Time Waits For No Man

     Maybe I was born in the wrong century. Or maybe I am lucky in the fact that I have been raised to think of picking wild food, hunting, fishing and doing things myself  as commonplace. Most of the people I come in contact with consider me a hippie and nothing could be farther from the truth.
      Foraging, permacultur, self sufficiency  and others are relatively new terms. And it is a crying shame that society has come to the point where it is uncommon for grown adults to know how and when to get something to eat without going  to the grocery store or local fast food joint.
     In the name of "the good life" we have unwittingly chained ourselves to a broken system and cut our own throats. If we could only understand that happiness is not wrapped up in the leather upholstery of a new car, maybe we could see the big picture.
   To break free from this bondage we as a people need to open our eyes to the possibilities. We live in the information age and can find a better way to be comfortable. That is the goal isn't it?  To be comfortable in our homes, our relationships, our health and our future.
     As I begin to see more of the big picture, I realize that it might not be such a bad thing to be the way I am, what ever it is called now. And, I hope I can give you some ideas for your life as I move toward my life goals.

Characteristics Of A Good Laying Hen

     The general look of a good layer will reflect health and vitality. The comb and wattles will be large, bright red, and glossy. The head will be trim and refined with large, bright eyes that reflect proper health. The eye rings will be bleached, indicating an onset of lay. The beak may either be fully bleached or becoming bleached. Bleaching is the result of yellow pigment being pulled from other parts of the body to be placed in the egg yolk.
     On the other hand, the poor layer usually has smaller, poorly colored wattles and comb as well as dull, sunken eyes which reflect low vitality. The eye rings and beak of yellow skinned breeds of chickens will be yellow tinted.

     A good layer will have a large, smooth, moist, almost white vent. The two small bones at the sides of the vent are called the pubic bones. They should be flexible and wide apart, with at least two finger widths between them. The abdomen should be deep, soft, and pliable without a lot of body fat. The depth of the abdomen is measured between the tip of the breast bone and the pubic bones. Laying hens should have a depth of three or four finger widths.
     Hens that are not laying will usually have a smaller body with a shallow, firm abdomen. Pullets and non- laying hens have a depth of about two finger widths between the pubic bones and breastbone . The pubic bones are usually stiff and close together when the hen is not laying. The distance between the pubic bones is one finger width or less. The vent of a non-layer is usually small, puckered, and round.
     When buying chickens at flea markets I always ask the vendor if I can pick the chickens up and examine them, but only if I am truly interested in buying them. It is extra work for the vendor so be polite and ask nicely. 

Square Foot Gardening ( A step by step test )

     Many of the gardening books that I have read are composed of pretty much the same stuff. You put the seed in the ground, keep it watered, weeded and sunny then reap a "bountiful harvest". But, every once in a while, you come across a book that changes the way you think about things. After reading Mel Bartholomew's book Square Foot Gardening I just had to give this method a test run.
     Some of the methods in this book I have already been doing in my big garden. Such as starting seeds indoors instead of buying transplants. I also have a compost pile for adding "free" organic matter to my soil.
     I started a small flower bed garden this year to test this method out and to be honest I am very happy with the results. I thought I was over planting big time but as the season has progressed all my little plants have done very well.
     In a 14'×3' space I have 80 onion, 3 jalapeno, 4 tomato, 2 cucumber, 20 green bean, and a salad mix. All are actually producing better  than I would have hoped.
     For the future  I will use this method  exclusively but, on a bigger scale.
   

Black Gold aka Compost!!

     There is something about rich, moist, black dirt that makes me want to stick my face in it and role around! Most of the time I refrain but I think you understand how much I like it. Unfortunately that kind of soil is hard to find in most garden spots.  Most of the time urban gardeners have few options when it comes to garden location, so they pick a sunny spot in the yard and start tilling only to find soil that leaves much to be desired. At this point they have a few options. They could go ahead and plant the way it is, pay someone to bring in a load of over priced top soil or "my favorite option" MAKE COMPOST!
     Making compost is free, easy and green. Compost energizes the soil food web, which is made up of microscopic bacteria and fungi, along with earthworms, crickets, and many other life forms. Many fungi form partnerships with plant roots, making it possible for vegetables to feed themselves more efficiently. Research shows that compost enhances the ability of tomatoes and other vegetables to stand up to common diseases and may improve their flavor and nutrition, too. Compost also helps the soil retain moisture. Through composting you enhance your garden’s ability to grow healthy plants while reducing your volume of trash.
     There are many types of compost bins and drums. But if you want to go the cheap rout any enclosure that you can get into at with a shovel or fork to turn the material will do.

 





     This is a picture of a raised bed that I used as a compost bin over the winter months. As material was available I put it in the bed then in the spring I took off the uncomposted material and this is what was I was left with. A good seven inches of good compost!
     In order to get a good end product, The experts advise that you use equal parts brown material,(such as dead leaves etc.) green material (fresh grass clippings etc.) and water. It is also essential to turn or aerate the pile to ensure oxygen gets to all parts of the material.
    According to the EPA it is safe to compost all of the following materials as long as they have not been treated with pesticides or herbicides and are in their natural state.

Fruits and vegetables

Eggshells

Coffee grounds and filters

Tea bags

Nut shells

Shredded newspaper

Cardboard

Paper

Yard trimmings

Grass clippings

Houseplants

Hay and straw

Leaves

Sawdust

Wood chips

Cotton and Wool Rags

Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint

Hair and fur

Fireplace ashes

Tomato seedlings

Raising Rhode Island Red Chickens

     I was gong to wait until we have a place in the country to get chickens but , three weeks ago I just couldn't help myself any more. When I saw those little balls of fuzz, my heart kind of melted. And to make matters worse they were Rhode Island Reds. I have helped my dad raise hundreds of chicken, all different breeds but, I have always wanted to raise Rhode Island Reds.

     From all that I have read these chickens are a dual purpose bird and very hardy in most climate conditions. They are very consistent brown egg layers and grown chickens weigh from five to seven pounds. I bought ten pullets from my local feed store. They were labeled as pullets but I am sure I will wind up with a rooster or two.

     The two main requirement for raising baby chicks is a warm, dry place for them to stay. I used an old cabinet that I had in the garage for a brood box. You can use any sturdy moisture resistant box available for this purpose. Fill the bottom with wood shavings or shredded paper. I suggest wood shavings because paper needs to be changed more often. I purchased a covered feeder and a one gallon hanging waterer any shallow container will do for both of these purposes. If you go with a shallow dish, I would put some gravel in the bottom of the dish to prevent the chicks from drowning.

     It's hard to know exactly what temperature these chicks want to be from one minute to the other. So, what I do is put a heat lamp in a corner of the brood box, instead of trying to heat the whole box. This way the chicks can move under the lamp if they are cold and when they are too warm they can move to the cooler parts of the brood box.

 The only other things you need a good starter grower feed. Feed is very important when it comes to chicks and laying hens. Your baby chicks digestion system cant handle cracked corn or whole seeds. So, if you want healthy baby's, go ahead and spend the extra few bucks on starter grower.

     After the chicks are in the brood box and the food and water is in place, all that is left to do is set back and watch the comedy. I hope this article was helpful. Thanks for reading.

$80 seed starting station