Baby Chickens Report

It didn't take long before our chicks outgrew their box in the pantry and needed bigger quarters. I decided to go ahead and move them into the chicken coop. Before we could do that, however, we needed to set things up to accommodate them.

The first thing we had to do something about was the roost.

"Tree" roost right after it was built.

I love the idea of the tree roost, but in reality it didn't turn out to be very practical. For one thing, some of the less intelligent birds had a hard time figuring out how to get up and down. For another, since the bars were permanently placed, it was difficult to clean out under. We decided to go back to a conventional style roost with removable roosting bars.

(Notice the peeling whitewash? A new coating is on my to-do list)

That left better room for a brooding pen for the baby chicks.

My baby Australorp chicks

All was well for the first couple of days. Then one morning I discovered three chicks were missing. After our last incident of disappearing chicks, we were pretty sure it was rats. I beefed up security, added screens over the top, and Dan set up the animal trap. So far so good.

Hopefully this is rat-proof. The window screens add a "roof" to the pen.

I feel kinda bad for these little guys with no mama.

We currently have 14 chicks

Not that she could protect them from predators, but because there is no one to teach them about finding food and to fuss over them the way mama hens do. I believe that everything that is intended to have a mother ought to have one. Fortunately, none of the hens is hostile toward the invaders in their coop. A rooster might have something to say about it, but we have no rooster at the moment except for the little up and comers. Hopefully they'll all make it.

Baby Chickens Report © May 2015 

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

The Beast Is Dead

Here is an equipment tale of woe that many of you will be able to relate to. Dan's beloved walk-behind 2-wheel tractor, fondly referred to as "The Beast," is not moving.

We've only had it for a year.

The engine still runs but there is a problem with the transmission. Fixable? That remains to be seen. In the meantime, it set off a rather lengthy discussion about our goals, needs, and working smarter on our homestead.

Before we bought The Beast we set out to find a farm tractor. We scoured Craigslist and Dan traveled many miles in search of something that matched our pocketbook. Such a tractor did not seem to exist, or at least not one that was in working order. All too many ads said "runs great" only to have it mysteriously not start when Dan went to look. Or the battery had just died. Or the owner forgot to put fuel in it. Or there was something they didn't mention in the ad that they were sure was "easy" to fix. When the walk-behind turned up, Dan went to look. It started right up so he bought it.

One of the problems with buying equipment that is no longer manufactured is that it's difficult to find replacement parts. For example, ours needed a coulter. The purpose of the coulter is to cut the ground ahead of the plowshare. The plow then turns over the ground with a nice, neat edge. Without it, the plow is difficult to control.

Simplicity Model W Walk-Behind Tractor

Coulters are available for larger tractors, but we need a 10-inch size, smaller than standard. First Dan contacted our local John Deere and Kubota dealers. Unfortunately they specialize in lawn tractors and didn't have a clue about plows and coulters. One said he'd look into to it but we never heard from him again. The next step was for Dan to try to make one.

Homemade coulter, made of a 10" saw blade & two grinding wheels. 

The grinding wheels add strength & keep the saw blade from bending.

Another problem he had was that the tractor isn't heavy enough to plow our tough ground. It needed more weight in the front. Again, these weren't available to he added his own.

These are the challenges of older, no longer manufactured equipment. Dan is definitely going to try to fix it but we still question what the best option is. I've researched no-till for field crops but learned that a tractor is still used, just with different implements, things like seed drills and seeding discs, which were not made for our walk-behind tractor.

Even if The Beast can be fixed it will eventually break down again, and once again we'll struggle with parts we can't get. Every time this happens it creates a tension between work to be done and the time required to fix the equipment. On top of that it is heavy and takes strength to control.

A small farm tractor still seems like the best option for us, especially as we get older and need better work-smarter-not-harder options, especially ones that will enable us to conserve strength and energy. On top of that, a four-wheel tractor is a better candidate for converting to wood gas than the two-wheel one.

 The question now is can we find one that runs and we can afford? Can we find the attachments? Ours has never been a big agricultural area so most farm tractors around here are only used with belly mowers or bush hogs.

I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. Do stay tuned.

The Beast Is Dead © May 2015 by Leigh
at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

In & Around The Garden

The bad news is that we have not gotten a good rainfall in over a month. Between that and temperatures in the low 90s, many things in the garden are suffering. I just can't seem to keep everything watered well, which is a concern. Anyway, here's what's happening in and around my garden.

I only planted two rows of peas. I planted turnips too but they were a no
show. I won't have a huge harvest but we'll have some good seasonal eating.

Kale is doing well. 

So is my lettuce and multiplier onions. Radishes
have mostly been harvested with a few left to go to seed.

Beets! This is the first time in several years the deer haven't wiped
out my beets. Also broccoli here, although it hasn't flowered yet.

My chicory volunteers every year. I love the blue blossoms and the
goats love the greens. Garlic in the background is near harvest time.

Green beans planted up in double rows. I planted cucumbers between the
double rows but with no rain they haven't sprouted, but weeds are growing .

This is the first time in a long time that I've mulched with straw, but we had all those bales from our make do pig digs so I've been using them.

Volunteer dill transplanted into the cabbage row. I started
the cabbage plants early but they have been slow to grow.

I planted 4 rows of popcorn but hardly any has had a chance to sprout. The
rows are filled with volunteer marigolds and amaranth. I leave the marigolds
and pull the amaranth. The roots are thrown into the compost while stalks
and leaves are chopped and dehydrated for the goats' winter mineral mix.

I leave other "weeds" as well. This is a row of heartsease.
It has medicinal value and makes a good ground cover.

It appears that only about half of
my sweet potatoes have survived.

Elder is beginning to bloom

A few red raspberries

A baby Gala apple. Do you see how lop-sided it is? I learned from Anna
Hess's The Naturally Bug-Free Garden (highly recommended) this is a
symptom of poor pollination. Our bees arrived too late to help this year's
apple crop, but will help correct will all fruit pollination in the future.

That's my garden report for the end of May. Hoping and praying for rain soon. How about you?

In & Around The Garden © May 2015
by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/