Poultry fence and generally epic updates...

This is going to be a pretty long post -- you've been warned.  I'll try to keep it easy to get through with lots of pictures and not too much text.  Basically, there are a ton of things that I've wanted to post about for a while but haven't managed to do it.  So -- I'm putting them all in one post....whoa.

First things first -- the poultry yard fencing.  After the chicktagon went up, putting up a permanent fence was the next thing on the agenda.  After we lost our chickens, we knew we really needed to do this ASAP to avoid a repeat fox performance.  We managed to find some cedar fence posts on Craigslist (literally the tops of cedar trees from a shingle company), and we were hoping to borrow a neighbor's post-hole digger attachment for the tractor.  It turns out our 3-point hitches aren't compatible, so we were on the hunt for a post-hole digger and a trench digger.  There is not a single place in the midcoast region that rents a post-hole digger tractor implement, so we're stuck renting something else.  After exploring many options, we ended up with a post hole digger and trench digger that attach to a small Bobcat.  We need the posts to go down at least 2 (preferably 3) feet, and we wanted to bury the fence at least a foot to prevent animals from digging under the fence to get at our ladies and gents.  So...here goes....

The before -- chicktagon on the right, fenced in pond on the left in the back.

Anna drives the trench digger over to the  fence site.  She's badass.

Trench digging like a pro -- this thing made our lives MUCH easier.  We would still be digging trenches if we were doing it by hand.  It couldn't handle all the rocks, but it did manage to move a sizable number of sizable rocks. :)

On to post-hole digging.  We decided with the first hole that it was best to dig the hole, then put in the pole.  We're working in a really wet area, and we didn't want the holes to fill up with water before we had a chance to put in the posts.  We are filling in around the posts with a mixture of lime and gravel.  We read that this mixture is better than concrete in wet areas because concrete actually absorbs the moisture and holds it next to the post, which speeds the rotting process.  We don't want that -- mostly because we don't want to do this again....ever.....or at least for a long time.

You knew it was coming.  He just makes it so easy. Clearly, he's not afraid of the Bobcat.

Making sure the posts are at least close to level.

End of day 1 -- trench dug, 24 posts in, 1200 lbs of gravel put down -- total exhaustion. We most definitely deserved that gluten free beer in the outdoor shower. :)

Day 2 -- 200 ft of 6-ft welded wire, another 1200 lbs of gravel, 400 ft of rough hewn cedar boards, and a race against the tropical storm. Rain in the forecast for the afternoon -- we couldn't pick up the fencing until 10:30 -- bring it.

End of day 2 -- all the fencing is up, we even made a separate section for Inga (Russian tortoise).  This section will also be the adolescent/sick chicken/duck area. This day was even more epic than the first -- it rained on us a bit, but not too much.  At the end of the day when we were filling in the trenches, I almost kicked Anna's butt when she told me she was having fun filling in the trenches because we were "rolling around in the mud." I was so tired, I was at the point of crying, and I hate hate hate shoveling (maybe why I like no-dig permaculture?).  There was nothing fun about it.

So the gate location was on uneven ground -- answer -- purposely make a crooked gate.  I'd say my woodworking skills are improving.  This gate required both mitering and beveling.  I kind of love it.  We buried a chunk of cedar post under the gate so it won't wear down over time creating a gap under the gate.  

YAY!  Olive is also happy that the heavy machinery fence building is done....except that the chicken yard was one of her favorite playing spots.  I'm sure she'll find a new one. :)

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Moving right along -- one thing we've learned is that farming/planting can be a serious lesson in patience.  Good thing we both already have a yoga practice, or we may be even more impatient than we already are.  We have been doing a ton of planting in the past few months, and I'd like to call this section, "Things we've planted that might, just might, give us something in the next 3-15 years"....yes, 15 years. There are also some things we've planted that won't take that long, but still...

This is American Persimmon - it's native to the US, but few people grow it.  When the fruit is ripe, it is delicious, but if you pick it too soon, it is tarty tart tart!  We have 4 of these, and maybe we'll get to taste some in 5+ years.

This is a Pawpaw - also native to the US, as far north as us!  It is more common in the midwest and mid-Atlantic regions.  If you live there, be on the lookout!  This gem is also known as the Custard Apple -- it tastes like a combination of banana, mango, tropical goodness.  It doesn't like to be transplanted, hence the leaves look like crap, but notice the new leaves at the top! YEAH!  This baby (and it's 3 siblings) will hopefully give us fruit in 10+ years.

This is the Pawpaw flower. It is staaaaanky and pollinated by flies. Photo credit: www.carolinanature.com

This is the fruit -- it is the largest North American fruit.  It probably hasn't been very popular because it has a very short shelf life.  It makes a great smoothie base! :) Photo credit: www.examiner.com

Here's what it looks like inside.  The seeds are not edible, actually poisonous, but look at the custardy goodness! Photo credit: www.tcpermaculture.blogspot.com

This is our row of cylons...there are many copies.  We grafted a bunch of apple scion wood (hence cylons) onto some root stock. The scion wood is the new growth that gets pruned off in the spring.  We took a grafting workshop and came home with 10 grafts -- it looks like they're all making it, but only time will tell.  These may give us fruit in the next 4-5 years. They are mostly rare varieties found in Maine.

Olive in the cylon patch.  She's very brave.

This is a pear tree.  We got it from Fedco at the tree sale.  I'm optimistic it will give us fruit in 3 years (a short wait!).

The strawberry patch -- which needs to be weeded, but that's another story.  We got the roots from the Fedco tree sale.  These would give us fruit this year, but since they're perennial, we're pinching off the flowers in order to encourage the plants to get better established root systems.  It is tragic to pinch off the flowers, but it led me to smell the strawberry flower.  If you've never done it before, you simply must.  It smells like yummy sweet strawberry goodness. Our plan is for the strawberry patch to expand a bit each year until it takes over this entire hill. We can eat strawberries next year.

Asparagus!  We planted about 75 plants, and we were looking forward to our lush asparagus forest.  It isn't so lush right now.  Tragically, we recently learned that most varieties aren't self seeding.  So, it won't expand into the thick forest we were hoping for.  Either we'll keep planting, or we'll look for a variety that spreads.  We can't eat these puppies for another 2 years.  It is torturous.

This is Hablitzia -- it's a perennial spinach vine.  We've planted under the deck, and it's going to crawl up the outdoor shower. The dogs kept trampling it, but now it's better...sort of.  You can see the squished cage.

This is a perennial arugula.  We just transplanted it a couple days ago, and the roots weren't the best.  Hopefully it will pull through. We've started a perennial vegetable bed in our terraced garden figuring that it gets warm first so we'll get lots of delicious greens early in the spring.

These are Egyptian walking onions -- a perennial onion.  The bulbs at the top get so heavy that they flop over onto the ground.  That roots, and the plants 'walk' around the garden.  

This is Water Celery -- ducks love it, and we can eat it too.  It can be quite aggressive in wet areas, so we're keeping it contained in a pot -- which will have to get much larger.  It is right next to the outdoor shower, so it gets watered every time we shower. :)

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Moving on....I told you this would be epic.  Now, just some things we've noticed around the farm.

This is the view of our field right now -- the lupines and other wildflowers are busting!  We love it...but not as much as some other ladies living here....

When we stepped outside this morning, we couldn't help but notice a humming in the field.  We were wondering if it was just the sound of the bees on all the flowers.  It appears it was.  They're working so hard, and it is pretty awe inspiring to watch them coming and going from the hive.

Here they are in action -- you can see some of their very loaded down legs.  I'm not sure how they can manage to fly with all that pollen!

Don't know who this guy is, but it was really pretty.

This is a spittle bug removed from the spittle (seen top left).  I have never seen one before, so I checked it out while we were watching the bees.

Lots of low-bush blueberries around our hives and in the field.  Can't wait for these babies to turn blue!

Given we have to pinch off all the flowers on our planted strawberries, it is really nice to find a bunch of these wild strawberries in the field. YUM!

Our flowers are loaded with Giant Swallowtails.  They're so beautiful.

And, just to prove it isn't all sunshine, butterflies, and rainbows over here....

We cut and stacked some wood....and it fell over. :(

Our omnipresent trash pile.  We still have to insulate the coop ceiling, but we need the insulation to dry out before we can do that.  I know, we could move it inside, but that's too easy.  So, we have a trash pile....classy.

I took a break from writing this (and other things -- I'm multitasking) to refill my....water, yes, it's water.  This is what I found outside.

Farm manager -- relaxing under a bench.

Olive -- hot, happy, tired, and dirty.

Last but certainly not least -- my wife...planting veggies topless.  Like I said, we keep it classy. :)

 OK -- I think that's it for now. Thanks for sticking with it.  Look forward to an upcoming post about...slugs. :)

Ducks, ducks, and more ducks!

We've been meaning to post an update on our ducks for a while, and given the latest events, it seems we could use a pick-me-up.  Our ducklings are about 7 weeks old now, and they are loving life!  Every morning we put them from the coop to the pond, and they have really gotten a handle on that transition.  The transition from the pond back to the coop is less smooth, but it is WAY easier than when we first started herding them.  Watch and enjoy (it seriously never gets old and makes us chuckle every time)!

Now that the ducks are all a bit older, we can pretty safely sex them by the sound of their voices (the females quack, the males make a scratchy throat noise).  Unfortunately for us, it looks like we have 4 drakes (males) and 1 hen (female).  I only say unfortunately because with this ratio, the males are likely to fight over the sole female.  Her name is Fern, by the way.  In this situation, many people would cull or find new homes for their drakes.  Given that we're vegetarians, culling isn't in the cards, and we weren't ready to get rid of ducks just yet.  So naturally, we ordered 3 more female ducks a few weeks ago, and they were due to arrive this week. We weren't able to use a local source for this since we wanted to make sure we got females, and most people selling ducks locally just do straight run.  With our luck, we'd end up with a bunch more drakes!

Just two days after losing our chickens, we got the always joyful call from the post office.  This is what we picked up this morning. :)

Just arrived, and are ready to move into their new home.

These ladies certainly are tiny...and tired!  Traveling cross-country when you're a day old is exhausting.

New babies! The one on the left is planning her escape.

...still planning her escape...

New duckling, meet grass.  It was really scary -- I had to snap this at warp speed.  Note the heel of my Chaco for scale.

Heading back inside via my hoodie pocket. :)

A tragic day...

It seems somewhat ironic to post this immediately after all the hoopla of the chicken coop building project, but here we go.

Today, we lost all our chickens.  Yes, all of them.

We were working in the woods cutting firewood all day, and we left the chickens in a temporary enclosure that we'd set up for them.  They have spent many unsupervised hours in this enclosure without concern, and we were confident about its security.  We just wanted our ladies to be able to enjoy the outdoors before their slacking mom's put up their permanent fence.

When we came back to the house at the end of the day, this is what we found:

The empty coop.

Hard to see, but the hole in the chicken wire isn't that big.

We don't really know what to think.  There was evidence of one bird a little distance from the coop, but other than that, nothing.  Typically, when the birds just disappear like this, the culprit is a fox.  The thing that doesn't make sense is that our dogs were outside all day, and it seems unlikely they would allow a fox to come up to the coop.  So then, did our dogs do it?  The hole is not big enough for Oliver to fit through without some serious scratching. If he did squeeze through it, wouldn't there be evidence of birds in  the coop and around?  Feathers, anything? Maybe Olive could squeeze her head through the hole, but the chickens would most definitely run from her not towards her.  Neither of them have cuts in their mouths from chewing chicken wire, there was no fur left on the fencing, and neither of them looks like they just ate 8 birds.  Olive is not a hoarder of treats or toys, so it seems unlikely she stashed the birds somewhere else.  Oliver is a hoarder, but he doesn't have a scratch or speck of blood on him.  The whole thing doesn't make sense.

Our going theory is that our dogs were off on a chipmunk hunt in the woods, and a fox (or fisher) took the birds.  We have seen a fox quite close to the house before, so this wouldn't be surprising.  We haven't ruled out that our own dogs are the culprits, but there are too many things against that to make it for sure. I guess we will never know for sure, but we will certainly be using a more sturdy fence in the permanent fence.

For those who are wondering, the ducks are fine.  And, yes, we are getting new chickens.  We will use what we've learned from our lovely ladies to do right by our newest family members.

Coop building extravaganza!

This post is going to be epic and filled with lots of pictures, so grab a cocktail, sit back, relax, and enjoy. :D

Since we decided we were going to get chickens, we knew we would need a coop in which they would sleep.  We also knew we are going have poultry probably for the rest of our time here, so we wanted to make sure the coop wasn't crappily built or a sight for sore eyes.  One afternoon, we were driving somewhere, and we passed an octagon shaped house...bingo!  We decided then and there that our coop would be an octagon, and lucky for us, our soon to be brother in law is a very talented carpenter.  While he works more on cabinet building and other fine scale carpentry projects (check out his business, Harraseeket Woodwrights), we had a sneaking suspicion he'd be up for the challenge of an octagonal chicken coop.

We were right!

Our crazy crew!

And now, we'll show the progress of the coop building by way of many, many pictures.

Anna and Allison at the groundbreaking ceremony.

A pile 'o supplies....we got many, many, many more supplies.

Farm manager was extremely involved throughout the process.  He might be sleeping on his face here...

Turns out, leveling 8 points is way harder than the standard 4 points.  Thank goodness for the laser leveler.

Anna wields the nail gun for the first time while framing the floor.  I'm not convinced of her skills.  We are nail gun masters now.

We finished framing the floor only to find out it wasn't actually level.  Crap.  Back to leveling.....again.  I swear, we spent days leveling this thing.

Working hard, or hardly working?

Booyah!  End of day 1 -- yep, that's a beer.  We deserve it.

Ned is a master on the chop saw...and a master at helping us pick out our own chop saw.  Just add it to the arsenal of power tools we're acquiring.

Floor is down and walls are going up -- at some point, all our families were involved.  

Starting to look like a building -- Oliver, of course, oversees all major projects like wall raising.

Sometimes you just have to take a break from chop sawing to observe....or take a nap.

We have a chicken door, people....complete with a chicken.  

Walls, floor, window frames....things are looking good.

Anna takes on the suckiest job of all -- using the Saws-all to cut out the holes for the windows.  I did one window, and that was just about enough for me, thank you very much.  

We have waterproofing and windows, people!  

The coop will also be inhabited by the ducks.  Here, Harriet tests out the window. I think she approves, and someday she can gaze longingly at her pond from this window.

...and then it got really hot, and clothes started coming off.  

Framing the roof is way easier with some hot assistants....just sayin'.

Roof framing is done -- and casting some sweet shadows.

Ned was most definitely in charge of this part.  Let's just say that while our carpentry skills have improved immensely from the start of this, putting this roof together was way beyond our rookie cutting abilities.

Anna and my dad became shingling masters.  After I finished the interior walls, I joined them.  I think it is safe to say that none of us will look at a shingled house the same way ever again.  Talk about labor intensive!

Getting closer.  Shingling around windows and doors is a real beotch.  We are really happy with the finished product, though.  It was totally worth the effort.  

The finished product. The chicken door is eventually going to look like a mini person door...complete with a cabinet knob as a doorknob.

The view from the window side (with Oliver for scale, of course).  We are super happy with the end result.

The first tenants.  The ducks have been sleeping in the coop for about a week now, and they seem to love it.  They have found a good sleeping spot, and are plenty warm in the morning.

Until recently, we've been carrying the ducks to and from the coop in a basket.  There was plenty of room in said basket when we started, and now they're pretty much on top of each other.  Our ducks aren't imprinted on us since we got them as ducklings, but they tend to move as a group so we've decided to try to start herding them instead of carrying them.  Here's our first attempt to herd them from the coop to the pond...in theory the easier direction since they want to be in the pond.  It took some serious persuasion from inside the coop to get them out the pop door, but once they were out, they were off and running.....in the wrong direction!

Upon arriving at the pond, however, they are thrilled with life.  This is what we call 'happy duckle fun time.'  It never gets old watching them cruise around the pond.

Groundhog adventures

It's been a while, but not for lack of things happening at the farm! Quite the opposite, actually, we've been SO busy. So, look forward to many updates in the next week or so.

A couple of weeks ago, a groundhog decided to take up residence in the terraced garden next to the house -- either that or it was unlucky enough to wander by and get chased into the rock wall by one or both of the dogs. Regardless of the reason, we were quickly alerted to its presence by Oliver's incessant barking. At the time it was wedged between a large stepping stone and the house siding. Jessie and I had a simple solution for the problem; we put the dogs inside, grabbed a long stick and pushed it out the other side of the rock. As we watched the brown furry rodent run from us we commented on how cute it is and how afraid it must be and congratulated ourselves on a job well done. To our horror, we then watched the beast take a sharp left and dive into a hole between two rocks in the wall supporting the terraced garden under the porch. Crap.

Groundhogs not only can cause major destruction with their burrows, but also they can devastate a garden in short order. We wanted nothing to do with it. Not knowing the gender of our squatter had us even more concerned as it was spring, and babies can come very quickly.

The first evening we set up a small Have-a-heart trap that we found in the basement baited with what a quick Google search informed us was a sure thing: Cantaloupe.

No luck.

To add injury to insult we could hear the thing moving around in the hole and could see bits of insulation from the outside of the basement in the entrance of the hole. Olive set up a post next to the trap and rock wall and would not leave the spot for the entire day. She refused walks with us, and lost all interest in a chipmunk eating bird seed only feet from her location. I question if she even relieved herself during her watch.

The second day we picked up a larger Have-a-heart trap and baited it with not only cantaloupe, but also with bread and peanut butter, and carrots. This combination was a success! We finally caught something. Oliver. He couldn't resist the peanut butter and carrots.

Our first catch in the trap

Day three. Olive keeps her vigil and the woodchuck gives us the finger.

Day four. Jessie and I left the house to run errands for a couple of hours and brought the dogs with us, leaving the house quiet and woodchuck unmolested. Bingo. We came home to a trapped woodchuck. Yippee!!!!

We lifted up the trap and checked it's belly for evidence of lactation. Thankfully, there was no sign.

Jessie and I rock, paper, scissored for it and Jessie ends up taking it about 10 miles away, across a river and releases it in a clearing under some power lines. She tells me that it took off the second the trap was opened. Hopefully never to be seen again.

Ready to be relocated and looking quite scared