So the bag of seed potatoes that sprouted in the basement and I put in the garden on a whim had given us real potatoes. I don’t know why I am still fascinated that food grows for me just like it has grown for millions of years.
Monthly Archives: September 2013
Episode 55: Processing Elvis the Rooster
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In this episode we share our experience processing our rooster Elvis.
Elvis before…
and after…
EGG-citing news
Don’t know if the new birds put pressure on the old hens, or if they were just ready to lay, but we got our first eggs!
New hens
We started in May with 6 chicks. We lost a hen to a predator, and we had to take care of the two rooster problem. So we took Elvis to Bramble Hollow and they taught us how to process a bird start to finish. (Expect a podcast soon about the process) We left the farm with 6 birds to eat and 2 hens to replace our loss.
Don’t let the pictures fool you…it is an us vs them situation right now. The have to establish a pecking order and see where the fit in the flock.
The rooster has to go
Elvis is on death row. He has about a week left. And when we made the decision we didn’t know how quickly he would get worse. I am hopeful that Buddy won’t be as rough on the hens. Maybe adding hens will help. And we may decided that we don’t want any roosters.
Pulling out the corn stalks
In one of the gardens, the corn turned brown fast. I got tired of it and decided to take it out.
Now it looks like this.
The peppers and tomatoes are still growing, the tomatoes don’t turn red before bugs or deer get to it. Maybe I will reconfigure the garden next year, putting the things the deer aren’t interested on the outside.
Watermelon
Found this is the garden. I had all but given up on the melons.
Flowers
The flowers are still blooming. I want to plant many more flowers next year.
Chickens 18 weeks old
They are getting bigger, hanging out, eating, catching bugs, living the high chicken life.
The only problem is this one…Elvis
I have spoiled him. Usually I feed him out of the container I bring the food for ALL the chickens, because he is the first one out in the morning. He has turned into a bit of a bully. I have started to let him know I am boss. I no longer feed him before everyone else. If he attacks or mounts a hen, I scare him. I stand between him and my hens to make sure he knows those are my birds…I am cock of the walk.
Window sill
Yes I am the kind of person that has shells from a beach trip, flowers and tomatoes on my window sill.