Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Fowl Weather


Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!  However you celebrate, I hope today finds you in good company with a full belly.  I am very thankful to be home on this weekend and to be able to stay home until next year.  I am thankful that I did have the work though because of that big box you see sitting on the back on my truck.  That is my new stove.  They were having a very good sale the other day so I went ahead and bought it.  I had been hovering over this thing for about a year now, hoping for a sale or something.  It is a Whirlpool Gallery series.  Not the Viking that I wish I could have but hey, it looks like a good range! lol!  Now, the big push to finish my kitchen begins!!


The meat birds are growing and doing well.  I am thankful that I have the land and ability to grow my own healthy, clean food.  Jack sowed an adjoining pen with grass for them and they are in there today.  I'll try to get some pics.


We finally took the big step yesterday and harvested the excessive rooster population here.  They were just really getting out of hand as there were just as many roosters as hens.  They were eating tons of food and being a general nuisance.  It took most of the day but we have 12 chickens for the pot, a bunch of necks for making stock and I saved the livers, hearts and gizzards to make Chigger food.  Things are MUCH calmer and quieter this morning.  I think the hens are much happier now and it is much easier to keep the coop clean and orderly.  We did keep this Rhode Island Red, Rodney, and one other.  We'll see how they do.  Rodney has a crowing disability.  I like that.  He basically sounds like a broken squeaky toy.  We try not to giggle in front of him.


The broccoli is doing well and already starting to make heads.  I have been picking off some of the lower leaves to feed the meat chickens.  They LOVE them.  I hope they, the broccoli, mature before the really cold weather begins because I am not going to go to the trouble I went last year, building a tunnel over them etc.  For what I got it was just not worth it.  I would just replant in the spring.  So, there's short update for now.  I'll try to post on a more regular basis now that I'm home.  I've just been swamped with stuff since getting back and trying to get my head above water.

11 comments:

Jen said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Glad yer home now to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Caroline said...

Happy Thanksgiving! A squeaky toy rooster brings a grin, just thinking of it!

MamaHen said...

Hey Jen! Happy Thanksgiving to you too! Yes, it's good to be home.

Hey Caroline! Happy Thanksgiving! He is getting a little better but it's still pretty funny!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Hi Annie, glad you were able to be home to celebrate Thanksgiving. A new stove is a wonderful thing as we know too after replacing ours last month! Thankful for your blog and your comments.

MamaHen said...

Hey Bea! thanks! yeah, I am SO excited about the stove!! can't wait to get it hooked up. eeeeeeee!

Anonymous said...

I didn't see this until just today, but how nice to read an update. Especially one that says you will be home for the rest of the year. Ahhhh, I sighed in virtual relief for you :)

Can't wait to see the stove and the upcoming house projects that I presume will be related to its installation.

Anon-R.

MamaHen said...

Hey R! thanks! I sighed a lot of relief myself!
I can't WAIT to get started on the kitchen and get that range installed. I finally got my design together and i think it's gonna look great!

R.Powers said...

Swamped here too and sorry I haven't been by more!
Your birds look great!

Hope your Thanksgiving was great too!

MamaHen said...

Hey FC! thanks man! I understand completely!

Sharrieboberry said...

Now what, exactly, is Chigger food? I know what chiggers are; I've just never heard of Chigger food.

MamaHen said...

Hey Sharrie! Ha! LOL! Chigger is my dog! I make her homemade food when I have extras and scraps.