I get asked a lot about what it is like to keep my own chickens. Some who ask are just curious, and others want to know because they are intrigued and interested in keeping their own chickens. I thought I would share some a few fun facts about keeping chickens.

The first thing I say is you MUST, MUST, MUST have a coop that is secure with a fenced in area for them to roam.

If you are not interested in making an investment in a coop and fencing, don’t bother keeping chickens.

Why do I say such a thing? Because I have learned the hard way, everything will want to eat your chickens, and I mean everything. The neighbors dog, your dog, the local fox, coyotes, hawks, raccoons, possums and even weasels all want to munch on your chickens. Let’s face it chickens don’t have any fighting skills to protect themselves, so it is up to you.   That means a fence to keep out daytime predators and a nice secure coop to keep those nocturnal predators.

Past that big warning, I talk about all the fun, strange and silly things that come along with keeping chickens.

Keeping chickens means lots and lots of poop. Yep, you heard me. Chickens are poop machines. They poop in their coop, they poop where they walk, where they sleep, where they… you get the idea.   I have read that one hen can produce 45 pounds of poop, per year. That my friend is a lot of poop!

BUT, not to fret, because chicken poop is the best when it comes to composting. If you are a gardener, BONUS! Now you can start making your own garden compost.

Since we touched on composting and gardening, let me just tell you about having chickens running around your garden. Now my chickens are fenced in, but when I am out working in my garden I let them out of their enclosure and give them time to run around the yard. While they are out exploring they hunt down bugs and gobble them up. Making them the perfect organic all natural pest control.

While they are out walking and exploring their curiosity at about everything can lead to the best entertainment. Cause let me tell you chickens are busy bodies.

Many a time I have gone into the house to grab something, only to head back out and find them in the garage checking out the tool chest, as they were on top of the tool chest. We won’t tell my hubby that one happened.

Chickens also love treats. They come running when they think you have a bag of goodies. It is so cute to see a pack of fluffy chickens waddling as fast as they can toward you if they thing you got the goods. If I am out in the garden when my hubby gets home from work he will grab the treat bag and come out to see me, because he gets the biggest kick out of all the girls running towards him to get the free handouts.

Chickens come in all different shapes and colors. I have several different breeds of chickens. The reason I chose to mix it up was not only because I enjoy the different colors of the chickens, but because their eggs can come in as many different colors and shape as the chickens themselves.

I get asked a lot if the eggs whose shells are blue taste or look different then the eggs that are white. Nope they all taste they same.  What makes your eggs taste different is how your chickens live, do they get out of a coop and get out to forage, and what kind of food do you feed them.  The higher quality food the healthier chicken and the better tasting and quality egg.  I have been feeding Purina certified USDA Organic chicken feed that I get at my local Tractor Supply store.  Chicken feed and supplies are readily available at most feed stores, and on line.

Another reason I like to have different breeds in my flock is each breed has unique personality characteristics. Just like dogs each breeds from the next. Some chickens are friendly and liked to be close to you and will even come sit in your lap, while others are skittish and shy, as well as some can be down right mean. Each has their own quirks and it won’t take long for you to pick up on their individuality.

Lastly I tell anyone who is interested in keeping chickens that they need to give care past giving them water and feed. You will have to spend a bit of time getting to know your chickens, how they act, and keeping an eye on them. If their behavior changes, if they limp, if they have dirty butts, or if their legs are swelling you may have to give a treatment. Not to say that chickens are high maintenance, but they can get sick, sore feet, and respiratory infections. The thing about chickens is they are tough, so when you notice something wrong, sometimes it may be too late.

Thankfully there is so much information on the Internet that if you do notice something off about your chicken, typing in your symptoms typically will give you plenty of advice on what may be the cause.

Keeping chickens is definitely a fun and rewarding hobby. Not only for all the gorgeous and delicious eggs you will get, but because they offer so much fun and benefits for you and your whole family.

Learn more about Purina Organic Chicken Feed | Find Purina Retailer |  Purina Facebook | Purina Pinterest | Purina YouTube

This post has been sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition, as such I received free product from Purina to share my opinion with my readers. However, my opinions are based on my individual and unique experience. Based on my experience in 2016 I believe this line of feed has been amazing for my flock and I encourage you to try it too!

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I was at the gym last week and one my fellow crossfitter’s pulled me aside to ask me about eggs. Her question was if there really is a difference between organic farm fresh eggs and conventional store-bought eggs?

Though it seems like a simple question, it really is quite complicated.  Mostly because of all the different type of eggs sold today.  Conventional, Cage Free, Organic, and Free Range.  So, I asked what led her to her question and  she told me that her and her husband were considering getting a few chickens to raise in their backyard.  I had given some of my eggs to her and husband in the past and they were so impressed with the quality that it sparked an interest for them to start their own flock.  

So began my speech about the what it takes to raise your own chickens and how it guarantees you the best quality eggs available.  

Besides having a good quality coop that keeps your chickens safe and comfortable, your chickens will need fresh air, fresh water and a diet high in calcium. Chickens need a surprisingly diverse diet to lay the healthiest and the most lovely eggs.  

That means they need access to good quality poultry feed as their main source of food.  When I started keeping backyard chickens, organic feed was not sold at the local store, but had to be ordered on-line, and to say it was expensive was being kind. 

Thankfully Purina has come out with a complete line of certified USDA organic feed that is made with all the ingredients you want for your chickens and none of those you don’t.  Like genetically modified ingredients, animal by products, preservatives and NO growth hormones.  That means the best quality eggs for you and your family and helps to keep chickens healthy.  

The healthier your chickens the healthier their eggs.

Learn more about Purina Organic Chicken Feed | Find Purina Retailer |  Purina Facebook | Purina Pinterest | Purina YouTube

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This post has been sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition, as such I received free product from Purina to share my opinion with my readers. However, my opinions are based on my individual and unique experience. Based on my experience in 2016 I believe this line of feed has been amazing for my flock and I encourage you to try it too!

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Fun Facts about Chickens some fun facts about my lovely feathered friends that rule my garden, eat my bugs, squawk at me and feed me.

~There are more chickens in the world than any other bird species.  In fact, more than 50 billion chickens are reared annually as a source of food, for both their meat and their eggs.

~Chickens are one of the most common domesticated animals in the world.

~Chickens are gregarious birds and live together as a flock with a distinct hierarchy or “pecking order.” They would naturally spend their day foraging for food, scratching the ground looking for insects and seeds.

~The chicken is the closest living relative to the great Tyrannosaurus-Rex.

~Chickens were first domesticated from a wild form called red jungle fowl, a bird that still runs wild in most of southeast Asia. (The guy in the top picture is a red jungle rooster or known as a phoenix)

~No one is positive who domesticated the chicken first, but based on archaeological evidence  it was the Chinese in 5400 BC

~Baby chickens are chicks. Female chickens are pullets until they’re old enough to lay eggs and become hens. Male chickens are called roosters, cocks or cockerels, depending on the country you’re in.

~Scientists think that the rooster’s wattle–the dangly bit beneath his beak–helps him to gain a hen’s attention when he is strutting his stuff.

~Chickens can get frost bite on their wattles, combs and feet.

~Chickens perform complex communication where calls have specific meanings. They perform over 30 types of vocalisation that we are aware of with meanings varying from calling youngsters, alarm calls, and alerting others to the whereabouts of food.

~A female chicken will mate with many different males but if she decides, after the deed is done, that she doesn’t want a particular rooster’s offspring and can eject his sperm. This occurs most often when the male is lower in the pecking order.

~Chickens are omnivores. They will eat seeds and insects but also larger prey like small mice, lizards and snakes.

~Chickens are able to remember and recognise over 100 individuals; they can also recognise humans.   They form complex social hierarchies, also known as “pecking orders,” and every chicken knows his or her place on the social ladder.

~Chickens comprehend cause-and-effect relationships and understand that objects still exist even after they are hidden from view.

~Like other birds and mammals, chickens experience REM sleep, which is associated with dreaming.

~Hens have 340 taste buds and chickens can’t taste sweetness in foods however they can detect salt, and most choose to avoid it.

~There are chickens everywhere in the world except for Antarctica.

~The record for the most yolks in an egg is nine.

~A double-yolked egg occurs when two egg yolks are released into a hen’s oviduct too close together and end up encased within the same shell.

~Because commercially sold eggs in the United States are weighed and candled before being sold you will probably never see a double yolk unless you buy from backyard chicken farmers.

Thanks for checking out my facts and a few of the ladies and gents from my backyard flock.  I hope you enjoyed yourself.

xo, Amy

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

Making egg shell planters is a fun Earth Day DIY for the whole family. Welcome Spring with this easy to make project that’s a creative activity for spring, Easter or Earth Day.

Gardening in the spring is fun for the whole family. It’s the best time of the year to get outside and make your own egg carton seed starter or egg shell planter. Both are a great way to recycle your egg shells and egg cartons making them the perfect Earth Day DIY.

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. It is a day to appreciate and celebrate the environment. Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. Since then, it has been celebrated in over 192 countries.

Each year it reminds us to give back to the planet we live on by doing, creating, or making. You might want to get together an Earth Day craft and talk about recycling with the kids or get in the yard for a more hands-on project.

This year to show support for Earth Day I wanted to share this super easy and fun DIY Eggshell Planters. I saw a pin on Pinterest that inspired me to give this craft a try and I couldn’t wait to share this with you guys. 

Egg Shell Planters

Because we raise hens and my collection basket of eggs were overflowing, it was a no brainer for me to use a few for this quick Earth Day craft.

I am also getting ready to start planting my spring annuals and thought this would be a great way to make an Easter centerpiece as well as celebrate mother earth by recycling the egg shells and egg carton.

You can use any type of seed in your egg shell planters, but I like to use flowers or herbs. Some great options are petunia, pansy, snapdragon, verbena, impatiens, basil, thyme, and parsley.

Egg Carton Seed Starters

An egg carton seed starter is another great way to recycle your egg cartons and get ready for gardening in the spring. Having the planters in a controlled environment will help your plants get a good start before you transplant them outside.

You can use this method for starting any type of seedling, but I like to start my herb seeds this way. I find it easier to keep an eye on the moisture levels and the soil stays warmer a bit longer in the early spring days.  

I have planted up some parsley in a separate arrangements to give as gifts to friends for the holidays. The little seedlings grow quickly and will be popped up, ready to gift by the time Easter rolls around.

How To Plant Flowers in Egg Shell Planters

After you have placed the half eggshells in the carton, it is time to add some soil. I use a light potting mix soil, but you can use any type that you like.

Once you are ready to plant your annuals, gently pull away the excess dirt, keeping the main roots in tact and gently place them in the shell. 

You may need to fill any extra room back in with loose soil. Gently water and place in a sunny spot until you are ready to use them.

Keep an eye on the moisture levels, especially when the seedlings or flowers first start to grow. You don’t want the soil to be too wet or too dry.

Once I am done using this as my Easter brunch centerpiece I can then plant the flowers (eggs and all) in my outdoor planters to enjoy throughout the upcoming summer. Happy planting!

Did you enjoy this DIY Eggshell Planters and you want more Earth Day projects?  Check out the Earth Day Projects below from The Garden Charmers.  Something for everyone, so we can all get involved this coming Earth Day.

Earth Day Projects With The Garden Charmers

• Kill Them With Kindness / Celebrating Earth Day | Lynne – Sensible Gardening & Living
• Celebrating Earth Day Every Day | Heather – New House New Home New Life
• Earth Day Inspiration | Jacki – Drought Smart Plants
• Earth Day Projects For Kids | Melissa – Empress of Dirt
• Earth Day | Judy – Magic Touch & Her Gardens
• Natural Garden Remedies for Earth Day | Shelley – Sow & Dipity
• DIY Eggshell Planters | Amy – A Healthy Life For Me
• Attracting Beneficial Insects to the Garden | Stephanie – Garden Therapy
• 12 Easy Ways to Celebrate Earth Day | Carol – The Gardening Cook
• Earth Day ~ 50 ideas to Green Our Lives & Communities | Barb – Our Fairfield Home & Garden
• Planting a Honey Bee Friendly Garden | Tanya – Lovely Greens

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

A look back at my garden from 2013 so I can look forward to 2014.

Yesterday my first seed catalog arrived in the mail.  I am one of those strange people that find this quite exciting.  I wait until all my favorite seed catalogs arrive, Johnny’s, Harris, Jung, Gurney’s.  I sit down with my post it notes and a pad of paper and I write my wish list, marking all my favorites as I go.  I usually order my seeds by February so that I can start several seed varieties inside the house around March.  Wanting them to be ready to plant outside in April (with any luck).  I have a great enthusiasm about starting seeds each year, it’s uplifting coming into a new year.

 I know we make our new Years resolutions, but we still carry our worries and mistakes, and that holds true for the garden as well.

The only way to improve is to look at the mistakes and try to correct them as best as we can.

Some mistakes and success I found in my garden in 2012.

FLEA BEETLES: I plan on using row covers earlier rather than later.  The flea beetles were pretty severe this year, and I lost my eggplants before I could harvest a complete crop.  I will cover as soon as I plant my eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli and kale plants.

A success were the root vegetables, I had great success with rainbow mix carrots, golden beets and rainbow radishes.   These all did so well and I was able to make so many delicious recipes with these guys and they will store in the refrigerator.  The Onions, garlic and Zucchini  also gave me a large yield.

The Onions and Zucchini were in abundance.My beekeeping was a bit mediocre this year.  I still have four hives, but two were struggling as the cooler temperature arrived, so I am hopefully they will survive, but if not, I will only keep two hives next year.  I also plan to plant a bit of a wild flower garden in hopes of providing food for the bees and a great environment for the local wildlife, frogs, snakes, and birds.

If you are interested in keeping bees next season, check out my How to Set up a beehive video.

A success was sharing my garden, chickens and bees with friends. If you ask most gardeners, they keep their gardens for the food of course, but also to share it with others.  It really is a wonderful feeling to share all your hard work so that others can enjoy it.  Whether it is your produce or a walk through the garden.  Last summer we had two visitors stop by to share some time learning about the chickens, collecting eggs, seeing the beehives and just enjoying Mother Nature.  So, I hope to do more of that next year.

This year we had two wonderful guests Lily and Autumn who came over to learn about the chickens, feed them some crackers and bread, collect some eggs to take home and see how many bees were coming in and out of the bee hive.

I hope you had a wonderful year in the garden, and that next year will be even more successful.  I love hearing what is working and what isn’t in your garden.  Like Whitley’s first experience with the dreaded and freightenening hornworm, or Brains huge success with Canna Lilies.   I find inspiration in hearing your stories, so I hope you will continue to share in 2014.

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September in the Garden can be beautiful and one of the most important times for you to improve the health of your garden.

 Fall is here and the vegetable garden is finishing up all that is left are Brussels Sprouts, Beets and Romaine.

The chickens are molting, which means they are shedding old feathers to promote new feather growth.  The yard and the coop are full of feathers and the hens are not looking so pretty right now.  This also means they are taking a break laying while there bodies work on producing the new feathers.

The Asters, Goldenrod, Japanese Anemone and Verbena are the only blooms in my garden, so what should we be doing to prepare our gardens for old man winter?

• Plant spinach and cover with row cover so you can have fresh winter salad greens.
• Plant garlic by month’s end for harvest next June.
• Dig up, divide, and replant clumps of overgrown perennials.
• Take a trip to the local nurseries for some new perennial varieties.  With the cool weather and fall rain, now is the perfect time for moving and planting perennials.

• Dig up tender dahlias, cannas, caladium, and gladiolus before frost hits; store tubers and bulbs in a cool, dry spot.  Want to know how to do this?  Click (here) to find out.
• Gathering seeds from your own garden is a easy and inexpensive way to expand your plant inventory.  Click (here) to find out how.
• WEED, WEED, WEED, an ounce of prevention will pay off in the spring.
• Start pulling out your annuals and replacing them with your fall annuals, mums, pansies and kales.
• While tearing out your tomatoes, peppers, beans, etc.  keep your eyes open for bugs.  Remove bad bugs and their larvae.

Fall is my favorite season with the cooler temperature, blue skies and the beautiful colors.  Get out there and enjoy your garden every day is a blessing!

xo Amy

 Don’t miss my 10 Tips for September Gardening

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July Gardening; Gladiolus, Garden Phlox and Blue Maran Chickens, learn a bit about each.

My Day Lilies have finished blooming.  I wrote an article last year about how Kindness Made me Fall in Love with the Daylily, I would be honored if you took the time to pop over and read my post, you can find it here.

Right now my garden is laden with Gladiolus.  Gladiolus are like M&M you can’t resist them and there is a color for everyone.  When my garden has only a few perennials in full bloom in July, I can always count on this bulb to show off its tall heads of beauty.  Most people recognize the Gladiolus from their appearance in so many bouquets.  They make a great cut flower that will last quite awhile in a vase.

They are easy to grow and are generally grouped by flower size into classes from miniature to giant.  Ranging from 2 to 6 feet in height, they have very sturdy sword shaped leaves and produce flower spikes with trumpet-shaped florets borne in double rows.  They bloom from bottom to the top of the stalk, which is unusual.   Remove individual flowers as they fade, and cut back flower stalks once all flowers have gone by. Leave foliage intact to mature and rejuvenate the corm for next year.

They say that if you live in zone 7 and colder you need to dig up your Gladiolus bulbs to ensure they come back the next year.  I am in zone 6 and I never dig up my bulbs and they come back doubled every year.  I have them growing in full sun and well-drained soil that is sheltered from strong winds.  You usually have to give your Gladiolus some sort of support.  I use garden stakes and criss-cross garden twine through the stakes at various heights to support the Glads as they grow.

  Plant your bulbs in the spring, you can find bulbs in most nursery and hardware stores as well as on-line.  Plant the Gladiolus bulbs or corms 4 – 5 inches deep and plant the bulbs 5-6″ apart.  I like to plant them in large groupings, 12-20 bulbs together  so I get a maximum impact when they bloom.  To plant bulbs, dig a trench or hole and pace each bulbs  at least 4 inches apart. For large, show-quality flowers, more space is needed. Two to four times the bulb diameter is the spacing rule.

Another summer bloomer, and another of my favorites is the Garden Phlox.  They are long blooming, hardy and long-lived, often fragrant and they should not need staking, in garden speak that means they are low maintenance with big reward. They come in a range of heights from 2-5′, and produce huge trumpet-shaped flower clusters in mid-late summer, in a range of colors from pure white to red, with nearly every shade of pink, lavender, salmon and purple in between. Tall Phlox prefers full sun and the more sun it receives the more blooms and faster it spreads.  In the South , it performs best when afternoon shade is provided.  I have Garden Phlox in both full all day sun and afternoon shade with success.  You want to plant Garden Phlox in a location with moderately fertile, well-drained soils. They do not perform well in locations with poor drainage or soils that remain constantly damp.

The Garden Phlox attracts, Butterflies, Bumble bees, Hummingbirds, Honey Bees, and Hummingbird Moths.  There is always a lot of activity around a cluster of Phlox, which to me makes the garden a much more interesting place to be.

One problem that I occasionally have with my Garden Phlox is Powdery Mildew.  I talked about how to treat this nuisance last week in my post.  Check it out here if you are experience this problem.

If you plan on adding Garden Phlox to your garden, which I highly recommend, plant in spring, spacing plants 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on the variety. Prepare the garden bed by using a garden fork or tiller to loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches, then mix in a 2 to 4-inch layer of compost. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the pot the plant is in. Carefully remove the plant from its container and place it in the hole so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface. Carefully fill in around the root ball and firm the soil gently. Water thoroughly.

 I wanted to share with you one of the breeds of chickens that I have in my flock.  They are typically referred to as Blue Marans but officially they are named Marans.  They are considered somewhat rare and are becoming a sought after breed mostly because of the chocolate brown eggs that they lay.  They are very mellow birds and get along with the flock quite well.  They originated in the French village of Marans about 240 miles southwest of Paris or 100 miles north of Bordeaux.   They got the word Blue added to their name because they have black feathers that shine blue in the sun.  I have two hens a rooster and if you read my blog, you will know the story of my Rooster Foghorn.  You can read how I came to own Foghorn here.

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July Gardening; Tomatoes, Garden Pests and the Heat are typical troubles for the vegetable gardener.

Your tomato plants leaves may be turning  yellow toward the bottom of the plant.  You have nothing to worry about the leaves of tomato plant turning yellow at the bottom of the plant means these leaves probably aren’t getting the nutrients from the soil and aren’t getting enough sunshine. This especially happens now when our plants are more mature and bearing fruit.

Some gardeners remove all of the leaves below the first flower, infected or not, in order to minimize these disease problems.

Watch for spots and yellowing on the lower leaves of your tomatoes.  They are early signs of diseases such as septoria leaf spot and early blight.  I have this on about half of my tomato plants right now.  Most likely from the excess rain that we received.

Preventative measures include removing the infected leaves. Bag the leaves and throw them away or burn them, but do not put them on the compost pile. You should also consider spreading a thin layer of straw mulch over the soil to minimize splashing of spores onto the leaves during rain or irrigation.

Another problem you may be experiencing on your perennials and certain vegetables is Powdery Mildew, which looks like a white powder on your plant leaves.  You can prevent powdery mildew from infecting plants with weekly sprayings of a baking soda solution.  Make the solution with one tablespoon of baking soda per gallon of water, adding a half teaspoon of liquid dish soap as a spreader-sticker.  Apply once a week in mid-summer and only on well-watered plants.  Spray the plants early in the day, not in full sun.  Discard any unused solution.

**Try the solution on  a few leaves first to make sure your plant is not super-sensitive.**

You may be seeing Japanese Beetles showing up in your garden.  Instead of spraying pesticides, carry a small pail of soapy water with you and pick or knock the beetles into it.  With heavy infestations, pull the entire plant into the pail.

The pest that I have been waging a war on in my garden is a rascally rabbit.  The little fluff ball has found a whole in the fencing and sneaks in to help him or herself to delicious veggie morsels.  I sent in the security force, namely my Airedale Roman and he was unsuccessful.  Another tactic is to spread rabbit scram or blood meal or fox urine.  You can find most of these at your local garden centers.  Spread the product around the area that you want to keep rabbits away.  This is not full proof but does help.

The heat takes its toll on the chickens as well.  They need to have plenty of shade and water.  They drink more water when its hot and egg production usually falls off.   You can give them treats of cold watermelon, which they love and ice cubes in their water bowl.  They will hold their wings away from their body to help cool their body temperature and open their beaks to pant to help regulate their body heat.  Let me tell ya’ there has been lots of chicken panting going on with the temperature in the 90’s all week.

Of course to complicate matters several hens have decided to go “broody”, which means they want to lay on eggs and try to produce babies.  This is very unhealthy for the hens when its hot because the coop can get extremely hot and the hens will refuse to get up and go out to cool themselves.  That leaves me removing them several times throughout the day.  One of the biggest “broody” offenders is my hen Ms. Grace, she and I have had several conversations about this, but she refuses to listen.  When I pop her out of the nesting box, the first thing she likes to do is run over and stand in the water dish, cooling herself with a quick foot bath.  She could care less if her fellow hens are in the process of getting a drink or not.  It’s all about Ms. Grace.

It’s hard to enjoy the garden in this heat, but don’t hesitate to plant more carrot, beet, radishes, and heat resistant lettuce varieties.  You’ll be happy you did when things cool off and you can be back in the garden.

Hope the heat breaks soon.  Stay cool until then.

xo Amy

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

June Garden; dealing with Cabbageworms and Flea Beetles in your organic vegetable garden.

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When you have a blog that talks about gardening, you have a ton to write about in the spring, summer and fall, but sadly you don’t have a whole lot of time to write it.  You are so busy keeping up with the weeding, cutting, planting, (did I say weeding), and harvesting, that you usually use up any free time you have out in the garden.

On top of the garden chores it has been a busy couple of weeks; I traveled with my family to watch my oldest row in California and the next weekend my youngest graduated from High School.  A lot of accomplished for two wonderful and well deserving people.  I am very proud of both!

 Of course the garden could care less that I am busy and the weeds decided it was a perfect time to make a last dash effort to overtake the garden.  Along with the weeds, the bugs have shown their ugly faces.   The environment is perfect for them right now, warm with consistent rain, a bug’s tropical refuge.  Find out more about companion planting for pests here.

I know I am not the only one with buggy problems.  My friend shot me an email yesterday asking what the green worms were devouring the leaves on her kale, cauliflower and broccoli.  Sadly I knew first hand what had started mining her leaves.  The cabbageworms, cabbage loopers and diamondback moths are small green caterpillars that do a lot of damage on the leaves of cabbage family.  Once you get them, they are a pain to get rid of.  A sure sign you have them is the sight of the beautiful little white moths exuberantly flying around your garden flowers. Once you see them you know you will have or already have worms.  I recommend picking off as many as you can by hand, and feeding them to your chickens.  If you do not have a chicken on hand, make sure you throw these buggers in the trash.  It is also recommended to use organic Spinosad insect spray, I choose not to use this it even though it is considered organic it is also a toxin and my garden is small enough for me to pick off by hand.  You must then cover your plants with a light fabric to prevent re-infestation.  You can find row cover fabric at hardware, plant stores and Amazon.  If you compost, do **not** throw any infested plants in your compost pile, throw them away.

Another pest you may be dealing with is the flea beetle.  I get them every year and this year once again they are enjoying my eggplant leaves.  Though they don’t touch the vegetable, the strain that they put on the plant by eating small holes all over their leaves, causes the plant or stop growing or die.  These guys are so small you can not pick them off, but you can spray your plants with an insecticidal soap, which is soap water and oil mix, you can find in hardware, plant stores and Amazon.  You must also cover plants with fabric to keep the flea beetle off the plant.

Otherwise the garden is healthy and thriving, The lambs ear is in full bloom (find out more about growing here) and I am patiently awaiting the Daylilies and to start their daily display along with the phlox and Coneflowers, two of my favorite summer perennials.

The chickens are on lock down as I have a red tail hawk stalking them, it captured a full grown bunny yesterday.  It is against the law to shoot birds of prey in the state of Ohio, so sadly I think the gals will only have supervised hours free ranging until I feel they are safe again.  I captured the killer redhanded leaving my pond where he/she had feasted on several of my fish.  As I am sure you have figured out I am not a big fan of the red tail hawk.

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

Gardening in the Month of May is one of my favorite times of the year.  There is so much to do, but there is so much possibility.

During the end of May the garden is alive with color, and you want to spend as much time as you can outside enjoying.  Which is a good thing because there is plenty of work to be done.  Besides pulling weeds, deadheading blooms is usually on everyone’s to do list.

Deadheading, the removal of spent blossoms with the aim of forcing a plant to rebloom, is our technique for tricking the plant into thinking it has failed in this reproductive process. By removing the blossom before it has had a chance to fully develop a fruit, the plant sends out regrowth hormones, produces a new bloom, and tries again.  It also helps us to control plants spreading seeds to reseed.  The Shasta and Chive are prolific reseeders, so even if you remove 3/4 of the spent blooms you will have new young shoots up before the end of the growing season.

Others need a little more care deadheading, especially repeat-blooming plants such as roses.  Deadheading roses has multiple functions.  Not only will it conserve plant energy and produce more blooms, it will also remove hiding places and food for insects which often become pests in our garden. It may even permit minor improvements in air circulation, thus reducing the potential for fungal diseases.

Generally when deadheading your roses all cuts are best made at an angle away from and slightly above the node (where the leaf bud grows from the stem)  This is true with most roses but not all, if you have a rose that blooms with clusters, cut further down the stem.

As you are laying your mulch remember to keep iris rhizomes exposed (roots of iris). Unlike bulbs, which thrive deep underground, iris rhizomes need a bit of sun and air to dry them out. If they’re covered with soil or crowded by other plants, they’ll rot. So lightly mulch around your Iris. Don’t forget that Iris can not be composted, so throw spent blooms in the garbage or a brush pile.

Out in the vegetable garden we have been cutting and eating our lettuce, radishes and onions.  There is nothing, I **MEAN** nothing better than home-grown lettuce.  I highly recommend it!

I have also started pinching my indeterminate (vine type) tomato plants.  You need to pinch and remove suckers that develop in the crotch joint of two branches. They won’t bear fruit and will take energy away from the rest of the plant.  You also want to prune suckers out so the overall plant doesn’t get top-heavy and sun light and air can reach the entire plant.

Not all types of tomatoes need to be pruned. If you are growing determinate (bush type) tomatoes, you don’t want to prune. The reason for this is that determinate plants develop all of their fruit at one time, so if you prune, you’re sacrificing tomatoes for no reason.

I have also planted my second crop of green beans and cilantro.  You want to plant a second crop of cilantro because your first crop will quickly go to seed (flowers will form) and once it happens the herb no longer has the same flavor.

I had a bit of a misstep with one of my beehives last week.  I forgot to remove a sugar feeding bottle and they started to build comb with larvae around the bottle.  I suited up and went out last Thursday night around 8:30 just before dark to remove it.  I didn’t make sure that my suit was tucked into my shoes and two very angry ladies crawled up into my suit and stung me.  I also got stung on each hand.  About 30 minutes later I broke out into hives and was itching all over. My poor worried husband had a very irritable wife on his hands, but he was very sweet and worried about me and made me swallow a few Benadryl.  He kept a close eye on me until the Benadryl took effect and I was snoring.  Then he was over it!  Keeping bees can be vexing.

The hens and roosters have been enjoying the meadow garden that I have growing.  They love to walk in the tall grass-eating the seed heads and any bugs that they can find.  Two of my roosters have been squabbling and Foghorn has a raw patch on his back from Houdini.  Though don’t feel too sorry for Foghorn, he takes every available opportunity to catch Houdini’s girls alone, if you know what I mean.

Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy the last few days of May.

xo Amy

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

Vegetable and Perennial Care in May some of the busiest time spent in the garden.  With backyard chickens to keep you company you are always entertained.

The girls and guys have been enjoying their time free ranging, especially over the last few days when the temperature has reached 90 degrees.  They find a nice cool spot under the bushes and take dust baths in the cool soil.  I have had to completely ban them from the vegetable garden, closing the gate.  They were starting to eat the lettuce and young strawberries.  They still are munching on the grass and clovers that run through the lawn.  I was told by an organic chicken farmer that allowing chickens to graze on grass and clover makes their bones very hard as well as their egg shells.  My girls egg shells are so thick you need to use a little muscle to crack them.

Grace my Bantam hen is still broody, trying to sit on eggs.  She has removed all the feathers on her chest, to help keep the eggs as closes to her skin so that she can keep them warm.  I feel bad to keep removing her, but this late in the season with the heat in the coop it is for her own health that she needs to be removed.   Poor frustrated girl.

The carrots and beet shoots are up and I will be thinning the new seedlings this weekend.  You need to thin all your seedlings, especially vegetables that grow in the ground.  They will grow in and around each other and ruin the crop if you do not thin.  I thin to about 1″ – 1 1/2″ for carrots, beets, and radishes.  I tend to allow the lettuce and greens to grow closely together, but when air can not circulate around the greens you will have to watch for mildew and pests. Thinning as needed.

The Peonies and Iris have finally opened their blooms and have been as stunning as ever.  There is nothing more beautiful than a Peony bloom.  They are a gem of the garden.  They are also hardy and carefree.  They say years after a homestead is abandoned, you can depend on the Peony to bloom every spring.  Needing no special care as long as they are planted in the right conditions.

My naturalizing bed that is 100′ long and 4′ wide is filled with different variety of perennials in a repeat planting, with various blooms coming throughout the season.  Blooming right now is the Shasta Daisies, Allium, and Columbine.  The hens love to escort me as I weed this bed, they especially love rooting around in the Lamb’s ear, I am sure under its dense cover there are bugs galore.  If you have Shasta and Columbine, try to keep up with the deadheading (cutting spent blooms) this will keep from reseeding and keep the plants looking tidy.  At the end of their bloom cycle, cut down their stems to the ground foliage.  Cut your allium down to ground level after the foliage turns yellow in late summer. Avoid cutting the foliage while it’s still green, as the living foliage provides the bulbs with energy for the following blooming season.

I have had several visitors this week.  I am a big proponent of snakes, turtles, and frogs in the garden.  Each is a great predator of pests that we all want to get rid of in our garden.  However because of their sensitive central nervous system they are very vulnerable to pesticides and poisons.  Since I am and have been organic since we moved here over 10 years ago, my lawn, gardens and home are a safe environment for snakes, turtles and frogs.  On Monday when I ran out to start the grill, I noticed this fellow laying on the back patio sunning himself.  Luckily the i-phone was in my back pocket so I snapped a photo.  My youngest son was flipping the compost pile for me and found a box turtle that he safely rescued and released into the wooded area behind our house.  The frogs have been singing there melody in the evenings.  Last but not least over the weekend, we had a visitor in the house, that lets just say “our visitor” made me scream loud enough that I am sure the neighbors heard.  I’m keeping that one secret!

xo, Amy

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

For me there is nothing more beautiful than a Spring Garden flush with new blooms, green garden grass, the seasons first vegetables being pulled from the ground and chickens enjoying time in the garden.

Spring has finally arrived and I have been spending countless hours each day enjoying the garden.  This year I am not even a grumpy weed puller I am so happy to just be able to finally get out there.  Compared to last year the garden is a bit over a month behind on its growth because of the cold spring temperatures.  However, I am not going to complain because my garden has finally started to explode with color and I am enjoying every minute of it.

The Primrose was spectacular this year, probably because of the long cool days.  They bloomed in abundance and I took countless photos because I couldn’t resist their beauty.

The peonies will be opening in the next few days, one bud is partially open, but because of the variety that I have planted they will bloom for several weeks.  Their fragrance will float through the garden, enticing me to get in there and pull any weeds just so I can have an excuse to hang out and enjoy their glorious blooms.   The Irises will bloom along with the Peonies waving their tall slender heads above their shorter garden companion.   (When doing garden clean up of peonies and irises DO NOT compost).  If you are interested in finding out more about Peonies, check out my post ‘A Love Affair’

The vegetable “kitchen” garden has just produced its first produce of radishes.  I planted a ‘rainbow mix’, which as you can see, are just beautiful.  I planted my first batch of radish seeds along with my sweet peas.  The radishes act as a natural pest repellent for my peas, and the radishes are ready for picking long before the peas are tall and block the sun.

The strawberries are ripening from their flowers and I will have berries in a few weeks.  The lettuce will be able to be cut next week, and will continue to produce through several more cuts before I will have to pull them and reseed.  You can plant rows of radishes between your lettuce rows as well.

The chickens did a good job removing any bugs in the garden over the last month, but sadly they will be banned from the vegetable garden.  I caught several hens and a rooster, rolling in the cilantro bed together.  Needless to say, the cilantro will have to be replanted.  Naughty girls.

The girls have been laying a collective dozen or more eggs a day.  Ms. Grace one of my older hens has decided to go “Broody” again, which means she wants to be a mom and refuses to leave the coop and proceeds to roll every egg laid under her fluffy butt everyday.  I go and pop her off the eggs (several times a day), avoiding her trying to peck me and plop her outside the coop.  She fluffs up her feathers and tells me off each time.  It’s a fun little game we play!  Not really- it’s annoying, she is lucky she is so cute.

The beehives have had an adequate spring.  My three hives seem to be getting off to a good start, but Liz has had to combine two hives and it seems the other is laying too many drones “boys”, which is bad, because the female bees are the workers of the hive.  They are the ones who go and get the pollen and nectar, turn it into honey, care and nurse the larvae, and build comb.   While the drones’ main function is to be ready to fertilize a receptive queen and do no work to grow the hive.   Liz took a frame of larvae from one of the healthy hives, brushed off all the bees and added to the drone-laying hive, in hopes that a new queen will be born and start to lay workers instead of drones.

Phew, no wonder I am tired.  However, spring is my **favorite** time in the garden.  I will be planting more radishes, beets, lettuce and my eggplant and a few more peppers for the hubby tomorrow.  (If it doesn’t rain).

I hope you have been enjoying your garden and remember to keep weeding it builds character, at least that’s what I tell my boys.  Also, water if it doesn’t rain every two to three days, as the days get longer and warmer the newer plants will not survive through a single dry spell without a little help.

Xo, Amy

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

Which Eggs should you be eating?  There are more and more choices of egg varieties when you are at your grocery store.  Regular, Cage Free, Free Range, and Organic. Which ones are the best choice for you?  Read on and find out.

Yep that pretty much sums up how the weather has been around here.  Snow flurries on Sunday, thunderstorms at 6 A.M on Monday morning with rain all day and Tuesday and Wednesday gusty freezing winds.  That is why my garden is still a quiet empty shell.  The rosemary is holding strong and the garlic and onion have green sprouts up, but I haven’t been able to plant lettuce, radishes, sweet peas, greens or beets, which this time last year  were already sprouting from the ground.

I know that we need this crazy cold wet weather to balance what was a mild winter last year, but come on already Mother Nature, enough!

My poor chickens yard is a mud pit, my hubby says with 40 little feet running around in there all day long what do I expect?  My chicken yard, the area that is fenced in around my coops is 50′ x 50′ that is 2500 square feet.  That is a pretty big space for 20 chickens.  Even though I still open the door and let them run around out into our yard of 7 acres as much as I can.  Though through the winter they may only be let out a few hours a week.  I have to keep an eye on them while they are out for fear of predators, mainly red tail hawks, and I have no desire to stand outside and watch them in freezing weather.  The cold keeps me in the house and them in their fenced in yard and with all the wet whether we have had over the last month there is a lot of mud.  However, with their yard being so muddy I have felt very guilty so I have been letting them out several hours a day this last week, just so that their little toes can dry out.  Though the ladies have been real troopers laying eggs no matter the weather.  I am getting a dozen eggs a day now, so if you run into me I will probably be shoving a carton of eggs in your hand.  Which brings me to my post today.  I taught a cooking class a few weeks ago on how to make a meal for your family in 15 minutes.  I made my pistachio crusted salmon, lemon green beans and a spinach salad with hard-boiled eggs, mushroom, onion with a red wine vinaigrette.

I brought some of my hens eggs to my cooking demonstration to display, to show the beautiful colors of the shells, but also to talk about how important it is as to the types of eggs you buy.  I got a lot of questions from all the participants that were there and they were really interested in finding out as much as possible.  So, I thought I would share with you what I know.

There are four different types of eggs at your grocery store.

• Conventional (Regular) Eggs:  Hens are raised in egg factories where the chicken are crowded together in multi-hen cages with less than half a square foot of space per hen (that is 6″ x 6″) Stacked on top of one another. These close quarters can be a breeding ground for disease, so farmers often fill the hens’ food with antibiotics to keep disease at bay, and those antibiotics can wind up in your eggs. Likewise, hens laying conventionally raised eggs may be given hormones to amp up production. These eggs tend to be lighter in color, less nutritious, and far less tastier than fresh eggs.

• Cage Free Eggs: Cage-free eggs are eggs from birds that are not raised in cages, but in floor systems usually in an open barn. The hens have bedding material such as pine shavings on the floor, and they are allowed perches and nest boxes to lay their eggs.  They still live in very close quarters and most hens have the top part of their beaks removed as chicks so that they can not peck at each other.

• Free Range Eggs: Free-range eggs are laid from hens that have the “opportunity” to go outside. Smaller farms may keep birds outside under a canopy area. They may travel in and out of a barn at free will or spend some portion of their day roaming outdoors. The reason I highlighted and quotation marked the word opportunity is because most large egg production companies may house up to if not more than 20,000 birds in a barn with a single small hen door that leads to an outdoor run that can be the same size as my hens use, 2500 square feet.
• Organic Eggs: Organic eggs are laid from hens that may be kept in any kind of caging system, but generally are cage free. They eat an organic feed and don’t receive vaccines or antibiotics. In order to qualify for USDA organic certification, the grains used for the hens’ diets must be produced on land that has been free from the use of toxic and persistent chemical pesticides and fertilizers for at least three years. Genetically engineered crops are not permitted, and hens must be maintained without hormones, antibiotics, and other intrusive drugs. 

The old adage “you are what you eat” certainly holds true when considering the nutritional value of eggs. Since the 1970s, studies have indicated that eggs from hens with access to pasture are better for you than eggs from birds kept in cages . Free-range hens that eat a healthy, natural diet pass on that benefit to you in the form of more nutritious eggs.

Ask anyone who keeps chickens, chickens are dirty, you have to spend time keeping their area clean because they can easily become sick.  Can you imagine a barn filled with 20,000 chickens, the smell, the noise and the bacteria that those birds live in 24/7 it would make for a weak, sick and unhealthy bird.  That in turn will have to be pumped full of antibiotics to survive.  The results being eggs filled with traces of antibiotics, hormones and I don’t even want to think about what covers the shell before they are cleaned.

Something you should know about egg shells, is that they are a semi-permeable membrane, which means that air and moisture can pass through its pores.   If you keep chickens you are quite proud of how thick and tough  your chicken’s egg shells.  If you feed your birds a healthy diet and they are allowed to free range, eating grass, bugs and clover their shells will be tough and will prevent bacteria from entering the inner part of the egg, which you eat.

I go even a step further and add Omega-3’s (flax-seed mix), garlic powder, probiotic and Diatomaceous earth to their food.  I also add Apple Cider Vinegar to their water.  All of these things are for the birds health, that translate into the most healthy eggs.  After all I am feeding this to myself, my family and my friends.

So what is the answer to buying the most nutritious safe egg for your family?   Become friends with someone who keeps chickens and has too many for her own good.  If she is not available I would definitely buy at Farmers Markets and then after that I think you have to ask yourself which factors matter the most to you and decide.  Just remember a hen who lives a clean and healthy life will provide clean and healthy eggs!  Hope this helps.

As always, I am not an expert and am only sharing what I have learned from reading and research and hands on experience.  Please don’t hesitate to comment or share any information that you have.  I am always looking to learn more and would love to hear from you!

xo, Amy

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

It was so cold here on Tuesday, I think with the wind chill it was whopping 9 degrees.  Though throughout the day the sun was out and the sky was blue, you couldn’t spend more than a few moments out before your fingers and ears started to sting.

In the morning I ran out once the sun was up to give the Chickens some warm water and to feed them a bit of chicken scratch, which is a mix of grain.  The reason I feed them scratch in the morning and early evening on cold days is because when the chicky-babes eat and start to digest the scratch it causes their bodies to warm from the inside, helping them to fight the cold. (scratch should never exceed 10% of chicken food source)

I couldn’t stay out longer than to say a quick hello because it was just too painful for my hands and face. I soon headed off to the gym to go to spinning, and I was surprised that a few ladies who know I have chickens asked how they were handling the cold.  I have never really broadcasted that I have the chicks, because most people start to look at you like you’re the “crazy lady”.  Inevitably the first question that someone asks after they hear you have chickens is “why?” with a look of bafflement on their face that replaced “you’re a crazy lady” look.   Occasionally you will get a smile and some excited questions, like “do you have a rooster?”,  my answer “yes, I have four roosters” usually makes them give me the “crazy lady look” if I didn’t get it initially,  guess what their next question is… “why?”  I used to give them the long version, now I just say “cause I am crazy” which seems to make them happy and the conversation is over.

I have been planning for the cold where the chickens are concerned since fall, making sure that the chicks would have a place to shelter themselves from the wind or snow and making sure I had scratch on hand to feed a bit in the morning and a bit before they go to bed at night.

I have also adapted the “deep litter” method in the coop to help heat the coop during the cold winter nights.  This basically means you leave your shavings or straw with the poo on the floor of the coop and toss fresh shavings or straw on top every few days.  The thinking is that the lowest layer will start to compost and generate heat source.  Kind of like the pile of compost or a pile of mulch you’ve seen with the steam coming off of it?  That being said here is what you have to worry about, you really don’t want the steam to release from the layers only the heat.  If the steam rises up during a cold spell it can cause your chickens who are roosting above it to get frost bite on their special bits.  Like their combs, wattles and feet.  So you have to keep an eye on the humidity in your coop not just the temperature.

My simple solution was to install a little $1.00 thermometer I found at Home Depot inside each coop that shows temperature and humidity.  When I collected eggs on Tuesday I checked the thermostat and the temperature was just above 30 degrees and the humidity was in the regular range.  Now I know your thinking with your big eyes, 30 degrees, shite that’s still cold.   However, that 30 degrees inside the coop is with the small run door open, so at night with the run door closed and all the feathered bodies generating heat, the inside temperature should easily stay above 30 degrees.

Now here is another thing you have to worry about with the cold and your chicks.  The chickens with the big combs and wattles will get frostbite during the day on their bits if you don’t protect them..  Just in case you don’t know what a comb or a wattle is, the comb is the red thing on their head and the wattle is the red things that hang from their chin. Certain breeds have no comb and most hens if they have wattles are very small.  So, if you live somewhere where it is really cold try to get chickens that, you guessed it, have small combs or no wattles.

Most of my chickens are cold hearty, except for Foghorn, the big guy has a huge comb and wattles that hang down to his you know what… well, not really but you get the idea.  I have been trying to be a good chicken mama by going out periodically at night with a tub of Vaseline to pop him off his roost and lube up his comb and wattle………………………..ummmm, that sounded really weird.

Why Vaseline you ask?  The Vaseline forms a protective barrier between the skin and cold, trapping in the heat helping to prevent frostbite.

Anyway, Tuesday when I was out in the chicken yard jumping foot to foot feeding chicken scratch and whining about my hands and ears to any hen that would listen (crazy lady), I noticed that the windchill was really doing a number on Foghorns special bits.  His comb was turning black and I noticed a small spot that had a yellow tinge, not good.  Sure sign of frostbite.  Now Foghorn is a nice guy, he has never chased me or threatened me in any way (none of my guys have) but he sure as heck isn’t going to let me walk on over and easily pick him up either.  The only way I can get him is at night when he is locked up in his coop.  I waited for nightfall and I asked my friend, my pal Jacob (my youngest son) to help me out by meeting me in the garage in 5 minutes.  I ran out snatched ol’ Foghorn, who was sleeping peacefully with his lady friends right off his roost, skedaddled on into the garage and put Neosporin on his comb and then a thick layer of Vaseline over top.  I then slathered a solid amount on his Wattles, all the while Jacob my friend, my pal snapped a few photos, so I could show you the damage done in 1 freaking day to poor ol’ Foghorns comb.  YIKES- bad mama.

My best hope is that I can keep his comb covered in Vaseline enough over the next few cold days that it will heal.  If not the parts of the comb with damage will die and fall off.  I was told by the “nasty farmer” that I bought Foghorn from, that when a roosters comb turns black from frostbite that he will become infertile, but I have since read that he was full of malarkey among other things.

You can read the story about how we got Foghorn here: A story of  love, loss and family memories

Now an update on the lovely ladies.   In winter as the days get shorter a hens body start to produce fewer eggs.  Mostly because their internal clocks tell them that the chances of survival of offspring would lessen with the cold and shorter days.  Many farmers trick the hens by putting up lights in the hen-house at night, but I choose not too.  For many reasons, but mostly because it is taxing on the hens health.  When a hen lays an egg the calcium to form an egg-shell is taken from the hen herself, and nature allowed for the hens to rest through the winter so that they replenish their calcium storage.

I believe it is more important to keep healthy hens that in turn produce healthy eggs.  Again, thats not to say they don’t still lay, just not as often.  I am getting anywhere from 7-9 eggs a day, which is more than enough.

Besides our case of frostbite all the chickens are doing well.  I have added a probiotic, garlic powder and Omega-3 mix to their feed and I have noticed a big improvement in their overall health and the color of the egg yolks.  The two Blue Maran hens that I bought last winter that were ragged and missing back feathers are covered in beautiful blue-black feather and look great.  Cheeks and Dorie my Araucana hens are laying beautiful green-blue eggs.

So all is well in the Chicken Yard over here, with a little special planning and care.  If you have any suggestions or questions don’t hesitate to drop me a note.  I would love to hear from you.

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

Trees:

• Fall is a great time for planting trees, but some varieties prefer a spring planting. (Conifers, Japanese maples, dogwoods, sweetgums, oaks, crabapples, and birches should be planted or transplanted in the spring.)

• Keep watering trees and shrubs until the ground freezes.

• If you’re planning on buying a live Christmas tree with the intention of planting it this winter, dig the hole now, before the ground freezes. Remember to keep the soil covered, so that it too does not freeze and can go back into the hole.

Perennial Gardening:

• Don’t remove chrysanthemum foliage—leave it to protect the crown.

• Cut back other perennials (except spring bloomers, roses, and grasses) to a few inches above soil level.

• Prune tea roses back to 8 to 12 inches high, mound compost around the bud union, then cover with a rose cone.

• Make sure your climbing roses are tied securely to their supports to prevent wind damage this winter.

• Spread clean straw, marsh hay or oak leaves over tender perennials, newly planted bulbs before temperatures drop into the teens but after the soil surface has frozen.

• As long as the ground is not frozen, you can still plant daffodil bulbs.

Get those bulbs into the ground NOW!

 Vegetable Gardening:

• Dig up remaining root crops.

• If your grown has not frozen, plant your garlic and onions.  Find out how in my post Garlic.

• Still time to haul in a pot of parsley: Pot it, water well, and set in a bright window.

• Cut back asparagus fronds after they turn brown from a hard freeze.

• Cover strawberries with a straw mulch. Wait to mulch your beds until after the first hard freeze, when the soil is frozen to a depth of about 1/2 inch

All Yard Gardening:

• Detach watering hoses from outdoor spigots. Drain them, roll them up and store in a dry location. If your outdoor water is on a separate system from your indoor pipes, shut it off and then turn the faucet on until all the water runs out. Place an insulating foam cover over the spigot to keep ice from cracking the metal.

• Keep mowing your lawn as long as the grass is growing.  

• Change the oil, sharpen blades, clean air filters and replace spark plugs on all of your gas-powered equipment.  You will have a head start on many spring projects if all of your equipment is ready to go.

• Clean bird feeders and stock up on seed and suet.  Remember if you start feeding you must stay consistent.  Birds become dependent on birdfeeders through harsh winter days and if you stop feeding they could die.

Chickens:

• Chickens have been raised and bred to withstand cold. You don’t need to do a lot to protect them.   A single 5 lb laying hen produces something like 10 watts of heat, so having 10 chickens in the coop is about the same as running a 100W lightbulb. (That being said I have electric pane heaters in my coops with a Thermostatically Controlled Outlet) 

• All year long I add apple cider vinegar to the chickens water and also add garlic powder, priobiotics and  food grade diatomaceous earth to their feed.  These additions to their food and water help your flock to cope with environmental stressors.

• On a bright sunny day, disinfect your coop with a mixture of 1 gallon of warm water and 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar.  Wipe down the walls, roosts and floors with this solution and allow it to air dry.  Once the coop is dry, dust its nooks and crannies with organic food grade diatomaceous earth to keep your flock free from bugs.

• Freshen up the run by removing excess waste by doing a quick rake.  You will be surprised with all the sticks and debris that you remove.  I like to spread a layer of compost and rake it in to their favorite dusting areas.  I also spread diatomaceous earth in with the compost.

• Insulate around your coop with bales of straw, if needed.  I add a bale or tow a few feed in front of their shelter to add a barrier from the harsh winds of winter.

• Provide a thicker layer of pine shavings on floor of coop.

•  On cold days feed your flock scratch 1 hour before they retire for the night. Chickens’ metabolism is higher in the winter as they burn more fuel keeping warm.  A full tummy of scratch helps them to generate heat and an egg if they desire.  While grains are nutritious, they only contain about half the protein that chickens need in their regular diet, so should be only given after your chickens have had a chance to fill up on their regular feed.

• Ensure that your chickens’ roosts are wide enough and their feet are completely covered by their bodies when perched.

• Repair areas of the coop that are vulnerable to water leaks.

• When you know the cold has hit,  apply Vaseline to the flock’s combs and wattles to prevent frostbite.  The roosters in particular are susceptible to this because of the size of their combs.  I have been told that if a Roosters comb gets frostbitten it makes him infertile.  Don’t know if its true or not??

Bees:

• If you didn’t feed them sugar or candy and you have a day that goes up to above 50 degrees.  Do it now.  It will be your last chance to give them a back up if they run out of honey to feed themselves through the winter.

• Insulate with tarpaper or Styrofoam.

Houseplants:

• Cut back on water and stop feeding houseplants. As the days become shorter your plants shift from an active growth cycle so they take up less moisture and don’t require additional nutrients.

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

Yes, everyone knows that Roosters crow and that it is suppose to mean that the sun is cresting the horizon.  However, Roosters crow all day and sometimes all night.  Find out more about their crow in my post “A Roosters Crow”.

What you may not know is that chickens are talkative in other ways during the day.  It is said that they have 30 different vocalizations.

The rooster is a bird with a lot to say.  They have several different noises that they make and each has its own meaning.  Having them in the garden with me and having SO many roosters, I now know a little Rooster Speak.  Oh yes, when I hear a certain sound, I immediately scan the sky for a predator, or check the area for a threat.   I know when a hen makes a certain sound to expect to hear her rooster crow soon after.  With each sound a chicken or rooster makes you can expect an action or reaction.   Chickens keep things lively in the garden, with their sounds and constant entertainment!

If you are a hen, you listen to the sounds of the rooster; the sounds are all meant for you.  Because the mighty, mighty rooster is looking out for you at all times, you put up with his loud and noisy crow, his bossiness and his need to pull your feathers.  After all the guy is not just a pretty face he will risk his life to save you, so you appreciate him for all the sweet and good things he does and forgive him for the rest.

If you are hen, like “Cheeks” my Araucana, who is a huge busy body and tends to wonder around not paying attention to where she is until she looks up and finds her self all alone, you appreciate your rooster.

 When she finds herself lost, she puts out a cry of worry so that her Rooster will crow and let her know where he and the other hens are.  Oh yes, its true.  When a hen is worried, stressed, complaining about having to lay an egg and or finds herself away from the group, she lets out a stressful squawk over and over.  (It’s a bit of an annoying sound)  The Rooster who is her protector starts to crow so that she can come and find him.  If he is really worried he will run to where she is and escort her back to the group.  What a gentleman!

When a roster makes a loud, deep and abrupt “oo oo” sound that means danger, aerial threat.   If the “oo-oo” is a subtle sound, everyone stops lifts his or her heads and scans the sky at once.  If the “oo-oo” sound is strong, those hens run for the nearest cover, bushes, trees, under the peppers in the garden, whatever is the closest, they don’t look around they just run!  The rooster follows, but he constantly scans the sky and his hens, constantly protecting his ladies.   What a warrior!

The big guy also loves to feed the ladies.  Always the provider, if he finds a juicy bug or a seed on the ground he never eats it himself, but wants his ladies to have it.  He makes a high pitch excited “coo” sound that alerts the hen that he has found something and they come a runnin’.  Now here is the thing about our tricky rooster, sometimes, he makes this sound when he really hasn’t found anything, but he knows his hens will come to his side.  Occasionally I think this is just to keep them close if he feels they are too far away, but more often than not, it’s a trick, because when the hen comes running she immediately puts her head down to find the morsel.  This leaves her rump in the air, and guesses what, the rooster takes advantage and jumps on the hens back, grabs the feathers on her head to hold on and gets himself a little nooky.  What a Sneaky Rooster!

Something else that the Rooster does, that makes me as a woman roll my eyes, is his “wing down management”, as I like to call it.   A rooster has a deep-seated need to boss the hens around.  He tries his damnedest to tell them where they can and can’t go.  He does this by walking up sideways to a hen, lowering his wing on the outside until it faces the ground and does a little shuffle along the hen trying to push her where he wants her to go.  Now when he does this I think “bossy rooster”, but I usually end up laughing because I haven’t seen a hen yet who listens.  She sometimes runs away, some like my barred rock face him straight on and let him know, “no way, no how”, but mostly they just ignore him.  Now I know I shouldn’t laugh at the poor guy, but I think of the times when the men in my life get a little bossy and well, I think all women have reacted like each of my hens once or twice!  What a Bossy Rooster!

As evening falls and its time to go to bed, the rooster’s job is not done.  Depending on the number of ladies in his care it can be quite tiresome to get them to bed.  He usually heads into the coop first to see that all is well and no threats are in the coop and of course to be their leader.  He waits to see if his ladies follow, more often then not, some won’t.   So he has to head back out and try and shuffle them in, they usually ignore him.  He eventually tires of trying to coax them into bed and heads back in the coop to lead by example and to wait and see if they follow.  Of course they do they just choose to do it when it suits them.   Not always but occasionally as they get on the roosting bars to settle in for the night, squabbles break out (that many woman that close together what do you expect?)   He inserts himself in the middle to sooth the ladies, which usually doesn’t work, they just fight over top of him or hens move to different spots.  But I give him an “A” for effort.  What a Peacemaker!

So know you know, the Rooster is a diverse fellow whose job is never done, and he has to wear many different hats throughout his day.

Gentleman, Warrior, Provider, Lover, Boss, Mediator and Caregiver.  All in all a loud, but good guy to have on your side!

A Healthy Life For Me - Cooking, Gardening and Living a Healthy Life

October is a busy month in the garden.

Its the close of the gardening season and the more work I do now, hopefully, will eliminate some work for me in the hustle and bustle of spring.  I have a check list that is always expanding and changing, which is one reason I love gardening so much, the constant change keeps things interesting.

So here is my October Garden To Do List for me here in Cincinnati Zone 6,  hopefully I will get it all done, if not, my yard will forgive me.

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Trees:

-Be extra vigilant cleaning up under fruit trees, as fallen fruit and foliage allowed to overwinter invites added troubles next season. So will mummies (shriveled fruit hanging on the trees).

-Make sure that your tree is watered well into mid-October so that the tree goes into the winter with a good moisture supply. To know that you have watered sufficiently, place a pan or dish under the tree and water until the container accumulates 5-8 cm (2-3 in.) of water. This amount will water the trees deeply down into the root zone, whereas less water will only dampen the soil close to the surface. 

-Rake fallen leaves from under fruit trees and put them in areas away from healthy fruit trees. This prevents leaf-borne diseases from recurring. It also reduces habitat for mice, which can be destructive to fruit trees. Cutting the grass around the base of the tree has a similar benefit.

–Be sure to water trees now through hard frost if your conditions are dry, so that they enter dormancy in a well-hydrated state. Evergreens (needled ones and broadleaf types like rhododendron, too) are particularly vulnerable to desiccation and winterburn otherwise.

-Evergreens will continue to show some browning or yellowing of needles this month and next. The oldest, innermost ones typically shed after a few years on the tree.

Flower Beds:

–Pay special attention to areas to cleanup around peonies, roses and other flowers that are prone to fungal diseases; don’t leave any debris in place.  Cut back Peony to the ground after first frost leaving a 2” stalk and discard.  Do not compost your Peonies, because botrytis blight (also called gray mold), a fungal disease that affects peonies, sometimes survives the composting process.

–Cannas, Dahlias, Elephant Ears and any tender bulb-like things need to be dug carefully for indoor storage. Once frost blackens the foliage, cut back the tops to 6 inches and dig carefully, then brush or wash off soil and let dry for two weeks or so to cure. Stash in a dry spot like unheated basement or crawl space around 40-50 degrees, in boxes or pots filled with bark chips or peat moss.

–Don’t dead head all of your perennials, biennials and annuals if you want to collect seed or wish to let them self-sow for next year’s show.  Collecting seed heads in a paper bag and storing in a cool dry place will give you a chance over winter to harvest your seeds and start plants in spring.  

–Cut back all bulbs that will be staying in the ground.  I keep my Gladiolus in the ground here and they seem to over winter just fine.  I keep a light layer of mulched leaves to help protect them from any hard freezes we may have.  I also take this time to move any that have found themselves where I don’t want them.

-Transplant any plants that have reseed where you don’t want them, making sure to give them a good drink after.  I am moving, thyme, bachelor’s button, yarrow and coreopsis.

Weed, Weed, Weed!  An ounce of prevention now, will pay off in the spring.

-LAST CALL FOR BULB ORDERS.  Don’t put it off, you will kick your self in the spring, wishing you hadn’t.  

Kitchen/Vegetable Garden:

-Cut and process any herbs you want to dry to have on hand over the winter.

-Pull and plant herbs in pots that you want to overwinter

-Plant your last lettuce, spinach, and radishes.  Also plant onion sets and garlic.

–Weed and pull all spent vegetables,  cut them up a bit with a pruning shears or shred, to speed decomposition in the compost pile

 -After you have cleared all plants and weeded your beds throw a top layer of  compost to sit over the winter.

Chickens:

–Make sure that your electric in your coop is in working order, you will need to keep their water from freezing.

–Put up any wind barriers.  I am using a bamboo fencing along the back of the run where the wind is the worst. 

-Check fencing and coop for any repairs.  Make sure that everything is in good repair and that neither the rain nor wind can penetrate. Chickens really don’t like the wet (the lack of webbed feet is a real giveaway!), so if your house is damp then now is the time to think about repair or replacement.

-All predators are at their hungriest during the winter months and will go to extreme lengths to tuck into a tasty chicken dinner. Many will regard traditional chicken wire merely as a trifling inconvenience and more of an opportunity to work up an appetite than anything else.  So check that your Run is free from rot, areas of weakness and even the tiniest of gaps

Bees:

–I will continue to feed them until the no longer take the sugar water I offer.  

– I also put a reducer in their entrance to keep out drafts and any mice who might try to make a nest in a nice warm bee box over winter.

– Some recommend putting tar paper around your bee boxes to help with insulation through the cold winter months.

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Roosters crow every day, and the sound is iconic. It’s used throughout pop culture to symbolize the start of the morning. We’ve all heard “cock-a-doodle-doo” a million times, whether from an actual rooster, or from a TV show or movie. 

Most people assume that roosters crow to announce the start of the day. That’s certainly the stereotypical image of a rooster. But that’s not actually why they crow. In reality, roosters crowing is a lot more complex than that. 

Here’s everything you need to know about crowing roosters.

When Do Roosters Crow? 

We all associate a cock-a-doodle-doo with the sun starting to come up. But in reality, roosters crow all throughout the day, not just first thing in the morning. It’s more noticeable when it happens early in the morning, because it might wake us up (or, let’s be honest, annoy us!). But even after those early morning crows, roosters will keep crowing … you’re just less likely to notice it once you’re fully awake, and other noises from the day are filling the air. 

With that said, roosters do reliably crow early in the morning. Their internal clock is 23.8 hours long, which results in them feeling the need to crow right before the sun comes up. 

Why Do Roosters Crow? 

There are tons of different reasons that roosters crow … and that’s just counting the ones we know of! There are probably a lot of reasons that we don’t know about, too. Here are the main reasons why your roosters might be crowing. 

Assert Dominance and Mark Their Territory 

Chickens might not be the most intimidating animals, but like most creatures they can be territorial, and that’s especially true of the roosters. Roosters will often crow to mark their territory, and make sure that other roosters know it’s their land. If you have multiple roosters, one might crow to assert its dominance over the others.

On a similar note…

Establish a Hierarchy 

When multiple roosters share the same space, they’ll naturally develop a hierarchy. Once this happens, they’ll usually crow in order of importance. The rooster at the top of the hierarchy will crow for whatever reason, and then the rooster second from the top will crow, and so on and so forth until all of the roosters have made noise. Once the rooster at the bottom of the totem pole has crowed, the first rooster will usually crow again, as if to remind the other roosters that he’s the top dog. 

The rooster hierarchy is why you’ll often hear a lot of cock-a-doodle-doos in a row. 

Warn Others

Chickens are an animal that is preyed on, so they’re often on full alert, and keeping an eye out for danger. If a rooster senses some danger, they’ll usually crow to warn the rest of their flock. Sometimes the danger is legitimate, but a person or car approaching a flock of chickens can scare a rooster enough to make him crow. 

Mating Ritual 

Like so many other species, chickens have some notable mating rituals. Namely, the roosters will often crow to try and attract hens. So if you hear a rooster crowing it might mean that it’s morning, or that there’s danger … or it might just be some good old fashioned flirting! 

Roosters also have a little bit of kiss-and-tell in them, because often they’ll crow after mating, too! And sometimes roosters crow after a hen lays an egg, though it’s not entirely clear why they do that. 

Fun Facts About Roosters Crowing

Now that we’ve covered the why of roosters crowing, let’s talk about some interesting facts about those cock-a-doodle-doos! 

• Different roosters have different crows. I have three different breeds of rooster, and their crows all sound quite different. The size of the rooster is a big factor. My rooster Foghorn is a Blue Maran, and nearly 3-feet tall! His crow is deeper, louder, and longer lasting than the crows of my other roosters. 
• They crow at about 90 decibels. The average rooster crow is about 90 decibels, which is about the same noise level as a lawnmower, hair dryer, or blender. However, that’s just the average! Rooster crows can exceed that by quite a lot. 
• They close a set of eyelids when crowing. One super interesting fact about roosters is that they have three different sets of eyelids! As you can see in the pictures of Foghorn below, roosters will close one of their sets of eyelids when crowing. 

How to Limit Roosters Crowing 

If you have roosters and you’re annoyed by the crowing, unfortunately there’s not much that you can do about it. Limiting the number of roosters you have will limit the number of crows you have to listen to, and limiting the number of hens helps, too. But there’s no humane way to keep a rooster from crowing, so I recommend embracing the daily music of cock-a-doodle-doos! 

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I have 21 chickens, four roosters and seventeen hens.  The roosters and seven of my hens were purchased when they were full-grown from local breeders or animal swaps.   Yes, they have animal swaps, who knew.  Ten of my hens were purchased as chicks this spring.

I had always chose to buy full-grown chickens, believing that I didn’t want to mess with the whole raising and responsibility of starting with day old chicks and well, I wanted eggs right away.   Now that I have done both, let me just say  that without a doubt I believe the best thing you can do is start with your own chicks.

The ten “little ladies” as I like to call them, that I picked up as day old chicks on April 11th have been a joy to raise.

Of course they were adorable as little feather balls for the first week, and even as they went through their ugly duckling stage I enjoyed raising them.  Growing so fast it was amazing to watch!

Now that they are 18 weeks old and considered laying age, which I guess means full-grown  they are still a joy.  Why you ask?  Well one thing you figure out early on when raising chickens is there is a lot of drama in a chicken yard.  There is always a hen who has to be the boss and establishing the pecking order can be rather brutal.  I am not even going to mention the violent coupling of the rooster and hens.

But, my “little ladies” seem to be drama free.  They are so much more pleasant to be around then the hens that I purchased from other breeders.  They will all eat from my hand and follow me around like I am the Pied Piper.  Jacob says “it’s just weird”.   The “little ladies” stick together, they free range as a group and worry themselves if they get separated.  They go in to the coop at night with no fuss, usually they are the first one’s in. The other ten are fighting and squabbling about roosting position, coming in and out of the coop until the last-minute.  I am not even going to mention the Silkies, who drive me crazy waiting until the last drop of sun is in the sky before they will take their fluffy butts into the coop!

When I sat down in February with the chicken catalog to pick my breeds, I made several lists, crossing out breeds and adding breeds, until I decided on five.  Buff Orpington, Araucana, Speckled Sussex, Barred Rock and Silver Wyandotte.  Breeds I have never owned, but who were good egg layers and hardy.  I also paid extra to have them sexed, so that I wouldn’t be stuck with any more roosters.   Which even paying extra is not 100% guaranteed, but hallelujah, it was!!  Well worth the extra $5.00 it cost me!!  The Buff Orpingtons and Aracauna’s are my favorite four, they will let me pick them up and are always the first to run up and say hello when I come to the run door.  They are very friendly and sweet.

The Speckled Sussex want me to pick them up until I do then they are not quite sure about it and squeak their worry.  The Barred Rocks will stand on my feet and beg for treats, but make it clear they would prefer I kept my hands to myself, and the Silver Wyandotte are the last to eat from my hand and keep themselves at arm’s length at all times.

We are waiting patiently for the little ladies to start laying, which should be any day now.  I am going to guess that the Barred Rock’s will be the first, since they are notorious early layers.

I must confess, I am very attached to these 10 much more than my other chicks.  I feel a little guilty, but no one seems to notice my favoritism.  So I will keep my confession between us!

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I’m hosting a tour today through the home of the Backyard chicken gang that lives in my backyard. My chicken coop was built by Horizon Structures based out of Pennsylvania.  My coop is a 5 x 6′  that is built to hold 12-15 chickens, though with my chickens being free range it can hold 15-18.  It is over a year old and I couldn’t be happier, though I really wish we had ordered the size up, though my husband does not.

What is the best thing about my chicken coop?  The Dawn to Dusk Door.  A metal door with guides that has a battery powered all-in-one light sensor, so it opens when the sun rises and closes when the sun sets. That means you don’t have to run out in your PJ’s in the dark when you forgot to shut the coop door, or be sitting out  with friends at dinner worrying about getting home to lock up the coop before something bad happens. The second best thing about my chicken coop?  The poop drawer.  Anyone who has ever cleaned a chicken coop will  want their very own poop drawer after they see this! When my chickens roost, the underside of the roost bar is sealed off with wire so that they can not get under.  What is underneath the roost bar is a poop drawer that catches their droppings.

Now the genius part you can access the drawer from the outside back of the coop by a hinged panel (with latches). The drawer is lined with Glasbord a fiberglass reinforced plastic, that makes cleaning the drawer extremely easy.

You slide out the drawer, brush or scrub off the poop into a basket of pan, place the cleaned drawer back in the coop and throw the chicken poop into the compost.  Yes, it is that easy-3-5 minutes and your done with your weekly coop cleaning!

The third best thing about my chicken coop?  We added a covered back porch.  I found that the chickens didn’t have enough room to gain cover from the elements, rain and snow.  So we ordered two pieces of galvanized  metal that matches the roof of my coop, built a wood frame for support and attached it to the back of coop with hinges.  This allows me to be able to lift it to get to the poop drawer and fill feeder and waterer.

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