2019 Homestead Goals!

Silly duck! I just gave them water in this
bowl and he decided it is time to bathe!

Finally! Spring is here! The Pussywillow tree has started to bloom, the trees are budding, and I've caught a few peeks of green coming from the ground as my perennials have decided to make an appearance! 
This time of the year has it dreaming of what we would like to get done around here. 

5 goals at this time in no particular order are:

1) More raised beds- These turned out to be invaluable for me last year. Both for ease of weeding, gathering, and so I didn't have to kneel too much.

2) Moving Lt. Dan the Wonder Goat out of the garden after we burn the prairie. Also, making his door opening a wee bit bigger. He has grown quite a bit since we got him.

3) Make a new portable coop/revamp the old one? This is still up on the air. In the meantime, Mr. Awesome make a poop board, move the roosts for more room for the girls, and we will have two separate entrances for the seasons(Alternating to give the grass time to come back).

4) Fix siding on house/scrape/paint house/put windows in back rooms.

5) Make temporary porch on the back of the house until we are ready to take back steps out.

I have been gathering my seeds and am anxious to start planting. Every year I end up planting too early. This year I didn't start crazy early. I have a handful started. I am planning on embracing Winter Sowing next season. 

I spurlged and bought a few bulbs of Dishplate Dahlia's and another type. These I will keep in the fenced in garden. It makes no sense to plant too many things around the house as I originally wanted to. Chickens don't care how carefully you organized and planted seeds and bulbs. For them they see you digging in the dirt and they are thinking, "Crazy Human is finding food for me!" or "Crazy Human is making a nice spot for me to dust bathe in!" I've thrown in the white flag and decided to keep the garden for pretty stuff. 

We (Do you like that "We"? What I mean is Mr. Awesome will...) work on the roof issues too. Terry was able to borrow a lift to fix the loss of the slate tiles on the roof. He patched on a side and will begin working his way around. There is hope we can borrow this for another week. It has been super windy or rainy. 

Rainy reminds me of getting stuck in the driveway. Yes, I got stuck! Not just a little stuck but "Holy moon pies! What did you do!".  It was a mess but thankfully Mr. Awesome was able to use the winch to get me out. Check my Instagram feed on the left side bar for a picture of the pit I made. Did I mention we need to have a load of rock delivered to help? 

When Terry came home his face was priceless. I was a bundle of nerves but that melted away when he saw how badly Randy was stuck (Yes, we name a lot of things around the house. Jess named Randy- it's her car. Honestly, we can't be the only people that name, "Stuff"!) 

Find me here-
amazon.com/author/melindakunst

I have been writing again and hope to have my fourth book ready for print before the end of the year. I'm really excited about this one. To be honest, this is going to be my favorite so far. If you haven't heard how we had gotten started our homesteading journey you will like this! The story is a mix of our homesteading adventures as city folks and a sprinkling of how doing this saved my sanity during hard times. Check out my Author page for updates and appearances- Melinda Kunst Author


There are more goals but these are the few we are talking are starting on now. What are you working on? 

Care to connect? Find us on FB God's Breath Farm. 

And don't forget to check out our YouTube channel Blessmeplease09 on YouTube! I've found several videos I had forgotten to upload and now we have 100+ multi-niche videos available! I believe I have another handful that needs to go up soon too. Betcha didn't know I'm a procrastinator. 

 

Perhaps you know a woman that is in emotional pain from loss, abuse, suicide, or depression please view my blog at www.hopewhentherewasnone.blogspot.com and I have a support group for women that you can connect with, find it on my FB page Hope when there was none

Rhett & Miz. Scarlett- Cayuga Ducks

Have a great day!

BIG HUGS!

Mel

Polar Vortex, damaging winds, and frozen combs

We are all so done with winter here! We survived the Polar Vortex! Temps fell to 46- here! I threw extra straw in the coops and Lt. Dan's house. I wrapped the Abbey (duck truck) with a bit of plastic and blue insulation sheet on the outside to help with the drafts. Believe it or not those chickens and ducks stayed out during that weather in the run! 

In the coop, I took more blue insulation sheets and positioned them along the windy side to help cut the wind. These birds stayed in! We didn't let them out at all. 

Dan happily shared his house with about 6 other chickens that made a break for his casa before the weather was too frigid the day before and so they were locked in with him, which worked out so well for us because we worried that he would be alone and cold. Those wee feathered friends kept him company and warmth! The only thing that I noticed two roosters have frostbite on their combs. I am so grateful that we didn't lose anyone!

Inside we were keeping warm the best we could. I hung up heavier curtains on the windows, blankets on our front door and everyone bundled up. Our furnace had a hard time keeping up and few weeks (thankfully) after that deadly weather snap it expired! 


We had a repairman come out to look at it and he didn't feel right to put it back together and to somehow rig it to work for legality reasons and of course, we didn't have the funds for a new one. Mr. Awessome dug out the kerosene heaters and we once again bundled up. It was a long nerve-racking week! We scrambled to find what funds we could and luckily an angel came through and lent us with what we were short. There's more to that story but that is it in a nutshell!

Next came warm weather then cold then warm and then windy! We had 40 - 50+ mph winds that knocked off siding, slate tiles from the roof, and blew outdoor stuff away. There was a plan to take the siding off anyway so we could scrape and paint the house so we kinda felt lucky to have the help with that! The roof is another sore spot that will need to be addressed soon. We do have our pans strategically placed in the attic to catch the drips but need a new roof. Sadly, most folks don't do payment plans unless it is through a finance company. With our credit, not the best, we are thinking of getting the Farmstay/Airbnb up sooner to help save up for the repairs. 

There is a possibility we may get that up and running this Summer instead of next. There is still a lot to do before we give the thumbs up for this plan. But it has been fun to find items for the bus and planning of some other sort of building. We have an idea of where the primitive spots are going. Those will be for campers that bring a tent and camp out in a designated spot.  I am gathering local spots for entertainment and sightseeing as well as local delicacies to share with guests. This part is exciting!

Soon more garden planning, seed starting, and writing book 4! This one will be about our homestead experience! I hope to have it ready to publish by the end of the year. I still have two other book ideas percolating in my mind but need to finish my other first.  I'm pretty excited to have a writing workshop next month, blessed to have several interviews sharing my story of my past, and working on more interviews and speaking events. Find out details on what is upcoming here- My Author page .

How has your winter be going? 

BIG HUGS!

The mystery of the missing duck... SOLVED!

Frankie the Duck- she thought she was a chicken

A few weeks back we lost my favorite duck. Well, we didn't lose her. She vanished!

Now this isn't uncommon when you have outdoor critters. There are various reasons for missing animals such as, predators or they wandered off to pass away if they were sick or maybe someone swiped them. It's sad but these happen.

Mr. Awesome and Peanut looked all over the yard and even investigated a pile of white something that turned out to be a plastic bag up close.

A few days later, Mr. Awesome and me had a trip to pick up a table and chairs from a nearby town late in the evening. We arrived home to find the flock put away. This was unusual. Why? Peanut puts them away and it's usually a lot later though we have reminded her to please put them away sooner especially after Frankie went missing.

She stuck her head out the door to help light my way down the path. I'm still healing from the "Great knee incident". I applauded her for getting them in without me having to bark at her. She said, "Come in I've got a story to tell you!"

I hobbled in faster.

She said the dog started barking madly so she let the dog out only to watch a Fox happily trotting down the yard with a duck in it's mouth!

The dog went tearing after the fox, which decided to let go of the duck and run away.

After getting the petrified duck back in the Abbey, she closed up the rest of the crew and went back in the house with the dog. Not even 5 minutes later the dog started barking again! Apparently, this fox was super hungry. She let the dog out a second time. This time the dog chased the fox about a few acres down the road.The next day she appeared to be just fine.

Now we know what happened to Frankie. 😢

Raccoon at base of tree.
I didn't want to show gore so I pulled back a bit

Next 3 days ago, Mr. Awesome noticed movement on top of the barn. He believed it was a Raccoon. These guys mean business when it comes to snagging out animals as well. We were monitoring the situation when I saw something big and fuzzy hanging out of the tree in our front yard.

Guess what, it was the raccoon! If you are squeamish please stop here. We are mini-homesteaders and our farm animals are not pets. They provide food for us so we do not take kindly to predators.

Mr. Awesome put the raccoon down. There was no nest and we believe it is the same one we saw prior to this a week ago in a yard about a mile down. There is an abandoned silo there and I was pretty sure that was it's home. Now just to clarify, we do live trap animals if needed. Also, there are protected animals, check your local area for information.

Enter in a new flock soon or hens or chicks we want to be sure everyone is safe and sound as best possible. This means we protect our flock by whatever means necessary. We are out in the country so we do have coyotes, hawks, raccoons, foxes, cats and even other dogs to keep away from our critters.

Prior to having farm animals, I thought it was cruel to take a life of a majestic and cute animal. That stopped the day our flock of 20 was decimated by a family of foxes 7 years ago. Don't get me wrong I still believe they are beautiful but from afar.

As for the fox? We are unsure what happened to it. Now either the dog was enough to scare it off or after the situation Peanut witnessed I was in the yard the next day when I heard a few gun shots. Again, we are out in the country so that isn't unusual but it was only a few and silence. We have a neighbor about 5 miles down the road that also has chickens between our house and their home the fox may have been having a buffet.

I'm crossing my fingers that this will be all for now...

God bless! I hope your day is awesome!

Coming up tomorrow, "Homeschool game day" and I finally started my seeds for the garden! Did you know I have 2 books out soon? I am setting up book signings in the area and I'm excited but this is another post.😊

BIG HUGS!
Mel

Tales from the farm

Where has the time gone?! I can not believe it has gone by so fast! I remember not too long ago just moving into this dusty, airy, rambling home that I have come to love.

Home improvement projects have taken a bit of a slow down. Mr. Awesome found a job! That job was a second shift job of picking orders. He and I felt like "Strangers in the night" due to our hours.
I would go to my gig as a Breakfast Attendant at a local hotel from 5 am to 10 am or so. We would spend a few hours together and than he would be off until the wee hours of the morning. I felt blessed to have this time, some couples don't have that luxury.

In his 3rd week there, a posting for and IT position was available, so he applied. He interviewed and did get the position. I feel there was a higher purpose involved as no one else put in an application. Seriously! He is getting his bearings and enjoying the work.

Where did that put me in flinging coffee and eggs? I was able to quit that position to take care of Mini Man and get rest for myself. My Lyme cooties is still having a party in my body. I remain optimistic that I will be healed and this means I still need to make peace with my past. A major blessing has been to reunite with my eldest Son! This has been a big prayer since I left my ex- See my story here- Hope when there was none He has grown into a handsome man. We are catching up and trying to mend what was lost. His Fiance is beautiful Woman that is strong and he needs that.

Our baby Duck has kicked the awkward teen years to the curb and is female. So, Frank is now Frankie. She is adorable but still not allowed to mingle with the other 4 Ducks. I'm hoping they will give her an in. She looks at them longingly to belong to the group.

Yes, even in the barnyard there are cliques. It can be rather alarming when you first see this in action. Feathers flying everywhere, as a Chicken or Duck literally show who's the boss. This is where "The pecking order" comes from.

How long does this last? A few weeks to months. There are times of danger that brings the flock together.

That beautiful Hawk, adorable Raccoon, majestic Fox, Coyote, Skunk, Cat or Possum can spell trouble for our flock. It doesn't take long for one of these to whittle down our group in a matter or a day or days.

This year we kicked the flock out of the hen house into the Abbey and the Bat brooder. In doing so, many of our Hens went rogue, opting instead to find a spot randomly here and there. We found a bunch in the Yucca plants by our cars! But, once we found this spot, it was as though they banded together to find another hiding spot that we have yet to find.

The Ducks will just randomly squeeze out an egg and if we don't cut the grass for awhile you may hear or feel the crush of it under foot. Of course our Dog has found a majority of these eggs, though her coat now looks marvelous, this isn't what she was supposed to do.

There seems to be a romanticized view of a farm or having animals. Though, the charm has not been lost to me.

The Hen house is dusty, smelly and buggy. I don't care how many glamorous looking pictures you see on Pinterest or other social media. I does not stay pristine. I do look on these with great "Oh's and Ah's".

They do take some work.

Which brings me to the Bees! I enjoy looking at the beehive. I open the top and stare in awe at these
busy bees. They are so fascinating to watch. To see their back legs with multi-colored pants of pollen. Blue, Purple, Orange, Yellow and Red. It is amazing to see the change in the honey through the year. From light color, scent, and taste of Clovers to a richer color this Fall and a much hardier taste.

I admit I didn't check the whole hive as much as I should have. Perhaps it was nerves. Mind you, I wanted to get over my fear of Bees by raising Bees. My two lower Super boxes remained untouched this year. YIKES! I know! Bad Beekeeper! I also had a hard time lifting them. Oh, I recently attempted to wrangle and wiggle them apart to check to make sure all was well but, I couldn't get them apart. I did manage to lift bother of them simultaneously, with dismay to the Bees. A good group of them started to attack my suit. I felt horrible and tried to sing to them. As though this would calm them down. I tried to talk gently to them that I was doing these for their own good.

Nope didn't work. I didn't want my 7 year old to laugh at me if I ran away, flailing my body every which way to get the angry bees runaway screaming hysterically. I maintained my composure, rambling to try to calm the Bees down. I managed to check what I could and closed it back up. I called a few Beekeepers in the area that came highly recommended to mentor or help me out for tips but I didn't get calls back. YouTube has become a great friend to me but it would be nicer to have a buddy in person.

Our view from the top has improved! The barn that was next door was burnt down. It was sad and a big relief. Many of our troubles from varmints came from them shacking up there. We can see a lot further down the road.

The Butterflies were beautiful! I don't recall so many last year. Monarchs, Swallow tails and more, danced and fluttered all around us. It was so beautiful! I can not wait until next year.

We do have to hit the Thistles and Prickly lettuce around the house. The farmer that plants in the fields around us mentioned this is not good. He offered to give us something to help. I'm not sure abut that. I want to be as organic or natural as possible. Of course, after you get "bit" by one of these spiny green plants, your mind does have second thoughts.

There is so much more I need to catch up on but it is almost time for church. Later, Peanut and I will be heading to volunteer at a local farm for harvesting wild flower seeds. She has to volunteer for so many hours but I really am loving this so though she may decline on attending, I may continue to.

I have decided to take a break from my small business. I don't know exactly what direction to go. I posted on my page on FB Legacy Antiques & Estate Sales that I was unsure. I have so many ideas! My main thought is that I do need to just rest. Let my body heal and pray for wisdom. Now, if I wasn't so impatient this would be fine.

I hope your day and upcoming week are wonderful! Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel. I do need to throw on some newer videos. And learn how to edit them. Someday...


BIG HUGS!
Mel

Great Scott! There are a ton of weeds!

My poor garden! It looks like a jungle! With all the rain we had a few weeks back it is now pretty overgrown and we are just starting the season. My mulch pile has dwindled and I may call around to local tree trimming groups again to see if someone takes pity on me.

I'm happy to report I planted about 45ish Sunflowers, Jalapeno's, Green Pepper plants, more Garlic, Zucchini, Chamomile, and Marjoram.

Found my herbs in the weeds doing well except- Basil, Dill and Stevia. Dang Rabbit has been nibbling on that and at least 15 of the Sunflowers I just planted yesterday! WAH! It ate my poppies seedlings too!

We have tried a bit of natural deterrents but haven't had a lot of luck. I'll keep scouring the web. I did find some more not so organic determent's but really want keep our garden as spray free as possible.

Farm fail include that rabbit eating our plants, a new chick died, a bunch of baby bunnies we yanked out of the yard were eaten by a Raccoon which was caught and is not with us anymore. On the plus side we did gain a new Rooster! Despite my no naming the animals policy this guy seemed like a Fred.  Cocky Locky my Banty is not doing so good. Much to my dismay I'm quite sure he is on the verge of passing away. He really isn't eating and rarely comes out of "The Abbey". We do have a broody hen and she has taken to stuff duck eggs to sit on. I'm pretty stoked about it and we will see what happens!

My Mom blessed us with several bunches of perennials that will perk up next year. I was also given a bunch from Mom's neighbor that I have yet to plant.

Speaking of which we went over to help Mom and Dad open their pool and did some minor things around their house. We hope to get over there a lot more often to help. Dad is doing much better and is happy to drive again. He's getting a bit agitated that he isn't getting around like he used to. He does need to get some dental work and a knee replacement and hopes for find out when he can get the okay to do so.

A few weeks back we also took time to see some wonderful kite flying at Fair Oaks Farm called Fair in the Air. They were a wonderful sight to see and are HUGE! Some of them are 20 Ft+! Wish I had a better camera or phone these pictures do not give the event any justice. We just stayed to watch for a bit and had a good time.

Mr. Awesome has been keeping himself busy with minor roof repairs, building projects, organizing, learning how to fix Carburetors, and aspiring to make cool stuff with Blacksmith.

I have been doing what I feel is the bare minimum and not for the lack of trying. I'm just so stinking tired. I did make a Plantain/Comfrey Salve, drying Lavender, Cilantro, Peppermint, Sage (Making Smudge sticks), editing my book (Slowly, it's been a challenge to revisit the memories), sleeping a lot, planting, weeding, studying my edible weeds in our yard, trying to figure out what is medicinal and added a Super to the beehive. I didn't participate in the last Flea market because I felt the weather was too breezy and I wasn't feeling so good (Lyme).

Excited Peanut has her first job starting soon! I'm hoping this will help with her social anxieties and plan to discuss some supplements with the Amazing Jen that may help.

I picked up these pinwheels and a few pink flamingos that just tickled me! I know I'm a dork but I sometimes have things speak to me. Oh, not literally, it's one of those things that randomly calls out to you and just wants to go home with you. Not that you need them mind you. They make me smile!

 Here is the bee Super and hiding in the background is Is  won't be surprised if they don't become targets for my adventurous Dad and Son team of hunters. SIGH! It was much to Mr. Awesome's chagrin that I bid and won them.

I haven't been online a lot. Kind of taking a hiatus. This does mean I miss a bunch of events, family and friend updates. It's not that it is just social media but stepping away from the computer has been nice. I was feeling tied and riveted to reading statues, seeing bad news or celeb stuff. I'm being honest when I tell you I don't know many of the celebs now that includes musicians as well. I know I must be living under a rock. (And yes when 4/20 came around I didn't get the reference) I don't think I'm alone by doing this. I don't miss it either, though Pinterest and Instagram are still my favorites and if we do watch anything it's been on YouTube and Netflix (Anne with an E was wonderful!).

The upcoming week will be filled with more planting! Wish me luck! I hope your week is joyful and blessed.

Bees, bees, bees and more! *UPDATE!

I am super excited! We received a call that the bees were in on Saturday for pick up on Monday. I was tickled and anxious!

We chose to do a "No-shake" method for the bee install. We shall see if this worked well. The set up went well, though there was a bit of cursing from Mr. Awesome. I hadn't gotten some of the things ready which made it a bit more tense. I joked that next time I think I will do the installs from now on. He makes me more nervous because he is nervous.

We both had anxious butterflies beforehand. Me not having everything together was not my best idea. That added to the situation. I fly by the seat of my pants and think later... "Oh yeah! I should have...."

But what a great way to know someone really loves you when they are handling 10,000 bees! Gotta love that man! I'll check out whether the Queen broke free tomorrow or Wednesday.

We already had a big weekend gearing up for the 1st Flea market of the season for us to set up at.

Did I mention I am a terrrible procrastinator? I had to remind Mr. Awesome of a few projects I needed have done before Sunday. He jumped in with both feet of course I had forgotten that I needed to bake for a small contribution that needed to be delievered on Friday.

Glory be! My memory is not the greatest. I rely on post-it's, notes, writing on my hands, reminders on my Google Calendar, cell phone and a few other things. I say it's the Lyme but Mr. Awesome reminds me that it could also be my age.

So this weekend was busy!

This week is off to a busy start as well as we had  bee pick up today. I was invited to a Potluck later this week with The Amazing Jen, JV, a new friend and our wee monkeys. I'm pretty excited. I don't have close friends. Not meaning to sound pitiful or sad. It just seems the older I get the harder it is to find and keep friendships. Several of my friends and family are busy, live in other parts of the world or work.

I was also tickled to see my parents, sister and nephew at the flea market! They don't live too far away but it's hard to visit as much as I would love to.

Speaking of the flea market... It went very well! I sold off all of my Spider plants and Peppermint. Almost all of our large items, a variety of smalls and Dreamcatchers.

I hope to have more varieties of plants/veggies and another batch of Dreamcatchers. I had some wood
sign projects in mind for over the winter but I never got around to it. That nasty procrastination thing again!

We added 4 Amberlink chicks that are 4 weeks old. I am still mourning the death of my incubator. I really wanted to give the Duck eggs a whirl.

I haven't done much in the garden, the past few weeks though busy have been very tiring for me. I have finished a course of Doxy and now wait to schedule an appointment with my favorite doctor. Darned tax refund! It's been singled out apparently to research and recheck.

More garden progress:

Garlic is doing very well outside. The Asparagus has given us a sides on the side and continuous to grow wonderfully. I bought a few more Blueberry bushes from the flea market, have quite a few other plants ready to go into the garden soon! I do have to replace the seed starts I lost to that dang bunny.

That's all for now! I hope your week is as wonderful as you are!

BIG HUGS!
Mel

**UPDATE!**
This morning Mr. Awesome and I made the decision to check on the bees before I left for work. I was concerned over the events from the morning before. I asked my partner in crime if he was going to suit up or at least wear his veil. He smartly replied, "Nope! I'm just going to run away if I need to!"

GIGGLE!

I on the other hand wish to leave nothing to chance and suited up. He had gotten our frames, flashlight, brush and sugar water ready.

I admit both of us are nervous to do beekeeping. I wanted to do this for a variety of reasons.

1) To help do our part in saving the bees!

2) For honey and wax for candles, lotions, and more

3) Potentially for Bee Venom Therapy for treating my Lyme Disease

4) To conquer my fear of bees.

5) Help pollinating our crops                                                                                             

So I head out in awe he has gotten all this stuff ready. He is the most level headed, thoughtful, observant, quick thinking on his feet, and 2 steps ahead of me person I have ever known. I'm more, "Look something shiny!" or "Look there's a Chicken" kind of person.

We start.

I'm using slow movements and trying not to talk too much. He is not being bossy about it but trying to be helpful while also being noticeably nervous.

As we explore the hive I see the Queen cage has dropped to the bottom of the hive and now we understand why there was a cluster (bearding kind of activity) under the hive! They were doing exactly what they needed for the Queen.

I attempted to get grip on the Queen box while causing the bees to become a wee bit worried that I was harming their Queen. The gloves I wore aren't big or thick and there are about 50 bees covering my fingers as I fumble with the Queen cage. He handed me the brush to try to shimmy the cage out with the handle of it but it just kept sliding. I could literally feel the bees on the bottom of the hive playing a tug of war with me to get her.

Mr. Awesome at this point is getting flustered and wondering why am I going so slow. I am too nervous to argue or explain my actions. My gloves are slickery from the over abundant sugar water that was sprayed to help with the ticked off bees.

Mr. Awesome had the great thought of using the safety pin I had pinned on the front of my suit to attach the tab that is on the Queen cage to the back of the hive, just under the top cover. I had a dickens of a time getting it open though. First I needed to get the other cork out and the remaining bees on the cage and my gloves were not still not working with me. At this point Mr. Awesome is reminding me we have the brush to use, which I had used as well to attempt to help get the Queen cage but it didn't exactly work as it had in my head and it's covered in impatient bees!

My partner in crime is attempting to keep me calm at the same time he is getting concerned I'm not working fast enough. I could hear my heart in my ears! I'm not calm. He had to help me get the pin off my suit and he realized that it's not as easy as it looked. His hands were just as slick from the sugar water, making this task harder then it looks. Finally he had gotten it off and attaching it worked like a charm!

We put everything back but didn't put in one frame having figured we had aggravated the bees enough for one day. I plan on removing the Queen cage and inserting the frame in a few days or week.

We only had 2 passenger bees try to hitch a ride on us. One I found on Mr. Awesome and one that took a trip attached to the bottom of my boot. this brave fuzzy bee was quickly escorted them out the door.

What a way to start the morning!

Garden progress, sad farm fail, big dreams and Youtube upolads!

I can not believe it's the middle of April! Where is the time going?!

The Cherry blooms and Lilacs are blooming. The smells are light and beautiful.

First the sad farm fail. Well, it's not really a fail just one of those things. My incubator died! I had placed Duck eggs inside in hopes of wee babies. It was up to temperature but in the morning it dropped like a lead stone.

The Amazing Jen has an incubator and I hope to pester her for a favor of Duck babies. We never had the chance to make it up to the local animal auction, though this upcoming Sunday will be the Flea Market and Animal Swap! I'll be setting up my wares this year depending on both how I feel and most importantly the weather.

My mulch pile is slowly dwindling which means I have been frantically calling and trying to figure out how to find more- FREE MUCLH!

Most local tree services here seem to charge and the group I had gotten it from last Fall has dropped off the face of the earth.  

Our Asparagus is tasting wonderful! I plan to plant much more. I admit to be eating them as fast as I pick them. YUM!

A Rabbit has attacked my cool weather crop- Lettuce, Collards and Mustard Greens. We are seeking suggestions for deterring the offender before he eats more!

Mr. Awesome asked the local food bank we frequent if they could use eggs and they are happy to. I'm pretty excited as we want to give back to the community that is helping us.

He is also busy working on a variety of projects to continue to maintain, update and streamline our homestead. I wish I had an ounce of the ideas he has. He formulates ideas in his head, marches out for tools and viola! It's done!

Me? I more or less fumble and hope for the best.

The kids have came by with the baby recently. Short Stack is getting so big! China Doll surprised me with a beautiful painting she made. She is a talented Artist, now I'm not just saying that I'm serious. I'll have to share some of her stuff that was more along the lines of spooky.

We found Jas. Townsend and Son on YouTube which has given us the encouragement to look into Living History. We are both anxious to try tips and techniques we have found. Maybe someday we will dive into re-enacting! I think I may need to grow my hair out though.

The Amazing Jen invited a dear Friend- JV and kids, along for a visit earlier this week and we all had a good time so good JV and her Hubs stopped by yesterday to meet Mr. Awesome. I felt terrible I didn't think to offer them any grub. We hope to visit with them and Amazing Jen with her Hubs. (Both of these couples have a Sustainable living mindset)

Besides my awesome Sisters, I don't really hang with anyone. I was invited to another Jen's home a few weeks back for a Ladies night and we played cards- Skip-bo. I don't think I ever played that one before but had fun! I considered starting a Scared Sister kind of group. I haven't made it to Drum Circle since last year and miss that but what about creating my own? Not too many in my area that I have found that are into smudging, crystal, or earthy Momma's/Gal's. I may not be looking in the right spot!

I uploaded a few YouTube's so if you haven't visited our page please do soon. Find us as blessmeplease09 and have you found me on Instagram yet or FB Legacy Antiques & Estate Sales.

I hope your week is as wonderful as you are!

What's going on with this place?!

Mr Awesome has been keeping busy with various projects around the house and garden.

He staked out a pie shape for me to work on a Potager style garden! Worked on some electrical issues, put up trim in the kids rooms, worked on our mowers, took off the roosts from the old chicken coop, some plumbing fixes, moved several furniture pieces around the house and to the 
  barn and put up with me.

We had a visitor digging down under the front stairs so Mr. Awesome also threw more dirt down, added slate and I threw down some mulch in hopes of  deterring our visitor. We'll see if this helps!

We have an outlet outside! Hooray! All of these things are small projects to him but they add up in the grand scheme of things.

I did plant a few of my cool weather plants in, herbs, sowed flowers and more veggies! I have been busy working on more Dreamcatchers to bring to the upcoming Fleamarket! I did have 2 women offer to buy them all but they never followed through.

My Duck egg hatched is a dud! My incubator decided it's not going to work and gave itself up to ghost. So no chicks but a journey to the farm auction is a maybe. Mr. Awesome meant to go but things just keep popping up. 

I have been very off kilter, blame it on the moon or my cycle. I'm a mess! I felt like giving up the other day in regard to my health. I guess feeling a bit of despair and sorry for myself. I told Terry I feel just useless as a Wife and Mom right now. His reply is always tear jerking, super awesome, God I love this Man, sappiness and gushy.  

My memory is flaking out, my parts are hurting, I feel awfully tired, my visits to nap time are coming more frequent again, I am stumbling often and dare I say I'm fearful of being bedridden again.

I wrote a email to my family advising of some final wishes. Now I have no intentions of going anywhere soon but the feeling darkness was strong the last few weeks. I'm normally a happy-go-lucky Lady but something is not quite right.

I've went dark on some of my visits to Social Media land. Opting instead for something less news worthy... Instagram and Pinterest! I haven't chatted with anyone or visited anyone for a LONG TIME. While I feel a deep need to reconnect with my family, I am just too exhausted. Too tired to talk sometimes and how does that make sense? Even eating requires effort. Well not that much if you have seen me.  

I have opened some books I've been meaning to reed and started reading my Bible again. I need to journal and ground myself again, but felt it was a dire time to do some smudging. It's gotten to the point where I had to tell Mr. Awesome that he hasn't been so awesome (He's been a bit grumpier lately) and needs to find a job or something he can get out of the house to do. He is a stay-at-home Dad, unable to find work in his chosen profession and he considers his age, 59 years young to be a contributor of why he hasn't been able to find a position.

My job is fine. It is not rocket science. I meet wonderful people and it pays the bills. Though I managed to ask for a raise. I really don't want to go through the process of finding a new job or I may have to find another part-time one. But the hours are awesome! My side dream businesses are on the slow side leaving me to question my path/what I want to be when I grow up. 

With my brain fog I forgot to pay a few bills so now we are a bit behind. Our tax return has been in process for more then 6 weeks, despite it being electronically deposited. Grrface!

In all this I am reminded that I need to be grateful. I had a hug out of the blue from a co-worker, a compliment from a guest that came out of nowhere to serve a reminder to me that there are many folks in this world that are suffering, had a loss, unemployed, in poor health or without the joys I have right now. I feel selfish for my feelings. So smudging seemed appropriate to break the tension in CasaMel's. I did a YouTube of a few basic information, also the prayer I used, links to other negativity busting ideas and my Bible info! Find it here- Go Smudge yourself! Dang full moon...

I am picking myself up, dusting myself off, lift my eyes upward and a quit my whining. Well, at least for this month...

You got your Chicks now what?!

Those cutie pies are either ready to be delivered or in a box next to you from your local farm store.

Now what do you do?

If you read my previous post, So you want to raise Chickens? that will get you up and running!

Chicks are playful and mischievous buggers. They are messy! Be prepared to change their brooder/cage often. How often?

I go at least once an day to scoop out poop, change water, give food and make sure they are comfortable. I totally clean out the brooder at least once a week if not more. Your nose will definitely tell you when it needs to be changed.

Now for water and food I definitely check that more often at least 3 times a day. These wee ones get HUNGRY and THIRSTY!

Don't be surprised if you find one that is a being "Hen pecked" this can happen with animals that are noticeably weaker to the other chicks.You may find a few losses even after that chick seemed to be chipper and happy. This happens, if you fed, watered, kept them warm there is a chance of loss. Don't beat yourself up! We may lose 1 or 2 out of 6 to 12. 

We have lost some chicks to other chicks that literally were bullies or days older and they pecked the younger bunch. We learned to separate those that are 3 days a part. I didn't realize how even that small number can make such a difference. It's like throwing a infant in with a toddler. One 3 day old pecked the top beak off a day old chick. That wee one lasted a week despite our efforts to help it. 

Some folks save the babies to make Maggot feeders. Can keep in freezer until your ready to do so. Or if your like me, I give  proper burial and plant flowers above them.

Over the next 3 to 18 weeks you will see a HUGE change! Feathers will start coming in, Combs and Wattles, Roosters may find their voice as young as 3 weeks old and they will eat gobs of food.
I found this great chart here- When to switch from Starter to Grower

Remember to raise or lower your bulb by 5 degrees weekly in your brooder. When to let them outside is decided on 2 factors. The temperature outdoors in the day and night. 

If it's too cold the chick uses so much energy keeping warm it may die. In other words if it's too cold out don't leave them out! 65-70 once they are big enough is great! Sunshine is good for them!

Watch out for predators! Make sure your Coop/Chicken Run have hard clothe/Rabbit wire that is small enough that little arm or big beak can't get in to grab your chick. 


Food, Treats and Water

Make sure food and water are readily available if you let these wee ones loose. Check out my Pinterest board for ideas. Those are just a little bit of the ideas out there so search for more there or Google. 

 You can give them Meal worms from the store or that you breed yourself. I would give mine various herbs, Blackstrap Molasses and small veggies/fruit. Flock block for chicks ( I have made my own that worked well!) I'll dig up and post the recipe soon. 

If it's too chilly I have made oatmeal for the flock. They love it! I throw in dried herbs, meal worms, seed or any type of greens I have. 

Yogurt? Circulating on the web is a story about boosting your egg production by giving yogurt. We have been doing this for years but have not noticed an increase. Probiotics are not only good for people for pets and farm animals. I haven't made my own yet but that's on my list of things to learn.

I haven't made any sort of cabbage pinata or garland of veggies or fruit. Ours are out ranging so they have a lot to do so they are not bored. But I have seen some interesting ideas!

I have given 1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar in a gallon of water. I use a ceramic or plastic container. Metal will corrode and perhaps altering the taste. 

I use this to help give them a boost for health, raise PH levels, reduce algae growth in waterers. ACV has many great benefits for our flock and for people too!

I have given Garlic to boost immune system, wormer, help with respiratory health, it is also said to ward off ticks, mites and other bugs. I usually crush ours for chicks, they need to develop a taste for it. It can be done every day, week or once a month. I have used powered Garlic if I don't have fresh. I use one clove between 6+. If you have a smaller flock I would cut that in quarters or half. 

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)- Use food grade. Natural Fossilized Silica crushed fossils that can sprinkled in coop, nesting boxes, around run area, food and water bowls to help with Fleas, Ants, Ticks, Crickets, Aphids, Millipedes, Digestive worms and other creepy crawlies that be around while being safe for your flock!

I have added a sprinkle to their food to help with intestinal worms.
While DE is great for your flock, garden and home. It can cause lung irritation. So wear a protective mask. I have used a old herb shaker bottle. Also take care when sprinkling by your birds as it can have the same effect on their lungs!

Free range?

Remember if you are able to keep them outside to keep checking on them. I wouldn't free range any babies that aren't under a watchful eye. 10 weeks and older seemed to work well for us. But there are still chances you may lose some to predators even if your watching.

Partially free range- which is to free range for morning or evening. Or whatever works for you. This could also be ranging in a mobile chick saw or chicken coop. Works great if you need to till up a part of your old garden beds or yard. You also get to keep a watchful eye on your flock.

Confined- For whatever the reason some folks just can't free range and that's ok! They will love to be able to get moving however they can. Use the space recommendations, give treats, fruit, or worms if they are unable to have regular access to them. 

BRR! It's Cold!

Now we are in the Midwest. So winters can be brutal here for us and our flock. Mr. Awesome did make a huddle box for the chicks and later the chickens. They never used them but they had access. They usually perch together so a box wasn't needed in our experience.

We never use a heat lamp for our older chickens. I've heard too many stories from reliable friends that mentioned the experience of chickens leaving the warmth of the coop to go out and end up dying from just a bit of the cold. I'm guessing a shock to their system? They usually stay together if they are too cold. 

We do not use a heater for our water dishes either. We have found using a old frying pan without the lid works well for dropping or hitting it on the ground or hard surface to get the ice out. 

Check your birds to make sure no one is standing in the water bowl! It's not unheard of to have a chicken do this and end up with frostbite.

Baby it's HOT outside!

So I mentioned we don't use a heat lamp, and we don't use a fan for our birds when it's too hot. 

We make sure there is plenty of water. I have given ice in water bowls. My ice can have herbs, fruit, or meal worms in it. Watermelon is a favorite! The rind is usually the only thing left. 

You may see your birds kind of hanging their feathers out funny. They are cooling themselves. They also may dig deep when taking a Dirt Bath to cool off. 

Dirt Baths


As silly as it seems, taking a dirt bath is beneficial for chickens for prevention of Mites and Lice that are happy to take up residence on your chicken. If your chickens are confined without access to dirt, please consider a artificial bath. This can be made in a tote without the lid of course. Some sand and dirt will make them happy. You can even do this in the winter time. 

Chickens will find any patch of dirt that seem groovy to them. If you have a carefully manicured landscape please consider keeping your chickens out of that area. 

When will my Hens lay?

Chickens can start laying about 6 months. Some breeds sooner and some later. 
Keep in mind if they are stressed out, children running after them, loud noises, family pets, new surroundings, and weather are a handful of factors that may factor in laying.

Will I need a Rooster to have my Hens lay eggs?

No Rooster is needed to have your chickens lay. If you would like fertilized eggs you will need a Rooster.

Health

I keep my eyes open for chickens that look lethargic or don't look like themselves. 

Some things to look for:
Low egg production
Impacted Crop
Bumble foot
Lice
Mites
Pale Combs/Wattles/legs
Unusual poop
Not eating/drinking
Drinking too much
Losing weight
Oh and there's more! I do reference here-The Chicken Chick for ideas. She has got a bunch of great articles and information. 

Dealing with your Rooster

We had to cull (Ended up in the pot and went to animal auction) several of our Roosters. 

First and foremost is safety of our children. On several occasions a Rooster has went after Mini Man. 

We tried holding the Rooster(s), swatted him with a broom/stick but ended up choosing an alternative choice to handle the Rooster attacking our Son. This may seem wrong to some but Roosters have been known to make a child blind, peck horribly and chase a child. 

We love the idea of having the Hens protected and fertilized eggs but not at the expense of getting harmed. 

For some reason several of the Roosters would chase after other family members, myself included. Do you know they can fly just like a football if kicked right. 

If you have never seen a Rooster hellbent on coming out of nowhere to do Gladiator type of moves on you I'm glad you haven't. It can be scary as an Adult let alone being a child. 

Broody Hens

Some Hens just seem to have a maternal instinct. But they may not stay on the eggs so please check them regularly if you are planning on having her together with her chicks. You may consider having a special box or cage for her away from the other chickens. There is nothing more heartbreaking then seeing fertilized eggs almost ready to hatch when another Hen decides to peck at them. 

Broody Hens will stop laying eggs and lay on what's called a clutch of eggs for the next 21 days. She will turn the eggs so you don't have to. 

Of course if you don't have a Rooster you don't want her to stay on your eggs. There are various tips for breaking a Broody Hen. Separating her from the eggs, frozen veggies under her, wetting her in a tub, or blocking off the nesting box.

A few other tips

Keep eggshells! After you are done using them, rinse them off and leave them somewhere to dry. I leave mine on a paper towel for a few days. I make sure they are thoroughly dry as not to have them turn moldy. 

Once dry, I break them up as small as I can or blend them in a coffee grinder and use back in chicken feed or in the garden!

Speaking of gardens, chicken poop is awesome for your garden. It does have to compost for a bit. Right now our flock has been in and about our garden, tilling, turning, eating weeds and leftovers from last years garden. They are also fertilizing our garden. We aren't composting but using the weather to cut the burn factor. 

Placing fresh chicken manure can burn your plants so either compost in early Spring, late Fall or make sure you leave plenty of time in between before you start planting. 

Keep your chickens locked in at night. It's quite easy for a passerby (predator) to grab a snack! Oh and don't worry they will learn quickly where "home" is. 

You may consider clipping wings to keep them where you would like them to stay. 

I stopped naming our chickens. I was getting too attached to our first flock. We lost them to our dog. I'll be blogging about that in the next day or so.  This saddened us. I was reminded these are not pets. They are helping us grow food, giving yummy eggs and on occasion could fill our bellies. 

I hope this helps you in your journey. They are fun, silly and can be a comfort. We have enjoyed hearing the Rooster crow and the cluck of the Hens as they get ready to lay an egg. Well, it's not really a cluck, more of a loud singing off key. 

I'll be posting a new post about Ducks soon. Ducklings aren't too different then Chicks stay tuned for more in the next day or so. 

Thank you for stopping! If you have any suggestions or comments please leave them in the comment section, I'd love to hear from you.