Cheryl (who wrote about her two border collies) won Lauren Scheuer’s book. Thanks, everyone, for entering the book giveaway.
Just a reminder that I have two books that might be just right for your Easter bunny to put in a basket.
and
Vintage Chicken Photographs: 30 Postcards.
available at my store.
There’s still a lot of snow on the ground.
I’ve shoveled (and re-shoveled!) a space in the pen so that the old hens have a place to stand around outside. I’ve put down sand. I’ve given them logs to stand on. But, as you can tell by Betsy’s careful stepping, it’s still wet and not to their liking.
Buffy is feeling better, she’s eating and drinking and her manure is normal. But she no longer has strength in her legs to stand for more than a minute or two, and there’s no good warm dirt for her to sit in. Also, the snow has shrunk the usable square footage of the pen. In such tight quarters, the hens are sure to go after Buffy again.
But, Buffy doesn’t mind. She is in her cozy retreat home. She can see everyone. They can see her and be jealous of her food (even though they have the exact same pellets in their coop.)
During the middle of the day, Buffy sits on the hay and watches the goings-on in the yard. The rest of her day is spent in the nesting box, sometimes peering out, and sometimes ignoring everyone.
I wish it wasn’t like this. It’s more work for me than I’d like. The bedding requires daily cleaning and the water freezes solid at night. But, it will stay like this for awhile longer. Buffy is quite satisfied with the arrangement.
Rice Pudding, cooked on the stovetop, takes some doing and watching. I love it’s creamy, satisfying goodness. But this version, made in the oven requires no fuss and no hovering over. It’s a bit denser than the pudding made in a pot, but it is just as lovely and warming.
This recipe calls for cooked rice. Make a double batch of plain white rice for dinner tonight, and then use the extra for the pudding tomorrow. Or, use that box of rice brought home from a Chinese restaurant.
Baked Rice Pudding
2 1/2 cups cooked white rice
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 3 quart baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Separate the grains of rice with your fingers. This is a sticky job!
3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs, and then whisk in the milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
4. Whisk in the cinnamon, vanilla and zest. When I cook with citrus peel, I make a point to purchase organic fruit. I use a microplane grater to get fine zest.
5. Stir the rice into the egg mixture and break up any remaining clumps. Pour this into the casserole dish.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until just set and golden on the surface.
Makes 6 generous portions (Leftovers can be warmed in the microwave. I like to eat a bowlful with yogurt for breakfast.)
On Saturday, March 30, thousands of chicks will hatch at Murray McMurray. Twenty-five of them will be shipped on the next day and arrive at my post office first thing on Monday morning, April 1. When I ordered the chicks in the middle of the winter, I’d had images of their arrival at the beginning of a new season, with fresh green grass on the lawn and crocuses coming up in the woodland. April Fools joke on me! This is what my front yard looks like.
Instead of putting the chicks into a heated brooder, I had hoped that I’d be able to sneak the chicks underneath a couple of broody hens, and let them raise the chicks up. A broody hen is awash in hormones that make her want to care for chicks, and she’ll do a very good job of it, keeping them warm, and leading them to food and water. Those plans are dashed. First of all, none of my hens are broody. I don’t think that they believe it’s springtime, either. Secondly, each broody hen and her batch of chicks need to be kept in a separate enclosure. Contrary to the heartwarming videos on YouTube, hens do not like to share. Not food. Not chicks. My friend Wendy has a lot of experience with mamma hens and chicks and she’s told me about the mayhem, the attempted abduction of chicks, and the bloodshed, when two fiercely maternal chickens live in the same enclosure.
The solution, and what was done in the days before kerosene (and then gas, and then electric) brooders were invented, was to put each mama hen into her own brood coop. These were small enclosures. The hen had access to food and water inside. She couldn’t leave, but her chicks were free to come and go at will.
This design is from a 1907 USDA publication.
This A-frame is another version. (Note that this is what these triangular shelters are designed for. They are not meant to be your flock’s permanent housing!)
I have spare rabbit hutches that I was going to turn into brood coops and put temporary fencing around. But, that doesn’t work in the snow. And, even if the ground was bare and dry, what with the weasels and foxes looking for dinner on my property, I couldn’t possibly keep such a setup safe.
Instead, when my chicks arrive they’ll be put into a traditional brooder with an electric heat lamp. With Steve’s help I’ve just set it up in the Little Barn. I’ll be doing numerous posts in the next few weeks to walk you through what I do, so that when you get your own chicks, you’ll be ready.
On April 1 the cam in the Little Barn will be moved into the brooder. ChickCam!
So, who’s getting chicks and when are they arriving?
UPDATE: This contest is closed. Cheryl (with the two border collies) won.
I’ve been friends with Lauren Scheuer since before her book, Once Upon a Flock, was just a gleam in her eye. So, I was more than delighted when Lauren asked me to be on her blog tour to celebrate the book’s publication. There were so many things that we could talk about. Chickens! Writing!
Instead of those on-subject topics, my spot on the blog tour is about my goats. Because Lauren and I are friends. Because her wonderful book will sell itself. Because Lauren decided that my goats need enrichment. Her daughter had been learning about how elephants that lived in zoos were kept busy. Perhaps we could do something similar for the oh so rotund (so, obviously not active enough) goat boys? We scheduled a visit.
We also planned on sitting and chatting over coffee and something sweet. I baked gingerbread. I tried a new recipe. It was awful. The chickens are always delighted at my kitchen failures. So, they were very happy that Lauren was visiting. (There, I got the requisite chicken photo in.)
If you’re familiar with Lauren’s blog, Scratch and Peck, then you’ve played the game, “Find Marky.” Her dog has a way of blending intro the scenery. We played the game here. Find Marky! (And Lily, too!)
Lauren told me that elephants are given cardboard boxes filled with hay. Opening the boxes and then eating the hay keeps the elephants occupied.
She filled a goat-sized box with hay.
The goats were occupied with watching her.
She gave the box to the goats. It took only a few minutes for them to eat all of the hay.
Pip was occupied watching Lauren take photos.
Clearly, the boys needed something more than a cardboard box to keep them busy. Lauren had something else up her sleeve. It involved using power tools. Lauren loves working with power tools.
Caper does, too.
Lauren and I designed a treat dispenser for the goats, which she hung. It’s made from a couple of old dog toys that Lily doesn’t like.
Filled with carrots, the goats like it very much.
But, like the cardboard box, the treats didn’t last long.
Truly, the best part of the enrichment that Lauren brought was herself. The boys didn’t want her to leave. Come back, Lauren!
Lauren and I were tired from enriching the goats’ lives. We had coffee and some good cookies (from a box.)
Lily was tired, too. She’d had an enriching day with Marky.
So, now that you know nothing about Lauren’s book, it is time for a giveaway!
Leave a comment below, and I’ll select a winner using a random number generator. The contest closes on Friday, March 22 at 10 pm EDT. United States addresses only, please, as the book is being shipped by the publisher.
A book will be given away at each stop on the blog tour, so go to these URLs for more chances to win:
Tuesday, March 19: Melissa Caughey, Tilly’s Nest
Wednesday, March 20: Terry Golson, HenCam
Thursday, March 21st: Kathy Mormio, The Chicken Chick
Thursday, March 21st: Kylee Baumle, Our Little Acre
Friday, March 22nd: Tammy Barani, Our Neck of the Woods
Monday March 25th: Wendy Thomas, Lessons Learned from the Flock
Tuesday, March 26th: Lisa Steele, Fresh Eggs Daily
Wednesday, March 27th: Amy Stewart, Garden Rant
