...cause mistakes could cost you big, and the stupid ones are hard to live with.
I am sad to report that we lost a chick last night.
It's pretty devastating.
I am an animal lover. I love all animals, even those annoying nasty little critters. Rats and mice scare me but I don't want them dead. Yes, out of my life and far away from me but not dead.
It is especially heartbreaking when one of those animals is one of my own. Even our chickens. I can't help but feel responsible for every life that I bring into my home, and when we lose that life, it's hard. It's particularly hard knowing that this didn't have to happen.
It was one of the black australorps, the smallest of all the chicks right now, and it was a snake that got it.
Currently, we are keeping the two different groups of chickens separate. They are both outside and in the coop but the smaller chicks, who were just placed in their new home, are staying inside, while the larger chickens are kept in the run. The larger chickens are also able to free range during the day. To get into the run, there is a large window that the chickens can pass through. Right now, we want to keep the two groups separate, so we placed some hardware cloth across the window; however, there is still a gap between the hardware cloth and the bottom of the window sill. It's not large enough for the chicks or for predators like possums and raccoons to get through, but I never, ever once thought about snakes, which is probably the first thing you should think of.
The problem is when we let the older chickens out of the run, we leave the run's door open so they can come back in when they please. The snake most likely got in through that open door and through that gap in the window.
It just never once crossed my mind.
Luckily, we only lost one chick. Luckily, we check on them pretty regularly and we found the snake so other chicks were not killed. We're not sure how long the snake was in there but the chick had been strangled and the snake was making no attempt to eat it. I have no idea what any of that actually means.
The snake was a king snake, which is apparently something we want to have around a farm. My husband killed it, which was also pretty hard. I wanted it dead because it killed one of my chicks but then it didn't deserve to die because it was just doing what snakes do, and it's not the snakes fault that we were stupid. Looking back, we probably could have saved the snake but at that moment and time, killing it was the best thing to do. It had found a good spot and we didn't want to risk it coming back. We didn't know what else to do.
It was sad to see the chick pulled out of there. It was sad because she didn't have to die. It was sad to watch Althea sniff at the dead chick and seem confused. And I'm sorry but it is just sad to think about anyone or THING dying in such a horrible way, and being eaten, being strangled, being bashed in the head with a shovel are just horrible ways to die.
So it was a sad day on the farm but lessons have been learned and the farm moves on. I was warned that there would most likely be a few lives lost, and most people that read this would probably think that I am being absolutely ridiculous. I mean, it was just a chicken...
Friday, May 23, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
it's all fun and games until a tomato plant dies...
As you might expect, being a farmer is not always cute little chicks and fresh picked strawberries. I decided to jot down some of my complaints so far...
There are lots of critters running around and a lot of them end up dead…and in my dog’s mouth. Some of the critters are bad, like chipmunks, squirrels, mice, rats, while some are apparently good (i.e. need to be kept around) like toads, snakes, lizards and anything else that will eat bugs and/or rodents. However, there have been a couple of issues with having all these animals running around – our cat kills these things, leaves the mutilated carcasses behind and our dog then has herself a brand new toy. It's not fun seeing your dog happily run up to you with a dead thing in her mouth or when this dog decides it's time to give your face a great big lick after playing with her dead animal toy.
Speaking of all those critters running around, I came face to face with my first rat. No not mouse, RAT. A gray, long tailed, big ass RAT. And yes, it was verified that this thing was indeed a rat - wharf rat in fact - and not just me exaggerating. And I encountered the thing at the worst time you can encounter a rat - when you least expect it. There I was doing what I always do, closing up the chicken coop for the night, when I looked up and saw this hideous creature just hanging upside down on the side of the coop. Of course I screamed - rather loudly - and of course the rat quickly scurried away, jumping off the wire and INTO the chicken coop. I then did what any self-respecting farmer would do...I ran back into the house. Now a mouse is fine. It’s small and is not going to mess too much with the chickens (or me), but a big ass RAT? Could that thing mess up some not yet full grown chickens (and me)? Sean investigated, saw it in a hole, confirmed that it was indeed a rat after some initial doubts about it being an actual rat, got some things to trap it, discovered that it had disappeared into the night, still boarded up that hole and called it a night.
I am now afraid of the chicken coop.
Ticks are bad. I have always known that they were bad, but I was never much for hanging out in the same places that ticks - or really any bugs - like to hang out. I think that I was bitten by a tick once when I was a child but I really cannot remember. I have always been more concerned about ticks getting on dogs and cats instead of myself. You take that stuff for granted. It’s kind of unavoidable and believe me I have tried and tried to avoid it. I’ve sprayed myself down with chemicals (and I hate, hate having that stuff on me), I have declared that I will not spend long periods of time outside nor will I wander too far from the house (farther from the house is closer to the taller grass and other overgrowth). But you know I cannot avoid letting my dog outside. We put protection on her like we should and she is fine. The ticks jump on her, decide they cannot stay because of the medication and look for some other host to suck the life out of. Guess who that is…
Something my husband and I learned the hard way this past year was just how serious tick bites can be. And this happened BEFORE we moved down to the farm so do yourself a favor and research a little about lonestar ticks and the alpha-gal allergy.
So now in our household, we are extra vigilant; tick checks are done pretty much every time we come back inside and the dog is checked before she can come back in. It's all very annoying.
There is a lot to do when running a farm – even a small one. We have lots of plans and getting everything in order has been challenging. Some things like dealing with chicks and building a chicken coop are first year things, but many, many other things need to be done daily. And I’ll be honest, when thinking about all this (and after actually doing it), I have had doubts pop into my head about this whole farm thing. Crops need to be watered, weeds need to be picked, grass needs to be mowed, animals need to be fed, poop needs to be cleaned up, etc., etc., etc. And let me also mention that we both have jobs. There is always something that needs to be done and it gets pretty exhausting.
Satisfying, though? Most of the time but I’ve had a fair share of meltdowns.
You also have a lot to worry about. Luckily, we are not relying on the survival of our crops or how much our chickens are producing, and I can’t imagine the stress that those who do must go through each day. Anything can come along and just wipe you out. There is a lot of hard work that went into planting the crops and raising the chickens, and it is devastating to see that hard work destroyed. We got one last unexpected freeze in April and it killed several of our crops. Not only does that cost you money but also more time that has to be spent on replanting. In addition to everything else to worry about, I now also fret over things like the health of the chickens, overwatering/under watering plants, animals that eat crops, animals that eat chickens, is it too hot or cold or dry or wet, how to keep bugs away and why oh why can’t I keep my dog from laying on my flowers…
There are lots of critters running around and a lot of them end up dead…and in my dog’s mouth. Some of the critters are bad, like chipmunks, squirrels, mice, rats, while some are apparently good (i.e. need to be kept around) like toads, snakes, lizards and anything else that will eat bugs and/or rodents. However, there have been a couple of issues with having all these animals running around – our cat kills these things, leaves the mutilated carcasses behind and our dog then has herself a brand new toy. It's not fun seeing your dog happily run up to you with a dead thing in her mouth or when this dog decides it's time to give your face a great big lick after playing with her dead animal toy.
Speaking of all those critters running around, I came face to face with my first rat. No not mouse, RAT. A gray, long tailed, big ass RAT. And yes, it was verified that this thing was indeed a rat - wharf rat in fact - and not just me exaggerating. And I encountered the thing at the worst time you can encounter a rat - when you least expect it. There I was doing what I always do, closing up the chicken coop for the night, when I looked up and saw this hideous creature just hanging upside down on the side of the coop. Of course I screamed - rather loudly - and of course the rat quickly scurried away, jumping off the wire and INTO the chicken coop. I then did what any self-respecting farmer would do...I ran back into the house. Now a mouse is fine. It’s small and is not going to mess too much with the chickens (or me), but a big ass RAT? Could that thing mess up some not yet full grown chickens (and me)? Sean investigated, saw it in a hole, confirmed that it was indeed a rat after some initial doubts about it being an actual rat, got some things to trap it, discovered that it had disappeared into the night, still boarded up that hole and called it a night.
I am now afraid of the chicken coop.
Ticks are bad. I have always known that they were bad, but I was never much for hanging out in the same places that ticks - or really any bugs - like to hang out. I think that I was bitten by a tick once when I was a child but I really cannot remember. I have always been more concerned about ticks getting on dogs and cats instead of myself. You take that stuff for granted. It’s kind of unavoidable and believe me I have tried and tried to avoid it. I’ve sprayed myself down with chemicals (and I hate, hate having that stuff on me), I have declared that I will not spend long periods of time outside nor will I wander too far from the house (farther from the house is closer to the taller grass and other overgrowth). But you know I cannot avoid letting my dog outside. We put protection on her like we should and she is fine. The ticks jump on her, decide they cannot stay because of the medication and look for some other host to suck the life out of. Guess who that is…
Something my husband and I learned the hard way this past year was just how serious tick bites can be. And this happened BEFORE we moved down to the farm so do yourself a favor and research a little about lonestar ticks and the alpha-gal allergy.
So now in our household, we are extra vigilant; tick checks are done pretty much every time we come back inside and the dog is checked before she can come back in. It's all very annoying.
There is a lot to do when running a farm – even a small one. We have lots of plans and getting everything in order has been challenging. Some things like dealing with chicks and building a chicken coop are first year things, but many, many other things need to be done daily. And I’ll be honest, when thinking about all this (and after actually doing it), I have had doubts pop into my head about this whole farm thing. Crops need to be watered, weeds need to be picked, grass needs to be mowed, animals need to be fed, poop needs to be cleaned up, etc., etc., etc. And let me also mention that we both have jobs. There is always something that needs to be done and it gets pretty exhausting.
Satisfying, though? Most of the time but I’ve had a fair share of meltdowns.
You also have a lot to worry about. Luckily, we are not relying on the survival of our crops or how much our chickens are producing, and I can’t imagine the stress that those who do must go through each day. Anything can come along and just wipe you out. There is a lot of hard work that went into planting the crops and raising the chickens, and it is devastating to see that hard work destroyed. We got one last unexpected freeze in April and it killed several of our crops. Not only does that cost you money but also more time that has to be spent on replanting. In addition to everything else to worry about, I now also fret over things like the health of the chickens, overwatering/under watering plants, animals that eat crops, animals that eat chickens, is it too hot or cold or dry or wet, how to keep bugs away and why oh why can’t I keep my dog from laying on my flowers…
Monday, May 12, 2014
hen party!!!
Yay, no deaths to report (so far so good)!
And they are finally starting to look like actual chickens!
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| Brown Leghorn back in March. |
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| Brown Leghorn at 9 weeks |
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| New Hampshire Red back in March |
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| New Hampshire Red now at 8 wks |
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| Partridge Rocks back in March |
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| Partridge Rock at 9 weeks |
We also recently let them out of their coop (they are officially free range chickens!). Since they are not yet full grown, we do not let them out unless one of us is home to keep an eye out just in case anything bad happens to come along, but they don't seem too interested in wandering far from their coop. There is actually a giant bush right next to the coop, which is perfect protection from any birds of prey above, and they seem to be just fine doing their scavenging under the bush.
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| Giant bush next to coop door is the perfect place for protection and for finding little critters to munch on. |
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| Go get those bugs! |
I wish I had a picture of the chickens with Althea because it's actually pretty adorable seeing her just laying and watching while chickens cluck about around her, but every time I try to get close, the chickens scatter like a bunch of....chickens.
And in a week, the rest of the flock will be added to the hen house (YAY!!!), and it will be interesting to see how the two different hen gangs get along. I'm imagining it'll be something like The Outsiders...but with chicks...
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