• Available in 2022 for Local Pick-up
  • Snapshot

Muddy Valley Farm

~ Life on a tiny west coast hobby farm

Muddy Valley Farm

Monthly Archives: November 2019

Water Line!

13 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by Jodi in Equipment, Farm Improvements, Weather

≈ Leave a comment

Yay, the winter water line is in! Frozen water lines are only an issue for a few short weeks each year here in our coastal muddy valley, so this low priority project has been years coming. Water on tap in the barnyard in all weather. What luxury!

1ECCF555-02F8-4310-A08C-AB5B6DF2D7DE
FA7890B5-EB91-4D97-89AD-CBEEE09A9721

DH dug a trench using his own invention clamped on the end of his tractor arm thingy. Then RG took over, putting the final touches on the narrow trench, running and insulating the line then burying it, installing the tap and building it a snug insulated box for shelter.

D272F959-9F05-479B-B54D-2730AF4A2B8F
41F37D4F-0538-4CD6-8CF5-C6244ABCBBE8

Now it’s over to me to pick up some quick release hose connections. When a cold snap threatens, the plan is to detach the main feed, drain the water from the hose ends, close up the box and in the frosty morning hopefully find a working tap in the barnyard, right where it is needed.

7A4096E5-7BEB-4238-943E-10A5DD221606
FB6ED6F8-9B67-46E4-9340-A3C3B25B49F3

This will be so much better than hauling heavy sloshing buckets of water all the way from the house! I love labour-saving barnyard devices. They leave more time for pure enjoyment.

ED61E153-C400-45E1-AD70-4ED30C394756

Coffee with Silkies

09 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by Jodi in Chickens, Farm Produce

≈ Leave a comment

Saturday morning. I slip out the back door and wander down our quietly drizzly muddy valley, hot cup of coffee in hand, to spend a bit of quality time with my silkies.

F959B2C6-73D9-4903-8642-165318A8FD0F

I know of no better way to really see my birds with clarity, to judge confirmation, health and temperament, than by just sitting in the pen in my lawn chair, spending time visiting. Watching chicken TV.

I carry a scoop of hen scratch, and the birds know it. Standoffish at first, within minutes they are crowding me hopefully, expectantly. I make them work for it, screw up their courage and take it straight from my hand. Tiny Chicken thinks first of her silkie children, as big as her now, as she uses her beak to scoop seeds out of my hand onto the ground where her chicks can peck them up quick before the other birds get there. Opportunistic feeders, chickens are. Every bird for itself and no holds barred, they will steal a bite straight out of another’s mouth with absolutely no compunction. Not the momma birds though, like mommas everywhere, they think first of their offspring.

8E123FFF-9F6E-4D75-A49A-E78475AF8D67

My showgirl cockerels are shaping up nicely. Mr. Black in particular is quite the gentleman. Tall and proud, as handsome as can be, he provides me an escort whenever I enter the pen. If I reach for a flock member, he attempts to intervene, but never aggressively. “Excuse me,” he indicates by positioning his body between me and my goal, “I believe my girls do not wish for you to touch them. Please desist.” I respond in kind, gently but firmly moving him aside.

9BEDDB34-8609-4D92-B025-4EC1F437C6B1
3138BEB4-F75F-41FA-9A25-DC7C5F6E7285
4508A087-A7E3-48E1-AB80-32453504AA8F

Today he ate from my hand. It is good that he understands I am the creature from whom good things flow, but I won’t make a pet of him. Too often, once the hormones get raging, ‘pet’ roosters decide their humans are to be dominated and bred like any other hen, flogged for disobedience. Mutual respect is my goal. Partnership in flock guardianship, and me at the top of the pecking order, not him.

Should he, or any other rooster, attempt violence, I decline to enter into battle as some would recommend. Violence begats violence, in chickens as in people. There are always better ways. Instead, I’ll scoop him up, tuck him under my arm, and take him with me as I perambulate around the barnyard, seeing to this and that. Rendered completely helpless, in front of the whole flock no less, the humiliation is generally more than enough of a deterrent to change testosterone-fuelled attitudes, at least for a while. Sometimes the lesson must be repeated a few times. More rarely a rooster will fail to learn the necessary respect. These boys go on a one way trip to freezer camp.

This year’s silkies are shaping up nicely. I’m looking forward to next year’s breeding pens and brooding and hatching and egg selling. Bringing the happiness of healthy silkie babies to excited new silkie owners everywhere. It’s so much fun.

F3D2B564-DB8D-4942-A71A-6261D054FFB4

Autumn Leaves

06 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by Jodi in Chickens, Farm Life, Farm Produce, Gardening, Seasons

≈ Leave a comment

846E8DA0-25C2-4465-8FCA-56317AA65FFCThe weather has been wonderful so far this fall, cool and sunny, perfect for producing great drifts of sun dried leaves. The drier the better. Each year I gather as many as I can store and put them under cover; less moisture extends their shelf life. Leaves are so useful and the chickens enjoy them so much.

1A1B7888-EF4B-4A8D-87F4-AC31E31C1148
8531AACE-294E-4056-BFB2-18143404DC26

A thick layer gets spread across the entire silkie pen, it does a fine job of keeping the mud at bay even after the rains start. In the main coops, I’ll dump a tote full over the fresh wood shavings after I clean each week for as long as they last, for feathered tidbit-hunters to avidly scratch and peck through. Woe betide any little bugs who have made their homes in those leaves.

7270D960-58FF-4EE3-9628-BCD5E57BAE9A
B1CCC4F2-BAA6-48C5-BBD3-86F18727182F
CD55B062-DFD7-4B92-ADC8-009FDE912B39

Momma Barred Rock vacated her room at the hen hotel yesterday, taking her seven children, now ten or so weeks old, back to live with the flock. Good timing Momma! That gives me a good sized leaf storage room for this year. It can hold many wheelbarrow loads, there are four in there now and still a ton of space.

CC298005-F8F7-47F1-8B20-777C3066CBB8

Of all the things we grow here in our muddy valley, the autumn leaf crop is one of my favourites. Looks gorgeous through spring and summer, and more so when it “ripens”. Zero effort to tend all year long, no seeding or weeding or slug war or watering or deer fencing required. Heck, leaves are even easier to grow than garlic!

08550822-AF17-4909-99B1-6A9A706A6EC9

Homemade Butter in 30 Seconds

03 Sunday Nov 2019

Posted by Jodi in Farm Life, Preserving, Reduce, reuse, recycle

≈ Leave a comment

89C16A1A-75B8-424D-A548-4C883540D713

Our household went off margarine in August 2012. We had been thinking about it, so when a visiting cousin mentioned the canola processing plants in her area, commenting that one whiff would make us swear off marg forever, I reached my own personal tipping point. Since I am the grocery shopper, our house went margarine-free.

There isn’t much price difference between the two any more. That had been my main reason for buying marg over the years. But these days I can buy a pound of butter for $3.50 at my local big box store. A 2 lb tub of Becel is $6.49. Some say that butter is bad for you, but I would much rather consume butter than a tub of chemically-manipulated faux butter. Hell, it’s all bad for you…everything in moderation.

I have been experimenting lately with making my own butter. But no laborious churning process for me. It’s the 21st century. I can make butter in literally thirty seconds.

I picked up a half pint of whipping cream for under $2 last week, on clearance, best before Oct 28 – in two days time. It didn’t get used for pasta sauce, cream soup or dessert topping, so last night (Nov 2), I took it out of the fridge and set it on the counter overnight to bring it up to room temp, and maybe even get a little fermentation started.

D62FEE61-890C-4799-989B-B291C289776B

This morning I dumped it into my mini food processor, half at a time, and whipped it until it “broke”, which took less than 30 seconds. That’s what happens if you whip cream past the point of whipped cream. It separates into butter and buttermilk; and rather suddenly too.

54FD918F-CD5D-40BA-88D2-27CFBDBE514C
ACA0D5C7-B54F-4746-99B1-9B86D114FF07
414AD9D3-D901-4053-BCF1-6E52840773B7

Once it breaks, you pour off the buttermilk (mmmmm pancakes), scoop the butter into a bowl with your spatula and rinse it under cold water, squishing it in on itself until the water runs clear. Then pour off the water, squish it some more until it stops shedding water, mix in a little salt if you choose (I like pink salt) and refrigerate or freeze.

Today, I got 194 grams of sweet delicious butter – almost half a pound – from my expired whipping cream. Isn’t that cool?!?

3483BB9D-4E43-40ED-98FF-1AC6F2DAFD3A

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • May 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • December 2014

Categories

  • Chance
  • Chickens
  • Equines
  • Equipment
  • Farm Improvements
  • Farm Life
  • Farm Produce
  • Feminist farmer
  • Gardening
  • Liza and Arrow
  • Preserving
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle
  • Seasons
  • Uncategorized
  • Weather
  • Wildlfe
  • Wildlife

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Muddy Valley Farm
    • Join 64 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Muddy Valley Farm
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...