Spring Harvest

Last spring, I planted two raised veggie beds, in anticipation of having organic produce at my doorstep. But with the cold spring, and non-existent summer we experienced last year (well at least not until September, when summer finally decided to arrive), my veggies did not fare well. The heavy winds shredded the tender leaves of many of the plants and all in all, it was a tragic, disappointing and somewhat expensive experiment. But it sure was pretty when it was freshly planted!! This is the view from our patio of the raised beds.
  

I did my research and planted only hearty vegetables such as zucchini, kale, carrots, broccoli, and a whole swack of herbs-- everything like parsley, cilantro, sage and mints.

After a few weeks, it appeared that the only veggies that would survive the conditions here on Harling Point were kale and my Swiss Chard, which is wonderful and continues to provide leaves all year long. These two plants are clearly bulletproof if you ever want to attempt easy to grow veggies yourself!

But then, a funny thing happened-- I noticed that the cabbages that I had planted had done quite well, and were ready to be harvested. I didn't know that cabbage was a winter harvest (giveaway that I'm a first-timer urban gardener novice??) They were, without question, the BEST cabbages I have ever eaten. In fact, I never knew cabbage could taste so good. I will plant the savoy varietal again, for sure. It was more tender and versatile than the regular cabbage. I had one of each, both pictured below. These ones were not in my veggie beds- I had tucked them into the garden landscape. They are quite beautiful and add edible interest to the landscape.

Another surprise was the tremendous harvest of artichokes we just had. There were more than enough to make a very tasty artichoke heart and spinach dip! (Sorry, I did not take a picture of that-- I should have!!)

Expanding the Flock

Meet Muffin II, and Rocky, the newest additions to our flock. These sweet chicks will grow up to be gorgeous Americauna hens - the heritage breed with funky ear feathers that lay green-blue eggs. Sadly our original Muffin, the Columbian Wyandotte, met her untimely death by a dog that was off leash and managed to bust through our chicken fence in the backyard. RIP Muffin. It was a sad day that has left me a bit shaken about having the birds loose in the backyard -- not to mention what to do about people who seem to think it is ok to let their dogs run around in other people's yards.

Before we did our massive landscaping job at the house last summer, strange dogs in our yard were a regular occurrence. I have no idea why dog owners think this is ok - we just assumed that because we didn't have a "landscaped" yard that our property lines may not have been "clearly defined". As a parent, I would never let my kids play in someone else's yard, yet dog owners think this is fine. Go figure.

Since we landscaped, the dogs have not been an issue. In fact, we didn't even have a chicken fence until quite recently. We just let the chickens go wherever they wanted, which wasn't very far, and noone seemed to be bothered about them, either dog or human. We have had these delightful birds outside loose now for 10 months, no problems. In fact, my favorite thing about having them out is the looks they get when people passing by realize what they are. You cannot help but smile when you see them so happy clucking away in the yard. Certainly it surprises people, and many actually stop, ask questions, want to see the coop and learn what kind of birds they are. I love it.

But here I was with this dead chicken, no idea what to do with it, and how to possibly protect the remaining two birds from future attacks like this one. I couldn’t help but wonder, was Muffin's demise inevitable? Were we lucky this hadn't happened sooner? Will it happen again and should we be prepared to accept that this kind of thing happens to our pets? Or was this a freak accident and it might not happen again? I don't know. Time will tell I guess.

Anyways, we have built a proper fence now, so we will see. For the time being, Muffin II and Rocky are in the living room, under their lamp, making lots of noise (I don't remember the first lot being this noisy!!). I look forward to introducing them to Ganesh and Eggbert. That will be interesting!

chicken crazy

So maybe you can tell we are loving the chicks. The boys cannot get enough of them - they want to pick them up all the time - so much so I worry about the chick's stress levels!!! Well I guess it's better they get used to it!



Zack and his "Muffin"




Eggwynn/Eggbert, Muffin and Ganesh in their brooder, 2 wks old




Noah, Zack and Muffin

 So far, I clean their brooder every day, which takes about 10 minutes. I change their water at least twice a day and check their food once daily. They are messy, but it's all in the brooder. Eggwynn is far more curious (and a bit larger - I wonder if she may be older?)...She has started hopping out of the bin so when we go out we make sure there is a bit of light mesh to keep them all in!

They are growing before our eyes and I am concerned that a) the coop may not be built in time and b) we won't have the permit from Oak Bay to even have the chicken coop!

Show and Tell

Try this for a challenge: getting out of the house with two kids and a bin of baby chicks! Zack wanted to bring the chicks for show and tell to his school, and to my surprise, his teacher agreed! Zack was so funny, he insisted on covering them up so that noone could see what was in the bin, and then surprise his classmates when he lifted the blanket off! It was one of those moments when I wished I had brought a video camera.

Zack put on quite a show. Who knew that the reason we had chicks was because Thrifty's ran out of eggs?? And that the biggest problem with backyard chickens was the danger that the moose posed to them?? I was not aware of our moose problem. Other than a few strange twists to the story, Zack had most of his facts right about the birds and was a very engaging and enthusiastic spokesperson.

It was also interesting to see that there were some kids who just did not want anything to do with the chickens, didn't want to pet them, and certainly not hold them. And really, chickens are probably the least cuddly pet out there, so who can blame them for not wanting to hold them. Anyways, Zack passed the chicks around to those who wanted to try it,  and the kids really did seem to enjoy it.

Sometimes I wonder if these chickens will fail to lay eggs when it's time because they have been so manhandled by Zack!

Classical Chicken...makes the kids howl!!

Techno Chicken - another favourite...

And so, my life as an urban farmer begins...

After much discussion and debate, research, meeting with other people who keep chickens as pets with benefits, and a trip to the Poultry Swap (who knew there was a poultry swap in Metchosin??), we finally picked up the new additions to our family; a brahma, a columbian wyandotte, and a silver laced wyandotte baby chick. These designer chicks (not your ordinary brown hens, but heritage breeds!!!) have been sexed (so we know for sure they are females and will lay eggs) and vaccinated. Zack named them Muffin, Eggwynn and I named the brahma (from India) Ganesh, after the Indian god of new beginnings. 

 

Zack holding a chick for the first time




It’s pretty thrilling to have these new little creatures around. They are two weeks old which is good because they are less fragile and can handle the constant attention from the boys better. Zack and Noah are totally obsessed with the chicks.





The "Brooder"



Over the night, I monitored the heat in their brooder (which, to Aaron’s dismay, is in the living room) and that was challenging. Temperature fluctuations meant I was worried and moving the brooder in and out of the light constantly. Aaron thinks I should just relax – but my attachment parenting instincts kept me up throughout the night checking on them! He thinks we are the only people who keep chickens in the living room! To be honest I probably would have moved them into my bedroom just keep a closer eye on them. Talk about a real "family bed"! And to be clear here, they did stay in the living room.

"Four Hot Chicks"  (thanks S.D.)

I have to admit, they're not the smartest creatures. They step in their food dish and knock over their water and feeder countless times. They're a messy bunch, I'll probably have to clean their brooder every day. So that means they are also going to be some work. And, SURPRISE! They poop A LOT! I can now say as a chicken mom, I've been pooped on. Doesn't matter what species, babies poop on their moms eventually I guess.