Oh My, Farming Is Harder Than I Thought!

So if you read my last blog post you know we moved to Crescent City, California last June and now have chickens and how I said once the kinks are worked out anyone can raise chickens. Well I'm going to let you in on our little adventure and elaborate on the kinks. When we moved on this property there was a mother load of blackberry bush. I guess they're native to this area because you see them everywhere. At first, I conjured up childhood memories of how my brother and I used to pick them and sell them for $3 a gallon in North Carolina. Now that was approximately 38 years ago. I got all excited thinking about all the blackberry cobblers and blackberry and dumplings I was going to make. Well, that didn't pan out. There was just too much and I was so overwhelmed that I decided I rather get rid of them being they were pushing against the fence and too much work.

We noticed a lot of goats in peoples yards when we would go out riding around. After talking to the locals and looking around on Craigslist we decided to get some goats ourselves. We came upon an ad with 2 goats which we picked up in Brookings, Oregon. They already had names, Nanny Goat and Peanut. We soon came to realize that it was going to take a long time for 2 goats to clean out the blackberry bush. We decided to get 2 more goats. They came from Arcata, California. I named them Huck and Finn.

After getting the goats, that's when we decided to go ahead with chickens. We purchased 12 hens for a $100 from a local here in Crescent City. As I said in my last blog post, the breeds consist of Americana, Plymouth Rocks, Jersey Giants, and Rhode Island Reds.

We attached the chicken coup to the existing building and fenced in an area for the chickens to come out and scratch. While on the other side of the fence the goats ate the blackberry bush.

Everything was going good so we decided to get a few peeps from the local feed store. We got 1 rooster and 2 hens.

They were so cute. I was so excited. Now realize we're new at this chicken thing. That being said they didn't make it. I was devastated. I decided after that I rather get hens that are older. So we purchased 12 one month old hens of different breeds from Brookings, Oregon. Everything was going great we thought. We let our guard down and our rat terrier, Crystal dug a hole beside the chicken coup where the babies were. Low and behold as they came out one by one our labrador, Spirit, killed about 5-6 of them.  I was so traumatized. The others escaped through the fence and never came back all except one. We looked for them but couldn't find them. The one that came back she died too and one of our big chickens died too. So we're left with 11 hens and 1 rooster.  Now when they're out we fence the dogs up. Lessons learned don't ever assume you know it all because I guarantee you something will happen when you least expect it. Read and educate yourself and also don't be afraid to ask questions even if they seem stupid. I'm happy to say everything is going good right now. Always be ready for the unexpected. (Oh and we got the rooster by trading all 4 goats for it. The goats did what we wanted so it was time to let them go. I was just concerned about them getting ate and was leery about letting them go.) Until next time have a great weekend.

Eggtatta, Fritatta, Whatevertatta...

When you raise chickens, you're going to have eggs galore. I recently moved to Crescent City, California last June, 2014 from the Bay Area looking for a simpler lifestyle. One where less is better and more fulfilling. February of this year I decided to build a chicken coop and get some chickens. I now have 11 chickens and 1 rooster. Chickens consist of Jersey Giants, Rhode Island Reds, Americana, Plymouth Rocks and I'm not sure what breed the rooster. I decided on chickens because the price of eggs kept going up and it's just cheaper to raise my own. They put out anywhere from 8-12 eggs daily (56-84 eggs a week). Now that's a lot of eggs you can say. The colors range from green, white and different shades of brown. Sometimes I end up with "fart" eggs. Lol! Fart eggs are usually harmless and most likely the hen laying the egg was interrupted but after a few days she should straighten herself out. I had 2 farts and then everything went back to normal. Now I get to do more baking and cooking because I have plenty of eggs on hand. I recently made a fritatta for dinner. I winged it from what I've seen on tv, in magazines and on the web. I mixed 3 eggs in a bowl and added the sauteed scallions, spicy hot sausage, bell peppers, jalapenos, which I cooked in olive oil along with some sea salt, black pepper, oregano and thyme. After the egg had cooked on the bottom and around the sides I finished it off in the oven on 350 for about 10-15 mins until done. Topped it off with some shredded cheddar cheese. But you can use whatever you have on hand.

I must say it turned out better than I thought. Raising chickens is easier than I thought once the kinks are worked out. No matter where you live, in the city or the country. Give it a try. There's some great books and blogs on raising chickens that will help get you started. Until next time,

Bon Appetit

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