The first real snowfall of the year was a beauty. It came on Thanksgiving, which made it seem like a holiday gift (at least for us, as we weren’t traveling.) The snow was just wet enough to stick and outline every branch and leaf. Heavy snow can cause damage, but this was only a few inches, so it was pretty but didn’t wreak havoc here in my small corner of New England.

 

Some snow is too icy, or conversely too fluffy, to hold tracks, but this snow, early in the morning, gave off the secrets of the animals that were out and about.

There were footprints by the stone wall.

 

There was a distinctive pattern of four footprints, and then three and a hint of a tail drag. This was a large animal.

 

A close look supplied ample details: claw tips and furry paws.

Fisher cat.

The fisher cat is a large weasel and is a fearsome predator. It has massive claws, sharp teeth, and a habit of killing everything that it can and caching the extra in a vee in a tree. (If you come across a dozen dead squirrels wedged between two branches in a tree trunk, you’ll know who put them there.) Fisher cats will rip down fencing to get into a coop. In one hunting spree, a fisher will kill all of your chickens and all you’ll find are a few feathers in the morning. Fisher cats are known to scream. My neighbor’s old dog treed a fisher and the sound was chilling. She pulled her dog away and put him inside. You don’t want your dog tangling with an angry fisher cat.

I followed the tracks. This fisher cat skirted by our fence, but didn’t go in. It thought about it. This fisher cat loped through the front yard and our side woods.

 

It stopped and circled a few trees, and here you can see it deciding what to do next.

 

Then it went on it’s way.

I’m sure that the squirrel who left these tracks on our stone wall was relieved to see it go.

 

Note: A big thank you to Steve who I woke up to take these pictures (it’s tricky photographing in snow.) Tracks don’t remain sharp for long. Another fifteen minutes, and a few degrees warmer, and the tracks would no longer have been clear.

One of the reasons that I like keeping chickens is that it gives me an excuse to have a barn in my backyard. I love barns.

 

Even if you have a small coop, you can still call it a barn! I think that barns have a beauty born of practicality and use. First and foremost, they have a purpose. Each design decision must make the animals’ needs a priority.

What your animals stand on can make the difference between health and sickness, can determine air quality, ease of cleaning, and predator control. Here are your coop flooring choices:

Dirt
Dirt is not a good idea. Yes, chickens love to dig in it, but that’s the only positive attribute. It holds onto ammonia, manure, parasites, and moisture. Predators can burrow in. I have friends who have an antique barn. They sectioned off a corner for their hens. Within a month they were overrun with rats. They moved the hens to what had been a concrete dog run, and the rat problem disappeared. I am not a proponent of the deep litter system, which is sometimes done on a dirt base. Read more about that here.

Wood
Wood provides some protection from predators if you repair and block off any gnawed-on boards. One downside of wood is that it can hold moisture. Also, mites can take up residence in wood and they are very hard to eradicate. Many prefab coops come with plywood floors, which, on the plus side, is inexpensive and is fairly easy to keep clean. For an added measure of tidiness, you can put down vinyl flooring. (You can find cheap remnants at carpet stores.)

Hardware Cloth
I only include this because I have recently seen prefab coops being sold with hardware cloth (sturdy wire mesh) floors. Chickens should not be kept for any length of time on wire! (The exception is the anti-broody coop, but that’s only 4 days.) Chicken feet will get sores, or worse, from wire. Hens can’t move easily on wire, and they can’t scratch. Some of these coops are coming from a manufacturer in Texas, who claims that they are perfectly suited for cold weather. They are not, as cold air will draft right up to your hen’s bottoms. Please avoid hardware cloth floors.

Concrete
This is the flooring that I prefer. It is predator proof. Here you can see the foundation of my barn. Nothing can get in.

 

Concrete is easy to keep clean. I actually enjoy sweeping the barn.

 

In the summer, the floor stays cool. In the winter, however, it does hold onto cold. The goats’ stall is lined with a rubber mat, which insulates them from the chill. It’s easier on their legs, too. (Caper, you might have noticed, is lame. He’s had a bone chip in his knee since he was little. Soft footing is a kindness to him.)

 

Chickens don’t need a rubber mat. However, in the winter I do add a bit of extra bedding.

 

Concrete doesn’t harbor mites, moisture or smells. If there’s ever an outbreak of disease, I can easily shovel out all of the bedding, vacuum up dust, and disinfect. The downside is that it’s expensive and permanent. You have to be committed to having that barn. But, as I said at the start, I love barns.

It’s that time of year. Presents are expected. It’s supposed to be a joyful and generous season, but some people are hard to get gifts for. There are undercurrents of expectations and emotions. This can be stressful. You’re lucky if you have a chicken keeper on your list. We are the easiest people to shop for! Personally, I thrill to getting a new

, a stiff and a fine-tined pitchfork. Don’t think of these things as yucky manure movers. Rather, they are tools – and just like power tools are the gift of choice for a guy with a workshop, so are barn tools the ultimate gift for those of us who care for critters. Yes, wrapping is a challenge – don’t fuss. Just tuck on a bow!

That said, perhaps you don’t want to carry a manure bucket with you on your flight home – perhaps you want to give a gift that fits into a stocking, or on the table by the Chanukah candles, If so, then I have some other ideas.

Around here, a pair of warm socks, with a chicken motif, will make you the best Santa, ever.

 

Chicken people have eggs, and that means that they appreciate kitchen tools.

Everyone should have an

.

I couldn’t make my apple pies without this brilliant

. (Not exactly egg-related but too wonderful not to mention here.)

 

The eggs in this basket were all blown out using a

.

 

A stainless steel, professional quality whisk, like

 makes short work of whipping up eggs. Truly, quality makes a difference.

A 

that can flip two fried eggs at once is a workhorse in my kitchen.

As this photograph makes obvious, I’m all set with whisks and spatulas. (Look closely and you’ll see that my measuring spoons are stored in a vintage poultry trophy.)

 

As much as I like tools, I’m not one for gadgets. That said, I find these

 for hard-cooked eggs irresistible.  There’s even a . (I don’t have this one. Hint.) I’ve written about how to use these on this post.

Wrap gifts in this gorgeous and sophisticated

. Actually, you could give me an empty box wrapped with this paper, and I’d be happy!

 

What gift would make you happy?

Here are the pies made for my Thanksgiving Pie Party:
(Pies that I have recipes written up for have links attached- they’re the underlined ones.)

Two savory pies started the buffet. They were cream and cheese based, rather than eggy. Quite rich.

Zucchini Tart

 

Corn and Tomato Tart

 

There were several riffs on apple pie. All of the apples used were locally grown and were tart baking varieties, like Empire and Cortlands.

Classic Apple Pie. The cinnamon stick adds flavor and is also the steam vent.

 

Cranberry Apple Pie with a Oatmeal, Pecan, Crystalized Ginger Crumble. (Here’s a version of that topping.)

 

Lemon Pie. The easiest recipe, ever.

Of course, there were pies made with chocolate.

Tollhouse Pie, and also a version with mint chocolate chips.

 

Chocolate Chunk, Pecan and Peanut Butter Chip Pie.

 

And, finally, this rich, complex Chocolate Pie with Mascarpone Whipped Cream.

I made two of those and there’s a piece left in the fridge! Leftovers are the best part of the Pie Party.

For Thanksgiving in our house there’s no turkey, no stuffing, no cranberry sauce. Those foods are all well and good, but my guys couldn’t care less about them. I’ve made the traditional feast, and, in all honesty, it wasn’t worth the effort to my family. So, I’ve turned the holiday into an excuse to make pie. Although pie takes planning and work and time, it is my favorite thing to make, and, unlike the rest of the Thanksgiving meal, pie is greeted with enthusiasm by the people that I live with. So, I bake pie. A lot of pie.

For the last ten years, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is when I have a Pie Party. Thirty-two people showed up yesterday. Each person eats half a pie. Yes, they really do – I keep records of what I bake and what’s leftover. I know what people eat! Yesterday I set out fifteen pies.

Fifteen pies require crusts. Some have pastry on tops and bottoms. It took me three prep sessions in advance to make the twenty crusts needed. I roll out and freeze the crusts a week before the party. My directions are here.

 

 

I like my pies to look rustic. My lattice work is uneven. That’s on purpose.

Sometimes pies take finagling to get them right. The juices in this berry pie didn’t set the way I wanted, so I spooned the excess out. Spilled juices don’t mar that uneven lattice. It’s not the prettiest pie, but finessed just so, it was the favorite pie of the party.

 

 

Some pies require pre-baked crusts. The table on the porch provided a cooling spot.

 

There are always leftover scraps of crust. I turn those into Pie Crust Cookies. Which is a good thing to have, because it is hard to wait until the party for pie!

 

All in all, I made eleven different types of pies. I use the organization skills that I learned when I worked in professional kitchens. I start with the menu. I make a shopping list, which is broken down into what can be purchased in advance, and what needs to be fresh. I create a prep list, divided into do-ahead jobs, and those that are last minute. I create a timetable for the last two days – what needs chilling, when a pie needs baking off, etc. Being organized is what allows me to enjoy the process of the actual baking.

I’m the only cook in the family, and I like it like that. I do get help with tidying the house, bringing out the folding chairs, etc. Although, not everyone lends a hand.

 

Tomorrow I’ll show you the pies.