed the shed, salvaging what wood he could, and rebuilding the
We recently moved into our new digs, but it hasn’t quite felt like home without clucking in the backyard. This weekend the chickens made the move to the new homestead too – finally! In a few weeks the chickens will have a nice, permanent chicken coop. But until construction is complete, we needed to construct a temporary home for them using the materials from their
It’s that time of year when the garden needs help transitioning from spring to summer. Here is a rundown of my current to-do list for the garden: I densely planted the vegetable beds in early spring with the intention of pulling out the cool-weather crops when the temperatures heated up. That will make room for the warm weather plants, which are just now needing the
The chickens have announced the arrival of spring with about fifty-thousand eggs. We’re averaging 4-5 eggs a day, which means the pressure is on to eat all those gems up. My favorite go-to recipe for any meal is a delicious frittata using any other ingredients I have on hand. I love frittatas because they are quick to make – about fifteen minutes start to finish
I am sad to say that old Florence has passed away. We raised this Rhode Island Red from a baby chick several years ago, she graced the pages of my book and delivered a steady stream of eggs for us through much of her life. She worked hard on our homestead before settling into retirement and will be sorely missed. I wrote recently about the
Last fall our six-year old hen Maude passed away. It happened quickly – she lost weight and became lethargic in just a couple weeks. We tried nursing her back to health, but she passed away just a couple nights later. Chickens can live to be 7-10 years old, so we thought Maude’s passing was a bit premature. Florence, our Rhode Island Red, is the same age
Portland’s cold weather kept us housebound for several days. Time seemed to stop as the days went on and on, without the distraction of modern life. Instead, our attention was really focused on keeping everyone healthy and happy – inside and out. Every morning started with a visit to the chicken coops. Their roof had about 6″ of snow on top, but the girls were
