Blue Feather Micro-Farm

2012-01-18T06:20:00.001-08:00

"Teenage" Quail

2011-06-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

The coturnix quail are 2 1/2 weeks now. Since they can be laying eggs as soon as 5 weeks I guess this makes them teenagers. Their baby fuzz is almost gone and so far they all look like girls! One may surprise me, but i guess it is time to start thinking up girl's names.

Bale Fail

2011-06-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

One of my experiments for this year was growing vegetables in straw bales. It is a pretty simple concept. Instead of planting in the dirt, you add a layer of dirt to the top of an aged straw bale and plant in that. This allows you to grow in areas with bad soil, lots of rocks, or other challenging garden situations.

Since I had a rather "challenged" area near the north fence in the front yard, I thought straw bales would allow me to grow some veggies rather than waiting a year as I beat that spot in to shape. I planted some peas after giving the straw bales time to age, adding good soil and keeping the bales moist.

While a few of the peas sprouted, it wasn't long before I knew something was not right. They grew about 2" and then stopped. Some started to turn yellow. Thinking the frequent watering had depleted the nutrients in the shallow soil layer, I gave it shot of compost tea. It seemed to help a little bit, but only a few pea plants started to grow again. The rest just sat there looking all pathetic.

While I was prepared for extra feedings, the extra time to age the bales, and the possibility of frequent waterings due to the porous nature of the bales, I had not counted on the wind. The constant, hot, annoying, ridiculously strong winds we have been hit with since early in the year. I have lived in this area for over 25 years and I have never seen a year like this. Chicago, often called the windy city, has nothing on Colorado. The whole state is a giant wind tunnel right now.

Even when watering two and 3 times a day did nothing to keep the straw bales moist enough to get many of the plants to sprout or to get them to a productive size even if they somehow did. There was no reason to keep pouring good water and fertilizer after bad. I went ahead and cut open 3 of the bales. They were as dry as dust on the inside when they should have been damp and started to break down and look more like rich soil. Even a bale I had wrapped in plastic as a last ditch attempt to get it to stay somewhat wet for more than 5 seconds was dried out. Straw bale gardening in a hot, dry climate was a total fail.

I did have an area where instead of plants growing on soil on straw, I had soil in an indented area surrounded by loose straw. The straw acted as a wind break and allowed plants to sprout in that dimple that didn't emerge on top of the bales. If you live in a windy area, think of your straw more as a wind block and not as a soil substitute, and you should avoid the bale fail I experienced. Over the next few days I will finish cutting open the hay bales and use the straw to mulch in other areas so it wont be a total waste.

Colorado Sweet Potatoes

2011-06-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

Colorado is not the first state that comes to mind when you think of sweet potato production. Since sweet potatoes need such a long, warm growing season, California is where most of the nations sweet potatoes come from. Of course, this fact didn't stop me from trying to grow them at high altitude last year.

While Colorado has plenty of warm, sunny days, what is doesn't have are nice warm nights. This effectively makes us a short growing season state. (think Minnesota with fewer mosquitos, less water and better scenery). But I had been experimenting with extending growing seasons with hoop houses, mulching, thermal mass, etc... and thought sweet potatoes would be a good test of my nature-cheating skills.

To start my test, I bought an organic garnet sweet potato from Vitamin Cottage in February and set it up to produce slips. By April I had plenty of healthy, good sized starts. Since I needed to buy the plants more time to make it through our short growing season, I set up some growing containers, painted them black to absorb more heat, and made little green house type tents to go over the top. I also added some 1 liter bottles filled with water and placed them around the starts. This set-up protected the plants through the weirdness that is Colorado in the Spring and I was rewarded with pretty good harvest all things considered.

Not bad for a first try! While I considered my experiment to be a success, I was not looking forward to coddling sweet potatoes again this year. With a full-time job, ducklings hatching and baby quail coming in, potato pampering didn't even make the TO DO list. I had also done some research over the winter and discovered there are actually several varieties of sweet potato specifically tailored to growing in colder climates.

I spent several months trying to find sources for these potatoes and had quite a hard time. While your typical seed store has the long season varieties, the short season potatoes are not as well known or as widely distributed. Sandhill Preservation Center carries some, but you have to order assortments. Plus their order form is confusing and I really wanted Korean Purple sweet potatoes, something they didn't offer. Fortunately I stumbled upon Abundant Acres. They had a great selection of early season sweet potatoes and I decided to give them a try.

By the time I discovered their website, they had already sold out of the Korean Purples so I settled for an order of Violetta and an order of Carogold sweet potatoes. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going get as far as quality, but I figured I would be brave and take a chance. Even though I paid in March, they do not ship until you are past the last frost date for your region. I finally got my order last week.

The Violetta plants were strong, thick and robust. Unfortunately the Carogolds looked like they had been stepped on by elephants. The leaves were nothing but mush. The box didn't look damaged, so I am not sure if there was a packing accident or if the weird hot weather got to them. I sent off an email to Pam at Abundant Acres with photos showing the damage and they replied immediately and sent replacements. Only a few days later the new plants arrived and they were in much better shape.

Overall the Carogold plants are more delicate than the thicker, more robust violettas, but both sweet potato varieties are in the dirt and now doing well. I am pretty excited about growing a sweet potato more suited to my climate and should get an even better harvest than I did from my garnet sweet potatoes last year. The customer service at Abundant Acres was wonderful despite the initial plant issue and I will definitely be ordering from them again. So remember folks, growing sweet potatoes isn't just for Southerners and Surfers and we can grow them up here too.

New recruits

2011-05-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the new coturnix quail we picked up from Kiowa Kountry Korner. They are extremely active and very healthy. Since they are straight run, we have no idea who is a boy or girl, so no names yet.

Like most children, they really seem to enjoy playing with their food.

Growing ducklings

2011-05-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

These are the three girls we are keeping from Abby's hatch. They have already been named so I will introduce you to Amy Farrah Fowler (left), Bernadette (center) and Penny (right).

I hate squirrels!

2011-05-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

Squirrels are evil. They are nothing but rats with good PR. They cause hundreds of dollars worth of damage to my property alone. Last year they tore apart my lawn furniture cushions, ate all my pumpkins and dug up seeds right after I planted them. We were lucky to get any fruit and it is always a race to see if we can get apples, pears and grapes harvested before they trash them all.

The face of pure evil

Just today they dug up all but one of my sunflower seedlings and then bit them in half. They also destroyed 2 tomato plants by digging at the roots. My only satisfaction was I managed to blast 2 of them with the garden hose before they dug up the corn.

Living in the burbs, I can't just grab a shot gun and blow them in to tiny bits. We have trapped them in the past, but squirrels are smart. They figured out the trap long ago. Sling shots and BB guns will get their attention, but neither is strong enough to permanently take care of these evil beasts.

I am especially not happy at being outsmarted by a rodent with a brain the size of a pea, but this monkey isn't giving up. For now, all the wire baskets I could find are being employed to protecting the tomatoes. Netting has kept them out of the cabbage bed so far, but I have a lot of growing area and will need to beef up security. I see a trip to the hardware store in the future.

The back yard may end up looking like Alcatraz, but at least I will have something to harvest.

Abby's first hatch

2011-05-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

6 ducklings. All girls amazingly. Three have already gone to new homes. Mom is being fiercely protective of the other three.

It's a boy! And a girl....and another girl.... and....

2011-04-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

I sold some hatching eggs to a woman in Louisiana about a month ago. The other day I recently received this nice little picture from her so I guess I am a ducky grandma.

Some of these ducklings are from my shipped eggs and some are from her eggs. That's quite a lot of cuteness!

Hatching shipped eggs can be tricky, but it can also be worth the risk to get a breed of duckling you really want. Plus if a batch of hatching eggs gets lost in the mail, no biggie. If a shipment of live ducklings gets lost in the mail.....YIKES!

I will be taking a chance on some shipping eggs once I finally get my incubator issues figured out. By buying hatching eggs, I can get a drake from a different bloodline and ensure genetic diversity in my little flock. With patience and luck, I should end up with my own box of cuteness!

Congratulations on the ducklings Kerath!

Broody Mama

2011-04-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

Our duck hen Abby Cadabby, succumbed to maternal instincts a few weeks ago. We think she has about 2 more weeks to go before we should see some ducklings. Being a first time mom, hatching out a clutch is not a sure thing, but she seems determined and we are hopeful.


Abby Cadabby on her nest.

The other ducks have been busy doing ducky things and enjoying the short bouts of nice weather. Last time the sun was out, I herded them to the front yard for some landscaping duties.

Unfortunately they were more interested in playing in the sprinkler than working. They did manage to get some aerating done as well as bug munching, but the sprinkler was definitely the big draw.

Spring 2011 Update

2011-04-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

Just a few updates about what is going on down on the microfarm. Even though my space is small, there seems to be no end of work!

New tank for the pond: Pat in Manitou, mom to a few of the ducks from last year's flock, has gifted us with a 250 gallon stock tank (top). This has been added to our food pond system where we grow rosy minnows and duckweed for feeding the flock and also use people food plants as part of the filtration. Last year we grew strawberries, peppers, melons and basil. This year we will be doing the same as well as increasing our pepper growing efforts. Along with sweet red peppers we are going to grow chiltepin peppers, habanero peppers, serrano peppers and cayenne peppers. Starters are in pots right now.
Broody duck: Abby Cadabby, a Welsh Harlequin hen hatched here last year, has succumbed to maternal instincts and is sitting on a nest of around 1 dozen eggs. We have put some movable fencing around her nest located inside a plastic doghouse. This way the drakes wont pester her and the other ducks wont try to push her out so they can lay their eggs in that spot. She tried to get out the first day, but when she realized she would still get her morning peas and instead of competing with the rest of the flock they would be had delivered, she settled right down.
New nest: With no access to the dog house/nesting box, the other duck hens have decided that they like laying behind the dog house in a quiet corner. Of course I have to climb over stuff to get to the eggs and it took me a few days to find where they were hiding their eggs, but I am on to them now!
New pumpkin patch: Next to the new stock tank we are taking an area prone to weeds and turning it to a pumpkin patch. We are using the "lasagna garden" method of creating the bed. First lay down a thick layer of newspaper, add a layer of compost, then add some top soil. This method worked great last year in the tomato bed. It is a no-till way to get excellent, relatively weed-free growing areas instantly.
Cold Frame: The two cold frames we put up last month are doing great. In one we planted directly in the soil and have radishes, spinach and lettuce growing. The other we just placed nursery pots inside and put seeds in the pots. We have beans, melons, tomatoes and corn growing well out there right now. With our wacky Spring weather these cold frames really help get a jump on the season while protecting the plants.
Seedlings: While we do have some seedlings started indoors, we also put a rack of seed flats outside. It is technically too early to start many things outside in this region, but the shelving unit the pots are on is wrapped in a frost blanket. This gives protection down to about 20º but still allows 95% of the light in. We shouldn't go much below 30º at this point so we are hoping the simple frost blanket wrap lets us start plants without further crowding our tiny house.
Perennials: Our chives, rhubarb, horse radish, thyme, mint, clover, day lilies, rue, and Japanese spireas are back. The chives are going crazy. Other plants are starting to put out little shoots and the apples and pear trees are about to flower. Not sure if our tarragon made it though. We grew it for the first time last year and we are not sure when it is supposed to reemerge.
Potatoes: We are growing potatoes for the first time this year. The selected method is growing them in garbage cans. The bottoms of the plastic cans are cut out and replaced with wire mesh. A small layer of compost is added and then add potatoes and cover with more compost. As the vines grow, you add more compost, leaves, straw, etc... leaving just a few inches of plant at the top. By the end of the growing season the can is full to the top and the can is full of potatoes...at least in theory. To harvest, you dump out the can. We are trying organic Yukon Gold and organic Purple Potatoes.
Grow bags: Having plenty of sturdy plastic woven feed bags leftover from buying duck food, we are going to put those bags to use and use them for growing zucchini, patty pan squash, sweet potatoes and melons. To prep the bags, you only need to poke a few holes along the sides at the bottom, fill with compost and top with some garden soil. There are areas in the yard where surface tree roots have proven to be an issue and that is where the grow bags will be used.
Straw bale garden: Another way to get quick gardening space without back-breaking digging and soil amendments is to grow your plants in straw bales. In a rocky spot with hard soil we placed 3 straw bales and topped it with garden soil. Peas were planted and we already have sprouts. To learn more about straw bale gardening click here.

More updates to come!

Seed shopping in the food isle

2011-03-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows you can buy seeds in those cute little seed packets in the garden center. But you can also get great garden seeds from packages of food in the grocery store.

Two things I just recently tested for germination were quinoa and anasazi beans. I bought 1 lb bags of each in the bulk food isle at the grocery store. I then put some seeds on a plate between wet paper towels and waited to see if they would germinate. Within a few hours I had the beginnings of quinoa sprouts. The next morning almost all had sprouted. It took 2 days but almost all of the anasazi beans in the paper towels also sprouted. Once I figured out they were viable seeds, I planted some of each. The beans are now growing inside in jiffy pots. The quinoa is outside under a frost blanket.

I have also tested organic whole peas, mung beans and amaranth with good results. The only time I had something not work was when I picked up a clearance bag of whole peas. The color looked a little off and I should have know better. I only got about a 30% germination rate when I tried to sprout some. The rest got cooked and the flavor was stale. I ended up tossing them.

Testing beans and other seed items for germination rate is also a good way to see if the food you are getting is fresh. If your stuff doesn't sprout, it has probably been sitting on the store shelf for a long time and you may want to buy a different brand or shop at a different store. You may also want to be a little more careful when looking at the clearance bin.

The potential money savings you can get by buying 1 lb bags sold as food vs. the seed packets is incredible. Take the quinoa for example. A few weeks ago I bought a 2 gram package of rainbow quinoa for $1.89. The 1 lb bag of white quinoa in the grocery isle was $3.89. I bought it for dinner, but there is plenty in a 1 lb container for eating AND planting your entire yard and even a few neighbors'. Looking at the math, there are 453.59237 grams per pound. Quinoa seeds in a garden packet work out to 95¢/gram. Purchased as a bag of food, they are less than a penny/gram.

I've had great luck at the local Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocer. Their bulk beans, seeds and grains usually come in 1 lb bags, move quickly enough to ensure freshness, and are even organic. Other stores will have bulk beans and seeds or prepackaged bags, just make sure the items are whole and not cracked, split or otherwise processed.

Others have tried growing their groceries and have had great results. Here are a few reports from members of www.TheEasyGarden.com.

"I grew wheat and amaranth last year from seed from the grocery store. We also got started on our millet by planting the seeds from the sprays sold for bird food. I planted lentils and they grew well, but the seedpods only hold one or two lentils. Not really worth growing, but it was a fun project, to see if we could and what they looked like. I figure it still was good for the soil, since they are a legume....
I planted popcorn that I got at the healthfood store. It was organic popcorn and it grew very well. We now have several jars of our own popcorn, from a handful that I planted." - FarmerDenise

"And we have terrific Yukon Gold potatoes that we hold over year after year for our own seed potatoes. They were originally a 10 lb bag of store bought. I know, lots of people say that's risky and you should only plant certified seed potatoes. But it's worked out fine for us. We get a great crop every year with many very large potatoes, and they store really well." - Kim_NC

"I've done various beans and dried peas with success. Organic wheat and oats sprout well. I grow them into grass for my cats. (I buy bulk whole grains to make my own flour so I get it by the 50-pound sack, plenty to grow) I always grow potatoes and sweet potatoes from store bought ones. Also garlic, I buy whole cloves of garlic in the produce aisle and break them up and plant them." - Ariel301

Ducks for meat

2011-03-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

If you are a vegan, vegetarian, or someone who likes to pretend that meat spontaneously generates out of styrofoam trays covered in plastic, you may want to skip this post.

Still here?

Ok, lets talk about ducks as a meat source. The main reason I have ducks are for the eggs, but when you raise ducks, there is always an issue of not enough hens and too many drakes. Since you only need 1 drake for every 4 or so hens, and ducks hatch out at about 1/1 male to female, what happens to those extra boys?

This is where the meat thing comes in. Lets face it, duck is delicious. Duck breast has a flavor closer to steak than chicken. The duck fat you get off a roasted duck can be used to cook other meals. The thigh and leg meat makes excellent sausages. The carcass makes a fantastic, nutritious bone broth. To put it simply ducks = yum.

The only problem with getting the duck to the point of being meat is that you have to kill the duck. Killing something is hard enough. When it is cute and you know it on a first name basis it is even harder. But the cold hard reality is that if you eat meat, something had to die for you to get a meal. Eating meat from an animal you know has received the proper food, lived in uncramped conditions, was perfectly healthy, and was allowed to live as naturally as possible is reason to be happy, not sad.

Meat that is raised on fresh air, sunshine, and natural food is going to be way more nourishing than factory raised meat fed corn and soy that is typically available in the super market. Butchering an animal might not be something most people are able to do, but it is something anyone who eats meat should consider. A chicken had to die for you to eat a McNugget, even if you can't identify what part of the chicken a McNugget is. Meat comes from somewhere, and it isn't from those yellow trays.

Having butchered 2 ducks so far, I can say that the quality of meat and knowing how the animal was raised is a big consideration. I am confident that the ducks had a great life, I know what they ate, and I know that is reflected in the nutrition value of the meat. As we get to the time of year when we hatch out more ducklings, the excess drakes will end up as food. I doubt many of my friends will be able to eat duck meat if they know I raised it. Even discussing butchering makes them uncomfortable. This is sad really. Why can they eat store chicken and not a chicken they saw walking around? What makes my duck inedible but crispy duck at a restaurant perfectly OK?

By removing themselves from the true origins of their food they can live in ignorant bliss. I guess I am much happier living in reality. I know where my food came from. Do you?

Here comes the sun...

2011-02-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

Many people think that the reason their ducks or chickens aren't laying eggs this time of year is because of the cold weather. While weather can play a role since energy needed to stay warm is diverted from the egg laying process, the largest determining factor in egg laying is sunlight.

"The reproductive state of all birds is strongly regulated by the amount of light that they receive each day. If hens are to maintain a constant state of egg production, they must be subjected to at least 16 hours of light every day. This light can be provided from sunlight, artificial light sources, or a combination." more

At the end of Winter as the days get longer, egg laying is triggered. Shown: Abby Cadabby, who is already laying, nibbling on some melting snow. Who knew ducks liked snow cones??

This topic came up recently when a duck owner in Manitou, CO contacted me because her ducks weren't laying yet. Since our houses are only about 20 minutes apart by car, you would think ducks from the same clutch and parent stock would be laying at the same time. Yet I had eggs from my girls and she didn't. It all came down to a matter of light.

My home is located in a flat area with plenty of sunshine. She is on the side of a mountain. There are lots of spots in my duck's run that have sun at any time of the day. You can often see them move their napping spots to take total advantage of the winter light. Her late day light is limited by the giant pile of rocks known to the rest of the world as Pikes Peak. Plus I also use a bit of technology to give the girls that extra boost of light they need to lay in Winter.

I use a simple solar shed light or a rechargeable flashlight each night when we lock the ducks up for the night. The light stays on for about 2 hours before the battery drains and gives them just enough light to get an early start on Spring laying. They still usually take January off from any egg laying even with that extra bit of light, but I don't begrudge them the vacation time.

People do use even more artificial lighting to keep peak egg production all year round, but this comes at a price. The number of eggs a hen can lay is set at hatching. If you keep them laying all year round as a youngsters, they will not be laying much when they get older. A drop off in production is normal after about 3 or 4 years, but ducks can still lay pretty consistently when they are 8 or even older. Especially if you have high egg production breeds like Welsh Harlequins, Khaki Campbells or Indian Runners. It just isn't going to be an egg every day like they laid when they were young. Make them produce all the time in their youth and you will be lucky to get any eggs when they are seniors.

The decision to add supplemental lighting is a very individual one. If you are running a large commercial egg facility, even a slight drop in laying leads to a hen being culled. Often that is no more than 2 years. Small scale egg facilities usually give their hens more time. For the back yard bird owner who knows their hens on a first name basis, keeping their feathered friend happy and healthy for a lifetime is going to be the prime consideration. If you don't mind feeding non-productive animals through the winter and don't desperately need the eggs that time of year, consider giving your girls at least some down time to keep them laying through the years.

The morning egg hunt

2011-02-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

The girls have started to lay more consistently and I think everyone is just about done molting. I have been getting 3 or 4 eggs per day, but I have to work for those eggs. I never know where they are going to be. Two perfectly comfy dog houses converted to duck use just don't seem to be good enough. Instead, the eggs were either in the middle of the pen trampled and full of muck, or they were hidden behind on of the duck huts.

The only reason I knew about the hidden nest behind the duck hut is because I went out to the pen early one day and came up one duck short at morning roll call. Then I heard some soft quacking and squeaking. Abby had climbed between the huts and hollowed out a nice little spot in the hay against the back wall of the pen. Ducks may look fat and fluffy, but they CAN squeeze in to inconvenient areas if they want to. In fact, if you go in to any bird pen and think to yourself "what would be the most difficult, inconvenient, and seemingly impossible spot for those silly birds to lay eggs?" and that is where your eggs will be.

I was getting tired of rearranging the pen every morning trying to find hidden eggs or washing off duck mud and decided to borrow an old trick used by chicken owners. You put a fake egg where you want your birds to lay. Apparently this tricks the critters in to thinking that particular spot is a perfectly safe place to lay eggs. After all, there is an egg right there! Of course it exploits the birds inability to count or do a quick material analysis....

Many people use golf balls, but I actually had polished stone eggs used for decoration. As a decor item, all they did was gather dust, so using them as decoy eggs seemed like a much more practical use.

It's been over a week since I put those stone eggs out in one of the duck houses and it is working like a charm. Besides being unable to count or tell egg shell from stone, egg color doesn't seem to matter to them either. They just assume since eggs are already in the nest, this must be "THE spot", so no more lifting up houses and digging through straw. Thanks to all the chicken owners for the great idea.

Winter Gardening

2010-12-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

When you think of gardening, you might think of Spring planting, Summer weeding, and Fall harvesting. The word WINTER usually doesn't come to mind, but with Colorado's unusual weather patterns, you really have to learn to think creatively.

Cool season crops like radishes, bok choy and other greens are typically planted in very early Spring and harvested before it gets hot, the plants bolt and then go to seed. In Colorado, early Spring is when we are getting our worst snow storms, arctic air blasts and blizzard conditions. Once that passes we jump right in to 80º-90º temperatures with out batting an eye. Those tender cool air loving plants don't stand a chance.

Planting in Winter makes more sense with our wacky Spring weather, but you can't just throw seeds in your regular garden bed and expect things grow in the cold. Low light, high winds and cold night time temperatures mean your plants wont sprout. If by some chance some do, they will die quickly. By planting in November or December, most likely the local birds will dig up and eat your seeds and not even bother to say "thank you!". With a little planning and recycling you can fool Mother Nature and actually enjoy some fresh homegrown vegetables while everyone else has to go to the supermarket and pick through flavorless, expensive imported produce.

This doesn't look like much, but this simple piece of plastic covering a garden bed and held up by 2 bent PVC pipes holds a little secret...

These little Chinese cabbage plants were sown in October right before our first frost.

On the other side of the grow tunnel there is more Chinese cabbage, a few spinach plants leftover from Summer, and a cilantro plant that snuck in. No doubt it was a seed from a plant that bolted during the hot Fall weather.

The key to this growing tunnel is not just the plastic sheet cover, but those recycled 2 liter bottles you see bordering the growing bed. These bottles filled with water provide important thermal mass. Thermal mass absorbs heat during the day and then slowly releases the heat in to the tunnel at night. Without the thermal mass, you might be able to extend the growing season a bit during Spring and Fall, but your odds of keeping plants alive when it gets below 20º at night are not good. The combination of the 2 liter bottles and the plastic cover create a nice little microclimate that allows some plants to grow completely out of season.

The growth rate of Winter vegetables is going to be much slower than if you planted them in warmer weather. But by already being sprouted and growing they are poised to take off once the days start to lengthen.

Any plants that like cooler weather can be used in a tunnel garden, but Chinese greens are especially suited to this type of growing method. Thinking of trying your own Winter gardening experiment? Here are some good resources to get you started...

Predator Identified

2010-12-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

At 5am I finally learned what is out there looking for a free duck dinner. I was an OWL!

Something moved through the back yard and tripped the motion sensor flood lights. Those lights coming on woke me up. Then I heard it calling. By the sound of the call, I have a GREAT HORNED OWL living in my corner of the burbs.
http://www.owlpages.com/sounds.php

So this is one predator I can't dispatch. Like the hawk we had issues with a few years back, owls are protected. We can only use defense, no offense. Time to swap the netting for hardware cloth.

Apparently death comes from the skies around here.
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/Birds/GreatHornedOwl.htm

Even suberbia has predators

2010-12-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

Living in the 'burbs, you wouldn't think random hungry critters eating your animals would be a big issue, but it is. While I don't have to deal with coyotes like they do out east, the Security/Widefield area has plenty of foxes, raccoons and skunks. 2 years ago I also learned that large hawks don't mind navigating a maze of trees, power lines, fences and clothes lines if it means a free duck dinner.

The hawk attack two years ago resulted in losing two hens, one I hatched in an incubator and raised myself and the other I had since she was three days old. Our latest attack by a predator two nights ago left me with one dead drake, a hen with an injured wing and another hen with a punctured throat.

The girls will most likely recover but we will miss our little man Cartman. We adopted him this June because he was from a different hatchery as our previous drake and would provide diversity in our breeding stock. I was delighted that he was a "perfect gentleman" as far as ducks go. He always let the girls eat first...even when favorite treats were provided. He was not rough or obnoxious during mating and he was very alert and protective of the entire flock. He even got along with our younger drake and set a good example for TJ as he went through his terrible teenager phase. Hopefully TJ learned his lessons well as he is now the flock leader by default.

Security in the pen has been beefed up and instead of letting them wander lose in the covered run all night the ducks are now getting locked in to the secure night pen. They weren't to happy about the confinement, but it is better than ending up as a midnight snack.

Hubby and I looked for clues as to what kind of varmint we are dealing with. So far we are thinking fox, but we are not sure. A few claw scratches in the fencing and a piece of white fluff stuck to the wood were all we found. Along with the secure night pen, we also set out a small have-a-heart trap we already had on hand. This should take care of anything small like a skunk, ferret or young coon.

Maybe I will have to ask Santa for a game cam set up...

Planning for Spring

2010-12-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

There was a lot of good learning through our gardening and farming adventures this year. I figured it was a good idea to put them in writing so I wouldn't forget all those important lessons after one too many glasses of champagne New Year's Eve.

Buy row covers. Row covers will keep the white flies from turning the kale, brussel sprout and cabbage to goo. This will be disappointing to the ducks who think bug infested vegetables are a delicacy, but they will just have to get over it.
Don't worry about overfilling the raised beds. As the season goes on the dirt and compost cooks down and you will end up adding more dirt and/or compost anyway.
Tomato cages are useless if you properly feed the 'mater vines. Our tomatoes were so vigorous they outgrew the cages and ended up as a tangled mass which made harvest a total pain. Arched cattle panels would be a much better way to tame the vines and make harvesting easy.
Be prepared for late season diseases. Powdery mildew and wilt will eventually find your squash plants, so be prepared to treat with a homemade milk spray.
Tree roots are your garden's enemy. No matter how well established the tree and how deep the tap root, it will take the easy path to water. Trees will send out surface roots in a thick stringy mess that will suck all the water out of your veggies. Raised beds with a root barrier, whiskey barrels or even hay bale planting can combat that. I am going to try a few hay bales and beg for a few whiskey barrels for Mother's Day.
Squirrels are evil. And smart. They figured out the Have-A-Heart trap and I can no longer catch and relocate. Also a Daisy BB rifle will NOT kill a squirrel (particularly the fat, fluffy ones around here) unless you manage to catch one asleep and beat it to death with the rifle butt. Since they sleep 40' up in the air in the neighbor's trees, that isn't going to happen. If we ever expect to get pumpkins, we are going to have to use hardware cloth and build cages to keep the squirrels out.
Don't be afraid to experiment! I had great success with my sweet potato test. I found a plastic Little Tykes toy box for $5 at a garage sale, painted it black and filled it with dirt. I was able to grow sweet potatoes that are actually more suited for a much warmer climate. I also used a wooden box and filled it with feed bags filled with dirt for more sweet potatoes. Next year I will actually buy a variety designed for colder regions to hopefully get an even better yield.
Diatomaceous earth is not effective on all bugs, but it does work well on flea beetles. Sprinkle on the ground before planting things likes radishes to disrupt its reproductive cycle and save your plants. Reapply periodically to keep them at bay. DE is worthless for white flies. Just use row covers for those white fly favorites like kale and cabbage.

Gardening can be a pain, and it can also be very rewarding. The last year was a mixture of both, but it was a great experience and I really look forward to next year!

2010 Farm Wrap Up

2010-12-01T11:42:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe another year is almost gone. Work has been hectic so the farm and blogging got a little neglected. We also suffered an aphid and white fly attack which wiped out our kale and jersey cabbage crop. For some reason the red cabbage was fine so we still had some to harvest.

The tomato patch was a big success and we had plenty for eating fresh, drying and canning as spaghetti sauce. The varieties we grew were black plum, roma, heirloom rainbow, Cherokee purple, and pink climbing tomatoes. The best producer was the black plum. They are also an excellent size for drying. The heirloom rainbow variety was terrible. It vined all over the place and there were only a few, pathetic orange tomatoes that dried out before they could even get decently ripe. The romas did well but this turned out the be the favorite variety for the pill bugs. The ducks got quite a few pill bug infested romas for snacks. They appreciated the extra protein. The Cherokee purple were ok. Pretty good flavor but slow to ripen and they had a tendency to split despite a pretty consistent moisture level. The best flavor for eating fresh came from the pink climbers. While the yield was not high, the taste was awesome. We are more than willing to give these a place in the garden again.

We did ok on the summer squash. There was a fairly steady supply of Italian, yellow, and black zucchini. The plants did get powdery mildew late in the summer, but the plants were pretty much done by that point. As for the winter squash, the squirrels got most of those. We did end up with a rather tasty orange acorn squash. More squirrel protection will be needed next year if we ever expect to get pumpkins, butternut or spaghetti squash like we planned.

The melons were good (see previous post for Collective Farm Woman review) but we didn't get nearly enough. The Charentais melon we harvested was delicious. Imagine a cantaloupe with a spicy aftertaste and a heavenly melon scent. That is as close as I can get to describing this delicious melon. We have more seeds and will definitely giving both the Collective Farm Woman and the Charentais better spots and more space in the garden. These were also subject to squirrel attack so hardware cloth covers are in the works.

We had cucumbers, beans, and alpine strawberries pretty steadily throughout the growing season and even managed a couple clusters of corn. The corn was part of an experimental 3 Sisters garden which uses corn, beans, and pumpkins on the same hill to assist each other and promote weed suppression. Our tiny plot did do rather well so we will expand the 3 sisters concept next year. The corn variety we planted was Golden Bantam Sweet Corn. We save and dried all the kernels so we will have more to plant in spring.

We had a really good pear harvest as well as quite a few apples. Apparently we were faster than the squirrels this year so actually had enough to eat fresh, dry and canned. One grape vine produced very well while the other took the summer off. It had been trimmed back the previous year. There were not many grape producing shoots left. The growth of the vine this year was phenomenal and all those new vines will give us grapes next year.

On the critter front, we had a coturnix quail hatch out 3 chicks, one of which made it to adulthood. Since coturnix quail usually don't set a nest and this was her first time, it is still quite impressive. The survivor, which almost died when he escaped the hutch and couldn't get back to mom, is named Zombie. Zombie is a boy so we will be finding him some girlfriends ASAP. Hopefully his mom will try and hatch out another batch next season.

Our duck total for now is 7. We kept 3 ducklings from the Spring hatch, 2 hens (Prairie Dawn and Abby Cadabby) and a drake (TJ). We also gave the drake that fathered those 3 ducklings away and adopted a new drake (Cartman). A friend is going to do a test hatch for us to make sure he is doing his job.

Even though it is now December and we have had plenty of hard freezes and even a little snow, the gardening isn't done. We are building cold frames and hope to grow some winter greens. Stay tuned for updates!

Crop Report: Collective Farm Woman Melon

2010-09-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

This is my first year growing "Collective Farm Woman Melon". I am impressed. The vine doesn't seem to mind our weird Colorado temperature fluctuations. Doesn't sprawl out too much and even works well on a trellis. Fruit are the size of large softballs. They start off green, turn yellow, then gold.

The important question is how does one taste?

DELICIOUS! The flavor is a bit like a pear crossed with a honey dew with a little musky spice added to it.
Texture-wise, the one I picked still had a little green on it. I didn't plan on picking it, but when I lifted it to see what color the bottom was, it came right off the vine. It had a bit of a pear texture to it. It was a little crisp so it probably could have ripened a tad more, but it was still yummy. Like a cantaloupe, if you can actually smell a melon scent from the fruit before you cut it open, it is good to go. I could distinctly smell the melon so we went ahead and ate it with breakfast.

As for yield, well, I only have 1 vine. I just harvested that first fruit and there are 2 more full sized melons starting to turn yellow. There are some more little green ones developing, so if the frost holds off, I may get up to 6 or 7 fruit by the end of the growing season. Next year I will be putting in several more plants.

I also got a late start on these so I feel really lucky to get as much fruit as I am. I will start some ahead of time in-doors rather than waiting to plant them directly in the soil. That will really help productivity.

I got the seeds at Baker Creek. I highly recommend this tasty little personal-sized melon.

Egg recall good reason to grow your own

2010-08-19T07:39:00.001-07:00

I have a mild chicken egg allergy. Fortunately being allergic to chicken eggs doesn't necessarily mean you are allergic to other types of eggs. That is one of the reasons I got in to raising ducks, and then recently, quail. I wanted fresh eggs without the risk of allergic reaction.

The latest food recall is just a reminder that I am doing the best possible thing for my health and the health of my family by producing my own eggs right in my suburban backyard. Not only do I have a handle on the allergy front, my eggs are not contaminated.

"Hundreds of Americans have likely become ill from tainted eggs, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC spokeswoman Lola Russell said Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administration, which investigates food contamination, said the CDC received reports of approximately 200 salmonella cases every week during late June and early July. Normally, the CDC has received an average of some 50 reports of salmonella illness each week for the past five years. Many states have also reported increases of this pattern since May 2010, the FDA said.

A total of 380 million eggs have been recalled since last week because of concerns they may be tainted with the potentially deadly salmonella bacteria, the Egg Safety Center said." (more)

Poultry raised in uncrowded conditions with access to fresh air, greens and sunshine are far less susceptible to disease and infections. Commercially raised chickens are crowded, not allowed in the sun, get no fresh grass or other greens, and require medication to fight infections. Even the fancy, expensive "cage-free" and "vegetarian-fed" eggs come from chickens who aren't roaming in a pasture, but are in large climate controlled warehouses standing in their own feces. If there is an outdoor area, often the hens are packed in so tight they couldn't possibly get to the door even if they tried.

And here is a news flash... chickens ARE NOT vegetarians. If your eggs come from chickens that are vegetarian fed, they are coming from chickens raised in confinement. Given the chance a chicken will eat bugs, worms, lizards, or even mice. They thrive on animal protein.

Having your own egg layers is an obvious solution, but not everyone has the time, space or ability to raise their own poultry and produce their own eggs. If you can't raise a chicken or even a few quail, check your local craigslist. Often small farmers and backyard chicken owners sell their surplus. Don't be afraid to ask for pictures or even if they allow visitors. Due to biosecurity concerns, some might not allow you to roam through their hen house, but they should at least be able to send you a cell phone pic of the chicken's pen and run. Another option is the farmer's market. Talk to the farmers and make sure they are bringing their own eggs, not just reselling commercially raised eggs. Get to know them on an individual basis and learn as much as you can about their birds. Really know your food.

Humanely produced eggs do cost more than eggs you find at the supermarket, but the extra nutrition from naturally raised eggs makes them well worth it. According to a study by Mother Earth News, "Our latest tests show that pastured eggs have anywhere between 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs." (more) Other benefits include more vitamin A, vitamin e, beta carotene, and omega 3 fatty acids.

Just remember that cheap food isn't cheap. Those 99 cent/dozen eggs can come at a much higher price to your health than the dollar or two you save when buying them. It also comes at a price to the animal's health and welfare. Ask yourself how much your health and karma are worth to you these days?

Note: For more information on modern farming and food raising practices, rent the documentary FOOD, INC.

Ducklings grow so fast!

2010-08-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Abby Cadabby & Prairie Dawn

It's a girl!

2010-06-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

The duckling we thought was a boy at hatching is actually a girl. Initially named Oscar because mom decided to brood inside of a garbage can on its side, the duckling will now be called Abby Cadabby. (Abby is another Sesame Street character.)

Abby is in the middle of a voice change and sounds totally ridiculous. Instead of "peep peep peep" she now says "peep peep grunt squeak QUACK peep". She sounds like a dog toy with a broken squeaker. Since she is in her teenager phase, we try not to laugh too much about her voice in front of her.

Sustainable duck feed

2010-06-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

We do feed our ducks commercial feed, but also try to provide them as much fresh food as we can. They load up on the greens we give them in the morning and only nibble their game bird feed as needed. We have increased our gardening beds and are giving them as much home grown food as possible, but between the family's use and the Saturday farmers market, there isn't as much for them as they would like.

Fortunately we have been using our pond to not only grow people food, but to grow things just for the ducks. It took several attempts, but we finally found a strain of duckweed that grows well in our pond. Usually people DO NOT want duckweed in their water, but duckweed is a very nutritious feed for ducks. It also keeps the algae down by shading the water's surface. Now that the duckweed has started to cover the whole pond, we have started scooping some out and putting it in the duck's water. It disappears in seconds.

We also added rosy minnows to the pond. Their main function is to eat mosquito larvae. Between mosquito larvae, algae and other bugs, you don't even have to provide additional feed. Just put them in the pond and let them do their job. A secondary benefit of rosy minnows is they reproduce like mad. We have seen very small fry swimming at the top of the pond. Just like the duckweed, extra minnows get scooped out and fed to the ducks.

Both duckweed and minnows are food a wild ducks thrives on. By providing as much natural food as possible to our animals, we are helping to keep them happy and healthy.

Lexus and her ducklings took advantage of a temporary security breech in the pen and tried to gobble up all the duckweed

Farm Stand Report

2010-06-27T09:19:00.001-07:00

Mixed green salad with hard boiled quail eggs.

We will be at the Consolidated Market Place again next Saturday. Along with our fresh-cut herbs, we will have fresh quail eggs, duck eggs, and mixed salad greens.

The mixed greens contain green and red leaf lettuce, baby vivian romaine lettuce, and baby spinach. When available they also contain nasturtium flowers and leaves, bean blossoms, pea pods, violet flowers, fresh shelled peas and pea blossoms. Many people do not realize that several varieties of flowers are edible and add, not only color, but nutrition and flavor to your favorite salads. Whenever our edible flowers are in bloom they will go in to our salad blends.

Rhubarb: We had requested for rhubarb this week but will will not have any available until later in the year. The second harvest is not as large as the spring cutting, so quantities will be limited. We are, however, going to be dividing and moving some of our plants. A few root cuttings will be available for those who want to try and grow their own.

We are also researching adding dried herbs and spices to our both. An update will be posted on this topic soon.

Duck Poetry

2010-06-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

From troubles of the world I turn to ducks,
Beautiful comical things

Sleeping or curled
Their heads beneath white wings
By water cool,
Or finding curious things

To eat in various mucks
Beneath the pool,

Tails uppermost, or waddling

Sailor-like on the shores
Of ponds, or paddling
- Left! Right! - with fanlike feet
Which are for steady oars
When they (white galleys) float
Each bird a boat
Rippling at will the sweet
Wide waterway…
When night is fallen you creep

Upstairs, but drakes and dillies
Nest with pale water-stars.
Moonbeams and shadow bars,
And water-lilies:
Fearful too much to sleep
Since they've no locks

To click against the teeth

Of weasel and fox.
And warm beneath
Are eggs of cloudy green
Whence hungry rats and lean
Would stealthily suck
New life, but for the mien

The hold ferocious mien

Of the mother-duck.
Yes, ducks are valiant things

On nests of twigs and straws,
And ducks are soothy things
And lovely on the lake
When that the sunlight draws

Thereon their pictures dim
In colours cool.
And when beneath the pool

They dabble, and when they swim
And make their rippling rings,
0 ducks are beautiful things!
But ducks are comical things:-
As comical as you.
Quack!
They waddle round, they do.
They eat all sorts of things,
And then they quack.
By barn and stable and stack
They wander at their will,
But if you go too near

They look at you through black
Small topaz-tinted eyes
And wish you ill.
Triangular and clear
They leave their curious track
In mud at the water's edge,
And there amid the sedge
And slime they gobble and peer
Saying 'Quack! quack!'
When God had finished the stars and whirl of coloured suns
He turned His mind from big things to fashion little ones;
Beautiful tiny things (like daisies) He made, and then
He made the comical ones in case the minds of men
Should stiffen and become
Dull, humourless and glum,
And so forgetful of their Maker be
As to take even themselves - quite seriously.
Caterpillars and cats are lively and excellent puns:
All God's jokes are good - even the practical ones!
And as for the duck, I think God must have smiled a bit
Seeing those bright eyes blink on the day He fashioned it.
And he's probably laughing still at the sound that came out of its bill!

by Frank W Harvey

Fresh Herbs at the Farmer's Market

2010-06-24T10:13:00.001-07:00

We will be selling some of our fresh herbs at the Consolidated Market Place indoor Farmer's Market. This is a new location for the market that used to sell at the Knights of Columbus in Security.

Lisa, the market director, will be handling the sales. My offerings will be limited, but Lisa has a lot of farm-direct produce including watermelon, beets, potatoes, and tomatoes so be sure to stop in.

As the season progresses I will have more offerings, but for now there will be...

• Mint (regular, chocolate and pineapple as available)

• Greek Oregano

• Tarragon

• Sage

• Thyme

• Basil

Quail and duck eggs will also be for sale in limited quantities.

Later in the season we will have

• Tomatoes

• Dragon tongue beans

• Pumpkins

• Sweet potato squash

• Black heirloom squash

• Sunflowers

• Mixed salad greens

• Kale

• Spinach

• Stevia leaf

Just check this blog for harvest updates.

Consolidated Market Place

Fridays and Saturdays year round

4360 Bradley Road

Colorado Springs

Duckling update

2010-06-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

We ended up losing 2 from Lexi's clutch. Countess Darling von Darling just never grew and Zoe died after a very cold and wet night. We think mom moved the nest while she was sleeping and she got left behind. The other 4 remain happy and healthy. Bert and Betty Lou went to their new home at Venetucci Farm. The last 2 ducklings will stay with us. Still not sure if one of them is a boy or girl. The bill was pink but had a big black stripe down the middle. The other, Prairie Dawn, is obviously a girl with a pink bill with a small black tip. We will be able to tell if we have and Oscar or an Abby Cadabby in a couple of weeks.

Our new drake (Cartman) is getting along quite well with Shelley and Wendy. He is too young for breeding, but the fact that those two bossy wenches aren't chasing him around the pen trying to rip his feathers out is a good sign.

The ducklings

2010-06-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here are all of Lexi's ducklings...

From left to right: Countess Darling von Darling, Bert, Betty Lou (back), Abby Cadabby (front), Zoe and Prairie Dawn

Spring update

2010-06-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent photos from the microfarm...

Roma tomatoesApples starting to plump up

The latest gardening bed. This one will have spinach and lettuce

Our ceramic chicken Gertrude watches over the newly planted seeds

Meet Oscar

2010-06-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

Oscar is not at all grouchy. In fact, while mom went for a drink, Oscar climbed out of the nest to see me and climbed right in to my hands. Mom was perfectly OK with it, unlike Chrissy was with her brood. I couldn't even LOOK at them without Chrissy losing her fluffy little mind. Lexus has a more laid-back parenting style apparently.

It looks like Oscar has a brother. You can't see him in this photo well, be he still looked a little wet and was busy trying to hide under mom. In keeping with the Sesame Street theme, my friend Abi has named the second one Bert. Still waiting for some girls though. We would much like to see an Alice, Zoe, or even a Countess Darling Von Darling.

The hatch begins

2010-06-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

It look like Lexus has successfully brooded her first time setting a nest. I was seriously beginning to wonder if she was sitting on a pile of duds or what. I checked yesterday and there was cracked egg that was peeping at me so I carefully placed it back in the straw and covered it.

While I was checking the nest, Lexus ran out of the broody pen and hopped in the pool. No problem there. The problem came about later when, instead of getting back on HER nest, she tried to take the nest that Shelley had just started setting on. I chased Lexus off of that nest and back in to her pen and locked her in. I wasn't sure if she was going to return to her nest and finish the job, but within a few minutes she was back where she belonged.

This morning when I went to bring her water and her morning snack (a few pieces of dried cat food and some peas) she came out to greet me and a little peeping fuzz ball tried to follow. It's a boy :D and since her nest was built inside of a garbage can, his name is Oscar.

After her breakfast she hoped right back on the nest and Oscar snuggled under her feathers. I went back in the house to get the cell phone so I could snap some pictures, but by then Lexus had turned around and Oscar had climbed underneath mom for a snooze.

I will try to get some photos later today or tomorrow. Hopefully Oscar will have plenty of sisters to keep him company at that point.

Flock Management

2010-06-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

Animals coming and going is all part of farming, even on a tiny micro-farm like mine. Our maximum adult duck capacity is only 6, and with babies hatching you have to keep genetic diversity in mind.

In order to prevent inbreeding, several of us Welsh Harlequin owners are in the process of swapping drakes. Tweak just went to his new home in Northern Colorado yesterday. As thanks for raising him over the past year, giving him 4 adoring girl friends, feeding him treats and plenty of fresh vegetables, he got car sick all over the back of the jeep and pooped on my foot. Naturally I was wearing sandals. Next week a new little drake will be moving in. He is originally from McMurray hatchery and none of our birds of from McMurray now, so there will be plenty of genetic diversity in my line.

Chrissy also found a new home last week. She went to live here. Dorit, the owner, was looking for a good broody and Chrissy has already shown she is great at hatching and raising ducklings. After the clutch she recently raised, she was starting to sneak on to the nest of our other broody when she went for food and water. The broody-force is strong with that one!

Chrissy was never people friendly and at our micro-farm, we need animals that can be handled when necessary (checking them for health, moving them to other pens, etc..). That was NOT Chrissy. It took me well over 20 minutes to catch her and get her in to the travel carrier. In contrast, it took me about 10 seconds to get Tweak. She will now be living with a larger flock, and she will be free ranging when she isn't doing her favorite thing....sitting on a pile of eggs and hatching out more babies.

We have one more young drake from Chrissy's first brood for sale. We will be posting a craigslist ad today. He is in a teenager pen for now. Tweak, Wendy & Shelley were chasing him and we wanted him to be able to eat and drink in peace. He can still see and hear the other ducks, but they can't beat him up and take his lunch money anymore.

Lexus is sitting on a nest and we should have some hatching going on in the next few days. It is hard to tell exactly when this clutch is due because she seemed a little confused at first and didn't get really serious about setting for a week or so after we gave her a batch of fertile eggs. We thought she was ready because she was stealing eggs and piling them up, but this is her first time.

We have some more fertile eggs we are going place in another nest someone made in the little dog house we have in the run. Hopefully Wendy or Shelley will get that maternal feeling and set. Then we will be done with hatching for the year and my husband can finally make a descent omelette without having to break open so many tiny quail eggs.

10 little ducklings all in a row

2010-05-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

The final count is 10. Not a bad hatch rate considering we thought she only had 8 eggs! It looks like 4 girls, 4 boys and two unknown. The mixed ducks have too many marking on their bills to tell either way. 2 girls have already gone to their new home in Colorado Springs. 1 boy and the other 2 girls will go to their new home in Manitou on Sunday. The rest of the crew are for sale as well. $5 for mixed breed and for little Welsh Harlequin drakes. The girls sell for $7 each and we should have more next month. Lexus has been showing signs of going broody.

A successful hatch

2010-05-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well she did it. When I checked on Chrissy in the "maternity ward" this morning I saw she had company. I counted at LEAST 4. She has not left the nest yet so there may be more trying to hatch. You can see 2 in this photo clearly and one more behind her. It is hard to get an accurate count because she keeps calling them to go under her belly whenever she sees me. She never was the most cooperative duck, but she is just doing her job. Hard to fault her for that.

If these ducklings are from some of the pure-bred Welsh Harlequin eggs, it looks like I have at least 2 boys. I will try to get a better count later today.

Moody Broody

2010-04-21T16:19:00.001-07:00

Chrissy has been busy tending her nest, but occasionally she hops out of the igloo for a quick bite and to mess up the water bowl. I caught her during her broody break earlier today. I asked Chrissy if the eggs were ready to hatch yet.

I think this means "NO! Now GO AWAY!" in duck.

"Aren't you gone yet?"

We have a broody!

2010-04-05T10:34:00.001-07:00

Chrissy has decided she wants to be a mom. She has about 8 eggs and has made a nest in the duck's sleeping igloo. Indian Runners generally are not known for their brooding skills so we aren't sure how this is going to work out. It does, however, look like she is serious about hatching out some ducklings. We gave her the entire night pen and the other ducks are now in their run. With this arrangement, the other girls can't sneak in newly laid eggs resulting in a staggered hatch. We will post updates.

Quail Test Hatch

2010-04-04T15:00:00.001-07:00

Just heard from Amber B. Here are the results of the quail test hatch...

"Hey Linda,

I just wanted to let you know that we got 7 of 10 eggs to hatch! So, your little man is doing his job."

Thanks Amber!

Once we figure out where the quail are hiding their eggs in the new outdoor pen, we will be able to offer Quail hatching eggs. Those eggs really blend in with the straw. It's like an Easter egg hunt every day around here!

Spring weather means play time

2010-04-03T09:10:00.001-07:00

When we are working in the back yard, we let the ducks out of their pen for play time. We used to let the roam the back yard at will, but due to a hawk attack last fall, they need supervised outings. This makes sure they don't become dinner for the local suburban wildlife.

Here are our fluffy-butts enjoying their day out.

Shelley

Chrissy

Lexus

Wendy preening

Chrissy, Tweak & Shelley in the pond

Tweak

Thanks to their playing in the yard, not only did I get free fertilization and aeration service, the bug population has been seriously reduced and all the dandelions have been eaten before they could get established. Ducks sure are handy!

Thank you!

2010-03-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note of thanks to all that have purchased hatching eggs and seeds. A special thanks to Amber B. for doing a test hatch on our quail eggs. We will know shortly if "Romeo" is doing his job!

Organic Seeds Available

2010-02-20T08:06:00.000-08:00

We purchased a few types of organic seeds in bulk and have some gardener-sized packets for sale.

Organic Daikon Radish seeds

$2 for over 150 seeds

Daikon radish are large, long, white Japanese radish that have a creamy texture. They take longer to mature than round red radishes (about 60 days instead of 30). Great for pickling, stir fry, or eating raw when small. We are growing ours in containers this year because the roots grow very deep and our soil can be VERY hard once you get down past the first couple of inches. This is mainly due to our large maple trees putting out surface roots. We sprout tested these seeds and the germination rate was excellent.

Organic Cress Seeds

$2 for over 300 seeds

Cress is a member of the mustard family and produces peppery-flavored edible leaves great for salads, sandwiches and soups. An early spring green, cress can be harvested in only a few weeks. Also sprout tested with an impressive germination rate.

***

We have other seeds available in 3x2 clear packs. Limited quantities. Some are saved seeds, some are excess purchased. All seeds $1 per pack.

Butternut Squash

Pie Pumpkin

Turban Squash

Spaghetti Squash

Rocky Ford Cantaloupe

Pure Welsh Harlequin Waiting List

2010-02-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

Orders are being filled for pure Welsh Harlequin hatching eggs this week and next week. If you would like to placed on the waiting list, please drop us a line.

bluefeatherfarm@gmail.com

The Welsh Harlequins hanging out at the pond last summer.

Welsh Harlequin/Indian Runner hatching eggs will be available at the end of the week. Both Welsh Harlequins and Indian Runners are excellent egg laying breeds. If you just want a good egg laying duck that isn't going to fly, this is and excellent "designer duck" to hatch.

Chrissy, our Indian Runner hen, in the night pen with Lana, a Buff Orpington we sold last year.

Now available - Hatching eggs

2010-02-15T15:44:00.000-08:00

Welsh Harlequin ducklings (Wendy - left, Shelley - right)

Fertile hatching eggs from our Welsh Harlequin ducks as well as from our Indian Runner are now available. Since our drake is a Welsh Harlequin, the Runner eggs are a cross. We are filling orders for the next 2 weeks right now, but please drop us a line if you would like to be added to the waiting list.

$7/dozen or $4/half dozen for pure bred Welsh Harlequin eggs.
$1 off for pure Welsh Harlequin and Welsh Harlequin/Runner mix assortment.

bluefeatherfarm@gmail.com

Wendy

Tweak the drake (excuse his molting)

Chrissy the Indian Runner

Lexus

Shelley

The duck run in winter

2010-02-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

The snow makes it easy to see the netting over their run. We put up the netting after losing 2 ducks to a hawk attack this fall.

You can barely see their swimming pool in the very back. They often stand around it and look longingly inside. No doubt dreaming of being able to swim again. We are looking at hooking up a pump once we buy them a new pool. The circulation will keep it ice-free and then we can also hook up a filter system.

Each morning they get a "salad bar" in a bucket of fresh water. Shredded veggies like cabbage, lettuce, celery tops, cucumbers, zucchini, and anything else green and tender is added to the bucket. Favorites include bok choy, napa cabbage and peas. These greens make up for the lack of available forage and it is easy to see that they appreciate their morning treat. They really appreciate it when we add the peas to the mix. They always dunk their heads totally under the water to see if there are any on the bottom of the bucket.