Battery Hen Update

We have good news and not-so-great news to report.  I'll start with the good news.

The Good News

If you scroll to the pictures of the hens below, you will see that the battery hens arrived with combs that were flopping over to the side.  I figured this was just how the hens would look for the rest of their lives.  The hens who live in my mom and dad's coop began to have combs that were semi-erect.  I thought I was just seeing things, but over the past month they have changed into beautiful, fully-erect, red combs.  I learned that a chicken's comb is a easy way to find out if it is feeling well.  The hens at my parents' house are feeling fantastic.

The girls even have a couple of boyfriends.  This is our Frizzle male, trying to kill me while I photograph his ladies.

The Not-So-Great News

Things have been more difficult on our side of the farm.  We lost one battery hen suddenly as a bacteria spread quickly throughout our flock.  Another battery hen was laying next to her deceased pal, on the brink of death as well.  Several of our chickens seem to be infected with the same bug, but all the other girls are eating, laying and acting normal.  We took the battery hen to the veterinarian and he started her on an oral antibiotic.  The vet told us to treat all coughing hens with the oral antibiotic twice a day.  If any of you can think of a way to do this without going insane, please advise me.  We have decided to treat the rest of the flock with an antibiotic we will put in their drinking water.  For now we have two sick battery hens living in the house (one is still outside with the flock and very healthy).

As you may know, all chickens have different personalities.  Our very sick (and rapidly improving) hen has a social and curious personality.  We put the hens in the garden during the day when it is warm, and bring them in at night.  A couple of times we have left the back door open to the garden.  Rocket Star (I don't have to tell you who named her, right?) has found her way inside each time.  She thinks the dishwasher is really cool.

She is also so sweet and patient with the kids.  What other human or animal could make it through a life of pure torture, then turn around and give love to the same species who tortured them?  Some may say that chickens have tiny brains, but I think they just have hearts of gold.  Now if only Rocket Star could be potty trained.  She makes the perfect small companion animal!

Earth Day!

If you didn't hear from me for a couple of weeks in April, it is because I became consumed with our Earth Day project.  We decided as a family we would take on our first event as the Giving Tree Family Farm.  We sat down a couple of weeks ago and mapped out our booth.  Each member of the family had a huge "to do" list.  The first order of business was a logo.  My dad got to work with his favorite graphic designer and came up with this great logo.  Deciding on a name and logo were the most difficult tasks!

My sister came up with the design of the booth.  She had visions of white lace, antique plates to display the soap, and old books and boxes for props.  My mom spent a week putting all of our alpaca yarn into skeins and we designed posters and informational cards.  It truly was shaping up to be a family affair!  We all arrived to El Chorro Regional Park early on Earth Day.  Here is a picture of our completed booth.  We all loved the way it turned out.

Our booth was divided into four sections.  My sister makes jewelry and made special bee pieces for Earth Day.

Glenn and I were the bee experts.  We sold beeswax bars, candles and lip balm.  Glenn got some people seriously excited about keeping bees.  I loved showing off the bear claw marks in our beeswax.  

My mom was the "goat lady."  She spent hours talking to people about raising goats and all of the benefits of goat milk.  

The last section was the alpaca yarn display.  People loved the pictures of Mic, Pablo and Remy next to their skeins of yarn.  

Earth day was a great trial run for our young business.  The kids enjoyed their day in the sun: dancing, planting herbs, and making paw prints out of plaster.  The adults spent the day talking about our hobbies, hanging out with fellow Earth-loving friends, and sipping wine.  It may not have been the most profitable day, but it was a good day. 

A special thank you to Mother Earth for making it all possible!

Chicken Rescue

If you haven't heard about the 50,000 hens who were abandoned and perished from starvation in an egg factory in Turlock, California, please watch this video.

Over 4,000 hens were saved in a most spectacular rescue effort.  Six of those lucky girls now reside on our farm.  When I heard a local rescue group would be bringing 125 of these hens to San Luis Obispo county to retire, I jumped at the chance to adopt them.  The hens were stabilized for three weeks, then brought to our  farm when they were out of danger.

Four of the hens moved to our side of the property and two of the hens retired to my mom's coop on the other side of the property.  These hens have lived lives filled with neglect and abuse.  As chicks, the hens have the tips of their beaks cut off.  This is so they will not peck the other three to five hens with whom they share a small cage.  Leghorn chickens lay around 300 white eggs a year, which is why they are usually chosen for mass egg production.  They live all of their lives in cages, never having the chance to scratch the earth or chase a bug.  You can see how long the hen's nails have gotten because she has never been able to scratch in the dirt.

We moved the girls in with the quail at first so the other hens could meet them without being able to hurt them.  The hens each laid an egg the first day they moved in.  It amazed me these hens were on the brink of death and are already laying eggs.

Pearl collected the first batch of eggs.  She was proud of the chickens!

The hens have integrated with the rest of our flock and are living the lives of queens.  It is interesting to watch their behavior.  At first they would only lay their eggs on the ground.  Now two of the hens have learned how to use the nesting area.  They won't roost up with the rest of the chickens, rather they nest on the ground in the corner.  They love to make little nests, scratch around and stretch their wings.  To say I adore these girls in an understatement.  They have become more brazen over the past few weeks.  When all of the chickens free range, they carefully sneak out of the hen house and scratch around the door.  They bask in the sunlight.

Pearl and Oliver love feeding them scratch.  

I was feeling slightly smug at first about how I don't buy eggs from the store.  Pearl and I went out to breakfast the next morning and I ordered huevos rancheros.  After devouring my eggs, it dawned on me I had no idea if I was eating factory farmed eggs.  I asked the server who told me they were from the local university.  I know chickens are not free-ranging at the university.  I have decided to try and stop eating eggs if I can't tell where they are laid.  Would it be rude of me to bring my own eggs into a restaurant?  I may have to turn into these people:

If you want to help one of these chickens you can sponsor an animal at Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary or give up eating factory-farmed eggs!

Rooster Rescue

We had a little rooster problem for the past six months and his name was Moe.  Moe was a stallion of a rooster in a tiny frame.  He dominated both of our other roosters and claimed the ladies as his own.  The only issue we had with Moe was that he loved to attack Oliver and Pearl.  Oliver's fear of him became so intense, he wouldn't leave the house.  We knew we needed to find Moe a new home, but were having a terrible time convincing anyone to take him.

What do you do when you have an attack cock?  You call the "Cock Whisperer."  Sarah at Save the Cocks in Templeton, CA is just that lady.  Sarah found a home for Moe in exchange for two rescue roosters who would be moving in with our flock.  Sarah and Dana arrived with their roosters on a Sunday.  We met Cherry first.  He was a sweet, sensitive rooster.  Then we met Cherry's brother who we called Curly.  Here is a picture of Cherry and Sarah.

Sarah likes to introduce roosters while they are free ranging.  We set down Cherry and Curly and watched them meet our rooster, Francisco.  

The roosters were getting to know each other and trying to establish dominance.  We didn't count on our guineas getting involved with the tussle.  Charlie and Rocco, our male guineas grabbed Cherry and chased him around the yard.  Cherry finally got so scared he bolted into the hills behind our house.  We searched, but he was nowhere to be seen.  I figured he would be eaten that night by a fox, so I went to bed with a heavy heart.   Glenn woke up at the crack of dawn the next morning to look for Cherry.  He could hear Cherry crowing from a distance, so we knew he was still alive.  

Sarah and Dana came over that afternoon to look for Cherry.  They brought with them two more of Cherry's brothers with the hope that Cherry would respond to them.  Cherry could not be found.  On Tuesday, Glenn spotted Cherry in back of the chicken coop, but Cherry bolted when he saw Glenn.  By Wednesday morning we started to lose hope because Glenn could no longer hear him crowing.  When I arrived home from work on Wednesday afternoon, Cherry was again at the coop, hanging out with his brother.  I couldn't believe he was alive.  I called Sarah and we decided I should wait until the chickens started to roost, then track him to find out where he was roosting at night.  

I put the kids in front of a video (desperate times) and made my way up the mountain.  Cherry lost me in about five seconds, but I decided to listen for the sound of his wings as he flew up into a tree.  I hiked and waited in a clearing for 45 minutes before I started to worry about mountain lions.  As a final ditch effort, I began crowing.  I'm glad I don't have any neighbors.  

The next morning (Thursday), I woke up with a nose full of poison oak and a special admiration for the cock who had survived so many days in the wild.  Glenn had the day off, so he was on Cherry patrol.  As he pulled into the driveway, he saw Cherry at the fence line.  He sent Oliver to the back of the property to block Cherry's escape.  He then chased Cherry to the coop, where he was able to corner him and pick him up.  Sarah picked up her two amazing roosters (Curly and Francisco could not work out their differences) and peace has been restored to the farm.

I think Glenn deserves the title "Professional Cock Handler" for his astonishing rooster rescue.  If you are so inclined, you can buy him this shirt from Sarah's store to help support Save the Cocks and all of the wonderful work that they do.  

Daycationing!

As most of you know Oliver has been under the weather since January.  He has had endless tests and doctors visits.  We finally have a "solid" diagnosis for him: severe constipation.  Carrying this extra baggage around has made Oliver most unpleasant.  My easygoing boy has turned rather grumpy and has lost his usual zest for life.  In order to get him out of his funk, we have been taking mini-vacations every weekend.  Taking these short trips to the coast helps me realize how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place!

Morro Bay


I took Oliver and Pearl to Morro Bay a few weeks ago.  We went to the aquarium to feed the seals and then purchased shells at the shell shop (all this fun for under five dollars!).  Oliver brought his camera, so we headed to the ocean to capture an otter.  There were plenty of otters to photograph, but Oliver discovered something more exciting crawling among the rocks: squirrels.  We have dozens of squirrel shots.  He was proud of this shot because he managed to get three squirrels.  You should have heard the delighted screams.

Here is another squirrel shot.  I think it is quite good!

Finally, Oliver's attention focused on two sea otters.  He waited patiently as the two otters swam toward one another.  As the otters met, Oliver made his move.  "I got them mating, Mommy!," he shouted with pride.  If they were, it certainly was a quickie.  In any case, it made the teenage girls giggle nearby.  

Los Osos

The next weekend, I heard the weather was going to be warm, so I suggested we go camping.  We drove out to Montana Del Oro and found the perfect spot. 

The kids played in the water, dug in the sand, climbed rocks, found creatures, ate s'mores at night and had hot chocolate for breakfast.  It was 24 hours of bliss (minus the eight hours sleeping on the cold, hard ground).  

Cayucos

I have a friend with a wonderful worm/compost bin.  I lure Glenn down to Cayucos a couple of times a year to pick up compost for his garden. While we were there, we turned it into a mini-vacation day.   

We ate smoked fish tacos at Ruddell's Smokehouse.  Seriously, if you live close to Cayucos, you must have a taco here (and pack a sandwich because each taco is $5.50-yikes!).

We lounged on the beach.

Then we ate cookies at the Brown Butter Cookie Company.  

The icing went on the cake when we stopped by the hardware store to pick up some free popcorn for the kids.  What a great way to end a string of mini-vacations!

I'll be back soon for some more farm updates!

Farm Animals Gone Wild

I haven't written about Smokey lately because Oliver will not ride him anymore.  Oliver was riding Smokey a couple of months ago (with his helmet on) and Pumpkin started chasing Smokey and biting his legs.  Smokey bucked Oliver straight onto his forehead.  We though Oliver would eventually get over the trauma and get back on Smokey.  So far, it has not happened.  We had a horse professional come over to take care of Smokey's feet and he told us someone in the family should be riding Smokey.  Smokey can handle up to 230 pounds of weight.  This weekend we spent some time in the pasture trying to figure out who should ride Smokey.

Pearl was first.  She only lasted a couple of seconds before she threw in the towel.

Glenn was the next to ride Smokey.  Glenn can tell you it is really hard to ride a horse who is biting your feet while your wife is chanting, "Eight seconds! Eight seconds!"  

Sadly, he was no Luke Perry.

It was my turn to take on the tiny beast.  Things were going okay until Pumpkin started messing with Smokey.

My mom thought it may be easier to ride Smokey with a lead rope.  It was rocky from the start.  Smokey wanted me off in a bad way.  Finally he did a tricky maneuver and tossed me on my hip.  Evidently my near death-by-pony was funny to certain members of my family. 

Something was in the air that morning because all of the animals were feeling spry.  Lotta, Pumpkin, and Smokey had a great time chasing each other around the pasture.

Oliver and Pearl first checked Leche for signs of pregnancy, then retired to an oak tree to hide from the crazy animals.

Moments later, Leche decided to join the children in the tree.  It was ten seconds of sheer terror! 

After all of the ruckus, it was time to make amends and go back to peaceful pasture life.

The Birth of a Name: Giving Tree Family Farm

Oliver has been sick now for several weeks.  He has moments of feeling good, then the fever returns and he becomes a very different child.  Oli has been tested for everything and has been on a course of antibiotics for the past five days.  Nothing helps.  Oliver's symptoms are worse during meal times.

Flo and Harry have been invited to the table to make meals more enjoyable.

Oliver is tired of being away from his friends at school.  The only activities keeping him happy are spending time at his Grammy and Pop's house and being in our new apple orchard.  

Glenn has always dreamed of having an orchard.  My mom became friends with our retired neighbors who just happen to have an unkempt apple orchard.  My mom saw a match made in heaven and set us up.  Now we spend weekends at the orchard playing, pruning and relaxing.  Oliver and Pearl have been a big help to their dad.

When not helping Glenn prune, the kids enjoy the trees.  This morning I watched Oliver swing from the branches, throw apples, and climb.  I watched pearl dig in the dirt, put tiny apples in her pockets and eat every mushy apple she could find.  I became immensely grateful for the apple trees for bringing a smile back to Oliver's face.

Then it hit me.  This reminds me of "The Giving Tree," one of the best books of all time.  We have been searching for a name for our family farm for the past couple of months.  I ran over to Glenn and said, "What about 'The Giving Tree Farm'?"  We walked to my parents' house and shared the name.  We made a collective decision to name our farm "Giving Tree Family Farm."  So there you have it; the birth of our farm name.  Now if only I could solve this fever issue!