So a few weeks ago I mentioned my plans for the garden. They changed a bit as I was outside planting and I want to update everyone on how far I got!
So here's what I had originally:
I was pretty accurate in what I planned and what I actually did
So now I see that the wall is not going to be so straight across as I hoped, but more like S shaped.
red stuff is due to financial/ timing issues
I'm quite proud of how its turned out so far. I still want to rip out all the rosemary or move it to the other side of the hill where I 100% will not be landscaping. Right now I need to finish seeding more grass in the backyard, fix the damn sprinklers somehow, and level the rosemary to the ground, at the top, so the street can see my butterfly bushes!
Butterfly bushes! Lilac at the end
Yesterday (3/19) we FINALLY put down grass seed. It was a lot of work! We only stopped because we ran out of dirt and grass seed. It doesn't help that I can't figure the sprinkler system out and I need to!
Wanna hear a funny side story? Of course you do. I let the chickens out into the front yard Monday, and Lukka ran away from home. She made it all the way to the opposite side of the vacant lot, and hid near the telephone pole. As I escorted her home, I found a $50 bill just sitting in the bushes. SCORE!! Well, it's now spent. I'm going to pretend Lukka knew it was over there and she's my money-sniffing turkey. She's going to need a service vest. "Please Don't Pet" "Animal Working" You go girl, make momma some sweet G's.
<3 <3
Anyways! Back to the garden! Along the side of the house I planted a raspberry bush, a blackberry bush, a green grape, and a red grape! Only the raspberry is making leaves, so I'm hoping the rest are just slow growers. The butterfly bushes I put in rainbow order White, pink, red, orange, yellow, purple! They are taking off and growing! I can't believe it!! The 2 Lilacs are also budding and I couldn't be happier. The Cherry tree has little buds on the stick/trunk. I don't think this would have done half as well, if I didn't have my brother helping me out. Thanks bro!!!
From back to front:
Blackberry, Raspberry, green grape, red grape
Happy Lilac
My garden boxes are also full of foods! The back corner is all strawberries! The front left has rainbow carrots and 2 varieties of onions. The front right has peas and probably dead now swiss chard and broccoli (the chickens got out)
Damn you escape birds!
The bit of dirt under the front window is all my herbs!
Everything is growing! Holy shit, I did it!!
There is sage, rosemary, oregano, parsley, catnip, spearmint, and 4+ types of Basil. We like Basil. lol.
I also planted pansies/violets and 2 miniature roses! They are stationed on both sides of the front door!
The chickens found the bowl.... And though they were delicious T.T
My almond tree doesn't arrive until fall, so until then, I'm just going to focus on taking care of all of the other issues in my yard. I also think I'm going to start building up the retaining wall myself, one rock at a time. The vacant lot next door has a bunch of good sized rocks, and there are a lot of loose/ fallen rocks around the current walls so I'll start there. As I'm typing this, I realize that I need to start bushwacking/ removing the crappy rosemary/bush things first, so I know exactly where to put the walls. That's gonna suck. Welp, I guess that's a good way to get the south side covered in bushes sooner, as I will be transplanting a bunch of them!
Wanna help? Just come by Mondays and Tuesdays! I could use the motivation and help! Also, if you remotely anything about sprinkler stuff, PLEASE COME HALP. I'm tired of hand watering the new grass everyday.
sorry for the picture of the recipe. I'm not typing this out
These taste so GOOOD
So baking is really nice for me. I like to make dough and shape it and put all this love into it and then receive compliments for how tasty it is. There is this one recipe that I have, that is like my signature cookie. It comes from this book, given to me in like 1999 by my mom (and dad, but you know mom's write that part in)
This has been a staple cookie book for me. Inside, there is a recipe for Jelly Thumbprints. Shortbread cookie with sweet jam of your choice (my favorite is grape, don't judge). I recently started to sprinkle powdered sugar over them to make them prettier, but you can do without it.
I'm not one of those gab for a ton and then give you the recipe, so that's why it's above with no context, until you get down here and go, "ahhhhh that's why she's sharing."
Some tips and tricks to perfect this simple recipe:
If you wanna be cool, sub vanilla for vanilla bean paste, and then still as a small trickle of the real liquid stuff.
The recipe says you'll only use 3 Tablespoons of jelly. That's a bold faced lie. It takes as much jelly as you can stuff into a dough ball.
The secret is to make the holes large and deep so when the jelly melts, it doesn't overflow
Mix up what jellies you use. Don't just use one flavor for all of them!!
If you want firm cookies, use butter as cold as possible, fluffier cookies use warmer butter.
Wait to pull them out until you see the jelly starting to boil. It makes everything taste better!
Separate them when storing to prevent sticking, I use parchment paper. Wax paper will do in a pinch.
That's all I have for this Monday! Aren't you glad it's not another rant?!? Me too.
It's springtime! Do you know what that means? CHICK SEASON!! Chick season starts down in Southern Utah around the end of February and goes all the way until May!! This is when you get a calendar showing what week the breeds of your dreams arrive into your favorite feed stores. I'm talking about places like IFA, Tractor Supply, CAL Ranch, etc.
Since we are in a smaller house, I can't have the sized flock like I used to have, so this year I'm staying small. My plan is for 1 Easter Egger (fingers crossed they lay blue or green eggs), 1 Silkie (black, gray, or last choice white), 1 Turken (picture a chicken with a naked neck! XD), and IF one of these rare breeds appear, I'll choose 1 of the following: Frizzle, Serama, or Lavender Orpington.
Since starting this post I have already obtained my Easter Egger and Silky (they only had white). I purchased a second Easter Egger because a group of 3 chickens is better off than just 2. They need more company. I found 2 EE colors that I haven't found in previous years!! Gray, and Dark Brown/ Black. They are darling!! The dark brown one I'm planning of giving to my girlfriend up north. She was more than happy to get a free chicken! ( The problem is, Devin is falling in love with our little Shadow Cat, so maybe I get 4-5 this year???) But enough talking about how cute they are! Here is our newest members!
Shadow Cat Easter Egger
(are we keeping her?)
UPDATE: YESSSSSS
Ghost or Emma Frost Silkie
Halp us decide
Jean Grey Easter Egger
Of course we gotta stick with the superhero names! All of our kids have been named after superheroes, with the odd one or 2 from video games or books/ movies. With the exception of Snickers. She had a weirdy name and she was a weirdy girl. I miss that little nut so much.
obligatory Snickers being Snickers photo
Devin is such a patient daddy
April 18th, the turkens arrive, so I get to enjoy 3 on 1 time with these kiddos and hunt through all the other feed stores for any of my rare breeds in the meantime! The hunt is on! Let me know if you see any of the breeds I want!
Want to know my tricks for raising baby chicks in the easiest way possible while still having them as a part of your home life? Well thanks for asking!
The best way is to get an old pack n play for toddlers! Just line it with old towels, pee pads, or pellets and clip the heat lamp over the edge! I recommend using a night heat lamp, that way you dont keep the chicks up all night with the light. Cover the back of the mesh with a old sheet or towel. Water and food should be place on a hard, flat surface. Boom! best baby crib for chickens ever! And if you're like me and have pets that will try to get in (and push the babies away from the heat so they can nap in a toasty spot) then put a large cover over the top! We use a thick piece of cardboard that came with our new TV.
Babysitter Tengu!
Checking out the new additions to the family
Our cats aren't interested in baby chicks or even full grown ones. Don't get me started on mice though. That's a whole different ball game!
When the chicks get bigger, but still too young for outside, I have a children's play tent that I put up for them. I hang the heat lamp from the light holder inside the tent, put in a few perches and food and bed. Same flooring as before: pee pads, towels, or old sheets.
She opened it to see if it was safe for her to sneak in and nap!
coop setup
note how the light is far enough away from the roof, it's a
nighttime bulb so less wattage=less chance of catching fire
netting optional so they can see you and you can see them!
Shake the towels of poopies before throwing in the wash! Then when you feel ready to let them out into the world, have monitored play sessions outside, then day sessions outside where you bring them in in the evening, and then they will be ready for 100% outdoor coop life~!
**This is the 3rd and final part of the story, if you're just getting here, go back to here and here for the other two parts**
Well, early August I got a job over at the St George Shuttle. The pay wasn't great, but I could help pay for the house that was going to be both cheaper and more expensive than our last place. It was a 2-10 job so I didn't have a lot of time to spend with my sweet kids. We got approved to buy the house around the same time, so it was time to pack and plan what to do will all these chickens.
This is my favorite vine. I had to.
Moving time was the first week of September, so I only had 3 weeks, to pack, plan, and execute. At this time, Chrono was miserable. He was unable to walk without being exhausted, and he spent most of his time sitting in the wading pool...
We knew that his time with us was coming to an end. I was so sad that I only got a precious few months with my sweet boy, but I knew his quality of life was so low at this point, it wasn't fair to keep him alive just to make me happy. So the last week in August, we took him to a park and gave him his last best day ever. We dyed his feathers blue to celebrate and bought him all of his favorite treats. He had Voss water, Tomato Horned worms, meal worms, grapes, and grass and sunshine and his family. We weighed him at the vet across the street and he was a whopping 55lbs!! After that it was time to put him down. We took him to a butcher who was the kindest, most compassionate man, and was just the thing I needed to feel okay about the whole thing. He gave me a big hug and talked me through the whole process. A very sharp knife would nick his artery, he wouldn't even feel it and he would get sleepy and pass away peacefully. He also offered to donate his body to the homeless shelter next door, that way his death would sustain many lives. I don't remember the owner's name, but Final Cut Meats was the name of the shop and I highly recommend it if you need to peacefully put down your livestock.
The neighboring school got out at the same time we were at the park, They had a great time checking him out!
I saved a few of his feathers and said goodbye to my big boy. That night I cried my guts out, but in my heart I knew I made the right choice. He was in a better place, and his death helped so many others live. There was only one more hard thing I had to do. Thin down my flock.
The new house didn't have as big as a yard as they were used to, so I needed to cut back on who was coming to the new place. I asked my girlfriend if she wanted some hens, and she said yes! I offered my training (first) coop, and slated Captain Brownie and Lieutenant Blondie, Moonshine, and Missy for transport. I knew they would be well taken care of and her kids would adore them! We packed the truck with the old coop and my dog kennel full of chickens. I had a blast playing music to the chickens and driving up to Salt Lake.
That night they came out to explore
Dog food is tasty!
The next morning was like Christmas for her kids. Forget puppies- this Santa brings chickens! Her husband set up the coop, and I took my girlfriend and kids to IFA for their first taste in Chickendom. ♡
To this day they are doing just fine, and my girlfriend is ready to add more chickies this Spring!! Welcome to the chicken life!!
They are too high to reach!
Hiding from the grabby girl :)
We ended up leaving Justin Pants with the neighbors/landlords who previously owned him, we didn't think the new neighbors wanted a rooster for a neighbor out of the blue.
Bye bye Justin!
We got to the new house and settled into homeowner life. It was great! A week into the new house, Tidie passed away due to a freak accident in the coop. She got stuck and couldn't get free and panicked and passed. I found her too late, and was so sad to lose a precious girl. She's buried next to the now Lilac bush, her body feeding the flora.
I reevaluated the coop and run's safety to make sure nothing like this would happen again. I felt confident in the improvements and we were enjoying the new life.
An old clip I found of Albus/Devin romancing Lukka
In December 2018, I traded our tiny Sea bright rooster, Victory, for a hen that was picking on her sisters at her house. The person I traded with needed a chicken that would take care of her girls, and I learned we couldn't have roosters, so I figured we could rehabilitate this mean hen.
Bye bud! You're going to love your new girls!
We set her in the coop amongst her new siblings and "Sweetheart" (ironic name we know) immediately started to size up/ test the competition. Well Albus/Devin doesn't allow fighting in his flock, so he put a stop to that nonsense immediately. Basty isn't a pushover either and still retained her status as head of flock. Sweetheart found her rank above the new kids, but under the turkeys and Batsy. Well, she's pretty nice to the flock, but mean as shit to the people. We have bites and bruises with her name on them. She refuses to be nice, even as she's eating treats out of our hands, shes pecking our arms and legs. She earned herself the new name, Sweet-tart, cause she's sweet and sour. I'm sad that she is like this because so many neighbor kids, and young family come to say hi to our chickens and I'm worried that she makes them afraid of chickens. I don't want kids to go away feeling scared of such an amazing pet. Currently I'm on the fence about putting her down. I hate to feel like I didn't do enough, but some chickens are apparently not cut out for the easy, happy life.
Partially reformed bully, Sweet-tart
Life was calming back down as the winter weather settled into Hurricane. I gave the chickens had access to the grass side and garden boxes this winter, we had no garden because we moved and I felt they needed to till it up for me to get it ready for spring. In January, I went to the ER for a feral cat bite, and didn't see much of the chickens as I was recovering. A week later, I hear a horrible flapping sound. I look out and Albus is on the ground struggling to breathe and freaking out. Todd gets him into the house and into to the bathtub for a safe space for me to examine him to help him. I check his mouth for blockages and his airways/ throat as well. Nothing. As we were trying to evaluate him, he passed in my arms. I was devastated. What could have possibly happened to my previously healthy boy? I went to my favorite Facebook group Pet Chickens (check them out, they are a wonderful group dedicated to the love and well being of all feathered kids) it's a closed group, 25,000 members strong with a lot of experience, knowledge, and vet care between all of them. They offered condolences and guessed that it was probably a heart attack that took him so soon from this world. He was a big boy, the same size if not more than Chrono, but he was supposed to be a breed that wasn't supposed to pass away so soon.
Digging a hole deep enough to bury him took 2 days. We gently placed his body next to the garden box that we were burying him in. His body would feed our strawberry box and all the beautiful white blooms would remind me of his sweet nature.
The most heartbreaking thing about Albus passing was his mate Lukka. She wept at his body the 2 days we had him out while we were digging a deep enough hole. She would nudge his body with her beak and then call out to him. She didn't leave his side the whole time. :( We finally got him buried and it definitely helped her move on. She was able to eat and forage with her sisters. She took on the mantle of protector and to this day watches over the flock and alerts them to predators.
As of this moment in time, all of our kids are finally laying precious eggs (including Lukka!) again, and I have a surplus of eggs! I've been giving them out to friends and family (they make such great gifts). I love that my girls help make beautiful presents for me to share with others. I just wish they didn't wait until after I bought eggs at Costco to start laying again! Damn you, yard birds! If you are interested in some eggs, ask. I can probably spare at least 1/2 a dozen, I might even throw in a turkey egg if you're lucky!
As you can read, owning chickens is a roller coaster of emotions! I wouldn't trade this life with them for anything. I dearly miss all the chickens that have passed. I find myself tearing up thinking about those that I've lost. Chicken keeping is tough, but just spending time out there with my kiddos is so rewarding. I love their quirks and personalities. I love how many unique breeds there are. I love their egg songs and their egg gifts! I love the smell of a chicken. I know that sounds so weird, but if you bury your face in their feathers it smells warm, musky, and faintly like maple syrup. So that's my chicken story so far. I hope this gives you a bit more insight into why I'm so obsessed with them!
What is happening this spring? Stay turned for the bonus episode I FUCKING LOVE CHICK SEASON
**Here is part 2 of the gripping tale of how chickens are such a huge part of my life, part 1 you can read here**
Fast forward to November when my world fell apart. On the 20th, an dog escaped their yard like half the town away, and killed for fun all my children except Batsy and Justin. The dog just saw them as chew toys and once one was dead, he moved on to the next. I was devastated. In an instant I lost so many beloved family members. It wasn't fair. My chickens were in my fenced yard, minding their own business and some idiot who can't control their dog is the reason for so much heart break. Justin survived by running away into some tumbleweeds, and Batsy, my dear, sweet, amazing Batsy survived by hiding in my fenced in garden, hiding among the forest of tomatoes.
This was the last picture I had of everyone-including Rocket
Batsy and Justin lived the life of luxury for several months while I tried to heal. I ended up testifying in court. I even submitted a PowerPoint demonstrating the value of my chickens and a spreadsheet totaling the value that I put into each one. But the court doesn't see livestock as investments. They are just $5, mindless dumb animals. For the whole affair, I ended up receiving $125 for the loss of 5 beautiful birds. It was a massive insult. For months, I was torn between being done with raising and caring for my favorite animal, and wanting to get more to help heal the hole in my heart.
I chose restarting. Come the next spring, I'd get new kids that don't remind me of my old kids and I'd get a turkey to protect the flock. I swore never to lose my kids like that again. I worked on fully enclosing the chickens in the yard and planned out my next breeds. I was at work one day, when Todd told me 2 chickens had been dumped into our yard. 2 brown Red Rangers, that we named Captain Brownie and Lieutenant Blondie. Batsy welcomed the girls into the flock, and Justin was excited to woo more ladies.
Lieutenant Blondie on the left and Captain Brownie on the right
Spring rolled around and my heart was ready. It was March 1st, 2018 and my new children were here to help me heal and move on from my heartbreak. I got 2 Easter Eggers, 1 turkey, and 1 Brahma. Banshee, Valkyrie, Chrono (named after that Thanksgiving cartoon, Free Birds), and Tidie Whitey. The Easter Eggers I had to get because I needed the blue/green eggs in my life and I was just going to have to deal with the fact that they looked so much like Thor and Snickers.
Valkyrie
Banshee
Chrono the turkey
Tidie Whitey (Captain Underpants)
Who disturbs the mighty Tengu's slumber?
Chrono was such a mamma's boy. He refused to sleep if I didn't drag the beanbag over and sleep next to the pack and play. They loved to snuggle and terrorize the cats. Chrono grew and grew and grew. At this point we had purchased a shed and converted it into a new coop fit for my larger flock. At this time I added a Sea bright chick, named Victory (he almost died, so when he lived it was a victory!) and Rogue, the Silver Laced Polish. I don't have pictures of them as a baby, so here they are more grown.
Victory
Rogue
I asked Todd to get 2 silkies as well, but he came home with who knows what birds, so we were also pleased to introduce Moonshine and Miss Fortune:
Moonshine on the left and Miss Fortune on the right (Missy)
Moonshine
Miss Fortune (Missy)
We we're a full blown family again! We had chickens galore! It was so great to have such a large collection of children running around inside and out
Outing in the sunshine
Littles and bigs all come together at the water hole
Chrono was growing up so fast!
Soon after these were taken, I learned that Chrono was a meat turkey. Meaning he was meant to grow heavy and fast, have a short life span, and be slaughtered young. I was heartbroken. He was such a sweet boy, loved to cuddle, kind to all the other kids and a definite momma's boy. I knew I needed a turkey to help protect my flock from predators, so I decided to go out and get Chrono's successor (without telling Devin or Todd) and I ended up with a stowaway because she was so pretty.
Albus (we called him Devin too)
Lukka (was supposed to be Luke Cage)
Life was great! We had a bunch of babies everywhere, the 2 new turkeys were such sweeties too. I don't know what people are on about turkeys not being nice. They loved to snuggle and they were always trying to get attention. Our little family had grown so much! We moved the babies to the new digs outside and both the adults and the children got along great! I was so glad to be apart of this new flock.
July 2018, the rental house's roof collapsed in the living room. We were having torrential rains, and since we moved in, the wind would blow off roof tiles. I kept hearing a tap. tap. tap. in the living room and I could not figure out the noise. Finally, at 11 pm I figured it out. I spring up in the middle of watching TV and flip on all the lights. Immediately I see the bulging ceiling and the drip marks all over the cat tower. We jump into action! Moving everything away from that corner of the house as possible. Buckets were placed under the drip and on the edge of the wall where it was dribbling down.
The landlord came over the next day to throw on some new roof tiles, and as he was hammering away, the ceiling came down.
You can see outside! Yuck!
We were told that they were going to remodel the whole house and that we need to find a new place to live. Well shit! This house was so good to us! The yard was big, in a rural area, the house was big and cheap and we were happy! This was just the worrrrst! So we sat on our thumbs the rest of July. We were stressed out, and wasn't yet motivated to find a place that would allow all of our pets.
August rolled around, and my brother calls, telling us that he's found the perfect place for us and we need to get pre-approved right this instant. He was going to show it to someone else the next day and he knew they would take it, and he wanted us to get in there first. That was all the motivation we needed. Devin hurried and got pre-approved and we went in. The house was smaller, but it had a good layout and a fully fenced in yard. I was hooked. I could see our little family settling in nicely. Todd thought it was a good house and would be fine. Devin, however, is the king of hating change. He did not like the house, didn't want to buy a home, and wanted to continue looking. But, we didn't have time for that! So he caved, and we put in an offer on the home. At this time, I went around looking for a new job, so that we could afford to live in this new home.
Did we get the house? What about the chickens? Did Kat get a new job? Tune in next week for part 3!
