So here is the newest version.  On the floor, I have strips of flat aluminum .75″ wide, .125″ thick, 72″ long placed with a 2″ space between them, except for the first one on either side is closer to the edge, just to make sure they can’t get out if (when) there are lumpy spots in the field. This allows the rabbits to rest comfortably on the ground without the strips being above the ground or thick enough to be uneven with the ground as wood would be.

I screwed the middle of each strip to a 2×2 piece of lumbar that was part of the frame so when I lift it up, the weight of the rabbits don’t make the aluminum bow. One end has a 2′ x 4′ “house”/box with a separate hinged roof.  The main roof is PVC lattice work, only because I had it lying around in the barn, so I used it.  Additional pens will be with wire as on the sides and I’ll add shade cloth for summer time if necessary.  

I used 1″ x1″ vinyl coated chicken wire (which I HATE to have to stretch) for the sides.  Think I may go with hardware cloth next time.

 I created a hay rack out of 2″x2″ fencing with wood top and bottom to keep it flat.  I found that 2″ x 4″ is big enough for the rabbits to push thru and literally sit in the hay rack and eat.. and poo and pee… 1″ x 2″ wire is possible to use, but it is kinda tough for the bunnies to get the hay.  2″x 2″ seems a perfect size.  The hay rack goes all the way up to the top so again, the rabbits can’t jump in the rack and sit and eat. It is big enough to put a whole flake of alfalfa in.  The bottom is angled in but stops about 2 ” above the floor and is open so the rabbits can get at the hay very easily but can’t climb in (I don’t think…)  

Looking down into the box, you can see the plastic grid flooring, which is supported underneath all four edges as well as in the center to prevent bowing under the rabbit weight.  You can see the alfalfa in the hay rack as well.

The front of the house is closed off half way to give some shelter from wind and rain in the winter.  I will place nest boxes in that corner.

I switched to gravity drip waterers attached to 5 gallon buckets, which in the winter should weigh the pen down enough not to blow away, and the opaque color HOPEFULLY will prevent algea growth… something else I hate dealing with.

We’ll see if 2″ spaces are too big or if they are j-u-u-u-u-s-t right !

In a few days when the jars arrive, I’ll don my bee suit and take a top box off at least one hive, to see how things look.  My only concern is estimating 50 lbs of honey…. that’s approximately what I need to leave on the hives.  If I wasn’t such a kid about it I would wait til Spring to take any honey off, but I can’t….  I’m hoping to have some 2 oz jars for folks who want to buy just enough to taste the honey first and some 8 oz. jars for the hard core honey folks.    

Please let there be honey, please let there be honey, please let there be honey…………..

Honey flow

The Newest Generation of Yankee Hens

Almost 2 months old… T minus 15 weeks til they begin to produce more eggs.  I moved them out onto pasture the other day after work.  Think I’m going to try some electrical fence netting to allow them more pasture when they are older but keep them separate from the older flock.  That way I can see if the older flock is truly spent or just on holiday for right now.

7 week old chicks in Their New Digs

These guys seem a bit flightier than the last bunch.  Or maybe just young with extra energy.  Hard to believe there are 50 that I put in the coop, but I counted them as I transferred them…  So I’m up to about 110 chickens.

They will stay confined in the coop until they are full grown and have a better chance of fending off small predators like cats. At this age and size, they make a nice tasty meal for a feline. Having already lost a bunch of chickens to something in the back field earlier this summer, I’m a little more cautious.

Why catch them at night? Aside from the fact it probably gives my neighbors something else to laugh about me, it’s easier to catch 60 chickens when they are half asleep…again, so the books say.  So there I was stumbling around in the field with a flashlight, hunting for mounds of chickens and grabbing them to put them into the coop to sleep.  Did a fair amount of chasing too, as once a few started squawking, that got the rest up and running. 

I’m hoping they get the hint and I don’t have to make a third trip out there tomorrow. But for now, I need to find my coop and settle in for the night. I’m pooped from all the exercise.

Second Umpire: “I calls ‘em as they is.”

Third Umpire: “They ain’t nothing ’til I calls ‘em!”

Guess which perspective I like?  L.M.

 I’ve realized over the past few years that “getting back to the nature” can involve some unpleasant results, like not enough eggs from time to time.  But the other option is the confined, air conditioned environment like the commercial egg farms.  And we all know where that leads.  So, I’d prefer to put up with a few disappointments.  I hope those of you who buy my eggs understand.

In the meantime, there is another new flock in the brooder being started, which won’t help right now, but will in about 4 more months or so… I was hoping to balance out the lower production when the days got shorter in the winter with more hens… guess I should have started them sooner.  But, hey, they are all doing well so far… this is the first batch where nary a one has died!! I should say that quietly so I don’t jinx myself…. I’d like to think I’m getting better at this.

Under the Brooder Light

The new kids on the block have arrived.  I got the usual early morning call from the local post office telling me to pick them up.  I have the brooder ready and the heat lamp turned on.  They are the hybrid Red Sex Link chickens also known as Golden Comet, Gold Star, and Cinnamon Queen.   Here are a few more photos as they get settled into their new home for the next few weeks:

I Know You're In There!

Hey There, Girls!

Check out the New Bistro... Chick Style!

Nice Fluffy Bedding to Hang Out In

AHHHH! Toasty Warm

I decided to add some advertisements on the right side for those companies that I’ve done business with and found their products to be good.  Well, except for the Google ads that I just took off. 

Google is supposed to “read” your site and place ads based on your subject matter, so it is relevant to your readers. Sounds good, right?  As an avid Internet research freak, I thought it would produce some good leads on stuff I didn’t know about. I figured I’d have a little patience and see if after a few days of crawling around my site, Google would figure out what I’m about.  HA! Apparently, I’m about Terminix chemicals and bee removal. WTF?!?! Every time I went to the site to see what was there, that freakin’ Terminix ad would be blinking at me… GRRRRR!!!  OK, so I have no patience.  Rip that sucker off the site!

The other ads I like, have personal experience with the companies, so I thought you might too.

The Dogwise site is a great source for all sorts of dog information.  Well beyond the usual pet store garbage.

Richter’s is a Canadian nursery where I get my STERILE variety of comfrey…. meaning it doesn’t propagate by seed, so is controllable.  Actually, it is the ONLY place I can find that kind of comfrey.  It’s to be used as feed for the rabbits and chickens, high in protein…. NO- SOY protein, yippee!!!

Bocking 4 Comfrey

JB pets has lots of dog supplies and I order quite a bit of stuff like the Perla dog beds, (the only ones so far the dogs haven’t destroyed)  and dog toys and such.

Zazzle is where I’ve created some paper products from my old landscape photos… postcards, business cards, note cards, that sort of thing. You can customize  the text in just about all of them to suit you. 

Basically, I wanted to show what I use, since, if you like the info on my blog, you might find the resources here helpful.  Many hours, nay days and weeks,have been spent researching and trying different products and dealing with companies. For example, I think I’ve tried every chicken feeder on the market. Eventually, I might do “reviews” of specific stuff when I can find the time. Or, if you have a question, just leave a comment and I’ll answer it.

I’m looking to offer resources without looking like a flippin’ e-billboard.  One can only try….

Signing off for now,

Goldilocks (too hot to cold too big too little too hard too soft…..ahhhh, just right!)

Few Good Eggs

Anyway, it seems the chickens are slowly getting back to normal but the refrigerator has been almost empty most of this past week as often as folks stop by.  I’ve taken to checking for eggs every few hours to make sure there is always something for someone to buy. Which got me thinking. 

Doing a Google search to find out how long a hen lays eggs brings up opinions from  2-5 years.  That’s a pretty big range.  So, knowing that the size of the egg increases with age, and my girls are… were… producing quite a few Extra-Large and Jumbo up until last week, it’s possible they are close to the end of their productivity. But up until the “heat wave” they were going strong… so who’s to say? 

Just to be safe (I’m a “belt and suspenders” kinda person), I ordered more chicks.  Originally I planned to wait another year. But what the heck. The chicks arrive next week. It takes 5 months before a hen lays her first egg, so I figure, chances are, it’s good timing.  They will mature while the days are getting shorter, which is good for layers, and they should begin to lay in the middle of winter when the production is at it’s lowest from the older flock.

I’ve ordered the usual hybrid kind that are really good egg producers, but a part of me is thinking I should switch to a heritage breed next time. It’s the: “if the world as we know it came to an end tomorrow, how would I survive” mentality… A heritage breed is reproducible, in terms of traits, generation after generation, but they tend to be less productive than the hybrids.  The hybrids are mutts which in the first generation, is apparently consistant in their traits for great egg laying, but subsequent generations wouldn’t be.

Then there is the perspective of just keeping a breed from becoming extinct. Humankind seems to be wiping out all diversity rather systematically.  Or maybe I’m just paranoid. 

Will ya look at all these breeds?!?!

But, it may be a good way to spend the winter…. researching breeds for the future. If anyone has any strong feelings about heritage vs. hybrid feel free to leave your comments.

Meanwhile, I’m cleaning out the brooder in the barn and off to the feed store to get bedding.