As I write this, we are getting ready for 2 nights of hard freeze. We only got one week of spring until good ole Tennessee weather kicked in. It sleeted here today! We really got spoiled the last week (first week of spring) since it really felt like spring – almost summer at times. Fortunately, we were busy with company in town last week so I didn’t get things planted IN the ground, so that is probably for the best. I did get my lettuce out last weekend, but it hasn’t sprouted yet – I think (HOPE!) it’ll be ok.
Look closely for the lone forsythia in bloom.
The chickens and the dog (and the humans!) are loving the lack of snow on the ground. It is rather brown around here, but there are hints of green (and yellow!) poking through. It won’t be long until we are fully “sprung!”
The deer were out to greet me after a morning run – enjoying the warm sunshine just like me!
Things are going to get a bit crazy here the next month or so. Jackson’s 4-H “Chick Chain” chicks are getting here April 7, and we should have bees in May. We have all 10 of the current flock laying, so we have plenty of eggs for the Joelton Woods!
No two seem to be the same (the one on the left turned out to be a double-yolk!)
As I reflect on our little homestead-in-progress, I realize it has now been a very long time since I have bought eggs or bread! It’s the little things. 🙂
Enjoy a few more pics from the past couple of snow-free weeks on the farm…
My little pony.Working the fence row – happy as can be
Atlas is actually doing much better with the chickens, so we are able to let him have more and more time with them in the big yard. Hope to see him recognize they are his “pack” to protect and not torment soon 🙂
Maybe he’s really a polar bear?Happy livestock guardian puppy.
For all the cold weather we’ve had this year (and last Fall), we finally got snow to go with it. Now, this makes my kids happy. Understatement of the year. Need proof?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkunuyYviOk
The chickens are not so happy about it. In fact, I am typing this on Wednesday afternoon, and they have not stepped foot outside the coop since the first layers of ice/snow covered the ground Monday morning. I cannot imagine the cabin fever they must have.
Cabin FeverGiving me the Cabin Fever stink eye.
It is ironic, though, because Monday was the day our Buff Orpington “chick” decided to lay her first egg. We now have 7 layers out of 10 chickens, and it is somewhat surreal to see the winter wonderland outside and realize we are getting more eggs than ever!
One distinctly small egg from our Buff O
We are all pretty excited to have our first layer from chicks we raised (granted, they were 4 weeks old when we got them, but they were still so tiny!).
Remember when?
Jerry was able to make it out to the local store yesterday and got us some straw. We got another inch+ of snow last night and this morning, so I put some of the straw out today to try to coax the girls out of the coop into the sunshine.It was hard to really get it scattered well since the hawk netting is hanging VERY low due to all the ice. If they do decide to venture out, it should give them some dry piles to roost on and scatter and soak up some rays.
Thinking about coming out…I couldn’t spread the straw well due to the sagging netting.
I really hope they do… it would be a shame to have egg production reduce because they are literally all cooped up!
Thinking about it. The sun is so tempting.Well….. since you put the straw out I’ll think on it some more…I don’t THINK so. Get back in there… I’m not putting my feet down on that stuff!
Oh, and in case you wondered… our 9 month old pony, I mean Great Pyrenees, is LOVING this weather. This is the type of weather he was bred for, and you can tell he is right at home in it. He’s busy barking to keep the wild birds out of the chicken yard since the girls aren’t out there. He did decide to take advantage of some of the straw to lay on top of the snow.
Snow Day 1 – his fur is crunchy from the ice!Snow Day 3 – Even an Atlas likes a pile of straw.
If you’ve been wondering what we’ve been up to at Crack Of Dawn Farms, you’re not alone. So are we 🙂
Lightning poses for the camera
Seriously… it has been busy here lately. The critters got another weekend without me hovering as Jackson & Jerry took the helm for a few days while Ryan & I took a quick trip to Florida to see family and celebrate the life of a cousin who left this world way too soon. (Miss you, Krysta Kai!)
All the critters passed the weekend with flying colors, and rumor has it that some winter wood preparations happened as well. An upcoming post is in the works to introduce you to my lumberjack hubby and his activities at the farm.
For now, here are a few quick photos before you move on to the real adventures this week (keep reading after the gallery)!
Atlas has definitely entered the “awkward teenager” phase of pyr puppyhood.
Gotta find a place for my bone.
The Rhode Island Red chicks in particular have taken to exploring the railing around the edge of the CamperCoop.
The Black Stars are in conference to discuss the benefits of coop skid boards as a roost.
A couple of the ladies enjoying the shade and a little dirt nest as well.
Every dog needs 8 and 11 year old boys to play with.
The past two days have kept us next door at my mom’s (CoDF annex) doing my own version of winter prep: canning.
I have been trying to plan for and figure out when we were going to be able to do a batch of meat chickens, but I just couldn’t figure out how to make it happen until next year. I had resigned myself to store-bought chicken for the next several months when I got a blessing text. Was able to get a quantity of chickens – plucked and cleaned, ready to cook/can/etc. Mom & I decided to split 20 birds.
I picked them up Wednesday morning at my friend’s house in Kentucky, and as Thursday comes to a close, we are almost done. The last canner batch of broth is processing, and we only have some chunked meat left that we picked off of the bones after broth was made. We will freeze it tomorrow.
The canning wasn’t without excitement, lest you think that it is boring, ho-hum kinda stuff. You see chicken has to be pressure canned. That ups the stakes just a bit.
We had one jar failure yesterday, but tonight was a first for me. We had a jar lid pop completely off after we took the lid off the canner!! I am very particular about letting the canner come down to zero pressure on its own, rather than rushing it by rocking the weight. But, I realized tonight that I am not usually sitting around, tapping my toes, waiting for it to finish so I can start another batch. You see, we had eaten dinner while the canner processed, and then once it was done I turned the stove off as usual. We let it cool off and let its pressure out while we did dishes and such from dinner. We had ONE more canner load of broth to do, and we were ready for it to be done. Note: After 2 days of processing chicken, it’s time for it to be done… we REALLY enjoyed our beef/bison burgers that we had for supper tonight 🙂
Well, as soon as I saw it was at zero, I popped the weight off and took the lid off. The lids inside were doing a lot more popping than usual, which was weird. I just attributed it to not usually opening it that soon — I know it is normal for that to happen as they cool.
Well, Mom was near the stove, and all of a sudden, kerbang!!! I just knew one of the jars had exploded, and I was worried she had a face/arm full of glass. Fortunately, no. She did end up with some super-hot broth splashing on the back of her head, but the sound was actually of the lid and ring becoming projectiles – along with half the pint of broth! A nice mess all over the ceiling and floor, but everyone was safe.
Note the ceiling… slimed by chicken broth!
A couple of lessons from this for you canners out there:
1. Let the canner sit a while even after it comes down to zero pressure. Take time to have another cup of coffee or something. The next batch can wait a few minutes.
2. Never lean over your canner when the jars are making funny noises. I am so thankful Mom wasn’t peering over into the canner – she could have had serious burns and possibly cuts/bruises on her face.
We laugh about it after the fact, but this stuff is no joke.
On the plus side, we have 32 pints of canned chicken and 21 pints plus 7 quarts of broth between us, and some miscellaneous legs and other frozen parts we saved for frying. We’ll be enjoying our chicken dinners this winter!!
Lots of work goes into this, but I promise you it is worth the effort!!
