Le Coop du Jour

Mea Culpa

2009-09-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

I have been over-the-top busy... and blogging about my chickens and garden has drifted to the bottom of the pile.

I will back at it soon enough...

BackYard Poultry Mag Link

2009-09-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

WOW, how cool... Le Coop just got linked to the Blogs on Backyard Poultry Magazine...

I will try to make us all proud!

Under-Rated Eggplant

2009-09-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

I feel bad for eggplant, it is like the poor kid in the back of the class who was never really good at sports or struggled in school to have friends or was not a super student - yet the potential was there if given the chance to come out of it's shell.

I think this is one of the hardiest plants I have in my garden. As mentioned in earlier posts, I have the Dusky and the

So, as I researched the eggplant, come to find out it does have a bad wrap...as it is apart of the "Deadly Nightshade" family.... WOWSA... looking at the flowers of the Belladona and the Eggplant they are identical!...

Here is some more data!

Atropa belladonna, commonly known as belladonna or deadly nightshade, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Solanaceae, native toEurope, North Africa, and Western Asia. The foliage and berries are extremely toxic, containing tropane alkaloids.^[1] These toxins include scopolamineand hyoscyamine which cause a bizarre delirium and hallucinations.^[2] The drug atropine is derived from the plant.

It has a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic, and poison. Before the Middle Ages, it was used as an anesthetic for surgery, and it was used as a poison by early men, ancient Romans, including the wives of two Emperors, and by Macbeth of Scotland before he became a Scottish King.

The genus name "atropa" comes from Atropos, one of the three Fates in Greek mythology, and the name "atropa bella donna" is derived from an admonition in Italian and Greek meaning "do not betray a beautiful lady"

The Eggplant, also known as the Aubergine in Europe and Britain, is one of the least widely appreciated vegetables in the Western World. As its latin name, " Solanum Melongena" indicates, the Eggplant is the only member of the Deadly Nightshade family to originate in the Eastern Hemisphere and is closely related to the Tomato, Potato and the Pepper. In fact, like its cousin, the Tomato, the Eggplant's popularity was stifled in Europe and North America until relatively recent years due to its association to Nightshade. Where as the Tomato was believed to be poisonous, the Eggplant was believed by superstitious Europeans to induce insanity and was unaffectionately known as the "Mad Apple" until only a few centuries ago.

Eggplant are native to the general SouthEast Asian region of India and modern day Pakistan and was first domesticated there over 4000 years ago, especially in the vicinities of Burma and Assam. In its home region, the Eggplant is used in many local dishes and carries a wide range of names in Bengalise, Hindustani, Urdu, Sanskrit and other local languages. In fact, the Eggplant's true species name "Melongena" is an ancient name for Eggplant in Sanskrit. Within its home region, the purple fruited Eggplant were the first to be domesticated. In time, Eggplant soon spread into neighboring China by about 500 B.C. and became a culinary favorite to generations of Chinese emperors. About 500 A.D., a Chinese scholar put up the first written record of Eggplant and states that they had become popular among all classes of the Chinese people some two centuries earlier. The Chinese viewed the Eggplant differently than the Indians did and soon developed their own unique varieties. In particular, they preferred smaller fruited Eggplant, as well as differing shapes and colors. From India and Pakistan, the Eggplant soon spread West into the Middle East and into the Lower Stans regions, as far west as Egypt and northward into Turkey. Arabic records of Eggplant exist from the 9th, 10th and 12th centuries and Eggplant are an important part of Arabic, Turkish and Persian cuisine. The Turks alone are believed to have over 1000 native recipes calling for the use of Eggplant in varying ways. In the 4th through 7th centuries A.D., the Moors introduced the Eggplant to Spain and the vegetable soon spread throughout Europe. The 16th century Spaniards had great respect for the Eggplant and believed its fruit to be a powerful aphrodisiac, hence they referred to them as "Berengenas" or the "Apple of Love". The Italians too, held the Eggplant in very regard and called them "Melanzana". Northern Europeans, however, were not so kind to the Eggplant. Albert of Cologne described the Eggplant in the 13th Century and referred to them as "Mala Insana", a corruption of the Italian name "Melanzana". By the 16th century, Eggplant were widely known in Europe as "Mad Apples" and were believed to induce insanity if consumed. Despite this, a few people did respect the Eggplant and in 1550, both purple and yellow varieties were introduced to Germany from Naples, Italy. By 1600, white Eggplants, as well those with ash-colored and brown colored fruit, as well as those with pear shaped, round, oblong and long, thin fruit were also known in Germany. The English were responsible for coining the name "Eggplant" in regards to a variety with egg shaped, white fruit that they became familiar with, yet strangely, they refer to them today by the French name of Abergine, which is a corruption of the Catalonian name "Alberginia". Although the Spanish actually introduced the Eggplant to the Americas, in particular, to Brazil as early as 1650, Eggplant were still unknown to the United States for another 150 years. Thomas Jefferson introduced them to the United States in 1806 from a friend in France and held them in high regard. In fact, even today, a prickly, white Eggplant is still grown in Jefferson's preserved Virginia Garden at Monticello. Despite the fact that Jefferson, who was not only a founding father of the United States, but was also a legendary horticulturist who championed the Eggplant, the vegetable was primarily grown in the United States as an ornamental plant until about 50 years ago. Eggplant also reached Australia, and were introduced there in 1850 by a nurseryman by the name of John Baptist who obtained the seeds from a friend who spent some time in India. Despite this, the Eggplant was largely a neglected species in Australia until scores of Europeans immigrated to Australia in the 1950's and popularized them. Eggplant come in a wide array of shapes, sizes and colors, which makes them an outstanding edible landscape plant. If you are not a fan of supermarket Eggplant, we would encourage you to try some of our varieties in your garden this year. When selected, grown and prepared properly, they will make anyone become a true Eggplant fan and they will open you up to a whole new world of culinary delight!

I Dream Of Jeannie - Sailing.

2009-09-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry, but of late my time has become filled with Dad duties, some added pressure on the Honey Do List and more work at work.. which might be considered job security.

Today was really a great day, where we, my daughter and I, spent the better part of the day, working in the garden and the backyard. While I laid brick in a courtyard, my eldest weeded, pruned and cleaned the garden... OK she did it for money, which I really don't like. I am not one for chores = money. Chores and chipping-in is part of the "teamwork" called family. Paying a kid to clean their room, pull weeds, do laundry and pick up after themselves would be akin to the government paying us all to shower, brush our teeth and get hair cuts. You do it cause it is the right thing to do, not cause your going to get paid. I think if kids learn teamwork early without getting paid or an allowance builds character and sets expectations. Once an adult, making money is the bonus and the need, but being a good team player without "I want my money"... is going to serve them well through life. Now, there are exceptions...

If your kid has their eye set on something, mine wants a Channel Island surfboard. It is $600+. I think, instead of having Dad drop the scratch for it, her working to either pay for it, or meet her half way is the right thing to do. Then, once purchased, there is a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and appreciation. Something I think many kids are sorely lacking today.

Last night as I struck the deal with her. You babysit, work hard in the yard, not "phone it in"... You can earn money. It is going to be judged a $5, $10 or $20 job - by me. WOW... she spent 4 hours in the garden. Shoveling, weeding, cleaning, pruning, raking and did a super job. Her hands and feet were filthy! Even better... and she had a true sense of accomplishment. We picked tomato's and eggplant, cleaned the chicken coop and then needed to fix the feeder. Since the chickens spazzed on it and broke it. We took a hanger, snipped the long section out of it and replaced one of the supports that was missing on the feeder so we re-hang it.

So, where does I Dream Of Jeannie play into this. After I struck the deal with her, we watched an old rerun of it. One where Tony and Roger wanted to buy a sailboat together. It was $3200. Jeannie figured she would "twinkle" one up and when she did, Tony explained he wanted to work for it not have it given to him. NICE!!! Jeannie could have snapped up a yacht, and Tony wanted a small little boat and have worked for it. Bernie Madoff obviously did not see this episode. The funny thing was; Tony and Jeannie went to the Coco Beach Bank to get a loan and since the banker was such a terd, Jeannie put $3M in his account so he could get a loan and not be hassled. Ha! Not much has changed. Mr. Bellows gets wind of his bonanza and wants to rat-him-out only to be the one who appears to be nuts. Really this was a great show; clean, funny, clever... nothing foul or gratuitous, just good clean fun.

All of this I owe to having chickens... I love this stuff.

COOP Disaster!!!!

2009-09-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

Ugh...

Sorry radio silence... busy

I was working on our backyard. It has been down for a few years as we have done remodel after remodel and ultimately not been able to use the backyard for for entertaining or simply hanging out. So, after realizing everytime my kids walk by the windows facing the backyard, they cried.. I thought I'd better do something about it.

So, in a pile, I have tumbled aged bricks... these bricks used to make up my front path. After much deliberation and caving-in, we've decided to reuse these in the backyard courtyard. So, as I was running back and forth with the wheelbarrow, I left the gate to the garden and chickens open. (keeping in mind - dog has not discovered said opened gate)...

As I was laying bricks, I hear a cacophony of clucking. Similar to my in-laws talking loudly over a big pasta dinner.. so it really didn't shock me... until I realized it was our chickens, the gate was open and Fudge the Maniacal crack pot dog had made it back there. Fortunately the chickens were in the coop. However, when a chicken has never seen something, and it sees it for the first time... OH MAN. It is like a schoolyard of kids seeing an alien land in their playground. GOODNIGHT!!! Anyway, Fudge ( I DID NOT NAME HIM)... was running around the coop like a lion circling it's prey, as I make my way back there to command (loosley used term) him away. Upon raising my voice to the level of the space shuttle launch he bolted to the other side of the gate and waited for me to shut it. I return to the coop to see nothing but feathers flying...water turned over and the feeder completely jacked up and bent.

Other than that it was a restful time placing bricks.

More to come tonight...

Surfing...Kelp....Life....

2009-09-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

So, we hit Santa Cruz yesterday and surfed what's called "The Hook"... If you google 41st Avenue in Capitola, CA and work your way down to the coast, there is a parking lot and a nice little point break there. There was just enough surf to have some fun. It was in the low 70's, sun was shining and I got to surf with my daughter!!! How cool is that? My neice, nephew and brother-in-law where out there as well. Nothing like exhausting yourself for some greasy pizza afterwards!!!

Anyway, this surf spot was unusual because the kelp was everywhere...literally so much so kelp that when you went to paddle for a wave, your leash or foot would be tied up in the kelp. Which got me thinking about kelp as a fertilizer. I have heard over and over about the benefits of kelp so here it is...

The immediate benefit obtained from kelp can be attributed to the release of auxins, cytokinins and gibberellins. These plant growth hormones, required in small quantities, are essential for cell division and cell elongation, basic functions of plant growth. Increased levels of plant hormones can result in enhanced seed germination, early emergence, stimulated root and shoot growth, increased fruit set and decreased fruit drop.

When used as a fertilizer supplement, kelp is an excellent source of chelated minerals necessary for proper plant growth. Kelp meal acts as a slow release fertilizer, slowly breaking down and releasing its nutrients. The potential benefit of a kelp fertilizer supplement increases each year as it contributes to the soil organic matter.

The following application rates are approximate and may vary depending on the climactic region, soil type and soil fertility:

Garden - 3lbs per 100 sq ft
Field – 200 to 400 lbs. per acre
Row – 20 lbs. per 100 feet
Orchards – 1 lb. per inch of tree diameter
Compost – 6 oz. per cubit foot
Turf – 10 lbs. per 1,000 square feet
Seedbed - ½ to 1 lb. per 100 square feet
Potting Mixes – 2 to 3 % of total volume
Bedding Plants – 1 oz. per tray
Fertilizer Mixes – 5 to 10% of total volume

This information is by Canton Mills... .

I am grabbing a handful next time, or simply take it off my leg and bring it home... dump it into my compost pile and allow the attributes to add to my garden.

Life On The Farm With No TV!!!!

2009-09-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

So, I wrote the other day about raising kids without outside influences. Outside Influences are defined as TV, iPods, cell phones and computers. The other day, I lost my marbles, when my two kids were in the back of one of our cars cleaning it. I was in the kitchen making some dinner. Wife was running errands. I looked out the kitchen window only to witness - fist flying, screaming and crying. Now..please understand this happened between a 13 and 7 year old!!!! How? How in the world can these two go from cleaning a car to wanting to end each others existence? I quickly stopped it and had the eldest come in and explain how it happened. I then asked the other to come in and explain what happened. I then did got my calculator, built an excel spreadsheet determined the probablities of fairness and wisdom and decided to administer the penalties as such;

No TV for a week

No iPod's for a week

No computer for a week (unless there is a paper due for school)

No texting for a week (the eldest only)

What has ensued has been one of the most peaceful weeks in recent memory. Our kids are calm, the pets are fed, the coop is clean, the garden has been tended to and the attitudes are a bazillion times better. There is no fighting, they are playing together. There is no sour faces, no poor pathetic me stomp-offs... it has been AWESOME!

I am convinced, outside influences on kids can be dangerous and with science pointing to low brain activity and higher blood pressures in kids due to these influences, it is painfully obvious, our kids need us, need to use their minds and use their bodies and in doing so, they may have a chance to be normal people. Shoot, remember having to change the channels manually? What a pain, but what a blessing, nothing on the 5 channels you got, cool go outside and play and that's what we did.

So, with modern society ripping around like they need to accomplish all of lifes goals right now, and the influence of the media making us believe our kids aren't safe walking out the front door, TV has become the "Go-To" babysitter and entertainment. Therefore, I must submit - get a garden, get chickens, plant flowers, build a pond, get an aquarium (salt water - I will speak to this later as I had one for 5 years and am going to put another up soon)... but get your kids hands dirty, use their muscles, have them read, talk with them, love on them but extract these influences and use them in complete moderation.

Sorry to be preachy, but my kids brains blossom when these influences are removed...I bet yours will to.

Off to surf Santa Cruz...!!!! with my kids of course

Good Rooster Wine...

2009-09-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

When I make a recommendation and it involves booze, I am always cautious to note the following; "Drink like there is no tomorrow!!!!!" I am kidding of course, at heart I am a teetotaler but I do like red wine and living 45 mins from Napa it is kind of a prerequisite to living here, along with the understanding earthquakes are fun. I am not sure how many of you have experienced an earthquake, but they are fun, for the most part... the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was insane... news reports of the Bay Bridge collapsing, The Marina in SF on fire... The Cypress section of 980 collapsing... I was walking down some stairs in my house and thought a tree had fallen on the roof. I walked down to the first floor where the windows looking out to the backyard looked like water rippling. Then everything went dark. Spooooooky and actually pretty nerve racking.

So, this is why wine is so important!!! Last night my sister in law brought this wine over. Coincidence? I think NOT....

I was skeptical, as imported French wines are brought over here like Chinese toys...often with the same result - cheap crap, and this one had a "screw top"..... I know many are going this way, as cork is getting scarce and plastic stinks! Although I am typing on a plastic computer and therefore I guess we need it.

La Vieille Ferme (translated - The Old Farm)... is a mash up of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. It was surprisingly good. Easy to drink with no strong tendencies of wishing you had licked your shoe instead. It was purchased at Whole Paycheck, but priced like a Chevy on Ebay - $10. BONUS - a hen and rooster on the label. Get it, you'll like it.

Here's to good health and happy times with loved ones!

Bountiful....

2009-09-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

I am sorry not to have posted sooner, but I am trying to keep up with an ever changing job and more and more work. ARGH!!!!

So, happy place... moving to my happy place...

Check out this harvest tonight.

Three Dusky Eggplants, eight tomato's and one pomegranate. Yes...

So, I skinned the eggplants, cut them length wise 1/4" thick, soaked them in olive oil and BBQ'd them. Added a touch of salt.

In a separate bowl I combined garlic, basil, tomato, ricotta and mixed it all up. Once the eggplant was done, I rolled up the mixture inside the eggplant. Made a quick salad and voila' a meal fit for a frustrated overworked ding dong and his wonderful girls!

Some Fun Items

2009-09-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

Have been asked from time to time for some Le Coop or ChickenMan goodies, here they are... there are some coffee cups and other things. Someone told me about Cafepress.com easy enough to do.

http://www.cafepress.com/LeCoopDuJour

Sunflower Seeds

2009-09-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

Annually we grow sunflowers, not in large qty's but in small batches. Per usual, one of the flowers grows as though it was mutant. The flower pictured here is approximately 18" across and yielded well over 800 seeds. I did not want to waste the seeds, so my daughter and I removed all the seeds, washed them, soaked them in a salt and garlic bath and then baked them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

They ended up turning out pretty good.

The vitamin E content in sunflower seeds is pretty high, entertainment value was priceless. As I sat on the driveway, with my daughter, she says "We really are farmers, aren't we?"

Again, I am striving to get my kids hands dirty and minds wholesome.

Hoot Is Awesome...

2009-09-01T10:36:00.001-07:00

Hoot said Chickens can't be entertaining...?

This bird is amazingly fun, very bright and quite camera ready. I went out to the coop this morning thinking I would find 5 happy chickens quietly clucking away. Much to my chagrin, the coop was ransacked!!!

The ramp to the nesting box was off it's hooks, the waterer was upside down and the bedding was piles... Wait a minute my mistake this was my DAUGHTERS ROOM!!!! Hey not cool...

Technology and Chickens...

2009-08-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

So, I took a little time off over the weekend... soccer tournaments, honey-do lists and some gardening kept me away from the computer. Which is a good thing. I must confess, the computer and a blog about chickens, gardening and the like really stands in juxtaposition to each other.

My wife and I work and I mean work... to keep our kids away from the TV and computer. My brother-in-law affectionately calls kids who sit in front of the TV or video games as "Vidiots". While harsh, I think it is true - TV is the only thing we can do, where it has been proven, our brain function nearly ceases and yet blood pressure rises. How messed up is this? My wife and I have found, that the more one of our kids watches TV, the more they want it and similarly, the less they watch it, the less they want to.

I also think it is tragic in this day and age, we are raising kids who would not know a lawn mover from broom and expect praise for mediocrity. They get 65 out of 100 on a test and think they split an atom and patronizing parents sit around and clap for fear they will ruin their precious little 15 year old's spirit. Then they enter the work-world and wonder why their boss is not automatically promoting them for showing up at 9 and leaving at 4.

Oh my... I am on a tear... So, let's move to a happier conclusion... Having a garden, chickens etc. and asking your kids to go pick tomato's, lettuce, parsley and eggplant for dinner and while they are out there, to feed and water the chickens brings continuity to life. They understand the cycle of sowing and reaping and the fact they don't happen at the same time. There is work in the middle and sometimes the work yields big rewards and sometimes stuff dies, but YOU MUST PUSH AHEAD!

It Is A Millionty Again...

2009-08-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

Every weekend rolls around and it sky-rockets into the 100's!!! How about during the week and the weekends nice and normal?

Panda's Are Nearly 100% Herbivores!!!

2009-08-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

I really don't know what to make of all this. I went to Panda Express today and this was the drink cup I was handed. After shaking, crying and then pulling myself together, I put a big frosty cold drink in it and ate my share of a bamboo forest!

Chicken Chase Part Deux

2009-08-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

OK.. I downloaded it. Played it for 10 minutes. It is very, very basic and would actually be very fun for a kid - like me.

It is simple and straight forward and actually quite wholesome and in this day and age of insanity, murder, killing, carnage etc... Chicken Chase is clean and fun.

So the premise is straight-up... Grandma needs help cause the bank is on her tail (perfect for today's economy) Grandma reaches out to the grandkids for help. The object - feed, hatch, sell, upgrade the farm, feed, hatch, sell, protect the farm from predators, upgrade the farm. Graphics are nice...

I think for $6.99 it is a fun little game for everyone, but especially our kids and grandkids.

Chicken Chase...

2009-08-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

For $6.99 you too can own Chicken Chase.

What is Chicken Chase you say?

It's a computer game.

Here is the description -

Feeling clucky? Your grandparents are asking for your help to save their chicken farm. If you can solve a series of missions, you will earn enough money to upgrade the farm little by little. Raise your brood, hatch the eggs, and keep the ravens from stealing your chickens. Choose your power-ups and spend your hard-earned money wisely. It's finger-clickin' good!

5 kinds of chickens to raise.
50 increasingly hard levels.
Upgrades to earn for the farm.

I don't know about this. This seems like a stretch. Like really lonely people trying to make it big in the software business and all they could come up with raising chickens on a cyber-farm. And the description - ravens? Is this a problem? How about skunks, possums, bobcats, cats, dogs - barnyard or country predators, not ravens? How about Raptors/Badgers?

Then riddle me this... how does it get harder by 50x? Do the chickens increase in population, size or mental acuteness? Do they stage a coup? Not coop...How complex does this get?

Now I am stuck and will get it. It is driving me crazy. I will report back

Grit Blog Posted Today...

2009-08-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

I love this stuff. People are actually posting my stuff to a blog on a magazine!

www.grit.com

Found it.... Oprah? Really?

2009-08-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am not a Oprah follower and if any of you are, I am sorry, but her actions are becoming more and more odd than real. I am a firm believer that people of her wealth and fame, become bemused by their own pontifications and think the sun rises for them and we, smaller folk, are just getting to share the luck. "Its your world, I am just living in it!"

That being said, I am not interested in complete character assasination, cause I don't know her. I frankly believe what my Grammy said "If your talk'in trash about someone, someone is talk'in trash about you!". My Grammy was a rapping Grammy and had the street-lingo down pretty good. They needed it in the depression.

So, Opfra does a whole show on animal cruelty and highlights chickens, puppy's (really?), and other forsaken animals. Talks about how inhumane these poor birds are treated - 180M a year. Man, I thought I had a lot of birds! 180M? She spouts off about her attempt at a vegan diet and proceeds to hand out 40,000 KFC coupons. PERFECT. Hypocrisy Hole In One!

Come on! These are well-oiled machines of media marvelousness...How can someone say "Hey, ok so on August 19th we'll do a show on aninal cruelty - we'll focus on chickens!. Then on the 20th we'll do one on people who drive pink cars, the 21st ummmm... we'll see if we can get Whoopi... then we have the weekend and on Monday the 24th we'll do our Kentucky Fried Chicken Blow-Out!!!! - yeah for me!!!!"

Ohpra had to see the run sheet. This could not have been that poorly planned. Ahhhhh well yes it could. Honestly this is a tough one to recover from, but in time she will. We have short memories. Although, a string of these and Harpo Productions will see the same fate chickens do at KFC. Don't wish it, cause I also believe... "You reap what you sow!"

Researching Oprah's Actions

2009-08-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

I forgot, but a buddy sent me some weird missive on Oprah saving a chickens...

I am researching this...

Beat...

2009-08-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I am running low on fuel and am a little under the weather. I will try to get myself back on track tomorrow.

Plus my dog is barking and making me crazy...

Here Are Mine...

2009-08-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Eggplant

2009-08-25T20:58:00.001-07:00

I used to loathe this veggie. It was akin to brussel sprouts for me. Now, after I fry it,smother it in mozarella, red sauce and bake it, I am in love with it. Literally, I am not sure what else I could enjoy more. Some wine from Napa (or Alexander Valley) and some eggplant parmesean and I am a box of fluffy ducks.

BTW, I live near Napa and and did not know this tip...so here it is...if you are going to pick a wine and want a sure fire winner, pick one from the Napa or Alexander Valley. Now don't get all wine snobby on me. YES, there are wines from the Central Coast of California, Australia, France and the like that are good, but honestly, the grapes grown in Napa are incredible. I think this is about as sure fire as you can get as tips go. They are pricier, but they are so much better. Here are some tips;

Roth
Silver Oak
Patz and Hall
BV
Clos Pegase

among 100's of others.

Anyway, how did I get here? Oh yeah... eggplant parmesean and wine. Mmmmm good. A little bread some salad out of your garden and your set. I think you could hide a shoe under this and I would ask for seconds.

I planted some eggplant this season and it has gone ape. I planted Dusky and Rosa Bianca. The Dusky is the standard eggplant used worldwide, the Rosa Bianca a lesser known type, but way better. It is the Ferrari of eggplants, whereas the Dusky is the F150....

My suggestion to you is to grab a bottle of the aforementioned, everything in moderation please... too much vino will make you Micky The Dunce quickly. Plant some of these - description to follow:

Rosa Bianca Eggplant
A gorgeous Italian variety with a delicate, mild flavor, creamy consistency, and no bitterness. Considered one of the best by gourmets and gardeners alike. 4-6 in. long, 4-5 in. diameter.

Make some eggplant parmesean and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Better than dropp'in a Ben at Whole Paycheck and watching hard earned jing go from your Dockers to their cash registers.

What A Fighter....

2009-08-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

An epic struggle took place this morning, but in the end the struggle was lost.

At 0-60 this Bee did a marvelous job, at 65 it simply was too much.

Now, let's think about this. I have to assume the math involved in this is actually pretty remarkable. Since I am not an aeronautical engineer, I have to assume the force on this bee far exceeds any strength that we humans possess. I would love to know what amount of pounds per square inch this little guy/gal was taking.

Eating Local, Honey and Eggs

2009-08-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

I am sure most of you have known or heard this...if not you've been living in a cave.

At our local farmer's market, there is dude selling honey from local bees. Actually he lives about a mile away. His honey is amazing. He makes all sorts of consumables from it and sells one of my kids favorite things... honey sticks. The kids suck these things down like little addicts. We see this and I think emotionally "OK, enough sweets! Go grab a radish and eat it you need more fruits and vegetables and quit playing Wii." Yet intellectually, we are thinking, "Bees? Honey? Natural? Good?, maybe I should be encouraging this" Plus, for years there have been the pundits extolling the virtues of the eating local honey in order to stave off seasonal allergies. This got my 10cc brain really chirping.

Here are some hypothesis:

If honey is raised local, then eating it would allow your body to absorb and become familiar with local pollen thereby building an immunity to those things that cause said allergies.

If a person eats local food then the minerals and matter in the local soil/air will be consumed and yield a healthier existence. ( all things being equal - so if you live next to a refinery, all bets are off)

The latter hypothesis is one I read somewhere and it got me thinking. I have heard and read about people moving to other parts of the USA and becoming perpetually sick, seriously fatigued, increased allergies, digestive issues among numerous other ailments and link them back to the move. Why? Could be as simple as the air and the food consumed? The water from local sources? I think it is the relationship between man and nature - more specific your local Terra Firma, and how we've become accustomed and adapted to our local areas. Therefore eating local is what your body desires and needs versus eating a tomato grown in Ecuador. Why do people who live in India drink the water and not get sick? We go there and drink it and we've have to take a long-term lease on a toilet and get used to pink chalky taste in our mouths. Because our body cannot handle the microorganisms there. While this is an extreme example, I think this exist right here in the USA. And more to the point, I think eating local foods, honey and eggs is better for you than buying foods and water produced half-way across the planet. I say this as a general statement. I know I have traveled throughout Europe and Asia and survived, but let me tell you, it did not come without a price. I got to the point where I was packing Powerbars and Honey to survive, especially in Asia. I used to hit the tarmac at SFO and kiss the ground I lived on.

So, my point is simple. I think eating local is good for your health and for the local economy. If that is not enough... check out what is in honey.

Honey is composed of sugars like glucose and fructose and minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron and phosphate.

It contains vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3 all of which change according to the qualities of the nectar and pollen. Besides the above, copper, iodine, and zinc exist in it in small quantities. Several kinds of hormones are also present in it. Approximately one half of the human diet is derived directly or indirectly from crops pollinated by bees. Today honeybees are an essential part of a healthy agriculture economy.

If you have allergies, honey can be beneficial. If you eat honey that is local to your area, it may help prevent your seasonal allergies. Bees use the pollen from local plants and eventually it ends up in your honey.

Honey may also be good for your skin. It has the ability to attract water. It is also safe for sensitive skin. You can use it as a moisturizing mask for your skin as well as your hair. To use it as a conditioner, mix the honey with olive oil. Be sure to wash your hair thoroughly before you go outside.

If you have a sore throat, take some honey.[ Honey has powerful antimicrobial properties, which can soothe your raw tissues. Pour a teaspoon of honey into a large serving spoon and then top off the spoon with lemon juice. Swallow the concoction (without water) every few hours until symptoms clear up. Some people add a pinch of black or red pepper to increase blood circulation to the throat.] Due to its natural anti-inflammatory effect, it will help to heal the wounds more quickly.It also has different phytochemicals--chemicals found in plants and different foods--that kill viruses, bacteria, and fungus making it a good substitute for wound dressings. The taste may also take your mind off the pain. There is evidence that honey diluted in water will help with your stomach aches and dehydration.

Do you have a cut? Honey is a natural antiseptic. Medical journals cite more than 600 cases in which honey was employed to treat wounds.By applying honey to your wounds, you prevent infections. Honey contains antimicrobial agents, which prevents infections by killing the bacteria in and around your wounds. When using honey it may help to heat it up before putting it on your wound (caution test the heat before you place it on the wound).Many types of bacteria can’t survive in honey, so wounds heal, swelling eases, and tissue can grow back.

Honey may also be effective in the treatment of your ulcers.In Europe, honey has been used internally to help cure ulcers, particularly stomach ulcers. Burns, too, heal better with honey, studies show. The advantage of honey is that it not only prevents infections from occurring, it actually accelerates skin healing.. Since the sugar in honey absorbs water it helps to trap some of the moisture so that the bacteria and other microbes can’t grow as easily as in other food.

I am walking out to the kitchen, plopping a tablespoon into the honey, adding some Sumatra Cinnamon and pigging out. Who's with me!!!!?

COOP Design

2009-08-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

One of our readers asked if I knew of a kit for a chicken coop. Yes, I do, but they are so expensive I would be hesitant to recommend them. One, I saw was 4x6 and in it's kitted form it was $2145.00.

I have approximately, $120.00 in my coop - materials only. I have another 4-6 hours in building. It is not like doing differentials... it is quite easy and comes with a ton of satisfaction. If you all would like I can post some plans and cut lists.

Tools needed -

Mitre Saw (hand saw if your nuts)

Tape Measure

Skill Saw for the roof, but you could have the lumber yard rip it

Drill/Hammer

Screws/Nails

I would screw everything, as screws are removable and nails are - well nailed and can be troublesome to get out.

I would add some extras knowing what I know now, but all in all, I think this is doable for under $200.00, if your thrifty and a scavenger... maybe under $150.00.

If I get some people asking, I will go to the trouble.

Let me know.

Goofy Birds and No Propane

2009-08-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

Argh -

I left the propane on last night so as I saunter out to BBQ for my girls, mi no tengo GAS. Being absent minded is one thing, but this chaps my buttocks so much...

So, I am improvising...

Fried Chicken, Red Potato's with olive oil, garlic salt and lemon, arugula salad and some baked bread. Nothing is too good for the girls.

Beyond my blonde moment... I cleaned the coop and messed around with the chickens. They are getting incredibly fun. They are not freaks any more and can hang around with me, even coming when I kneel down. Like a dog, just with two legs, feathers, a beak, weird feet, and the need to swing their head when they walk.

I began dismantling my straw bale and using it for foot traffic and the coop as I need to get more ABM bedding material. The birds were digging the straw. They love scratching it and moving it around. Of course, I lay it out like carpet and they bunch it up like a ball of twine. There is no pleasing them. Once I dismantled you'd thought I had dropped them on off on the food floor of Harrods in London. BTW, if you have not been to London, you need to go to Harrods and go to the food court... CRAZY.

Here they are....

Pictured here are Hoot and Loa. Hoot is in the foreground and Loa, well... the other one. They are both Arcauna's. Hoot is AWESOME. A super cool bird and if she had a Roxy Surfboard and dred locks, I think I would let her in the house.

Le Coop Is Growing....

2009-08-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Very cool, the blog is growing and with its growth, I am going to go to a soccer game - at 6:30am... yeah for me.

On the way out the I spotted this on my house. It is hard to see, as well, it camouflage's itself, but it is a Praying Mantis on our house and it has taken the color of the home!!! How cool is this?

I was going to go out ans slap some paint all around it and see what happens...but I envisioned my wife awakening to splatters of paint on the home and wondering why she did not commit me when she had the chance.

Garden Destruction

2009-08-21T07:54:00.001-07:00

Ugh!

Chickens cluck

Chickens poop

Chickens eat

Chickens poop

Chickens molt

Chickens poop

Chickens scratch

Chickens poop

Chickens sleep

Chickens poop

Chickens dust themselves

Chickens that roam - eat, poop, scratch, dust in your garden. And, if they get on something they like, like lettuce... they eat it to the ground. And if they are trying to get cool, they will dust and settle on Swiss chard. If they are trying to lower their blood pressure they will eat your onions.

After trial and error, more error than success, our chickens are eating the fruits of our garden before we do. This poses a problem. While I want them to be free-ranging and cage free, they've become a threat to my desire for salad, I've grown. The need for fresh eggs, which I am not getting yet, is beginning to wane. I want them in the garden eating weeds and bugs, but I think they've exhausted the bugs and are now fixed on higher level culinary explorations, which means I need to think like a chicken and begin to plot diversionary items in the garden. Is there a dog for this purpose? There are dogs to protect people, cattle, sheep, goats even chickens - but there are no dogs which are breed to protect gardens... A New England Garden Tender, An Midwest Corn Husky... what's up with this. Gardens are in need of protection as much as herds of cattle why not breeds of dogs for this. There has to be some breeder out there who can do this. Cross a Aussie with a head of corn and maybe we'll have something.

Now We're Talk'in...

2009-08-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

Giant Plant Eats Rodents

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Tuan C. Nguyen
LiveScience Staff Writer
LiveScience.com – 1 hr 46 mins ago

A giant plant that can gobble up bugs and even rodents has been discovered in Southeast Asia.

The carnivorous plant (nepenthes attenboroughii) was found by researchers atop Mt. Victoria, a remote mountain in Palawan, Philippines. The research team, led by Stewart McPherson of Red Fern Natural HistoryProductions, had learned of the plant in 2000 after a group of Christian missionaries stumbled upon it while trekking up a remote mountain and reported it to a local newspaper.

The discovery, announced last week, was detailed in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.

The pitcher plant is the world's second largest and can grow to more than 4 feet tall, with a pitcher-shaped structure filled with liquid. The plant secretes nectar around its mouth to lure rats, insects and other prey into its trap. Once an animal has fallen in, enzymes and acids in the fluid break down the carcass of the drowned victim.

"All carnivorous plants have evolved to catch insects but the biggest ones, such as this one, can eat rats and frogs," McPherson told LiveScience. "It's truly remarkable that a plant this big has been undiscovered for so long."

The world's largest pitcher plant (nepenthes rajah) was discovered in 1858 by British naturalist Hugh Low in Borneo. The plant's rat-eating habit was confirmed four years later when his colleague Spenser St. John found a drowned rat inside one of the specimens.

Though some have approached McPherson to ask about the likelihood of cultivating the monster plants asmouse traps for rodent-infested regions like New York City, the botanist (who also happens to specialize inpitcher plants) says he finds the idea "a bit far-fetched."

"Mice and rats are attracted to the sweet nectar of the plant, but it only catches them occasionally," says McPherson. "It just isn't practical. There will be too many mice for the plant to catch anyways."

Natural Rodent Control...

2009-08-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago I wrote about my rat experience. After returning from Tahoe, I think they are all dead. I know this because of the SMELL!!!! Hereinlies the problem with poison and guns... Rats die in places you don't want them to and ammunition destroys sheetrock! I did get lucky on a few... I found one dead in the garden, one I scared into a bucket of water, one I caught with a glue trap and the other I found tucked under some rocks - smelling... badly. There is also one in the crawl space - dead. Not good... not appealing to guests, dinner guests and the HUGE flies that appear are shagnasty. Anyway, I am going to retrieve the one in the crawl space. I have to - it is simply too gross to leave.

I had posted the story on www.grit.com. Readers, like here, are allowed to comment. Lo and behold a gentleman by the nom du plume Doc Green writes the following -

My first tier of defense is a natural enemy. Natural enemies like snakes and owls are wonderful to protect gardens. A friend of mine is a snake fancier and at one time had rat trouble due to escapees. All he did to solve his problem was to let a few of his snakes out to roam free in his house. They can go anywhere rodents can and will not only catch mice/rats that come into the house but will follow their scent and destroy them little ones in the nest as well. Problem solved. If you don’t want snakes running around you can keep one in a terrarium. The smell of snakes in the house might be enough to discourage then vermin to move out.

Other animals like cats and some dogs are good “mousers”. I am lucky to have both a good cat and nine dogs that are wonderful vermin destroyers. My cat does the aboveground work while my little terrier “Spanky” guards my front and back yards plus the floors inside the house. My other dogs guard and protect my other animals and garden areas. “Pepsi”, a Rottweiler Shepard mix protects “his” rabbits, while Sally stays with the chickens, protecting them from vermin of all sizes and other wild animals like birds.

If you can’t handle snakes or for whatever reason can’t have cats or dogs. Another line of defense I use to deter them from coming around is to grow/ plant "barriers" of perennial sweet peas (Lathyrus latifolius), which will repel mice. You will enjoy the beauty of these plants for many years to come too. Daffodils (Narcissus spp.), wood hyacinth (Scilla or squill) and grape hyacinth (Muscari) are said to repel rodents. Plant a pretty spring blooming border of them to help protect your house and plants year round. Planting herbs with a powerful scent will repel mice as well.

So I have planted garlic and onion chives, cilantro, rosemary among numerous others. The benefit - It repells the rodents The negative - It makes me hungry for garlic fries.

Here's to planting smelly herbs and repelling rodents forever.

Interesting - It's Hitting Everywhere...

2009-08-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090818/NEWS/908180375/1001

Arugula and Ribs

2009-08-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of cooking tips... I love to cook but am not trained in anything other than martial arts and my fists being registered with the cops.

The other night I was BBQ'ing ribs and using a glaze... when I ventured over to my garden and grabbed some mature arugula leaves. BTW, if you allow arugula to mature, heat and spice develop at an alarming rate. Frankly, it cleans out our sinuses and clears up bad breath.

I thought - adding a handful of arugula to the ribs and glaze allowing it to heat up and cook, might add a flavor element to the ribs that would be nice. WOW!

What a combination. In retrospect, I would chop the arugula up and add it to the glaze, adding the arugula mixture at the very end of the BBQ.

Hen Trauma!!!

2009-08-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

So, we had a trauma and with our Rhode Island Red - Millie. Fortunately, my folks were visiting from Southern California - my Dad does music videos for Brittany Spears and my Mom recovers abused cactus and nurses them back to life. She names each one of them. Anyway, as they were visiting my youngest daughter comes flying around the corner of the house yelling: "Millie's bleeding, Millie's bleeding...." When I hear a chicken is bleeding my heart stops... If a chicken is bleeding and in the coop, the other chickens will peck at the wound endlessly - basically ending the life of the wounded bird if not rescued. I ran to the coop to see blood on the beak, right at the nostril and beak union. My folks scamper over, doing moves like Brittany, along with my oldest daughter who is Dr. Doolittle in the making. Honestly, I think my eldest girl could swoon a badger... she has a miraculous way with animals and they respond to her like nothing I have ever seen. You hear of people have a way with animals... which I chalked up to idiotic rantings of the insane and then my daughter walks by a pack of hungry hyenas and they all lay down and take a nap - while she shampoos them with a wire brush. I don't get it.

Anyway, bird is bleeding and my Mom tells us to get a Q-Tip and some hydrogen peroxide and clean her up. Dr. Doolittle grabs the bird, we swab it down, the bird shakes it's head a bit and viola' the blood is gone, the bird was happy and it appeared to heal up so fast it was like it never happened.

Millie is fine and still being hypotized!

Bee Movie

2009-08-16T08:24:00.001-07:00

So Seinfeld makes a movie. It has been out for a while now and had never seen it. When visiting Northstar in Tahoe, we noticed they were going to be showing it outside under the stars and thought we hang around to watch it. The premise of the movie is goofy...Bee's sueing humans to stop senseless exploitation of honey... but it really was cute and had a very good point. Bee's make a lot of wonderful stuff happen.

So, as I was gardening yesterday... this what I witnessed and had a new appreciation for the process.

Catching Up....

2009-08-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

Tahoe, as I noted below, is truly a wonderful place to visit. 72 miles around the lake... over 1700 ft deep, deep blue and quaint towns all the way around. The beauty is one thing, but the fun is another. Water sports galore, mountain biking, gondola rides, miniature golf, horseback riding and simply taking it easy.

Above is one of the annual things we do, which is horseback ride. How cool... meandering through the Tahoe National Forest, making river crossings, up hillsides and down again. One of the things I found myself wetting over, was; bear claw marks on trees. My mind began to race as I thought; do I have the horseback riding skills to outwit or outrun a bear? More importantly, does my 17 year old horse BARBIE, have the skills, anymore? Well, now my mind really raced, Barbie was not the skilled horse she once was and my skills are pathetic. I know to kick, steer, stop and whine. Not much of this is impressive to a bear. Oh No!!!!! My two girls are in front of me... My littlest wouldn't know what to do and my 13 year old is fine.... she has been trained. Now, I realize I am bad parent and have put my kids in danger of a bear attack. Oh good grief, stop it. I managed to get my mind to calm down. We made it back to camp, I calmed down and then realized how utterly beautiful the ride was, even though I nearly croaked.

Back Home...

2009-08-14T21:06:00.001-07:00

I will hit the vlog with some fun information... horses, chickens, gardening and sleep.

Tahoe Chickens

2009-08-12T19:05:00.001-07:00

They are everywhere. Ok, I have only seen rabbits, white tail deer and million tiny chipmunks.

I am heading to ACE in Truckee tomorrow and will take pictures of it... It is amazing.

Tahoe Get Away

2009-08-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

So, I am leaving tonight to go to Tahoe... If you have not been to Tahoe, I would highly recommend making the trek... It is without a doubt one of the nicest, most beautiful spots in the world. Yes, the world... I have been blessed to have travelled many places and Tahoe still ranks in the Top 10.

Likewise, I am going to be hunting out chickens in various spots around Truckee and Tahoe City.

Truckee is another great - Old World mining throw-back town, which has wonderful restaurants, great shops and one of the nicest Ace Hardware Stores I have ever seen.

About To Graduate....

2009-08-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Well, the kids are about the graduate - to egg-laying. Scary how time flys or in this case flies... I am so proud of them. Starting with six and having to deal with their only hope in Mr. Rooster, leaving for another home, they have coped well.

I have had to keep them in the coop the past couple of days, because I have put in new, immature plants, which they will lay waste to if given the chance. To be fair to them, I should put up a little 3 foot surround around the new plantings, but my time and level of enthusiasm to do so was outweighed by my desire to plant my head on a pillow.

Sorry about the photo through the screen... I was in a hurry... Looks like a chicken playland... I am going to put a tire swing in the coop and cotton candy maker.

Busy Garden Day

2009-08-09T21:05:00.001-07:00

Oh my lord... it was so hot today, I saw my deceased Grammy, tell me I was going to be the Princess of Canada. I awaken with dirt in my nose, a dog licking the sweat off my neck and sunburn.

I tried to get some work done in the garden, but with temperatures hitting 100+ and my Grammy yelling at me, I came in tried hanging a door and finished off some wainscot in my den. Once the temps started to cool off and Grammy was but a happy thought, I ventured back out to the garden. A couple of chicken tips... chickens love the the leaves of bush beans. I have no leaves left on my bush beans. They also like arugula, who doesn't and they like cilantro. I pull my bush beans out since they appeared to have been ravaged with nothing left and got to work on planting some fall crops.

1. Swiss Chard - I love this stuff because you can dump in some water, wine, lemon and garlic.. boil it down and viola your 400 lbs looks like handful of weeds. Where did it all go? It is like a magic trick. I love the taste and if prepared right it really is killer.

2. Red Cabbage - another sleeper. If you hack this stuff up and add it to a salad the texture and taste makes any roughage taste great. We go to a little Italian restaurant down the street that takes this stuff and chops it up in a salad of iceberg, carrots, cabbage, salami, olives, peppers and thousand island dressing. A little bread and wine and your dancing around the restaurant with a pretend accordion in your arms singing - Mambo Italiano.

3. Onions - I went with a Walla Walla White and a Stockton Red - 12 of each. Onions are a staple in our home and great for lowering blood pressure and keeping loved ones away.

4. Lollo Rosso Lettuce - I already have a ton of Purple Basil and Sweet Basil with some arugula, Lollo Rosso is a good one to add. This stuff can get bitter if it is left to grow, so you really want to cut it when it is young.. it is really full of flavor when it is small.

5. Romaine: I love romaine lettuce and having grown up in Salinas, California - The Lettuce Capital Of The World (when I was growing up, I think it is now the murder capital of California - sad). I put in 12 of these as well.

6. Red Lettuce: Again another great leaf addition to the garden.

7. Celery - nothing like scoop sticks for Peanut Butter!

8. Garlic and Onion Chives - I put 4 of each in of these. WOW, these are the coolest herbies in the world. These smell JUST like their namesake and once cut up and put on a potato - mmmmm m MMM. That's good eat'n. These are also called Chinese Leeks. Those little flowers are precious in China!!! Really in any country. We should not discriminate over these little flowers they are sensitive and cry easily.

I am stoked about these additions. Along with the squash, corn, tomato's, basil, parsley, eggplant, cilantro, and peppers... we are crus'in into fall looking good.

Along with my rock hard abs!

Hotter Than Spicy Wings!!!!

2009-08-09T15:48:00.000-07:00

It is another screamer here today. I will post pictures of the chickens and their mister...

101 with 45% humidity. For us baby's in California - that is hot.

More Hypnotism...

2009-08-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

Ok.. so I got to watch first hand 4 of our chickens get hypnotized... it was insane!!! I have never seen anything like it. One of the chickens fell asleep. It was the craziest thing I have ever seen, and yet addictive, weird, creepy and fun. I am confused now. I am finding humor and fun in hypnotizing chickens. I need to go play my guitar...and find new hobby's

Hoot-na-tized

2009-08-07T13:12:00.001-07:00

I had heard you can pretty much hypnotize a chicken by laying it on its back and snapping your fingers out beyond their head...even drawing a pretend line away from their head. So, I challenged my daughter and my niece to this task and "Alllll be!" Millie and Hoot are sufficiently catatonic and pretty much useless.

My daughter told me they laid like this for about 2-3 minutes and needed to be helped back to their feet. Pretty much sounds like any human-being in the morning. Good thing they don't have the inclination to do this themselves, otherwise think of all the things that would need to be developed for the chicken; coffee makers, Red Bull, Monster, Amp'd, Fitness Clubs, Doctors, little mattresses, Xanax for Foul.. then you'd need the opposite as they would become over medicated so casinos, bars, dance clubs, all night Chicken restaurants and then, of course - Chicken Police to reel in the insolent behavior...

I think we've started something bad.

backyardchickens.com

2009-08-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

So, if any of you are living in a cave or on a spaceship, you may not have heard about backyardchickens.com. This is the foremost spot on the web for chicken knowledge, chicken wisdom and chicken mythology. The Greeks were big into chickens and backyardchickens.com has all the relevant history on the Chicken gods of ancient Greece. OK, maybe not "gods", but BYC has 38,000 members - 38,000! and this does not count passer-bys or "lurkers". Information shared on the site is incredibly thoughtful, respectful and worthwhile.

Anyway, I got chance to sit down with the guru behind backyardchickens.com, Rob Ludlow and I felt I was in the presence of greatness. The only other time I get this feeling is when I sit down with me and simply talk to me... It's breathtaking.

Rob and I met for a chicken-flavored smoothie and for me to get a chance to chat with the master of what is fast becoming the iconic site for backyard chicken farmers. There really isn't any thing else on the web like it and I would encourage you all to visit it and stay a while. Rob mentioned he has been covered by numerous, heavy hitting newspapers and magazines and was recently interviewed by a radio station in New Zealand. Yes, this is becoming worldwide a worldwide phenomenon.

Anyway, go check it out.

Garden Amendment...

2009-08-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

I want to suggest this mixture as a way to bring incredible life to your garden. I have been having fun with posts over the past few weeks, but, on occasion, need to dump in a real-life useful post.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago about my adhoc compost pile, which consisted of ABM bedding material (from the coop)... made up of white spruce and pine shaving pellets, chicken manure and some clippings from my garden. As water has been wetting the pile, the run-off has been feeding some of my plants, not all. The growth and health of the plant is overwhelming. Those which do not have the luxury of being near the compost pile are but mere shadows of plants.

Since ABM bedding is not prevalent, I would suggest pine shavings by themselves, mixed with chicken manure and some other organics, maybe grass clippings or vegetable garden clippings. Allow this to compost for a few weeks and I suggest real chicken poop, not faux-poop imported from a foreign country. Hardware and/or garden centers should have chicken manure, but be aware, this manure is probably pre-cut or diluted with some other carrier, like peat moss. I would suggest finding someone with chickens and getting the doodle specifically for this purpose. I am about to off-load some of my leftovers to neighbors for their compost piles as there is nothing like chicken/rabbit manure to kick start the composting process.

Here is to making &%$# happen!

Nightmare's Are Us

2009-08-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

As this blog grows... we are seeing emails and contributions come in. One was sent in from a family member who thought this was funny...

Frankly, I don't think these are funny. Large roosters - Leghorns no less... pose a serious threat to us all. There is no defense against them and to glorify them in statue is like glorifying Bigfoot.Look what it is standing on a "tool box". This obviously represents mans attempt at progress and desire to build coops and chickens need to stop the oppression. Maybe not

I was told a funny story by a fellow I worker, where his father used to raise Leghorns. They kept one rooster for every 10 hens. I think he told me they had 50+ at one time.

Leghorns are named because they get horns on their legs. This guy was told by his Dad to go in the coop and grab a certain hen. When he did, the rooster went nuts, came up from behind and locked his horny legs into his legs. His Dad thought it was the funniest thing in the world and my fellow co-worker is not forever damaged by a chicken.

Sad story and a sadder commentary on demented parenting.

Grit Blogger...

2009-08-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

So, you can see my work on www.grit.com.

This is more a regurge of this blog, but with some posts I go a little further..

I have put the pressure on myself to try to post 2-3 times a day on Le Coop, whereas Grit only needs/wants something once a week.

This week it is the Rat Story with the added "Gun Play"... weeeee....

Rooster Removal = Nicer Hens?

2009-08-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

OK... not sure what this is all about... but the hens are like puppy dogs now. I arrived tonight thinking; "something will change, not sure what, but removing the rooster from the coop will alter dynamics somehow..." OK so what is the how?

I arrived and opened the coop door and they walked out casually, looked up at me and nodded. One of them curtsied... looked up and winked!

Now I am confused...

I have read that the rooster picks one or two of the hens and focuses his attention on them. The others fight, on occasion, for the attention and try to work up the pecking order, but in the animal/foul/human continuum, I think this behavior mimics in species. The dude spots the girl and makes his move. The girl plays it coy, wide-open or disinterested... I experience the latter. I think this stinks... someone gets lost... "Oh the big rooster doesn't like me" and then the hen is in therapy and the eggs are small or not yellow or muddy green. Then the other hens talk... "Oh look at Sunny's eggs their puny and weird looking" Let's play "scratch" in my corner of the coop. The judgement, the labeling, the hurt... it is simply too deep for me to think about any further.

The coop is calm... the coop is quiet... the coop is easier to manage right now. I like the difference at present, but that is like saying I am having the best vacation ever and I am in the plane on the way there. Juuuuuust a tad bit premature.

I do think this was perfect timing, since they have not starting laying eggs... and I think had I taken the rooster out of there later they would be upset and possibly affect the egg laying production. Or, they are simply happy the big goon is out! The rooster did wear one of those torn up ribbed tank tops with grease stains all over it.

Ohhhhhh great - I just walked out there and the Buff's are consoling the Rhode Island Red - you know red heads all fiery and what not.. She is crying and one scratched in the dirt that that she was upset Kap was not coming back!!!!

I am surrounded by women!!!! A wife, two daughters, a niece, a sister, five sister-in-laws and 5 hens...

Rooster Home!!!!

2009-08-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

OK, so as reported before, we have a rooster! And in our search, we found a home. Hosanna Boy's Ranch in San Ramon, CA is taking him. (Actually, just heard he is gone!)

We are so stoked about this, as we did not want this rooster going somewhere we did not trust or to a smaller confined spot - he is on a ranch!

This makes up for my poisoning rats!!!!

Rats!

2009-08-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Literally...

I have had rat problems off and on for the past 15 years, I've lived here. This year, it seems to have exploded! It is purely anecdotal, but this is also the first year I've had chickens! These are not roof rats, but rather fruit rats...much smaller, which in all candor make them more difficult to catch. They are really too big to be caught in a smaller mouse trap and too small for the rat trap. Plus they seem to Mensa Rats, because they are smarter than years past. Which makes them smarter than me. So, we are now in for a battle and a HUGE conundrum. So, let's hit the launchpad.

I am, by nature/up-bringing, conservative, but have have a strong bent towards proper stewardship of the our planet and balance between man and beast. Rats, for me, are the tipping point of environmental consciousness and militant insanity. I go to my local hardware store looking for rodent control . My mind races between utter simplicity of a snap trap to devising new, yet invented robot rodent killing machines. I have even jumped on Raytheon's website in hopes they have a some military grade laser rat destroyer, maybe something they've used in Iraq... hmmmm? Or maybe a mutant cat, that I can stuff into my crawl space and seal it up. Listen for the tussel and then coax the cat back down with some catnip. Anyway, my mind races between joy and guilt... as I stand there I juggle "green/humane" option or utter mayhem.

With a nod to "green" I begin with sticky/glue traps. I put my finger on it to test and it is like a tractor beam. I can barely get my finger out of it. I nearly grab the trap with my other hand only to catch a glimpse of myself in the future, with both hands stuck together as I struggle to release to myself from it, only to fail and die of starvation. Irony? I nail them to the tops of fences where I know these germ infested creatures are making their midnight dashes. I put a scooch of peanut butter to draw them in, with anticipation I go to sleep. I awaken with an extra jump in my step to see the peanut butter gone and no rat, nothing, not even a mark in the glue trap. Are you kidding me? I barely get away with my life and these rats dance across it like it was a parkay floor. Fine, let's try this again. Repeat the same steps with more peanut butter and push it into the glue a little deeper. Awaken the next morning and shame on me.. peanut butter is gone and not a tarred rat in site. Honestly, how can they sell this stuff? If rats dance across it, how can Rat Glue Inc. still be in business? You know, I think when stuff doesn't work, most of us move on. You know, just "Oh well, it was only $4.99" it didn't work", and move on to Plan B. Which I did.

I now elevate my quest to - snap traps and these stooooopid "plug-in" electronic emitters which are suppose to attract them and then make them nuts and drive them away. I get two rat traps, which take super-human strength and dexterity to set and nerves of steel to take your hand away while the spring of death is "loaded". Hoping beyond hope that that hook is making full contact with the clip. I put peanut butter on the trap - organic of course.... want to make sure their last meal is healthy and plug in the emitters. Keep in mind the rats are in our crawlspace and are keeping my kids up and grossing everyone out... they truly sound like they are acting out a scene from Bonanza with stagecoaches and horses galloping through the attic.

I set the traps and come out the next morning only to see the peanut eaten down to the clip and no rats. You've got to be kidding me, are these "zero-point gravity" rats? I can't breath on the trap without it springing and these things are eating off it? Argh!!!!!!

I leave well enough alone and decide to set the traps that evening. As I lay my head on the pillow I remember, "set the traps". All snuggly, wuggly in bed, I get out, slip on some flip flops and a t-shirt, go to the kitchen to get the peanut butter. Walk out to the fence, stand on a log, where I pull the snap back, slip and the snap gets my left index finger spot on the knuckle. I think my cursing scared the rats away that night. My knuckle swells up like a balloon. I set the traps and again, the next morning bait is gone and so are the rats.

Now, the internal struggle begins - these rats are not going away, not getting caught in the glue, not tripping the traps and not put-off by the waste of money noise emitters. And, they have my entire family sleeping in different rooms because of the cacophony of noise they are making. I am beginning to become militant. This is where the eco-friendly me leaves and the rat killing me appears.

I have had to resort to poison... and while I hate it! I know it works. I proceed to nail the poison to the tops of the fence so pets don't get it. I would normally remove it in the morning so not to kill squirrels and birds, but I don't have to, cause every piece of bait is gone! I repeat the process the next night - again, every piece of bait is gone. For 5 nights I do this and each morning all the poison is gone. Finally, on Saturday, I see a rat, which is "in process" of dieing. My biggest fear is unraveling in front of me... I believe in instant death of these creatures, not a lingering death... I know... it is a rat, but ugh. I hate to see this. My Dad always said, "get it over with" when referring to homework... So I applied this to the rat as well. As humanely as possible, I killed it so to not have it suffer unduly. I have now seen 3 more dead in and around water sources. However, they are still there. More poison is going to get place in the crawl space tonight.

Wiped Out

2009-08-03T06:43:00.001-07:00

Sorry to be a little slow this weekend... sick kid... family in town, garage that needed cleaning, furniture that needed building, lawn-mower that needed purchasing, rats that needed exterminating, that ultimately turned into the Gun Fight at OK Corral... which I will save for the next post, and a party at my sister-in-laws.

Need to get to work now...

Yeeeee-Hawwwwww

2009-07-30T14:30:00.001-07:00

So a nutritionist from John's Hopkins reports....

A new study in the online journal entitled Risk Analysis reports that eating one egg a day accounts for less than 1 percent of the risk of heart disease, the leading killer of American men and women. This, in my opinion, helps deflate the myth that all eggs are always bad for you and can never be included in a heart-healthy meal plan.

The researchers cited lifestyle factors, such as a poor diet, smoking, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle as chief contributors (30 to 40 percent) of someone's heart disease risk, with men having higher risks than women. Risk factors that could be potentially treated, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, accounted for a whopping 60 to 70 percent of the risk. In this light, a single egg doesn't seem so big a threat.

Eggs have gotten a lot of bad press of late. There seems to be a constant drumbeat, perhaps in the media, about eggs being off-limits if you want to keep your heart healthy. (Just today, I was seeing a patient of mine with young children and, coincidentally, one of his daughters asked me, "Are eggs bad for you?")

Instead of worrying about an egg a day, I think we should turn our attention to the potential risks of stress (especially chronic stress), physical inactivity, and poor overall diet choices (like diets high in junk foods and low in fruits and vegetables).

This research, which was (full disclosure) funded by the Egg Nutrition Center, serves to further substantiate the premise that healthy adults really can eat (whole) eggs without upping their heart disease risk significantly. And what's more, the authors noted that their analysis did not adjust for all the health-promoting benefits of eggs, which might decrease some heart disease risk.

What is it about eggs that could actually help your heart?

Eggs are high in choline, an organic, water-soluble nutrient that's usually grouped in with the B vitamins. They are also high in betaine, a nutrient related to choline. Together these 2 are associated with lower levels of homocysteine (an amino acid that studies has shown to be related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease). It's good to keep homocysteine levels under control because high homocysteine levels usually suggest chronic inflammation, a process that has been linked with heart disease, as well as to Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Treatment of a high homocysteine level usually involves supplementation of the B vitamin folic acid—but don't take more than 1,000 micrograms—1 gram—a day, or it can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Eggs are a great source of high-quality (or high biological value, HBV) protein; in fact, they are considered to be the best overall source of protein.

Eggs provide 13 essential vitamins/minerals, including riboflavin, an important B vitamin needed to help your body get energy from food. Eggs also contain vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin lacking in the diet of many Americans. People who are overweight and/or have diabetes are at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency.

Eggs also help you feel full, since your body produces a hormone called PYY when you eat high-protein foods. PYY tells your brain you're no longer hungry, so if you're trying to lose some pounds, opting for a high-protein snack like a boiled egg can really help you feel full (and it's only 75 calories). I personally like the organic eggs high in omega 3 fatty acids (the healthy fats), from chickens raised without hormones or chemicals. These eggs are higher in omega 3s because of the healthier feed given to the chickens. The high-omega-3 eggs add another possible benefit to a balanced diet.

However, if, for whatever reason, you want to keep the fat and cholesterol content in your diet low, eat the egg whites and skip the yolk, since all the protein (and virtually none of the fat) is in the whites. There are even cartons of pure egg whites in the grocery store that make it easy. Or you could separate the eggs at home by discarding the yolks, or at least a few of them. This study, however, seems to be suggesting that even the egg yolk isn't anywhere near the health risk people have perceived it to be for all these years. They're also a very affordable source of protein, a big plus in today's economy!

Bottom line: If you really like whole eggs, and your doctor or dietitian thinks they're fine for you, then go ahead and enjoy them, yolks and all!

I love this for one reason and one reason only - I think egg producers across the USA, Canada and beyond have got us thinking, eggs in the grocery store are nutritious, while they are, I also believe those produced by folks like us, are significantly better.

One of my goals is to create a venue for backyard chicken farmers to validate themselves through an organizational effort. More on this soon.

Chickens are Giants....

2009-07-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

Either the chickens are growing or the coop is shrinking.

In this picture is; Sunny (Buff), Millie (RIR), Loa (Arcauna), and the doggone rooster!

Missing; Scat and Hoot.

The Fruits Of The Labor...

2009-07-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Arugula, Italian Parsley, Tomato's, Cilantro, Bell Peppers, Mesclun and Chickens... are all burgeoning.

So, here is a more serious post... furrowed brow in place...

I am amazed at how, once the soil is prepared, add water and POOF! The garden grows. What a wonderful bounty and what better than to have grow it ourselves. I have noted before and heard,when people eat food locally grow, the health benefits are more significant. I postulate, that as you walk about and breath, touch and live in your local area you bring on local attributes which your system recognizes and is accustomed to - good, bad or indifferent. Ceterus Paribus (everything else equal)... I imagine eating locally grown food would benefit the omnivore in numerous ways. This translates to eggs as well of course since chickens scavenge in the yard are eating bugs and weeds from the local area and therefore are leaving those trace element in the egg.

Therefore, I went on a quest to see if someone had done "the study"... so, while I have not found "the conclusive study" here are some data points which one could theorize that locally grown food are better. Why? They are not adulterated! Period. Eggs are the same theory...

Excerpted from various other sources.... which I am going to put in quotes since it is not in my own pen...

"Produce is at its peak nutritional value when it is ripe. But fruits and vegetables that will be traveling long distances to market aren't picked when they are ripe, but before ripeness. While the produce might gain color and softness on its journey to the supermarket, nutritional value comes through the stem from the living plant. Once harvested, a vegetable is as nutritious as its going to get. And in a double whammy, nutritional value actually decreases every day past harvest. Nor is nutritional value on the top of the agenda for large commercial vegetable farmers. In the days when all produce was local, horticulturists developing new strains of fruits and vegetables only had to consider several criteria: taste and nutritional value. But today, with much of the growing and harvesting handled by machines and with produce shipped around the world, several other criteria take priority, and taste and nutrition take a back seat. Sturdiness and shippability are one factor, and uniformity of size is another. Another key factor big producers take into account is grocery case eye appeal.

While these new criteria are important to the grower's profits, they add nothing to the health of the consumer. If anything, they detract from it. Sturdy produce that stands up to lengthy shipping will be shipped long distances, taking days on its journey to your table, and losing nutritional value with every day that passes between harvest and eating.
So for your health's sake, take a step back in time when you're shopping for produce. Find your local vegetable stand, preferably one on the road right in front of the farm where the fruits and vegetables are grown, selling what was picked that day. Eat produce that was intended to be grown in the area where you live, and buy it at its peak of ripeness, rather than produce that was picked unripe and shipped thousands of miles.

If you live in the city, finding the farm stand might take some doing, and getting there will require some driving. But what better excursion that a relaxing drive in the country to buy freshly picked vegetables? So urban that you don't even own a car? Then look for your local health food store; most of them will have a fresh produce section, and their staff will be glad to tell you where the produce comes from and what days it's delivered.

You might even want to add some healthy outdoor exercise into the mix and grow your own! But if you lack the yard space, time, or inclination, by all means, support your community fruit and vegetable growers by buying your produce ripe, locally grown, and freshly harvested."

These are great reason, pretty qualitative in nature but reasonable. I still want to know if food pulled out of the soil next my bedroom is better for me than a potato pulled out of the ground in Idaho?

Photoshop or not?

2009-07-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

So, as I am becoming known at work for my prowess with chickens... a light-hearted co-worked decided to mock me...

So my face is slammed in into some poor unsuspecting kids body who is obviously happily holding his Buff Orpington. And it is quite obvious, this kid needed someone to explain the buttons on the shirt are for his collar and his hair looks like Edgar Winter or that creepy actor from The Firm - Tobin Bell. Seriously that guy is the creepiest actor out there. He scares my chickens and me.

Manure Among Us...

2009-07-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

Another nugget I discovered... chicken manure leeching into the surrounding garden mixed with ABM bedding material is the holy grail of garden growth... Good night Marianne!

The past week while on holiday ( I love that expression - "I going on holiday... right-o, bring the car around and put the luggage in the boot!) , the compost pile was leaking into some fruit trees. It was as though I walked into the backyard 12 mos later.

My test this weekend will be to take the chicken manure and begin spreading and mixing it with the surrounding soil to see what effect it has. I am keeping in mind the heat of the chicken manure and the potential burning of the plants.

I will report back...

BTW - look at the line-up in this movie... can't believe I've missed it!

This is bad....

2009-07-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

So, I've landed.... and much to my chagrin was awakened this morning to crowing. So while I was holding out hope that my rooster was a hen, it is, in fact a rooster. Bummer... Me needs to find a home for it now. Besides, my neighbor is about as friendly as a badger and one hint of me being in the wrong on something will send her to the City to file a complaint.

I would love to keep him, but ordinances say otherwise. Even if I did, the roosters crow is the saddest crow ever heard and I would need to hire real roosters to come over and teach this bird how to really make my neighbors mad. In fact, this morning I thought my kids were coughing, only to realize "caw-ca-cough, cough cough" is not a kid sound, but a chicken-type sound. I walked out there thinking I would see a spent bottle of Jack Daniels and an empty pack of Camels. The rooster winks at me as I walk up...

So, I then research the question!

If I keep him - do I muzzle him or send him to a Beverly Hills throat doctor and alter him to sound more hen-ish? Why do I risk this...? Standing like Rosa Parks at the front of the City Chambers, not budging cause I am going to KEEP MY ROOSTER! Not quite the landmark political statement, but a statement nonetheless, because fertilized eggs are better for me and the City is not taking away my health intiative! So, are they? Are fertilized eggs healthier?

"Ehhhhh negative tower, fertilized eggs are not healthier, they just have more opportunity"

So, with that little nugget, I need to find a home for old Kapalua, Rue Paul, or whatever it's name is now... "Pat!" Remember Pat on SNL? Anyway, Pat needs a home. My kids are heartbroken...

Uh Oh.....

2009-07-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

We are back from our little vacation to Santa Barbara and I must say, this is an overlooked enclave of our world. I often whine like a baby and bang my fists and feet on the floor, while face down on the ground, that I "need" to go to Hawaii. I am "in love" with Hawaii and would move there in a New York Minute if given some form of income and a surf board. However, I am now thinking twice. Santa Barbara is along an area of the California coast which is as Hawaii-esque as one can find. The weather is insane... ranging from 65-78. Coffee is served piping hot to your bedside by little Santa Barbara Leprechauns (actually, that would be creepy - well trained Golden Retreivers then) who sprinkle pixie-dust in your face making you believe life floats by like cotton candy clouds of sweetness where no matter the problem, it is easy to deal with. They call Santa Barbara the American Riviera... and well it should be...it is. I will say it again. Go visit Santa Barbara! I am not being paid for this endorsement. Although SB should kick down a Channel Island Surfboard or similar.

Anyway, we are home and my nephew has decided NOT to get chickens when he is older. I think he is too squeamish over doodie - hmmmm? You know some people see the droppings and nearly pass out from them, while others are just fine with it. My nephew is not one of them. Although he did a great job. He did call me as we were driving home last night telling me my Aussie escaped like The Bird Man from Alcatraz, however, and serendipitously so, happened to be driving by our street when our Aussie was trying to make a break for it. Thank goodness, Fudge (his name and I am not going to explain his name, it only brings up thoughts I can't control) did not meet any people, because they would surely be missing a limb. Fudge is a mercenary and should be sent to Iraq to clean the place up. He is safely back in the yard and happy we are home.

So, I go out to the coop to check the chickens and notice they are now the size of Condors, but notice something far more disconcerting. Kapalua - a hen, was trying to make like a down pillow with Millie - a hen!!!! OK, is this possible at this age? OK, OK.. that is the second question... The first question is; Is Kapalua a hen? My "GUT" tells me "No"!!! Which then begs the next question, at what age does this happen with Chickens? And, third - What am I going to do? I cannot have a rooster in my town. It is against ordinances and I like to play by the rules for the most part. So, where do I take Kapalua? Argh!!!! Fourth, why do grocery stores sell fertilized eggs? Are they better eating? Also, chicks are "sexed". Meaning checked whether they are male or female and then sold "as such". Someone made a boo-boo! Also, I loathe this term "sexed" it is like some potty mouth rapper got a hold of this activity and ruined it.

So, As The Coop Turns is getting interesting. So interesting I think I could move the coop to Santa Barbara and begin a Chicken Soap Opera. Did you know Soap Opera got its name because soap advertisers were known for their advertising on these programs? I would be a multi-millionaire in short order and be a huge star, then I would get coo-koo and end up thinking I was the leader of all chickens on earth, begin a cult and die in a high speed Ferrari wreck.

I will be back with answer to these interesting questions tomorrow. In the meantime, I am looking into which Ferrari I want.

Working My Way Home...

2009-07-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

In my way to the chickens.... stopped in Carmel!

Santa Barbara....

2009-07-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

What a rich chicken history here in Santa Barbara. Firstly, off the coast of SB are the Channel Islands. These are five islands which are visible from SB, but with a haze in the distance you typically see the silhouette of the islands. The five islands are called; Anacapa, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Santa Barbara.

These islands are beautiful and are apart of the National Park Service. I found this out while trying to annex some of the land for myself. Actually where this picture was taken, was to be my living room view. Too bad... the government simply didn't see it my way, kind a like not paying your taxes. I swam home.

So, here is the dealio on chickens and these incredible islands.

In 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese sailor, set sail from Navidad, Mexico with the purpose of exploring the west coast of New Spain. He was the first European visitor to the Channel Islands. He made no mention of the island.

In 1602 Sebastian Vizcaino, a Spaniard, sailed the west coast of California. He bestowed the name Santa Barbara on the channel after the martyred Roman virgin whose feast day was December 4th, a day which found him anchored off the mainland coast. Vizcaino also gave the name to the easternmost of the Anacapa Islands but it was not until 1793 that George Vancouver, an english explorer, finalized the names of the eight Channel Islands. The other three, namely - Catalina... are not National Parks...

In 1821 Santa Barbara Island became a possession of Mexico after a successful revolt from Spain and with California statehood in 1850, unclaimed and uninhabited Santa Barbara Island changed ownership from the Mexican government to the United States. Shortly thereafter, a U.S. Coast Survey team visited Santa Barbara Island, and in 1871 a survey station point was established atop the islands highest point, Signal Peak. For the remainder of the 19th century, this small oceanic outpost was occupied seasonally by fisherman, transient seal hunters and Chinese lobster trappers. In the 1890s, H. Bay Webster, lessee of Anacapa Island, built a cabin on a Santa Barbara Island promontory which today bears his name. In 1909, the island was officially leased by the U.S. government to J.G. Howland for $26 a year for five years. Although his lease forbade subletting, Howland sold fishing rights to Japanese and Chinese fisherman, and rented island space to an abalone pearl propagation business.

In 1914 when the Howland lease expired, Alvin Hyder of San Pedro, California became the second lessee, paying $250 for his five year lease. The subsequent development of Santa Barbara Island became an extended Hyder family affair. Alvin Hyder and his wife and two children were soon joined on the island by Alvin's two brothers, Clarence and Cleve, and their respective families. As many as 17 people lived on this small island which provided no fresh water and little protection from the weather.

To eke out a living on Santa Barbara Island, the Hyders imported horses, mules, rabbits, ducks, geese, turkeys and chickens. Time and again chickens were blown out to sea before they could be cooped at the onset of high winds. The raising of sheep for wool and meat became the mainstay of Hyder operations. Building materials, supplies, water and livestock were hauled to the island by Alvin aboard his boat, Nora, To supplement the family income, he hauled animals and supplies to and from the other islands. During the "dry years" of Prohibition, Alvin Hyder was well known for his prowess and agility in rum-running the length of the Southern California coast.

No way... can you imagine coming out looking for your chickens and realizing they've been blown out to sea? I can hear the conversation taking place in my house....

"Honey what do want for dinner?"

"Uh I dunno!"

"I'm feeling bloated and think a light chicken Caesar might be nice - you can grill the chickens on the BBQ and I will whip up a Caesar dressing"

"Honey it is 1914 and we are living on a remote island, in the early 20th century, this fancy stuff hasn't been invented yet, especially out here"

"I WANT CHICKEN"

"OK, but they are gone!"

"Gone? Where are they?"

"Floating in the ocean?"

"Go get them?"

"Really? Can I interest you in a light pork loin marinated in a lime garlic chipotle?"

"NO!!!"

Anyway, chickens are known for being incredible surfers, I am sure they made it to the mainland and survived!

A Chicken Called Wanda.....

2009-07-20T21:02:00.001-07:00

Or maybe... Monty Python and His Flying Chickens. I am in the town of Montecito, CA. We are renting a house which is literally 5 mins on foot to a beach called Butterfly beach. Google it... In fact Google Montecito. The town is where all the beautiful people have run to, to rid themselves of Los Angeles. It is south of Santa Barbara and north of nothing anyone recognizes. By the way, I am a poor chicken farmer who rented a house... the lowliest house in the town. It is a 1920's rancher that has the same windows, siding and kitchen cabinets, but it is clean, comfy and in a neighborhood of McMansions. It is 1/4 mile from the Biltmore which is insanely snobilicious. A little further away is the Montecito Inn, which was formerly owned by Charlie Chaplin. He always freaked me out. What's that waddling around and no talking all about. What a gig... no lines to memorize just look spooky, carry a cane and make your skunk eyebrows go up and down...

Montecito still has it's share of celebrities; Oprah, Jeff Bridges, Carol Burnett, Jack Johnson, Rob Lowe, Brad Hall, Julia Louise Dreyfus (Elaine on Seinfeld)... and John Cleese, although it is rumored he has sold his place... but..... He kept chickens!!!!!! Yes he was a chicken keeper, how exciting is this? Not really exciting... just interesting, exciting is much to strong a word. He had a 16 acres spot that was on the market for $20+ million. Really? $20M? Egads... I think if I could put $1M in the bank I would be set, but these people are trading homes for 20x this much. My kids are going nuts right now, because as we surf all day, their favorite artist is Jack Johnson and he being a surfer and gifted artist think we can hop in the car and go for a visit! Not without getting arrested my loves.

So, I am off to bed...waves, sun and 4 kids yelling because the other flicked an unmentionable from their nose, takes its toll.

Nephew's In-Charge

2009-07-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, as I romp around in the surf in Santa Barbara, my nephew is caring for the chickens. I am a distraught Pappy. The poor chickens... or maybe.... poor me. I am really nervous like the first time my kids went to camp. I am taking Imodium. I am sure the chickens are fine, at least that is what he called and told me, but I don't know.

Here is the shot of SB... we are right on the point in the picture... I am waving see?

Hot Day and Pecking Away...

2009-07-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

By now you know I am in California and in most cases, the weather here is moderate to hot. Rarely is it cold. I think I remember a morning when it was 11 degrees in 1993 and last summer I was driving home from work and it was 117. On these hotter days, it is simply hot, not humid. Recently, however the weather forecasters have predicted El Nino, which is a warming of the waters off our coast, which ultimately drives warmer weather storms up here. This means we might get out of our drought this winter, since in past El Nino winters it has rained non-stop. However, I have noticed something lately - humidity. This morning it was 45% and 80 degrees at 9:00am. This is incredibly odd, but showing up more and more. I checked the weather station about 30 minutes ago (2:00pm) and it was 95 with 25% humidity and tons of stratus clouds in the sky. I let the chickens out for a while and they ran straight for the garden, scratched, dirt bathed it and have parked themselves there like a family on a picnic. I think I am going to leave them there and let my nephew round them up tonight and tuck them in with the blankies.

A couple new purchases -

I bought a 12lb feeder and hung it in the coop - genius... it is perfect.

I graduated the birds to Layena.... which is suppose to support calcium in the shell and Vitamin E in the yolk. We'll see since I am having my eggs tested for nutritional content. The were suspicious of the new feeder - in fact - they looked liked they were being held up in the coop.. all lined up against a wall waiting for the their pictures to be snapped.

Here is the recent picture of them grazing and the Layena...

Off to Santa Barbara....

Santa Barbara -

2009-07-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all -

I am heading to Santa Barbara for some vacation (July 19-24). I will try to find some chicken farmers there and report on them. I should be able to keep up with the blog. Just a warning in event there is a little radio silence over a day or so.

Surf Camp for the Chickenman!

Giant Zucchini

2009-07-16T21:40:00.001-07:00

Yipee... I think I let this one go a little long and it might have gone heavily to seed, but WHO CARES! Perfect for zucchini bread or shredded with some Padano cheese.

So, I started waxing poetic tonight, because I went out and cut two more of these zucchini's an Italian squash, plus giant parsley, sweet basil and some cilantro. How much cooler can this be. Growing your own food? It is awesome. Typically we take these and slice them, dredge in egg (anybody need a chicken?) and then bread it, fry it, then bake with cheese, tomato sauce and some parsley. Man I am hungry... gotta go

And The Fight Rages On.........

2009-07-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

A buddy of mine, we'll call him, "Timmy 2 Puff" sent me this article...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124761681413642361.html

So, if you've read this, I still want to reiterate something. I think people who use arguments, like Terri Frohnmeyer, who says, "what's next llamas, goats.... get a farm!". This is the ultimate in fallacious arguments and ultimately makes her look ignorant, which is just desserts, but painful nonetheless. Why? because people like this get air-time. Terri is probably the loudest person at the party, the one who sits on every committee in town, the one who claims she can bake, cook, win Wimbledon, parent better, run faster, grow better vegetables and designed the space shuttle. It kills me, they are not thinking about the truth, they are xenophobes who know nothing about the bird, the value and the real symbiosis with nature chickens have.

Next are government officials and you know how I feel about this. I loathe the official that gets sucked into group think. One official says "chickens are evil!" and the rest echo the mantra. OK, I confess, I am generalizing, but I have to say, when one says.... "Hey neighbor who ratted out your neighbor for chicken keeping.... beat it, go do something positive for the world and get happy, don't waste our time!" Oh my how refreshing this would be. The counter to this is: What is the chicken-keeper doing? Growing weed? Running a meth lab? Breeding cocks for fighting? No, they are raising chickens!

People really need to get a life....

So the positive... raising chickens is incredible. I watched, with wonder, before shooting off to San Francisco to the InterSolar Show, as the chickens ate spiders and clipped my weeds!

Watching the Tour de France... what beautiful country. I need to go there and do the chicken blog from there on my bike while eating brie and sipping a nice Bordeaux!

Sorry been traveling

2009-07-16T18:37:00.001-07:00

I have been hung up doing my day job.

I have a bunch of posts coming later tonight!

Twitter...

2009-07-15T08:46:00.001-07:00

I am unsure about certain things; eating pizza or steak and sipping wine for breakfast, Karaoke, riding a bike without a helmet, going into debt (sans house/car), eating the stuff Andrew Zimmern eats on the Travel Channel... and TWITTER.

I have thought about using the account I've established as a mode of communication, but am a little reticent, because it fly's in the face of gentleman farmer! You know? I am really torn, it would be, could be fun, but there is a point of too much - overload.

I am curious as to what you all think....

Sunflower Progress...

2009-07-14T12:11:00.001-07:00

I am knot speling wehl...

Honestly, this thing is attracting attention. It is like we are bragging about a child.

"Yeah, it's ours...I know, I know, 12 heads, gorgeous yellow hair, it's a superstar!"...

OK maybe an alien child, with the 12 heads, but seriously, I have not seen anything like this before, although we grew a Sunflower a few years ago, that when I ultimately pulled it down, I nearly threw my back out due to it's size. I would guess it was about 17 inches across and was a "freak" of nature. Like me!

We now have pumpkin shoots that appear to move when you walk by them, like a Venus-Flytrap. I keep thinking it is going to grab my ankle and drag me into the garden never to be
seen again. If Stephen King was reading this he'd have himself a new novel. One I would never read, since his stuff is so foul. I don't know, the world is strange enough, why muck up your life by filling your soul with blood and dismemberment. UGH. And speaking of Venus FlyTrap remember him from WKRP in Cincinnati?

Here is the sunflower, it is stunning and a joy to watch explode.

I am thinking a wall of these across the front of my property, why not. Interesting observation though - we are getting very small birds who perch on the branch, just before it leafs and they peck and eat the leaves. They seem to stay away from this one, but are taking my other ones to town!

Today In The Garden

2009-07-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Formating on Blogger is really weird right now! Sorry for the screwy look and formating -

It sure is fun to come out in the morning and let them loose. Like kids lined up to get into a waterpark. I open the door and they crash the garden. This morning, prior to heading off to work, they were picking the bugs our from under the siding on the house. Here they are gathered around a peach tree heading over to the nastiest fence line I have.

Pictured below are Loa (gold neck - Arcauna), Scat (Golden Buff), Kapalua (middle and hard to see), Hoot is to the right and actually Millie is hiding behind the little Peach tree.

Rent-A-Chicken - Chook

2009-07-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

What?

I was at a soccer game this weekend. Yes, two kids and both play soccer, and both are very good. Only one is playing right now, as she plays on a competitive team. The other is in the recreation league and 4 years younger than her sister, so her season begins in a month or so. Funny how you can have two kids from the same parents and "Bam!" one is an incredibly defensive player - goal preventer; and the other is showing signs of being an offensive goal making machine. Anywho... as we watched the game one of the parents was asking me about our chickens and asked, "Do you rent your chickens?" I replied "Exsqueeze me? - Do I rent my chickens? You mean for birthday parties?" He replied as though I had a third eye in my forehead, "No man for cleaning up a yard"

Huh? The chicken rental business? I can see it now, storefronts across the nation where people come to rent chickens, they drop a credit card down, a drivers license, credit check (why not humiliation at every turn is a part of life), fill out forms like buying a car... then the questions begin;

Do you have pets? What type? Has there ever been a complaint against your pet? Has it ever been in quarantine? (Mine has)

Children?

Pool?

Predators?

Suspicious neighbors?

Angry neighbors?

Hungry neighbors?

Is your yard fenced?

Are you a weirdo?

Do you believe in aliens?

Santa Claus? (actually OK in my book)

Leprechauns? (hit emergency button under counter and take evasive action)

If they pass this battery, then ask them what they need the chicken for - pest control, weed control, manure production, eggs...dress-up or friendship (push customer out and locks doors)... Then you lead them to Stall Number 49 and they pick up their chicken for rent. HOW COOL is this!? OK it is not cool, but compelling because, I guess people do this, and, in the same breath, the guy who asked me about it, suggested he borrow some for his yard. The spiders are running amuck! My goodness how this universe expands when you bring chickens into your life. I really was leading a humdrum life prior to chickening...not sure if this can be turned into a verb. My world has become clearer, more vivid, I see things in color now and thigns that used to be sad are happy. Well, I am only 10 minutes from Berkeley, CA and it might not be the "chickens".

I decided to check this mystery rental business out and much to my chagrine, there is not much on this in United States, but there is quite a bit going on in Australia. Which begs the question, why not? By the way, I am sure there is someone doing this in the USA... they are just not as web-savvy as the Aussies. Indulge me and check out these sites, the only thing I can say is brilliant! By the way, this first site is incredible, I am jealous. Blogger needs to step up the template design cause the ones to choose from are stinko. This women has done a stellar job at her business and truly developed a well-rounded business model. You will see rates and models for possily doing this in the USA.

www.bookachook.com

http://rentachook.com.au/

this is hilarious on the home page it says "Rentachook is greener than Kermit's Bum"

http://www.citychicks.com.au/

This is another brilliant website. Again, the Aussie's are pulling this together.

This is fun stuff and it appears renting chickens is a doable business. Here in the USA, you will need to check with city ordinances to make sure you are not violating any rules. 1.) domestic animals - how many and are chickens on this list? 2.) It is a business. Can you run a business from your home, if so, get a permit. The last thing you need is a neighbor horning in on your life and stinking up the plan. Get your ducks in a row - or chickens and make sure you've done it right. Keep in mind, in the Bay Area politicians and local officials are making your neighbors out to be police dogs. If you are burning a fire on a spare the air day, neighbors are encourage to rat out neighbors. Likewise, we are in a drought and people are encourage to rat out neighbors who water their lawns too much. How gestapo is this? I really think most people are good and will do what is reasonable 99/100 of times. We can forgive the one.

Anyway, do your research on the local rules and do it right.

Here's to renting out Chickens or Chooks!

Coop Modifications....

2009-07-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

Oh thank goodness for the person who invented "hooks". I guess it wouldn't be that tough, nature shows us hooks in numerous spots...namely - thorns.

Anyway, today we freshened up the coop with some new straw and kept the ABM bedding material. I put a posting up a number of weeks ago and am so impressed with this stuff I am floored. Really, six chickens eating us out of house and home produce truck-loads of manure. This ABM material literally soaks it up, sucks the heat out of it and allows you to rake the doody out semi-attached to the waste, kind of a clumping of sorts. Clumping makes it easy to rake out, scoup up and drop into the compost pile. Here is the M.O. on the ABM and the link... in fact.. I am posting the link on the blog. I am going to put links up here for winner products and processes. ABM has me sold. So, the company is Eagle Valley Animal Bedding.

http://www.eaglevalleyabm.com/

"Welcome to a better way to keep your animals cleaner, drier and safer. Introducing Eagle Valley Advanced Bedding Management (ABM), an improved bedding material designed to meet the needs of today’s equine, family livestock and small animal breeders and enthusiasts. Eagle Valley ABM is manufactured of 100% whitewood with approximately 4% moisture content. This makes our product more absorbent than traditional wood shavings, crumbled newspaper or corn cob materials. Compared to regular wood shavings, our product will absorb more moisture, greatly suppresses ammonia, and provides a cleaner, safer and more pleasant living environment for your animals. Pine, a natural deodorizer, controls ammonia the natural way. There are NO ADDITIVES or CHEMICALS in our production process. Eagle Valley ABM will keep your stalls, cages or pens drier, brighter and healthier."

"Research studies conducted by many universities have hailed the benefits of wood pelletized bedding for animals of all types. Moreover, the performance qualities far outweigh traditional wood shavings 9 to 1. Waste from the stall is greatly reduced and the material that is removed with the waste is completely bio-degradable.
Safety FirstEagle Valley ABM is a crumbled, densified bedding designed for traction during initial application. It doesn't slip and slide like many wood pellet materials.
Faster Absorption RateThe increased surface area of Eagle Valley ABM versus full pellet bedding means ABM absorbs urine quicker, pulling it into the wood cells and keeping your stalls, stables, cages and pens dryer. (click here- Eagle Valley ABM vs. Shavings- you’ll see for yourself."

Again, a 4 x 8 coop with 6 chickens...(one we think is a rooster...but no crowing yet). In fact, I am thinking of taking a picture of Kapalua and posting it for you all. I will guarantee you will think this is a rooster.

Anyway, seriously look in to using ABM it has become a lifesaver for me. I am not a paid consultant or shill for them either.

I have to go to bed, beauty takes time...and it usually involves a lot of sleep.

A Slight Digression...

2009-07-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

I am sorry, but last night we got to see something not normally seen. This author lives in the San Francisco Bay Area... and instead of losing brain cells to TV, we opted to go for a drive. What we got to see was unprecedented for us.

First it was raining - It never rains in the summer - ever.

Second we saw a double rainbow...

This picture is looking southeast which would be overlooking Oakland Hills and the picture below this is looking towards San Francisco and the Bay Bridge.

More chicken fun later today... they are all out in the garden at present and I need to get back there and start digging my pond.

Coop Clean-Out and Other...

2009-07-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

I spent the day cleaning the coop and doing yard work extrordinaire...Here is a picture from about 5 minutes ago.

For the first time today I watched them all eat weeds! They left my garden alone and ate WEEDS!!! And then pooped!!!! Doesn't get much better than this. This is sad, I am not playing in a rock band or traveling to Paris and getting excited - No... I am watching chickens eats weeds and poop. That is just pathetic..

Roosters Over-Taking Kauai Pt. 2

2009-07-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

It is a small island and I was contacted by the military (they read this blog) that they are going in!

It has gotten too hostile, the chickens are trying to change the name of the island to Chikauai. It's a mess. The politicians and police don't want any more egg on their face...

Hey... we surpassed 3,000 visits!!!! Incredible.

Thanks

Kauai's Roosters

2009-07-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

As my family and I have taken on the life of chicken farmers, people now share their stories with me about raising chickens. The one I heard yesterday was from a guy I work with and his eminent new life as a chicken farmer as inspired by us. He was explaining how the Island of Kauai, has been, is being, overrun by chickens.

The Islands have been a stopping off point for hundreds and hundreds of years. So sea travelers undoubtedly packed with food on their ships, had creatures on board. Creatures for food and not indigenous to the islands. The theory most floated is; early Polynesian and french travelers brought chickens to Kauai as a food source and, as usual, chickens have taken over. I do recall the last time I was in Kauai, a whole town had become ruled by chickens, and "people" where laying eggs, it was weird. I dressed as chicken in order not to be noticed. However, my size had them tilting their heads around and clucking.... I scratched on the ground and made myself look "normal" they seemed appeased by this. The other theory is; in 1992 when hurricane Iniki hit is wiped out electricity for weeks and even months and with a strong backyard chicken contingent in Kauai already, coops and chicken fences came down and allowed the existing population free-range. Hmmm, I guess this is plausible, but what about other areas of the world where disasters have hit? Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Indonesia... you never hear about dogs taking over, or cats, or cattle, or monkeys (actually in parts of Indonesia I think this is the case)... why chickens?

As we all know, there is a "balance". You introduce a new creature to a new land, it's habits and needs can go nuts and destroy their new digs. And, it is even more obvious, the new land cannot support the new creatures habits as there are often times no natural predators.

Another case in point in Hawaii is snakes. Yeah, I hate snakes too. Someone introduced snakes to the islands, accidentally I am sure. Then someone got the idea to introduce mongoose to eat the snakes, the problem with this is; mongoose are nocturnal and snakes aren't. OOPS!

So, chickens living on the lamb in Kauai is a bad deal. The land there is so lush with every kind of foliage, weed and bug imaginable, the chickens are breeding, laying eggs, getting educated and taking jobs away from Hawaiians. I am not sure how Obama is going to handle this. I assume via a tax on the chickens and government assistance to the Hawaiians. It is really sad. Locals now have so many chickens running around that when it rains, and this can be often, they walk into stores, restaurants and the like and just sit down and nap. Accounts from people say that if your not careful, the chicken will be on your table pecking away on your cheesecake. And, the crowing is not just in the morning, it is ALL DAY LONG! Suffice it to say, Kauai has a problem. While free food is roaming the street, and from reports... good food. They are getting a bad wrap. I guess the Rooster are so aggressive the cats are scared.

I find this to be an interesting quandary. If living there, I am sure I would take a more militant stance against the chickens, if aggressive or a nuisance. On the other hand, they are good looking birds, family oriented and homebody's ergo possible good neighbors as they would control the pests, dump in my garden and maybe drop an egg once in a while. I would have to put up with the noise though.

HOOT is taking control...

2009-07-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it is apparent Hoot is running the roost. She is the most stable chicken in the coop. She seems to rarely get upset, doesn't seem to hen-peck the others, but rules with an elegance. She is like royalty in feathers.

I am also seeing anger!!! Oh isn't this unusual... when there is no food in the feeder, they knock it over! What the heck, we are having food riots in the coop. I can see it now, I am going to walk tomorrow morning and there will be little sandwich boards wrapped around their neck, with chicken scratch on them saying - "Next time we won't knock the feeder over!" WOW.. spooky takes me back to that awful movie The Birds... Oh man, I never loo

ked at a crow the same again and when I did see one, I was sure the posse' was flying in to make my eyes the menu. Jaws was like this... I could not get a stoooopid swimming pool without wetting myself. Therefore, I really never got in, cause it was a cycle of clean, wet, change, clean, wet, change...

Anyway, here is HOOT.... I will report on something more salient later...

New Home!!!

2009-07-08T08:11:00.001-07:00

I always do a morning check on the chickens. It's like checking on a small little adopted family, whom you've taken in and you want to make sure they have everything they need.

I walk out there this morning look in the coop and only see two of them! "Oh no.. they've run away, we did not treat them well, they've found another family!!!!, at least two liked us... or were too weak leave..."

Then out of the ceiling, one fly's down from the retractable roost door. "Huh?" I look up and there sits the other four... (three in the picture)... Ahhh they are happy in the roof! It is warmer up there.

Secondly, what happened to these birds! They are getting huge, it is like a chicken-inflater jumps in the coop every night and blows these birds up. They grow incredibly fast.

Someone left me a comment on how fast they eat. I think I am going to install a silo on the side of the coop and left it gravity feed them.. this is insane. I cannot keep up.

Natural Instincts

2009-07-07T07:53:00.001-07:00

I don't get it. How can these birds know they need to fly up and rest on a rod? Well instinct is strong and the plain and simple reason is... most predators come from the ground... snakes, skunks, bobcats, small transformers - although I think they could fly in like a chicken, roost with them and then take shape into any predator. Can you imagine this...? The chickens sitting there... "Ahhhhhh cluck, cluck...." Here comes another chicken-looking chicken... clucking robotically and WHAM! It takes the shape of a toaster!

I have really digressed here.

I visited the coop this morning and here they are... I am still working on the water attachment for the Auto-Wata and then need to come up with a way to feed them automatically. They eat like they've not had food EVER!

Rodney King Laying Hen....

2009-07-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Can't we all get along!!!?

Sometimes I wonder why we do the things we do... That's a song...! The Temptations recorded this in 1967. Anyway, why do we need a less-aggressive hen? Is this really a problem? Here is the article...

"A team of scientists led by Agricultural Research Service biologist Heng-wei Cheng at the agency’s Livestock Behavior Research Unit in West Lafayette, Indiana, and William M. Muir of Purdue University, also at West Lafayette, has developed a line of laying hens that display far less aggression than their commercial counterparts, while maintaining industry-standard egg production. As a result of this development, the researchers were able to cut mortality losses among the birds without the usual beak-trimming.

At 58 weeks of age, the selected line of hens had significantly lower annual mortality than another group of hens – called a “control group” – and a commercial line of laying hens. When housed in communal cages, the kinder, gentler line had a 20 percent mortality rate, compared to 54 percent for the control line and 89 percent for the commercial line. Egg production was increased in the gentler birds, compared to the control line and the commercial line under the same conditions.

Most breeding programs in the past 50 years have concentrated only on traits related to production. For instance, through more than 20 years of breeding selection, egg production has increased significantly in one commercial line of laying hens, while mortality due to aggression and cannibalism among the birds with untrimmed beaks has also increased about 10-fold.
Cheng and his colleagues selected breeding birds based not just on production traits, but also took into account competitive interactions among the birds in a grogroup, or communal, setting. This selection program turns “survival of the fittest” – which emphasizes the individual – into “survival of the adequate,” which emphasizes the group.

Cheng is conducting further research to look at physiological alterations that explain the less aggressive behavior in the new line of hens. His preliminary work indicates this may be due to a decrease in dopamine levels in the birds. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that has been associated with dysfunctional behavior, as well as with a decline in the ability to cope with stress.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.

So, here is my question - why now? Why not years ago during the summer of love? We could have sent these chickens to Woodstock and they could have kicked back and dropped out of life and laid eggs for all the people there. Food would have been plentiful and the Abe and Abby Free's who attended would have been well fed and had peace-loving chickens all around them. Good grief - people... altering a chicken to be more "amenable", "kind", "non-aggressive" is ludicrous. If they are so aggressive maybe we should have been sending these chickens over the wall and have them peck the Russians to death used them Iraq or Afghanistan to root out Osama.

Dopamine!? I think these two gentleman need to direct their energy elsewhere, it is obvious one, or both got pecked as a child and made it their life long mission to alter every chicken on the planet. If they are going to work on a bird or other to alter the aggressive traits they need to look at Pitbulls, not chickens.

I crown the new breed - "Woodstock"

2009-07-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry a little over exposed, but here is Hoot and Kapi in the garden. They love hanging out in the corn. Duh!!! I am noticing a very cool by-product of the their free-ranging lifestyle, they are keeping the weeds in control and soil scraped up. Oh yeah and they do their business there too. All in all a pretty symbiotic relationship.

I will get back at blogging tomorrow morning.

Sent from my Windows Mobile® phone.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

Have a wonderful 4th everyone.

We have surpassed 2,750 visits....

Chicken Breed 101

2009-07-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

I am going to, once in a while, drop a blog on a breed...

Today's Breed?

Ameraucana, Arcauna, Easter Egger - the breed is actually from Chile (Columbia - prior to that Chile) and named after a Chilean indian tribe who raised them. They are not a pure breed, but were APA accepted in 1984.

They are known to be fairly calm and not aggressive. Our Arcauna's Loa, Kapa and Hoot... are the most skitish of the group by far, but that may be because we scream a lot.... not true, but they are the most jumpy.

The Arcauna is known for its eggs. They lay real easter eggs, blue, green, voilets, pale yellows among

other pastel type colors. The Arcauna is also known for their hardiness, typcially resistant to disease, cold and addictions - gambling, drinking and smoking... really a good role model for your kids and our politicians!

They purportedly mature early. Ours have definately matured much quicker than our other birds. Here is an Arcauna. Pretty cool bird.

Creepy, but cool.....

2009-07-03T10:59:00.001-07:00

Besides the fact our chickens have been free to roam the garden since 8 am ( it is now close to 11), they have eaten every spider along "Spooky" fence there is. Yes, we have one of those. You know, the fence that is slightly rotten on the bottom and has spider webs everywhere. Well one of the chickens pulled out a Woolly Mammoth of spiders. It was the size of the chicken. They all wrestled for it ultimately tearing the spider from limb to limb and devouring it in no-time at all. While this a creepy, nothing compares to this...

http://www.duncraft.com/Feeders-Houses-Baths-Foods-W117C202.aspx?gclid=CPvt8aeLupsCFRFMagodmhgHAA

Why do we insist on having talking Avatars, are people too creepy? Too expensive? Too large a file? I think this is Animatronic hell. "Hi buy my bird feeders and they will attract pterodactyls and then you won't sleep cause you'll be thinking about my talking head" ( you need to read this with one tone and a little herky-jerky). Why do people think this is cool? Let's think of the market. Outdoorsy people, farmer-like, gardners, possibly older.... 35+ Do we (me included) think this is a sell?

Anyway, I think my point is... chickens are incredible pest control. I have read where farms no longer have flea problems due to chickens...really this is all too cool. Manure, pest control, food and fun. My Aussie is fun, but leaves a lot of poopy to haul, that is worthless and sheds everywhere. Thank goodness he is scary, cause it keeps the creepy door to door sales people from peddling their $100 a pint citrus colon cleanser.

Buff In The Corn!

2009-07-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Sounds very weird. A little Vegas-like, or some strange San Francisco parody of the midwest. We are letting these birds have fun and boy are they. They sit in the corn and act like they've landed in Hawaii for vacation. I need to get back to Hawaii. I love that place. I have been fortunate to have spent, all totalled, 18 months in Hawaii. I highly recommend it. Paia on the island of Maui would work well for everyone on this blog. Or, the Big Island of Hawaii. There is a lot going on in Paia, Haiku and further in to Hana, Maui that is very country. I will try to report on some Hawaii chickens, but they are hard to get to talk, they are always surfing and drinking beer. Sounds fun!

Anyway, the birds are beginning to make clucking noises... they are around 8 weeks and from what I understand clucking comes around 9 weeks.

I rigged up the water line for the Auto-Wata... system... man that is most riduclous name for this thing. I can't get past it...

I need to finish painting this thing and put some cedar shakes on the roof... Enjoy

Sent from my Windows Mobile® phone.

2009-07-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Bucolic sounds as they romp off into the garden to be frightened by every wind swept breeze or noise. Since I have 5 days off over the July 4th holiday, I am trying to make it my habit to get some coffee at Peet's, come home, let the chicks out and take a seat. It is better than any entertainment I could buy. Each one having it's own personality and each one fixated on a

different morsel. As soon as one looks like it has scored a sloppy worm, they all run to it in hopes of getting a bite. Most are getting wise to this gang-up mentality and are getting their food and sauntering off like it is no big deal - "I am just heading over here to look for food" as they have a 4 inch worm hanging out of their mouth. Then once out of sight, they sling it around like they are wrestling and anaconda.

They are definately drawn the base of the corn stalks, not sure why, but who cares.. it is fun to watch. All six are in this picture... Loa, Millie, Kapalua (kook), Sunny, Hoot, Scat.

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Egg Nutritional Standards

2009-07-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

OK, so spent the better part of the day digging a sprinkler trench for the coop and the garden. I was warned by the wife; "Finish the project". I think I am like a lot of husbands or puppys... where I see something shiney and get easily distracted. Literally, I was digging the trench, dug up some brick, got distracted by the "thought" of "brick" and went to my courtyard and began mapping out the new "brick" courtyard. I lost an hour dreaming. My wife had left to visit my sistter-in-law who had some surgery for breast cancer... and I was determined to finish the project and not eat crow... or chicken. Anywho, 25 trips to ACE Hardware to pick up some stoooopid PVC fitting and I had the sprinkler done by 4:00pm with all the drip system in, plus an automatic waterer for the chicks.

This isn't me. I am not this organized or neat. A mat for dirt? This guy grabbed a string line and a tape measure and did it right. I simply dig.

Further to the title of this entry, I have made contact with a lab who will do the testing to the standards for the eggs. I will report more as time allows.

In The Garden

2009-07-01T09:01:00.001-07:00

This is so cool. They are free and are acting like Tom Hanks upon returning from his Island Experience, in Castaway, accept they don't appear nervous, pensive or sad because their Rooster married someone else and now have a chick. Anyway, they are happy and eating every bug in the yard, plus they are eating weeds!!!! How cool is this, natural weed control?

Interesting thing happened - they got startled by another bird... Blue Jay and they all hid under the corn and layed perfectly still. I thought they all died at once. With Jacko, Farrah, Ed, Fred Travalena and Billy Mays dieing, maybe the awful trend hit my chicks!!!!

More to come

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Awesome News About Egg Nutrition

2009-06-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is the news I wanted to see. MotherEarthNews, which I will post a link to on this blog, and their sister publication called Grit did a study on backyard eggs. And as I suspected, backyard eggs are as yoked as Arnold Schwarzenwhosit. Here is the data:

LATEST RESULTS: New test results show that pastured egg producers are kicking the commercial industry's derriere when it comes to vitamin D! Eggs from hens raised on pasture show 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs.

RESULTS FROM THEIR PREVIOUS STUDY SHOWED: Eggs from hens allowed to peck on pasture are a heck of a lot better than those from chickens raised in cages! Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised on pasture. That’s the conclusion we have reached following completion of the 2007 Mother Earth News egg testing project. Our testing has found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may (not sure I like that term, but then you cannot broadcast this over the entire population unless all were tested and confirmed) contain:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol

• 1⁄4 less saturated fat

• 2⁄3 more vitamin A

• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids

• 3 times more vitamin E

• 7 times more beta carotene

These amazing results come from 14 flocks around the country that range freely on pasture or are housed in moveable pens that are rotated frequently to maximize access to fresh pasture and protect the birds from predators. We had six eggs from each of the 14 pastured flocks tested by an accredited laboratory in Portland, Ore. The chart in Meet the Real Free-range Eggs (October/November 2007) shows the average nutrient content of the samples, compared with the official egg nutrient data from the USDA for “conventional” (i.e. from confined hens) eggs. The chart lists the individual results from each flock.

I am working right now on a project to bring backyard eggs into the forefront of our egg buying minds... the egg produced in the backyard is essentially a super food! I am going to put little capes on all my eggs and stamp them with a super "E"...

Striking The Pose!

2009-06-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

They are growing up so fast. It seems like only yesterday they were coo'ing and giggling and now they want the keys to the car and new feathers. No one tells you how tough the teenage years are. They are constantly trying to get out of of the coop, always trying to get away and "Fly The Coop" That cute little saying didn't come about because the chickens love to sit in the coop and stay close, although at bed-time they are quick to return, but boy once they are up and fed... they want OUT! In the foreground is HOOT. Really this is a beautiful bird, never thought I would every write those words. I like to build stuff, play guitar, break things, go to the mountains - Lake Tahoe to be exact, but never, ever...ever utter "pretty bird". Anyway - Loa is in the background, Sunny to the right and Millie in the foreground. Today is going to be spent mostly out of the coop and roaming the yard. I need to go grab a saw and cut something.

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Ultimately Food, But Darn Purdy Right Now!

2009-06-30T07:14:00.001-07:00

My daughter planted a bunch of these sunflowers. You can see a couple other heads to the left and at the rear of the main flower. The coolest thing is these will push out hundreds of seeds which we will dump into the coop and scatter around the garden for the birds to pick and eat. There are four more of these stalks to the right of this one. In this picture also, looking towards the top, you will see a white fence. My neighbor has an 8000 gallon pond with waterfall and bridge which he has been keeping Koi in, but is going to begin switching out to tilapia.

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Contact Aurora, Colorado

2009-06-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

This is ludicrous.... and ignorant.

Noisy?
Predators?

You have got to be kidding me!!!! Let's see dogs aren't noisy and dog owners have complete control over their dogs barking. If I think about it... I can hear a dog barking nearly every day and nearly every hour on the hour in my neighborhood. And.... volume... seriously, dogs bark in all pitches, tones and ranges and can bark all night sometimes. And to slap chicken owners with noise and predator tag as an excuse to ban chickens is, well... government intervention of the lamest kind. So, lets think about this. Most cities allow for 3-5 birds. 3-5 birds clucking (Roosters not included in this analysis) sound like music, even pastoral in nature. Chickens... cluck at levels which are low, outside of "egg-laying" where the hen can let it fly, but overall they cluck in a very calming manner. And.. CHICKENS SLEEP! They are like well-trained kids. Sun goes down and viola' they are down. Sun comes up and they get up slowly, happily and even with a little bed-head.

(here is a lightening storm over Aurora - maybe they can ban them too since they are so noisy) Argh! I loathe government when it makes a decision in a vacuum. It only perpetuates the fact they can't govern, they are miserable custodians of our money and the time this money affords them to govern and, ultimately, become meddlers in all our business. I am sorry, if I've offended anyone here, but this is a pathetic excuse for banning chickens. How about banning pool pumps? We have pools surrounding us and they hum all day and loudly. How about leaf blowers, mowers, motorcycles... I am spent.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_12712594?source=rss

Slate Magzine Article

2009-06-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Many of you probably saw this and many probably did not. I am going to link it here. The author seems to be a of a protagonist, but I think shows we are not going away and with Rob Ludlowl's Backyard Chicken website and his 35,000+ members and growing. As I write this, we just had another earthquake... crazy! Also he mentions the 100,000+ readers of Poultry Magazine.

http://www.slate.com/id/2218390/

Here is the article as well...

"In all of God's sweet aviary there exists no bird more diabolical and ruthless than the egg-laying chicken. Despite the darkness of this clucking beast's heart, our nation's press has gone on a rampage insisting that more and more citizens everywhere in the United States are choosing to board and feed these creatures in their urban and suburban backyards so they can harvest the eggs. It's a trend, the press claims. But we know better, don't we? To begin with, keeping chickens is a filthy, time-consuming, and expensive way to keep the pantry filled with eggs. And as this continuing feature has taught its loyal readership, too many of the "trends" reported by the press are actually bogus trends, hyped up by a reporter or her editors to get a lame story into print.

Flaunty bogusity in this morning's (May 14) Washington Post Home section feature, "Hot Chicks: Legal or Not, Chickens Are the Chic New Backyard Addition," which claims to have discovered the "vanguard of a resurgent interest in backyard chicken keeping, especially in distinctly nonrural settings." But the closest the Post comes to actually counting chickens is reporting the press run of Backyard Poultry magazine, a bimonthly: It is 100,000. The Jan. 2 USA Today, which reports a "growing number of city dwellers across the country choosing chickens as pets," measures the hen-keeping renaissance by enumerating the size of the BackYardChickens.com community: It is 19,000 worldwide.

For more all-feather, no-bone journalism, see the May 10 Chicago Tribune Magazine, where "Chicken Chic: The Backyard Bird Is Back in Style" claims that chicken keeping is a "craze," is "[w]ay in," and is "a fresh fad." The piece insists that "[m]any an ordinary citizen of many an ordinary neighborhood owns an actual chicken," but never assigns a number to the "many." This is the paper's second example of crying chicken in recent months. The Dec. 15, 2008, Trib discovers "[s]igns of the burgeoning urban chick movement" in the mere publication of Backyard Poultry magazine, the existence of the urbanchickens.net blog, and the fact that a local workshop on raising your own birds sold out in 48 hours.

A bogus trend isn't a bogus trend unless the New York Times has signed on. The Dec. 7, 2008, Westchester Weekly section of the paper contributes "Chicken-Raising Trend Takes Hold in County." The well-to-do folks of that region have been sharing chicken-raising stories, the newspaper reports. It also publicizes the claim that a "growing number of people" are cultivating the birds as an easy way to connect with nature. Then, the story soberly acknowledges that "it is difficult to know just how many households are tapping into the chicken-raising trend." In other words, it's a trend for which there are no numbers. The May 9 Arizona Republic makes similar pumped-up claims about chicken mania in "Urban Chickens the Latest Healthful-Living Trend" before deflating the premise with the admission that it "is hard to know exactly how many people are raising urban chickens." And so it continues throughout the land. "Urban Chicken Movement Taking Roost in KC Area" (May 11, Kansas City Star) compiles chicken-raising anecdotes and regulatory issues but never puts a number to the alleged trend. "Hot Chicks: More Raising Own Fowl" from the May 10 Providence Journal-Bulletin cites a growing demand for spring chicks but supplies no numbers. The Oregonian (May 14) backs the trend with a story that marvels at how quickly baby chicks are selling out all over town. But don't chick sellers manage their inventory to sell out quickly? If you're in the business of selling chicks, you don't want to over-order and end up with a bunch of unsold adolescent birds playing video games and smoking cigarettes in the store, right? An April 17 Associated Press story datelined Union, Mo., opens with an exciting scene-setter of 1,200 baby chicks peeping and cheeping at the Clearview Feed and Seed store. But the actual story—titled "More Suburbanites, Hobbyists Raise Chickens" on Nexis—undercuts the headline. "Mostly farm families wait to pick up the chicks," the story reports.

If backyard hen keeping is indeed a trend, it constitutes such a long-standing trend that it has ceased to be one. On March 29, 2002, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece about the "McMansion" coops some chicken owners were building for their birds. The April 5, 2004, Arizona Daily Star noted the high attendance drawn by Kim Fox at her chicken-raising speeches in Tucson: "About 50 people attended her last discussion," the Daily Star reported. The Sept. 14, 2003, Seattle Times explored the world of the city's backyard chicken farmers. In the summer of 2003, both USA Today and Newsday profiled the author of Keep Chickens! Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs, and Other Small Spaces. "We sold 2,000 laying hens last year," the owner of a downtown Houston feed store told the Houston Chronicle for its March 30, 1993, edition. Dialing the Nexis machine back even earlier, we find a syndicated Martha Stewart piece in the April 23, 1986, San Diego Union-Tribune oddly titled "Home-Grown Eggs—Can't Beat 'Em." Before you place your Web order for chicks, consider the wisdom shared by experienced chicken-owner Jean Moore with the Albuquerque Journal for its July 26, 2003, article about the art of raising egg-layers in the city.

"On the warmth and entertainment scale," Moore said, "they're better than a snake, but not as good as a cat."
******
Don't raise chickens to save money, advises the Dec. 15, 2008, Chicago Tribune story "Chickens Earn Keep in Chicago Backyards: More Urbanites Have the Critters for Eggs—and Companionship." One chicken-lover says the coop, chicken wire, and feeders set him back $500. A 50-pound bag of organic feed costs $22. You have to secure the coop to keep out raccoons, dogs, and cats. A hawk or a teenager with a Wrist Rocket can waste a free-ranging chicken in a flash. Generally speaking, urban veterinarians don't know how to treat sick chickens. Hens don't start dropping eggs until about 20 weeks, the Denver Post reports, on average three hens will produce two eggs a day, and the birds reach their peak production at two years. There's no way around shoveling the chicken shit, and who the hell likes eggs, anyway? "

Interesting....

The Straw-Bale of Fun

2009-06-28T22:30:00.001-07:00

So here they all are. Prior to leaving this morning, I let them out to roam about the cabin, stretch their legs, have a smoke, or scratch in their case... and poof! They all jump on to the straw bale and begin scratching this thing to crumbs. Whatever is in this thing, drives them mad. Pictured here are Millie, far left rear end pointing due north, Scat (Buff), Hoot (gorgeous Arcauna, white and gray), Kapalua (Arcauna that must have a guilty conscious because she jumps and runs at the slightest disturbance), Loa (foreground, Arcauna) and Sunny (Buff)...

I am looking forward to this long weekend coming up. Getting auto-watering set-up, sprinklers for the garden and planning on the tilapia pond. Oh, yeah and running the CAT5 cable for the webcam. So this webcam will be controlled by you - meaning you will be able to move it left, right, up and down and even zoom it in and out.

The mister saved their bacon again today. It was 104 and a little humid - I am a west coaster, we have no idea what humid is, so I am not complaining - it just had a little more humidity than normal which makes me want to eat more avocado and acai berries and chase celebrities across earthquake damaged roads.

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2009-06-28T20:44:00.001-07:00

While teaching someone about chickens, I ended up pulling a snake out of a swimming pool.

Over 2000 Have Flown Through !

2009-06-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone -

We have eclipsed the 2000 visits mark. In 2.5 weeks... not bad. In fact, we are at 2244.

My chickens are happy...

I am taking off to get out of the heat... heading over to San Rafael, CA and to Angel Island. Pretty cool place... used to be the Ellis Island of the West Coast.

HEAT WAVE - UPDATE

2009-06-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

It hit 108 and is cooling off right now - 6:49pm.

The mister worked perfectly and it the chickens never had that gaspy - chokey look... I guess we'll call it panting.

I tried to dig the water line for the automatic feeder, but it was too hot. I will try tomorrow.

Need to feed the family now and BBQ...

HEAT WAVE - Chicken Mister

2009-06-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well, had no idea we were traveling to the surface of the sun today. The temperature is 95 in the shade and expected to hit 100+. We are in drought conditions here in the West and are not suppose to be wasting water... So, it was a choice between water or chickens, chickens or water...so I flipped my 1750 two-sided chicken coin and well, it came up chickens. So, I ran down to ACE and bought a mister. Hooked it up and mounted it to the coop. Chickens should be feeling about 15 degrees cooler.

Dirt Baths Run Amuck!

2009-06-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

Good grief - We are letting our chickens out more and it is like they have landed in Las Vegas and being ladies, wanted a spa treatment. You know the mud-bath thingy and then wrapped in seaweed and kelp with slices of cucumber in their eyes. No need of lip or teeth treatment since chickens don't have lips! and teeth are scarce... Oh my side... I am too much... anyway.

We let them out last night...and my goodness they hit the dirt like I hit the buffet. It was like a ballet of sorts and absolutely hilarious. once we put them back in the coop, they stood longingly a the door, waiting for their next visit to the spa.

I truly wonder what this does... elephants do it, rhinos do it, chickens do it. I assume without research it is some sort of coating to ward off ticks, mites and may act as actually a cleanser of sorts. Dirt and cleanser, I am sure Palmolive or Oil of Olay is loving this concept.

More postings soon. Specifically on a new program - nationwide called L.E.N.S. (Local Egg Nutrition Standards).