Something Cute

Just thought I'd post something cute today.  I've seen this little guy for the past 3 evenings when I've been closing up the chicken coop.  He doesn't seem to be afraid of me or the chickens.  Anyway, enjoy his cuteness.

Sprouts and Chickens!

Good morning!  I just went outside to check on the gardens, and I took some photos of the sprouts!  Here they are!

                            Above are collard greens that came up from last year!

Green/Spring Onions have come up!

Peas!

Roma Tomatoes!  I've also got Beefsteak, Cherry and Greenhouse Hybrids coming up!

The chickens have eaten pretty much all of their grass. We have been mowing patches of grass to feed them lately.

They are always interested in what I'm doing.

This is a new fenced in area for the chickens, so they can have new grass.  I'm going to plant grass in their current pen once they've been moved.  I just have to get the top on the other pen!

Rainy Days

It's been raining for the last two days here in Central Ohio.  I've been wanting to post more spring photos and tell more about what I'm doing in the garden, but I've decided to wait until there are sprouts!  I thought I'd post a couple of photos while we wait for the sun to return!

I have 4 different breeds of chickens that make up my small flock.  This is what their eggs look like!  They range from light brown to dark speckled brown!  I will be adding 3 new breeds to the group this summer.  Two more brown egg layers and one breed that will lay greenish blue tinted eggs! Stay tuned!

I found countless articles on the internet showing how plastic feed bags (birdseed, cat food, chicken feed etc.) can be recycled into reusable shopping bags!  This was NOT my invention but my mom decided to make one.  She has since made several out of chicken feed bags, and they work great!  One less thing in the landfill!

I'll be posting another update soon, hopefully with sprouts!

More Signs of Spring

Just thought I'd do a quick update with a few photos of flowers since I usually don't post those.  Enjoy!


Blooming Daffodils!

Blooming Grecian Wind Flowers!

The eggs I've collected so far this morning.  There will be more!

April 2013 Spring Update!

Finally, today it was almost 70 degrees in Central Ohio!  Today was filled with outside chores. I took some photos of everything that is currently going on here.

First, my dad, has been starting tomato seeds.  Started so far are Beefmaster, a Greenhouse hybrid, and Roma tomatoes.

Here are tilled up sections of the garden.  We have planted onions, turnips, and peas in these locations.

Here is the chicken update!

Today I cleaned out the chicken coop completely and put in new bedding.  Below is a photo of the new bedding, which is dry leaves, wood chips, straw, and pine needles.

I got two full wheelbarrows full of compost!  I layered the bedding over the entire winter and it has composted into usable fertilizer for the garden!

Then I added a large trash can full of dry leaves to their outdoor run.

Here is an update on the drawer nesting box.  It was being used just fine, however, we had trouble with the chickens scratching out the straw.  We took a second drawer that was the same and took out the bottom and stacked it on top of the other one.  This way they won't be laying the eggs on the bare wood.

The chickens were interested in what I was doing most of the time.  They also enjoyed the dry leaves outside and took dust baths.  They take dust baths to keep cool and to keep any bugs away.  I've never even seen a bug on any of my chickens.

Thanks for reading! I'm looking forward to blogging more updates as we plant, get more baby chicks and update the chicken coop!

Not Quite Spring Update

Hello everyone!  It's technically spring here in Central Ohio, however it doesn't look so much like it.  My chickens do not like to walk around in the snow, but they do like to eat it!  I took them in a "chicken sno-cone" this morning!  Check it out!

I have a couple of chickens that do not want to lay eggs in the bucket nest boxes.  I'm not sure why, but they always lay their eggs in the corner.  So I found this old drawer out by the burn pile, and recycled it for a nest box.  So far, only one of them has used it.  I need to add a top to it so they don't scratch all of the straw out.

Here's what it looks like this morning and what I was doing after the farm chores were done.

Hope everyone has a great day today!  I'm glad it's been too wet to plant the peas, the seeds would've rotted in all of this snow!

Uses for Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar

I recently got some free samples from Bragg.  They also sent a packet of info on all of their products and books.  It was very interesting.

Since 1912 Paul C Bragg's company has been bringing the best in Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV).  There are countless uses for this vinegar.  You must use Bragg's because it is RAW, unprocessed and contains "The Mother" (living bacteria and nutrients) in it.  Other vinegars are mediocre.  Here are just SOME of it's uses for the human body.

1.  Helps relieve asthmatics

2.  Helps to lower blood glucose levels

3.  Helps to relieve gout

4.  Good for weight loss (curbs appetite)  and breaking down body fat

5.  Helps relieve nausea, heartburn and chronic acid reflux

6. Prevents flu and stomach illnesses 

7. Helps break down kidney stones

The list goes on and on.  Visit the Bragg website for all of the information you need on it!  There is even a pet section which lists uses for ACV and your dog!

But there's one thing I use this for that isn't listed on the Bragg site.  I use this for the chickens!

Bragg's ACV can be used to clean the coop and can be added directly to their water for many health benefits.  Health benefits include increasing egg production, improve the digestive health of the chickens, and kills bacteria that cause respiratory infections in your flock.  To use ACV in this manner simply add 4 teaspoons of ACV per gallon of water.  IMPORTANT- DO NOT USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR IN GALVANIZED METAL WATERERS.  This will poison your flock and the ACV will eat holes in the waterer.  USE IT WITH PLASTIC WATERERS ONLY.  

Other uses for ACV are to disinfect your chicken coop, eliminates mold, mildew and odors from your coop.  It can be used to clean feeders and waterers also.  One thing about chicken waterers is that they become very dirty and slimy VERY quickly.  I had read somewhere that using ACV in the plastic waterer would prevent the waterer from getting slimy at all.....I didn't believe this at all.  I was wrong!  It works so well, that everyday since using it, I have purchased Bragg's ACV to use in the waterer daily!  I couldn't be happier with it!  I'm desperately trying to find a way that makes this stuff drinkable for me....so far I haven't been able to choke it down...but I'm going to keep trying!   Go out and buy some Bragg's!  In fact Bragg has many other products, all of which I like.  They have liquid aminos, seasonings, drinks, dressings, olive oil, and a variety of health related books.  Thanks for reading!  I'm going outside in a bit to look for more signs of spring!  I may post photos today!