Meet Hucklebunny

This my friends, is Hucklebunny.

She is actually a rescue rabbit of sorts.

I happened across an add that stated she was found near a busy street.

The request was to find the owner or a new home since the person who found her couldn't keep pets.

After a couple days, she was still available so I was able to pick her up.

Bunny "berries" are extremely good for the garden,
 and since this bunny is so tame,

I thought I would offer her a position at The Locust Blossom as

Chief Executive Officer in charge of crop (garden) fertilization.

She will be in charge of not only a certain quantity of fertilizer production but also supervise 4 employees (aka the hens.)

She seems very healthy other than possibly being slightly dehydrated.

I believe the gentleman who found her had a dish of water for her and she seemed quite pleased when I offered her a regular rabbit waterer. 

She has consumed quite a bit of water today for a single bunny.

At the moment she is lodging in a nice hotel (a cage in our house)

while the construction of Hucklebunny Headquarters is under way.

(I'm building her a hutch.)

Upon completion, she will move into her permanent accommodations

 where she can work efficiently throughout the day.

She has been working on producing some samples,

but her current situation offers minimal storage for such things.

She is hoping headquarters is completed soon 
so she can settle in and get to work.

We are looking forward to a long and successful career together.

Okay, feel free to call me a sucker down in the comments.

I wouldn't have really gone looking for a bunny,

but she is so tame and sweet, I couldn't resist.

I actually don't even mind having her in the house right now,

though I'm sure with time that would change.
Also, if anyone can tell me what breed she might be,
I would love to know.
It doesn't really matter as I will keep her anyways,
but I'd love to know nonetheless.

Keep Chickens From Eating Your Garden

Well, you could keep them in the house of course.
We can't leave the door open in summer, or the girls will try to come visit me.

But if you don't want to keep them in the house,

there is another way.

We will soon be getting our spring chicks as I know many others will also.

Each year I read about how people can't keep their chickens out of the garden.

I actually let the chickens in the garden.

They are great at finding those awful little slugs and bugs. 

My mom had told me this before, and I wondered if it was one of those

"silly Mom" things or if it worked.

I listened to my mother, and she was right! 
(It's okay.  I already told her she was right:)

I don't feed the chickens any kitchen scraps.

I haven't fed them any sort of scraps from day one.
So in essence haven't trained them to eat/like those items.

They start out under the heat lamp eating an organic chick starter.

(I prefer non-medicated; why medicate healthy chicks?)

Once they out grow their brooder box, they get to go to the coop.

They have feathers by now and just get the heat lamp at night.

We are in the mountains and can get snow and/or freezing temps until June.

After a few days, maybe a week in the coop, once they have "settled in" and know where home is, they get to be free during the days.

They still have the option of their feed which after the first bag of starter crumble gets switched to layer pellets (still organic, non-med.)

They don't waste pellets like they do crumble.

However, as spring emerges, they eat less and less feed.

They begin finding those juicy yummy bugs and slugs.

Chickens actually prefer meat to veggies if given the choice.

Chickens are not vegetarians.

The only time I really have to watch them is when I am still planting.

They like to scratch in the freshly turned soil.

By the time they are to this stage, most of the garden is in anyways

so it's a very short-lived problem.

The only sort of kitchen waste we share with them is when we butcher.

The dog usually has his fill, and the chickens tend to take over

the cleaning of the bones.

They will do an amazing job of getting any remaining meat off of the bones.

In times past, many folks kept a butcher pig.

In addition to whey, this is where the kitchen scraps went.

We aren't set up for pigs, but have certainly considered it.

It might be something we do in a year or so, just not this year.

This year, we will again add our kitchen scraps to the compost bin.

They are still valuable, but being used in a different way. 
The only caveat to this is if you have adult hens that like to feast in your garden, they will teach the chicks/pullets where your garden is and
which are the tastiest treats.
So this really only works if you are starting from scratch with new birds.

Now if we can figure out how to keep the chickens out of the house?

          

Just as a little side note: 
This year I may wait until the beginning of March to get chicks.  
As you can see by the past two posts, we've had an exceptional winter and still have a good deal of snow on the ground.
I know in other areas, it's been mild so am sharing this before most folks are getting their chicks (hopefully.)

"Harvesting" the Lambs

You might recall this past spring, we got a couple lambs to raise for butcher.

We wanted them to be grass fed so knew we were in for a chore.

My mom commented how she always enjoyed fattening out critters.

I explained that we weren't graining them so they weren't just kept nice and tidy in one little spot.

We began saving our grass clippings for haylage before we even got the lambs.  Since sugars are what gets stored as fat (marbling in the meat,) we wanted a natural way for them to have those sugars without grains.

Making the haylage was easy enough.

We put grass clippings of moderate moisture content in a black garbage bag and sat on it to get as much air out as possible.

(Sorry, no pix of that:)

Then we wrapped it in 2 more bags making it triple wrapped.

And yes, it is necessary to triple wrap them.

Then let it sit to ferment for 6-8 weeks.

Doing this does require one to plan ahead.

The lambs started out in a 12 X 12 pen that we shuffled around the yard twice per day.

Once they began eating well, the area of the pen was not enough to feed them.  We began tethering them while we were home.

We used a cork-screw anchor so they would be less likely to get hung up on anything.

We just had to make sure we sank it far enough away from anything they weren't supposed to eat.

At night we put them up in their pen which we had expanded.

We tied the dog near them at night for protection - 

or at least as an alarm system since we have bear, mountain lions, wolves, etc. in our neck of the woods.

They got loose only twice:

once during our ice-cream social (they wanted to join the party) and 

once when we were gone and they proceeded to completely destroy our garden.

By the last month, they were eating the haylage heartily and enjoyed our abundance of apples as well (more natural sugars.)

When it was nearing time to butcher, Mr. LB began asking me if I was going to  miss them (nope,) asking if I would be okay when we butchered (yep,) if I would be able to eat them (double yep,) etc.

I finally asked him if he was just trying to make me feel bad.

He said I just didn't scratch them under their chins enough.

I asked him if he would be okay.  He assured me he would be.

(He's a big softy, but don't tell him I told you;)

My folks came up to help butcher.

Mom picked plums for making jelly.  I got hanging bags, vinegar water, and towels, etc. ready.  I also set up the wringer washer out in the yard. 

I kept the fleeces to tan, but first ran each one through a couple of rinses to clean them and to cool them faster.

I then spread them on a tarp, salted and rolled each one.

Those are now in the freezer awaiting further processing.

Dad and Mr. LB got their part done, cleaned, and bagged.

Then, later that week, we began cutting and wrapping.

The great thing about doing our own cutting and wrapping is that we can be picky and package it according to how we will be cooking it rather than how it fits in a box.

The remaining bones and scraps went to the dog and the chickens (chickens are meat-eaters too) so there was very little overall waste.

Conclusions

(both good and bad)

Haylage: This is fabulous though does require planning ahead.  The only change I would make is to do it in large zip-locks then in the 2 extra bags.  Once the large bags were opened, it only took a couple days to begin to mold.  Feeding only 2 lambs, a large part of each bag was wasted (well composted.)

Yard: We did not mow this summer.  The lambs fed.  They do not mow evenly so overall appearance of the place was sub-par.  We have an acre and they ate it all!  So figure about 1/2 acre per lamb.  (They also ate garden, flowers in pots, any landscaping they could get to. . . )

Time: This was time consuming!  We moved them at least twice per day.  We did not take any vacations together.  We made sure one of us was home.  Though they tethered well, they weren't really "leash trained" so moving them could be a challenge.  Each move involved re-sinking the anchor and toting their water bucket. 

Meat: We have 2 grass fed lambs in the freezer (minus one tasty leg o' lamb) for relatively little monetary cost per pound.  I am one of those who likes having the peace of mind that if something happens, we can still eat, so it's a bonus in that department.

Fleeces: We will also have two lamb skin "rugs" whenever I get around to pelting them.  They will be a lot! of work so hope they turn out nicely.

Do it Again?: Probably not next summer.  We have the trailer restored so will be taking a couple trips and wouldn't dream of asking someone else to take on such a chore.  After that, we'll see.

                                                          

Pullet Eggs and Antique Egg Scale

Finally!

The girls have been clucking like they have laid an egg,

but no eggs have actually been produced.

When I hear them,

I tell them they have to lay an egg to cluck like that.

So, one of them actually listened to me.

(I'm sure that's what it is.)

I've been checking for good measure.

And to my surprise, evening before last when I checked,

there was a treasure in the nest.

It's been a few years since I've had chickens,

and I missed them.

My friend Shirley used to love the pullet eggs.

She said they were just the right size.

Here you can see on my antique egg scale

that it doesn't even register as small.
Actually, it barely brings it up off the black line.

Yes, the scale works just fine.

It's another of those items that was built to last~ 

(like this and this)
If you have laying hens (or birds for that matter) 
you might keep your eye out for one.
I've only ever found one other.
It was the same as this one but completely rusted, and
I'm not sure if it worked.  Cost $45 = Not interested.
They are handy as the size of the eggs produced increases.

These hens have been "good girls" for the most part.

Though, I do have to remind them that chickens are not house pets.

They try to follow me in the house.

As have the lambs when they were younger.

What is it with these critters?

(Ignore mess please.  I was sorting piles to go to donation, also filled the garbage can you can see just out the door:)

We are certainly happy to be getting some "farm fresh" eggs again.
Now if the other 3 will just chip in and earn their keep,
we might be able to have breakfast.

                                                          

Daily Homestead Life

Every so often, it seems like if I don't just share all the random
things that are going on,
you might wonder how we got from point A to B.
In that light, I'd like to share a few things
that are just 'a day in the life' so to speak.

Last weekend, we had a huge hail storm.
The larger than pea-sized pellets seemed to be shot strait down
from the sky.
It thrashed our rhubarb, breaking stocks and shredding leaves.
The volunteer borage was also shredded.
Luckily, most of the other things in the garden were barely sprouted
so suffered minimal to no damage.

The tomato plants are still pretty small, and I had not put them in the garden
yet so was able to tuck them under a bench to protect them a bit.
Some of the leaves appear to be bruised,
but I am thinking they will recover well enough.
Nearly all of the garden is in and sprouted.
I will add a few more things as we go - 
like radishes that are quick, or a second round of green beans
so they aren't all demanding canning at one time, etc.

The chickens (pullets) are getting braver.
They think the sitting area is there for them.
So far they have been good and have not discovered the garden.
I was told that if we don't give them kitchen scraps
they won't bother the kitchen garden since they prefer bugs and slugs.
So far they have been on an organic chick ration and free range. 
 I move their little coop to follow the lambs.

We have been having a raccoon come in and clean out the cat food
so we set a live trap for it before it discovered the chickens and garden.
At 12:45 AM Saturday night/morning we caught it.
I am venturing into tanning the pelt.
Will have to share more about that in a future post. 

Yesterday, was attack on weeds day.  
I weed-eated, pulled weeds, mowed weeds - whatever it took,
while Dad and Mr. LB went after a tree.
A little after 4pm, they still weren't back so I headed up the mountain
to make sure all was well.
It was a tree Mr. LB went to fall last year then ended up getting his wedges
stuck so left it hoping Mother Nature would take care of it for him.
It was in a place only a crazy person would climb to 
so he wasn't concerned about someone else getting it or them.
Mother Nature didn't do it so he had to.
They were just finishing up when I arrived (good timing:)
It was a heavy load, and puts us that much closer to having enough 
for next winter.
We like to get wood in the spring before they close the forests down
due to it being dry/fire hazard.
Many folks wait until fall then are rushed to get enough in before the snow flies.
We usually have plenty to do come fall with trying to get the harvest
all taken care of and preserved for winter.

It really is a cycle.
As we move through this season, we are preparing for the next. 
Peas will be coming on within a month, and we will begin the canning season.
We've been on the go from one end of the day to the other
and still have plenty to do when we call it quits for the evening.
It's a good tired though, and we sleep like rocks.

                                                   

I've read both books and this is the same canner I use year after year.

A good all-round homesteading book and a couple "tools"

are all you need.

*Back Yard Butcher Lambs*

~Taco and Squeeze~

They just might be pigs in sheep's clothing.

(Taco is lighter, on left. Squeeze is darker, on right.)

We acquired these 2 characters a few weeks ago.

They are "bummers," and though he is slightly smaller,

Taco is about a week and a half older than Squeeze.

They are suffolk which is a meat breed and

should finish out at about 105-125 lbs. each come fall.

I raised sheep years ago, but that was years ago,

and it was primarily breeding stock.

Market lambs were a very small part of it.

The other thing is that grain was the feed of choice "back then."

We are raising these on grass - and a bottle at the moment.

There are reasons both for and against doing this.

I'll share some of the rewards and sacrifices that have gone into making this decision, and will attempt to show how our little operation functions.

The For or Rewards List~

*The most prominent reason for embarking on this little venture is that we want grass-fed meat and the various health benefits of it.

*Lambs take minimal space (as opposed to beef or hogs)

 and minimal / non-permanent facilities.

*They are easily handled due to size.

*They are a meat product that we don't usually purchase (expensive.)

*They have a quick growing season (just until fall.)

*We should be able to process them ourselves with little difficulty.

*And 1 more, I am hoping to process their skins so might (if I don't mess up) have 2 lamb skin "rugs."

The Against or Sacrifices List~

(This list is small but mighty.)

*They still cost money.  Though start-up is the most expensive, they don't just give bummers away like they used to.  Many I looked at were over $100 and didn't appear to have had first milk.  Ours were not that much, had first milk, shots, castrated, tails docked, and were eating well on the bottle before they were sold.  Finding such a breeder, we have already made an agreement to be in contact again next year.

*They take time.  This is huge!  Mr. LB and I both work outside the home and have nearly an hour drive at each end of the day.  Also, if we plan on leaving, even for a weekend, we will have to find someone who is physically able and willing to tend our critters.

*A clean and manicured yard is out of the question.  They don't "mow" evenly.  This might not sound like a big deal to some folks, but kinda like the fall back - I'm no beauty queen, by my clothes are clean and my hair is brushed, for the property (to me) it might not be HGTV, but the lawn is mowed.

What we are doing~

Their pen was made from a 3/16" wire mesh that comes in an 8'X20' sheet.

Mr. LB cut it in half both ways, a few zip ties and they have a 10'X10' pen.  When they are gone, we can simply cut the zip ties and the panels will store flat.  He also put the scrap of tin over where the feeder hangs.

They get moved every day.

This is much more labor intensive than the good ol' days when they were kept in a solid pen and fed grain, but we are hoping it's worth it.  Also, they have 
the Bird Mobile following 2-3 days behind.  Then the dog(Rip) is tied near them at night.  We have bear, cougar, wolves, coyotes, fox and more in this area.

It looks like animals on parade around here.

Humans could play a nice game of "Name That Poo" after they've tracked by.

(Sorry, I'm still kinda struggling with the yard part.)

I know that blue tarp looks high-class, but we have had some major thunder showers go through.  Like kids, they don't seem to mind getting wet, but it makes us feel better to offer them some coverage.

      

Their diet~

Water of course, and they get a bottle for a few more weeks.

We do give them a very small amount of alfalfa about every other day just because they were already nibbling on it when we got them, and it should help them transition over to the haylage more easily.

I have been mowing certain areas of the yard with the push mower and bagger in order to gather the clippings and make haylage.  That process is kinda like planting carrots or spuds - you don't know how it will turn out until you open the bag after 8 weeks (or dig into the soil come late summer.)  About the time they are weaned, the first bag of haylage should be ready.  This will be in addition to they grass they are eating as we move them daily.

(Rip, hard at work!  This is how he prefers to spend his days.)

Lastly~

We can't get attached!

They are way cute.  They have a ton of personality.  Squeeze is a demanding brat, and Taco is an ornery stinker.  They are a hoot to watch as they pounce around and "act tough."  Mr. LB has actually been the one who takes care of them most of the time just due to schedules.  I'm making dinner as he's making bottles and moving them.  The other night he commented, "Squeeze likes his throat scratched.  He goes all hypnotic."

I asked if he remembered that they would one day be dinner.  He assured me he would be okay.  There is a different mind set to raising animals for butcher.

It doesn't mean we can't love and care for them, it's just different.

In the end, they will provide us health and nourishment in return for the care we have provided them.  We will offer a prayer of thanks to them for being such an important part of our being.

In the mean time, we will make sure they have a safe and pleasant life.

   

                                                             

The $42 Chicken Tractor

I didn't want a chicken tractor, 

buuuuuut. . . . 

Well, you see, it's like this:

Mr. LB was grumbling and grumbling about runny store-bought eggs.

Once upon a time I had chickens,

but a mink got into the coop.

Let's just say I really don't like mink.

Gloves and stoles are justified.
I wasn't going to have more chickens until I could build
the fort clucks of chicken coops.

So a couple weeks ago I came home with 4 wee little fluff balls

that made cute little peeping noises.

(as opposed to the dozen I used to keep)

Those fluff balls are about 3 weeks old now and

are making a mess in the shop bathroom.

Last weekend I started what I have been referring to as

The Bird Mobile.

I had Mr. LB bring home 8-2X3s and a 25' roll of 2 ft. wide,

1/2" grid hardware cloth.

(I had actually asked for 1X3s, but 2X3s were cheaper- go figure.)

Cost: boards $15 and wire $25=$40 so far.

I had measurements worked out so I didn't use more than 25 ft.

of the wire.

I actually don't like chicken wire.

It's difficult to work with and small critters can still get through it.

The hardware cloth is sturdier and easier to work with.

I made the box a little shy of 6.5 ft. long and 2 ft. tall.

I wrapped the outer "walls" with the wire stapling it in place.
Then 2 widths across the top one end.

(Never mind the stick sitting on top. Odd, the things that happen when working on a project.)  

The drops from the long sides are what I used for the corner posts

in the cabin/nest box.

These old trim boards were here when we moved in about 15 years ago.

They were in the old leaky falling down shed that is now gone,

then under the lean-to.

One of those things that I knew would someday come in handy.

If you don't have trim boards cluttering up your lean-to,

you could also use pallet boards just as easily.

We also have a plethora of screws in various sizes.

Because these are thinner boards, I did pre-drill the holes.

I know it takes a little longer, but then the boards don't split.

(I will put pine needles and shavings in here for them.)

For the "nest box," I used a scrap of plywood and another trim board.

Again this is something that could be done with pallet wood.

By the end of last weekend, this is as far as I had it.

(I started by pre-staining the boards then just wanted to get it put together.  That's also why there is a sheet under the coop - didn't want the stain on that nice clean shop floor:)

Today, got a few things finished up.

I put a handle on the door which cost about $2.

That brings our total to $42.

I think we have a little latch out in the shop.

If I can't find one and have to buy one, that might add another $2.

Mr. LB made the brackets for the wheels.

The wheels are more of those saved items.

When the kids were little, they had a few hand me down bikes

before they ever got their very own 'new' bikes.

Some of those bikes were still in good enough shape that they were

passed on again.

Those that had lived out their usefulness, 

I kept the wheels and disposed of the rest.
If you know someone who works at the dump/transfer station,
you might ask if they have bikes come in to snag one.

  I suppose part of the keeping things that might someday be useful,

is knowing what sorts of things are useful for your lifestyle.

Mr. LB and I both grew up on ranches, and at times we question

why the other might want to keep a certain item(s) but

we usually end up being okay with the "cluttery" items we keep.
We would probably have no idea what is useful when living a different lifestyle.

(All the same sealant/stain just new wood vs. old wood.)

The roof was more scrap plywood - it had really seen better days,

but it would be covered with tin.

We ended up with a sheet of tin for free.

If you know anyone who does metal buildings,

there is often a misc. piece strapped over the metal for the buildings

so the good metal isn't damaged.

There is nothing wrong with this piece.  

It's simply a different color from the building metal.

For this project, we weren't picky and obviously the price was right.

And in the process of doing this post and uploading pictures,

I did notice that Mr. LB didn't stain the board he used to attach

the wheel brackets.

That was probably so I will something to do tomorrow.

The only thing not in the pictures is that I am going to run a string or rope

from the bottom of the ladder up through the wire 

so I can lift it while moving it.

Since it drags, I don't want it jarred and twisted.

For 4 little birds until we build a 'real coop,'

I think it'll suffice. 

Looking forward to fresh eggs and a clean shop bathroom.

Yes, Elk Have a Sense of Humor

Oh the beautiful creatures. . .

Oh the delicious scandalous creatures!

Here they are leisurely parading along the hill

right across from our house.

They look at me and say,

"See this rump roast you don't get to eat?"

"How about all the steaks I might make?"

Oh they are warped creatures indeed.

How cruel they are to taunt me such.

During hunting season, they were singing a different song.

It was more along the lines of the Gingerbread Man.

All joking aside,

I am truly blessed to live in such a place

and am extremely grateful.

Teaching Kids to Milk without a Critter

Once upon a time,

back when I taught preschool,

we were doing a 'farm unit.'

We live in a rural area so the children were aware

that milk came from cows (not all children know this.)

It somehow came up that I asked

how many of the children had ever seen a cow being milked

or even had the opportunity to try themselves.

None.

Me being me of course,

I asked if they would like to learn how to milk a cow.

You should have seen their little eye widen.

The next class-time was a lesson in milking.

Kids from other classes would come in and ask if they could try.

They milked the cow during free time.

Even the after school kids had fun giving it a whirl.

Isn't it ironic that a once dreaded chore was being sought after for fun?

The supplies are simple and cheap.

You'll need a latex/vinyl glove, a bit of string and water.

You only need one glove.

I got these (a pack of 10) at the dollar store - for $1.

Fill the glove with water then tie off like a water balloon.

Tie one end of the string to the knot on the glove.

Then hang it over the sink - 

if you want to do this in summer, you could just tie it to a tree branch outside.

Now choose a finger and using a pin or needle,

poke a hole in the tip of the finger

being careful not to tear it.

(Their little fingers will fit much better than mine.)

You are now set to teach the children how to milk.

They will first do just like they always do and squeeze the finger all at once

which produces no "milk."

It saves your critter from 'churning butter in the utter' as we call it.

It also renders the child much more knowledgeable and useful

when it comes to tending the animals. 

Have fun.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches