Araucanas are sometimes called “Easter eggers” because they lay pastel blue-green eggs. (Notice the size differences in this batch. They’re still adjusting their dispensing units.) The eggs from our hens taste better than the store-bought ones. The yolks are darker and more flavorful. It’s been a fair amount of work and effort, but it’s nice…
Category: aminals.
the first return on our avian investment.
Behold! The first egg from our little flock of laying hens. When I factor in the cost for the flock, the feed, the labor, and that deluxe chicken house and run, that egg is worth about three grand.
cluckheim calls for aid.
The new patio, pieced together from leftover granite and marble countertop pieces. A little while ago I was out on the new patio area, putting together some planters and trinkets the wife had ordered for the new outdoor space. As I was screwing together the driftwood planter, I heard the characteristic “red alert” bawk-bawk-bawking of…
yo, rocky.
He keeps stopping by once or twice a week even though he can’t get into the coop. Maybe he just likes having his picture taken.
weekend recap.
My old school friend Joerg stopped by for the weekend. He is on a business trip to Ontario, and he had the time to visit with us for two days, so I did my best to play New Hampshire Chamber of Commerce. On Saturday, I took him for a drive down to southern NH (with…
guinevere, 1997-2012.
Our elderly dachshund Guinevere, the matriarch of the clan, has had health problems for the last few years due to the pancreatitis she gave herself by raiding too many garbage cans. In the last few months, her health took a nose dive, and her quality of life deteriorated. She slept most of the day, skipped…
the return of rocky raccoon.
Surprisingly, raccoons are actually #1 on the list of top chicken predators. They have a lot of dexterity in those front paws, they’re smart enough to figure out barrel bolt locks and other simple locks, and they’re pretty strong for an animal their size. One of his cousins fell to our dachshunds three years ago….
smile! you’re on candid camera!
We bought a weatherproof wildlife camera to record visitors to the chicken coop, just to see what’s out there trying to score a free chicken dinner. I set it up on Sunday and set it so the camera goes off whenever the sensor detects motion. I checked the flash card every day, and usually it…
newsletter from castle frostbite, july 2012.
Oh, hey there, Internets! Team Munchkin Wrangler had a busy week and a relaxing weekend. The kids enjoyed their science summer camp, and I enjoyed my five morning Dadcations. Lyra was in preschool day camp, which let out at noon, and Quinn’s camp let out at 3. I dropped them off in the mornings, went…
desperate times, desperate measures.
The fox is still out there. The chickens have been cooped up in their house for three days now, and they are getting a little fidgety. This weekend, the temps will hit the 90s again, and then Cluckheim Keep will be too warm during the day. So we had to commission a quick emergency project—a…