Monthly Archives: April 2012

New Chicken Nest Box(es)

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

When we built the chicken coop from 2 partial coop sets, one of the double nest boxes was incomplete. We didn’t worry because each box can keep 4 hens happy so we could have satisfied 8 hens with the double … Continue reading →

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Our First Egg

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

Our chickens laid an egg this morning. If they were 16 weeks on the day we bought them (23 March) they are 20 weeks now (or will be tomorrow – unlikely all were born on the same Friday 20 weeks ago … Continue reading →

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Getting Friendly

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

The chooks are getting friendly. Sometimes too friendly. If I go in to rake out their run (something I do only once a week and maybe I don’t need to do it that often) they now chase the rake and me … Continue reading →

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Possum & Parrot Nest Boxes

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

A year ago (seriously, 16 April 2011) Frank and I attended a free workshop put on by our local council where we made 2 nest boxes – one for a sugar glider (a small gliding possum) and one for a … Continue reading →

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Peas, Kale and Fennel

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

Over the past 2 days I’ve been sowing some winter crops. I soaked the peas (snow (right) and normal (left)) over night. One looks suspicious – it floated and has a black spot on it – but I planted it … Continue reading →

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Delicious Dandelions

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

On Saturday Paul brought over a box of dandelions. He’d been weeding and he knew our chickens LOVE dandelions. He and I fed them a few handfuls and I carried the box away for ongoing treats. On Sunday, Chris and … Continue reading →

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Early Jonquil?

Posted on April 7, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

Last week this Jonquil appeared out of nowhere. Well, not exactly nowhere, we’ve had some green leaves popping up in the 3 Jonquil beds but there are only one or two showing an inclination to flower. So, is this a … Continue reading →

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Compost on the Critical Path

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

I sowed a bunch of seeds back on March 7th. Some of them, mainly the lettuce and rocket, were ready to get out of their planters (left) and into the ground this week. But before I could plant the seedlings out, I … Continue reading →

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Beer Batter Squash Flowers

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

There’s a prolific wild squash plant growing in (and out of) one of my garden beds. The squash have been rotting before they seem ready and the plant is a nuisance so yesterday Frank started hacking it back. As he … Continue reading →

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Master Foragers

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Laura Rittenhouse

All the concerns I had about the abilities of my chickens to eat greens in their debeaked state have vanished. It seems that before they came home with us, they’d never been given anything that didn’t come out of a feed … Continue reading →

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