Chicken Farming

At last - my post about chicken farming. Basically, I just had to make sure I didn't let the experience of raising chickens go undocumented.

When we got here to Burney, we had a couple from the ward, who had to move a few months after we came. They happened to have 4 chickens, and they couldn't take them with them. Henry had been wanting to raise chickens before (the way he's been wanting to raise a cow for milk, a sheep for milk, and a goat for who knows what), and he jumped at the opportunity. For only $40 we could have the 4 chickens, the coup, any left-over feed, any supplies they had, and...we took them.

Henry arranged for an agreement with his dad that he'd provide the fencing we'd need for our little back-yard chicken area, and we'd take care of the chickens, and share the eggs they'd lay.

By the time we could pick up the chickens, however, only 2 were left. The other 2 got eaten by "something". Oh well. Two is better than none. But it turned out that the one chicken stopped laying once it got moved to our house. So, we basically only had one chicken laying eggs, and we decided that 6 eggs a week weren't worth all the hassle. Thus, Henry set out to get more chickens.

In May, he picked up 2 chickens that were supposedly 10 weeks old. Egg-laying chickens don't lay eggs until they're about 6 months old or so. So, we still had to wait on our eggs for a while, but at least we were expanding the flock. You also need to know that you cannot just add an uneven number of chickens to an "old herd". Chickens can be sort of, urm, cliquish, and they'll peck the newcomers if they're not matching them in number. So, we had to get at least 2. But, before you knew it (I think 2-3 days into it), one of the new chickens had disappeared. Henry thought it had somehow gotten outside the fencing, and gotten lost. No prob - he quickly bought 2 more chickens (also about 10 weeks old), and voila - we had a nice crowd of chickens now (5 total, in case you can't keep track of the numbers).

The non-laying old chicken, however, was a meanie and harrassed the newbies. Thus, we cast her out of the chicken area, and let her just roam free in the back yard. Well, "we" wouldn't be correct. Henry let her. I didn't mind at first, but when she started pecking the windows on the door to the back yard, and would poop right in front of it (thus occasionally having the kids step into bird poop when going outside) - I was getting less enthused about that free-range chicken of ours. I wanted her gone. Henry didn't know how to slaughter a chicken though, and so we just hoped to find someone who'd take her. I hung up a sign, but no luck. Time passed.

One Sunday, we got home from Church, and...meanie chicken was gone. We couldn't find her anywhere. We couldn't find a trace of her. And she didn't return at night. We'd tried before for her to 'just get lost'. But somehow she'd always come back at night and wander into her little cage ( chickens roost at night, which means they want to come somewhere inside/sheltered and hop on a bar or something and sleep?). I was so happy we had finally resolved the pooping, wandering free-range chicken issue.  But my happiness wouldn't last.

A few days later, another chicken disappeared. And it happened to be the only one who was laying eggs at the time. That didn't make me happy. And now our flock of chickens had dwindled from 5 to 3 in just a few days. Chicken No. 2 also disappeared without any signs, so we started to wonder if some hawk or something was snatching the chickens out of their area. We started paying better attention, and actually closing the coop at night. But a week later, when we had forgotten to close the coop, we were only greeted by 2 chickens in the morning.

Arghhhhhh....months of feeding those silly chickens, getting basically no eggs, buying more chickens, and...now we were basically back to square one. It was so frustrating. But hey, we still had our 2 chickens.

Then one morning, when I walked over to Henry's parents' house, past our 2 chickens, I heard a sound. A sound that I wasn't supposed to hear if I ever wanted to get eggs out of those chickens - I heard a crow. A rooster crow. And the crowing sound came very clearly from our chicken coop.

Yup, our one little hen was a rooster. Fantastic. NOT! Those rooster are so loud. Chickens don't really make any noise at all, but that freakin' rooster would wake up the kids every morning with his crow. Alba would start crowing back from her bed early in the morning and silly stuff like that (ok, that part was actually pretty cute). Henry wouldn't believe it at first. He insisted it was a hen, and that she'd only get excited in the morning when he opened the coop and got some food. Sure, Henry. That huge, strutting, feather-fluffing, aggressive, fighting hen with a huge comb on its head that happens to crow early in the morning when the sun gets up is ONLY excited to see you...I named the rooster "Henry's Little Hen", because, ya know..

So, there we were. Months later. Still no eggs. Lots of dead chicken of which we got to eat none, and we were down to 1 hen and a rooster. We were getting a bit tired of trying to raise chickens. It seems a lot easier to just spend 3 bucks at the store and buy a dozen eggs or so than going through all this hassle. But we still had that one chicken. For maybe a week. Then, one night, Henry and I both woke up in the middle of the night because we heard these crazy loud noises coming from the back yard. Henry ran out in a dash...but he was too late. Something had taken the last chicken.

And the rooster was literally the last man standing. I was done. So, when a guy from Church was over at Henry's parents house and said he'd know someone who'd take the rooster, I didn't think twice.

I figured we were done with chicken farming. I was done. But Henry is not one to throw in the towel after going "only" through about 8 chickens. A few weeks ago, he bought more. 3 little chickens, which the owner guaranteed are not roosters, or we can bring them back. We put them in the coop, and the next morning...we were already down to two. Henry was ready to rip out his hair, and I could only laugh.

However, it turned out that we only were dealing with an esacpee. This chicken has gotten out a few times by now and roamed around. I've named her "Houdini" since. As of now, we still have all 3 chickens. They're also younger ones, so they won't lay for a few more months. But, at least they're still alive. However, after watching them for a few weeks now, Henry, his mom and I have a sneaky feeling, we've got another rooster in the mix. Again.

We'll know when we hear the first crow. So, if you're trying to figure out whether it's worth raising chickens...don't ask me. Their manure is great for gardening. The kids love the chickens, and they're actually (to my own surprise), sort of fun and cute little back yard friends. And if you can keep them alive, those fresh eggs may be a real perk. I just wouldn't know about that...yet.

Finally...a new post!

Ok, so I've been busy with other things for once. Strange, I know. Let me catch you all up though on the exciting happenings at the Patterson residence: (If you don't want to read anything, there are pictures at the end to enjoy)...

• My in-laws weight loss competition finished on July 1. Henry won with a weight loss of 26.5 lbs/ 12.01 percent weight loss. I was second in pounds but not percentage. I was a little bummed about that, but I definitely tried my hardest. I did lose 20 lbs though, and it's nice that a lot of my old clothes fit again.
  
• I still have 10-12 lbs to go, and have entered another competition with two of my sis-in-laws. Whoever loses 10 lbs first wins the pot. So, I may post stuff occasionally to keep track of myself and to keep myself motivated. I really want to shed the last bit of weight.
• My parents-in-law were here for the Independence Day weekend. We had so much fun. I particularly enjoyed seeing how much Sophia loves her Grandma. There really seems to be some sort of special bond, and I love to see how excited and happy she is when she sees her Grandma. They had a lot of fun together.
• I made sure this was my in-laws (and husband's) most patriotic 4th of July ever. We went to see the city's fire works on Friday night, then had burgers on Saturday, sang the National Anthem, had a patriotic game, a patriotic dessert (sugar cookies with cinnamon cream cheese spread on them and then blueberries and strawberries on top - try it, it's supertasty), flags and fireworks - all organized by: the German. Ha! Henry and his parents admitted that this was the most they had ever done for the 4th, and we didn't even get to my Independence Day trivia game.
  
• Speaking of the 4th of July, I also need to say that my ward pleasantly surprised me. Sunday was not all super patriotic and crazy as I anticipated it to be. It actually was pretty void of anything that may have suggested a patriotic holiday. I guess Ohio is just not Utah.
• We've got new arm chairs. Henry's parents gave them to us, and I just lovelovelove them. We took out our loveseat and sold it for $40. Yipee.
  
• Also cool is this big fat old painting we got from Henry's parents of his great grandfather Henry Daniel (which is Henry's name also). It needs some fixing, but I'm excited to get it fixed and hung up in some cool spot in our apartment.
• Lastly, our balcony is turning into a jungle. The tomato plants are all over the place and so are our zucchini and cucumber plants. However, the first tomato I harvested, despite its alluring red color promising unmatched taste, looked rather gross on closer examination. It had blossom rot. Arghhh. Otherwise, our tomatoes still seem fine though. Our broccoli hasn't grown at all though, and our zucchini and cucumber plants seem to die off as well. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I better figure it out quickly. I've planted and watered these little dudes for a reason. Is anyone reading my blog a gardening expert by chance? If so, please enlighten me.
  

That's it.

Here are some pictures of our new chairs (in the back ground behind Sophia) and of us hanging out on top of the OSU parking garage to see the fireworks.











P.S. You wouldn't think I had lost 20 lbs looking at those fat arms of mine. Does anyone else hate having their pictures take because it's always such a shock to think how you may look to the world??

Plant-o-mania and Bland Baby Food

I really need to get myself a garden soon. It's time again to plant stuff, and even though we've filled our little balcony to its full capacity with 6 tomato plants, 3 broccoli plants, 2 cucumber, 2 zucchini and 1 lettuce pot, I keep eying more vegetables each time I see them at a store. Don't strawberries fit just about anywhere. And some bell peppers would be nice, along with some melon, and...well, we just don't have the room, but I really, REALLY enjoy growing my own food. It tastes so much better. So, I realized today that wherever we choose to move to after school, it has to be somewhere where I can grow a garden. Here is what I have in mind:



But if I can't have a cool vegetable garden, I guess something like this would do:

Now, I have something interesting to say in regards to babies liking bland foods. I never really believed that to begin with. I figured, babies probably like bland stuff because that's what we give them. Even though Sophia hasn't been a great eater (yet), the stuff she HAS eaten has actually been the foods that I personally spiced up. But today she really surprised me. We went out to eat at a Mexican place called Chipotle. Sophia, sitting in a high chair, was really eager to 'try' some of our foods. I couldn't find anything good for her to chew on other than my delicious guacamole, so I gave her some of that. Turned out she liked it, and kept wanting more and more. She was actually eating quite a bit. And what was in this guacamole? I asked the employees (to make sure it had nothing funky in it). Ingredients: Avocado (what a surprise), lime juice, cilantro, onions and jalapenos. Yup. Though it wasn't very spicy, it definitely was NOT bland. And she loved it. So much for bland baby foods. Maybe it was just her antibiotic changing her eating habits all of a sudden. We took her in to the doctor again today, after her eyes really gooped up and were swollen last night. Turned out she got an ear infection after all. I'm glad we caught it so quickly.

The Magical Fruit - Morning Mystery - Life at the Patterson's etc.

I know you're all sexed out, so I figured we'd better get a new, kosher post up here. First of all, let me report about the magical fruit. I'm sure you all thought it's beans, but you are very wrong. The magical fruit is actually the pear. Yes! I've never been a big fan of pears, but for some odd reason (and I really don't know why), this was one of the first fruits (after bananas) that I tried to feed Sophia. So far, this is also the only thing she will eat. I've had a wee bit of luck getting her to eat some other things if I mixed it in with plenty of pears. Now, the really magical thing is that pears actually taste really good when you turn them into babyfood. I'm making my own baby food, and so when I make Sophia's pears, I boil them with some cardamon and cinnamon, and I have to say they are pretty darn tasty. But not only are they tasty by themselves, I've now found that they give sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, rice and oat cereal and even beans a whole new, and actually pretty good flavor. I'm particularly keen on the sweet potato/pear mix, and will try it once I'm done dieting. All I can say is if you haven't tried home made pear mush, it's about time!

What is behind that door?


Sophia really is a happy little girl and quite chipper (when she's not popping out two teeth). Today I took her to the doctor to make sure she doesn't have an ear infection (and she didn't...wow, 7 months old and no sicknesses yet other than colds, not bad...). Instead she was laughing and playing and just having fun. We frequently hear her wake up in the morning just screaming with joy. I love it. I don't know of many things that make me as happy as seeing Sophia laugh and talk and enjoy herself.

Anyway, what else is going on? Today I got all our pots ready for planting our veggies. We'll do tomatoes again, and then lettuce, zuccini, cucumbers maybe, and whatever else we can accommodate on our little balcony. I love growing my own veggies.
What I don't like is dieting away so hopelessly. Yesterday I really hit a very low low. I just wanted to cry all day (and I think I did for the most part). I felt overwhelmed with trying so hard to lose weight, and not losing any, and trying so hard to somehow get my baby to eat and she won't and trying so hard to be a nicer, better Fran, and just being the same old Fran...I think my body was screaming "GIVE ME SUGAR", and then fell apart because no sugar came. I'm sure the day would have been better with some 'Dove Unconditional Chocolate Ice Cream'. Oh well. It passed, and today was a good day. I even managed to find the high chair I've considered buying new for $90 on craigslist for $20. (It really pays off when your baby wakes up every 2 hours in the night, and you have time to look for unexpected deals on the computer).
So, life is good. I'm determined to be more chill now. Especially since it's getting warmer.
Henry continues to be my sugar replacement - sweet and delicious but not fattening. I don't know why I just wrote that. He's great though, and I'm so glad to have him keep me sane(ish).

Well, it is time to feed the sleeping babe. Let's hope that she'll sleep well for the rest of the night after this. But if not,...I'll just be so happy to spend more time with her. I love my little family.

Sorry Mr. Bush and other news...

Ok, so I was wrong. The government didn't screw me over this time. The amount of money we got for our stimulus was for both of us, based on our tax return (as promised). I was mistaken. Yeah, let freedom ring, the star-spangeled banner unfurl etc.

I'm still grumpy though. :) Tonight I had "nightmares". In my dream I went into labor and the second we walked into the hospital, they asked me to lay down on my tummy (which I guess right there makes the dream a nightmare if you'd be 9 months pregnant), and they just put in an epidural. I was sooooo mad in my dream, because I didn't want one and I was really sad because I didn't even get to feel one single contraction, or anything. I tried to tell the nurses before they went ahead with the epidural that I didn't want one, but they did it anyway. When I got mad, they were all surprised and said everyone is having one, and why I didn't want one. That made me even more mad. I think in my dream I ranted something about how I'm not American, and I'd like to do it my way, and my way is NO EPIDURAL (or however you actually spell that). I woke up all upset, and had to hug Henry for a while until I realized I was only dreaming.

What else is new? Urm...I bought a bunch of baby clothes. I couldn't resist. Here are some of my steals (I only spent about $35 bucks on the stuff I got):




On Saturday Henry and I also potted our vegetables. We have 6 tomato plants, 1 red bell pepper plant, 1 zuccini, and 1 cucumber. We're excited to eat our homegrown veggies in the summer. It was quite a bit of work though. On Saturday I kept driving around trying to find the pots I wanted, and then getting soil. I at first got the wrong one, so we returned some bags on the way to a party. Once back, we wanted to finish our potting, but realized we still needed more soil. So, Henry went off to get some more after all, and came back with 2 bags of the stuff we had just returned a few hours before. At that point it was almost 9pm. Needless to say, we were both getting a bit annoyed and tired. Well, we went off together to get the last bit of soil and finished up our project. To mock our efforts, it was almost freezing and raining nonestop the next two days. :( Here's a pic of our "garden".



Lastly, Henry will be a great dad. Kids just love him. Here are some pictures of our favorite kid in our complex (and ward). She just loves!!!!! Henry, and is always excited when her parents tell her that she'll come to visit us. Here she is with Henry, who offered to babysit her for a few hours.