What is this monster slouching towards Bethlehem from the east? It has stopped the world. It has forced a changed view on all. Collective choice clears the air and waters.
Shelter in place and cocoon. Nature responds in a boom. We are ready to bloom. How much of us must die, for us all to change? What notions held now will slough away?
When this monster has gone will we see the mountains?
Every 1,000 years we can molt and emerge again. What form will we take? Will we fly from here to the mountains?
This year’s addition to the chicken coop are Rhode Island Red chickens from a breeder. We hope they are a better examples of the breed. The last reds we got from Farmer’s Supply were small and we did not give them pullet food for 5 full months. Chicks from big hatcheries have not been very big either. These hopefully are more true to the breed and with proper pullet nutrition will deliver large brown eggs. (more…)
Onions, potatoes, shallots, garlic strawberries and blackberries
With good help from Ron and Adrian the garden planting is 1/4 done. The smallest section of the garden, adjoining the perennial section of herbs, blackberries and asparagus is mostly planted. (more…)
So there it is, my goal for this project. Make the finest chicken coop in the county. It all started three years ago when we began removing invasive red cedar trees from the property. They are fire hazards during drought and they suck water like no other plant in our fields. The idea came after we had a large pile of cedar logs that I could have the logs milled and could use the wood for a chicken barn.
Milled red cedar lumber
This picture shows the largest beams and posts that came from the mill. Most of the wood is 12 feet long and you can see that some of the ends are not so square. Thanks to Bart Lenard the yield was perfect. We got 6x6x10′ posts, 4×8 beams and 2×6 and 2×4 and some odds and ends. We used every scrap. The barn is 16 feet wide so we bought 16′ tie beams connecting the walls. Likewise cedar paneling and roof decking was purchased.
Post and Beam Construction
To connect the beams, I really wanted old style mortise and tenon construction. This would require more expertise than we could muster. I just wanted to show off the wood without lots of metal support showing. So we used a simple joining method called T-Rex connectors. With a few chainsaw attachments and heavy aluminum connectors, we could tie all the beams and posts together and cover most of the metal connectors. 1/2 inch pins secure each joint and look like pegs used to pin a mortise and tenon joint.
There were many many knee braces at the top and bottom of each post where we used our 2×6 wood. This was very difficult since the 2 inch wood varied from 1 7/8 to 2 1/4. It made cutting tenons to fit very tough. Each knee brace is pinned with a wood pin.
Barn doubles as chapel š
Framing and decking when much faster since we used nice straight lumber. The red cedar is very pretty. We ripped 2×4 stock in half and made 2×2 wood for framing. Otherwise we would cover the posts. The 2 inch framing gave a nice reveal of the posts inside and outside the barn.
Side of chicken house
Once the siding was installed Adrian sprayed the entire barn with cedar sealer. The sealer will preserve the wood from moisture and deepened the rich red and white patterns in the wood. We did add gutters and drain to keep water away from the barn. “Mad as a wet hen” is to be avoided. Time and effort were taken to drain the chicken yard and barn. The hand made louvered windows look nice too. Adrian made them.
Inside the barn we added screened fence panels to cage the space. Half the space is for hens and half the space is for storage, litter free walkways and a nursery area to raise chicks. When the slab was poured we put in ground water and in-pad boxes for water. Hoping that this will reduce heat needed in winter to keep water for the girls from freezing.
Nests with backdoor access
Two areas inside are key to the “business end of the operation”. Roosts and Nests. The chickens have about 30 feet of roosting boards placed about 3 feet off the floor. We get most of our manure for composting from under to roost. It really piles up. The cage panels are designed to come down easily so we can sweep out the barn easily and sweep our prize into the tractor’s bucket. From there it goes to a compost pile to rot. After about 6 months we have wheelbarrows full of the “Truth”. It is the best thing a vegetable gardener could ever get and you cannot have too much.
The nests are easy access too. We now have back door access to each nest. The hens don’t peck as much when you get eggs from under a hen. The coop has 10 nests for our 25 bird flock and gives us room to grow. We are incubating 2 dozen eggs now. Mostly Americanna’s but a few mixed breeds for Adrian too. They are scheduled to hatch Feb 23rd.
Caged run and fenced yard
Outside we built a caged area for safety and the girls have a fenced area that adjoins our small garden and the coop. The adjoining garden has an orchard section that the hens can, safely in a fenced area, forage for bugs and greens. This part of the garden can be closed while we grow a nice edible cover crop like clover. The main fenced in area is big enough, I hope, so that the hens don’t denude the ground.
Finally, after 3 years of slow steady work, we have completed the barn. My friend Alan Lemay and IĀ (he really did it) built two 9’x3′ barn doors. We used scrap siding for the door panels. The doors with attached rollers sit on a rail for easy opening. In this picture the doors have yet to be stained.
Best chicken house in Oklahoma county
Best chicken barn in Oklahoma County??
So the challenge is on. Is this the best chicken house in Oklahoma? Or just Oklahoma county? Please vote by adding comments below. If placing a No vote, please attach link to picture of the competition. Let the egg laying begin!
After a few years a perennial garden begins to pay off. Many plants take some time to establish roots. After considerable maintenance and very little production, our little perennial section has become a bounty.
Most of the work involves weeding throughout the year. Blackberries and Asparagus cannot be tilled. Blackberries will send up shoots where ever a root is cut. They want to ramble. So the way to minimize their spreading is to mulch heavily and hand weed. We have used cotton seed hulls, stump grinding residue and grass clippings in this area. It is paying off. Weeds are easily pulled from the deep mulch.
Our asparagus is maturing into the rich compost filled trenches where is was planted almost 3 years ago. The shoots are still emerging from where the crowns were planted. I am hopping that they will spread between the double row of plants. We are harvesting 1 – 3 pounds every other day of prime thick and tender shoots.
A friend of mine, Stefan Conrady, who is German, says that in Germany they produce white Asparagus. I image they mulch the crop with 1 foot of hay or some thin mulch. This would blanch the shoots and keep them from turning green. I may try this if we can conjure up some straw next year.
The strawberries are prolific too. Probably too prolific since we have not thinned them since planting. We planted about 25 plants of two early bearing varieties and those plants have spread to completely cover the rows. I am surprised that our raised beds are still intact too. The crown of the bed is still 1-2 feet higher than the isle.
Next year the strawberries will be thinned to 1 plant very 18 inches and fertilized. This year we will have many berries but not so big. Last year I made jam and will use larger jars. Lots of friends will get some.
Some chive can be seen in the top photo. They and some oregano have done very well and can be harvested too. We also have cilantro going to seed. It was planted in October. These seeds will be used to start another batch which will be ready when tomatoes and some peppers are ripe.
We have found a most excellent variety of heirloom okra. This variety is called Alabama Red. The pods are as big around as a 50 cent piece and still very tender. 4 or 5 pods makes a very generous serving. (more…)
