Fall chickens

The combs and wattles on the chickens have gone very red. Perhaps something to do with fall? Or perhaps their maturity? They're over a year old now.

They've very beautiful at the moment, and still producing lots of eggs. If you look closely in this photo, you can see some of the little birds that come to share their scratch.

Thank you

Each of our chickens has become part of our household. We treasure the eggs that they give us each day. There is a rythm and cadence to our world that includes everything from the sounds of chickens laying to the feeding, watering and collecting. In many ways, the activities associated with our hens are very simple - grounding is probably the best word.

Then it gets even simpler. Today I said thank you, in a very intimate way, to one of our girls. She has struggled on and off over the past few weeks. The pecking order has not been kind to her, yet she persevered and struggled through - we shifted feed, tried different things to restore the balance, but there was something beyond our ability to control. Today I was greeted, as ever, by a grateful hen - each day I held her for a few minutes, let her roam unencumbered by the ongoing torment. Today, the damage was too severe and inhumane.

So, I did my homework, found a good recommendation online and followed through. Very quietly I let her roam and scratch for a few grubs...she came running when I walked over...I gently held her and quietly thanked her for all her gifts and for being part of our family...I put her to sleep with my hands and held her as her life whispered away.

Thank you little one.
Our flock is one less tonight.

The Rat Thing Continued

So - the rats are multiplying by the hour. The chicken feed buffet is supporting an entire colony.

There are live traps available, but here's the catch...it is ILLEGAL to transport rats OFF your property. No one wants you dropping rats off to bother some other property owner somewhere else - think UVIC and the bunny thing. Fair enough.

So, if you trap the rats live, you still need to kill them and dispose of them. (What is the most humane way to kill a rat?) Well, the rat traps we picked up are - it's instant. None of this grabbing a paw thing or the tip of the nose. Instant rat sandwich. Release, dispose. In the first 6 hours we caught four. No poison, no macabre incidents. Just quick and clean.

That all being said, I'm calling an exterminator next week to finish off the colony. There are these sound devices you can use to keep them away from the area, which will follow once we have reduced the number signifcantly.

Meanwhile, our girls are as happy as ever. We have a balanced coop - very vocal and productive.

The Rat Thing

The downside of backyard chickens is the rats.

If there's free food to be had, you can pretty much count on rats. Big rats, little rats, baby rats, fast rats, slow rats, big rats, curious rats, nosey rats, aggressive rats, big rats....

We knew they were there. The holes gave them away. The compost is certainly a draw, but the free grain, free pellets, free scraps thing has entrenched them. Unfortunately, they are breeding. There are now lots of rats.

I'm not a big fan of rats. I have a rat thing.

So, I stand in the house, looking out the window, watching one, two, four or five racing around the chicken run scooping up the remnants. They are brazen.

I need them to go away, but I won't do all the normal stuff. No poison, no snap traps, no drowning. So, I'm thinking and watching.

I'm not a big fan of rats.

A west coast new year's day

Happy New Year from the west coast ark! The girls spent some time scratching for grubs and worms throughout the back lawn and the garden today. We enjoyed a balmy 10 degrees and spent time turning the garden, raking the last of the fall leaves and generally tidying the yard. No snow to shovel for us!

The girls remain productive at an egg a day, each. The eggs are a glorious rich browny/orange colour, with the Barred Rocks offering up a slightly smaller, paler version. Both laying boxes are being used, with today's yield offering an even three and three split.

I have introduced straw into the muck of their run. It offers something to keep their feet less mucky and therefore the eggs are less mucky from their feet. It also gives them something to scratch about, which they spend the better part of their day doing.

The hens are all very friendly and accustomed to their people. They are vocal for anyone that appears in the yard, making their presence known in case you might want to offer up some scratch. They tolerate being held and are easily herded back into the cube after free ranging.

All appear healthy and robust. The Barred Rocks seem more suited to the wet, rainy weather, appearing less bedraggled by the incessant rain. All are happy to go about their business and both the cube and the run appear appropriately sized in square footage and volume for the six birds. No fighting, no abusive pecking - supported by keeping them well fed, watered and warm.

Happy New Year girls!

'dem eggs

So, we have eggs. Lots of eggs. All the girls are now laying. We are at 5 a day and should be up to 6 by Halloween. VERY satisfying!

Our routine is pretty established with the onset of fall. The six birds keep the cube pretty scratched down, so that a new layer of pine bedding each week is essential. The two laying boxes are both in use and each receive a fresh pile of bedding along with the cube. The run is where most of the bedding ends up, but that keeps the muck down and absorbs the fertilizer. This will become an excellent source of nutrition for my gardens in the spring.


The girls LOVE scratch (a variety of grains and corn), which I sprinkle in the run each morning by the handful. This gets them out of the cube so that I can fill their feeder (layer pellets - 16% protein, all natural) and their water. The water has been a bit of a challenge to keep clean and must be changed each day - I have it on a raised platform in the cube, in a corner and this seems to be working.

We give them all of our kitchen compost and anything that has "gone" in our fridge and is not moldy - all scraps are cut up into smaller chunks and thrown into the run in the morning. As I clean out the gardens, I am also giving them a variety of greens, which they eat down to nothing. All very efficient and very satisfying.

The photos include the two plymouth barred rock "chicks" roosting in the cube and the four highliner layers busy grubbing our lawn. A wonderful variety in our flock which is only slightly discernible in the egg coloration (the barred rock eggs are paler and smaller, while the highliner eggs are a richer, deeper brown and are frequently double yokers!)

Happy days on the farm!

Urban Farming

The cube is in its groove, winter ready - the roof is sealed and the siding is up. The cube is uninsulated and fitted with a heat lamp for any cooler weather we may have.

Chickens 3,4,5 and 6 arrived, with two eggs layed en route. There was a big kafuffle for the first 48 hours and now the pecking order is firmly entrenched. The two barred rock chicks stick pretty close together, while the four highlanders are independent roamers.

Our youngest farmer has taken to collecting eggs each day - 4 pretty much guaranteed. We are eagerly anticipating the first eggs from our "chicks". The eggs are rich in colour and flavour - we are enjoying and sharing our special treats!

The birds are all enjoying our early fall warmth, happily following whoever around, particularly if you happen to be digging in the garden where a fresh worm might just pop up!