Egg Tally

This is a list of how many & how many pounds of eggs we gather each month. The girls laid their first egg on October 20, 2009. It was a double yolker & such a sweet egg. Hubba got the first one, but I got a taste. :D

Notes- In March 2010, I removed the overwinter lights in the coop. Since this was their first year laying & it happened as weather turned bitter here, I chose for the first year to add a winter light. Since removing their light, our egg production has dropped & in April, it dropped even further when some of my girls started to molt (already!!!).

October 2009- 1#13.7oz; 20 eggs
November 2009- 19#4.7oz; 190 eggs
December 2009- 28#11.4oz; 248 eggs
January 2010- 28#9.4oz; 254 eggs
February 2010- 23#14.9oz; 195 eggs
March 2010- 25#0.5oz; 199 eggs
April 2010- 19#4.6ox; 152 eggs
May 2010- 20#4.4oz; 158 eggs
June 2010- 25#7.6oz; 187 eggs
July 2010-
August 2010-
September 2010-
October 2010-
November 2010-
December 2010-

2009/10 total-

Nubbies in the belly

I checked the rabbits yesterday- 2/27. I have one that has a hard stomach & one that doesn't. The one that does is Bunnicula & she is good at submitting to Cowboy. Mary, who we've had trouble breeding from the get-go has a soft belly. This leads me to believe (because I can't feel definitive nubbies *aka* baby bumps), that Mary is not pregnant & Bunnicula is. The EDD is on or around 3/18 or 19.

Hopefully Bunnicula won't do away with them this time :-(

Glossary of terms as they apply to One Tenth

This post will likely be an ongoing project.

• #- pounds (when used in weight, like eggs or produce)
  
• Bio-intensive gardening- Compact, high yield gardening in a small space
• Brooder- A setup to raise baby chicks or other poultry, usually starting as "day-olds"
  
• Buck- male rabbit
• Crop rotation- the age old practise of rotating families of crops, so that you do not plant the same crop in the same place for at least 3 years. This is a great way to organically prevent pests & disease & replenishes the soil, rather than depleting it
• Day-old- refers to a baby bird (in our case- ducklings, poults or chicks) that is..... a day old :D. Day olds are typically what is sold from hatcheries & feed stores.
  
• Doe- Female rabbit

• Mycotoxicosis- Alflatoxin and many other mycotoxins are produced by fungi growing in raw materials or finished feed. The toxins are very stable and remain in the feed indefinitely. Major effects vary from slight ill-health to substantial mortality. Symptoms include reduced appetite which may be due to unpalatability of the feed, lethargy, diarrhoea, thirst, prostration, poor growth, reduced egg production and immunosuppression. There is frequently severe damage to liver, kidneys and other organs. Diagnosis of disease in the birds may be difficult or impossible. Products are available to prevent mould growth in the stored feed. No effective treatment but vitamin supplements may be helpful.

• Poult- Baby turkey chicks
• Urban gardening- By definition, urban is related to population per square foot. While the town we live in is not urban, our way of gardening is
• Vertical gardening- Gardening on trellises, or any other structure that grows UP

Mary & Cowboy

I'm attempting to breed Cowboy & Mary at the moment. She seems to be submitting more now, but they still haven't taken. I've left them alone for awhile (this is NOT recommended if they show any hostility), since they get along alright.

I forgot to mention, if Bunnicula took yesterday, we should have babies on or around March 18 or 19th. I will check for nubbies in her belly between Feb 25-Mar 1. She should start nesting on or around March 15.

Seed swap list

Seed swap list:


Have:


All are from Baker Creek & from last year unless otherwise noted, stored in cool dry conditions


Tomatoes:


10- yellow pear
5- Amish paste
10- Thessaloniki
10- black krim


Peppers:


5- Gourmet rainbow mix (RH Shumway)
20- Jalapeno early (Ferry Morse, organic)


Cukes:


15- Tender green burpless (RH Shumway)
25- True lemon (Gourmet seed international, “non-treated”)


Beans:


20- Jade bush (unknown company)
20- Kentucky wonder (Territorial seed, 2008, still viable)


Squash:


20- dark green zuke (RH Shumway)
5- New England sugar pie pumpkin
8- Luffa gourd (fedco)


Melons:


20- Muskmelon (RH Shumway)
10- sugar baby watermelon


Herbs (these will be measured in pinches- at least 10 seeds- unless otherwise noted):


broad leaf sage
cumin
borage
feverfew
cilantro


Lettuce (measured in pinch, at least 10 seeds):


Rocky top mix (garden girl, pkd by baker creek)


5- Pak choi, white stem (RH Shumway)


I also have the following to share as they shipped from Baker Creek, all for this year:


5-Mountain Princess tomato
5-Omar's Lebanese tomato
5-Gajo de Melon tomato
5-Big Zebra tomato
5-Marketmore cuke
25-True old sweet corn
10-Basil- genovese
Pinch or 2-Chamomile- German
pinch Lavender
5-CA Wonder Pepper
20-Alaska garden pea
5-Crookneck early golden summer squash
5-Far North melon
5-Katanya melon
A couple good pinches-Little finger carrot

I also have a whole pkg of cilantro that BCS sent me.


Wish list (looking for organic and/or non-gmo seeds from this year or last year stored in cool dry conditions):


Mint
Purple Beauty peppers
Sweet chocolate peppers
Little Marvel peas
birdhouse gourds
Benning scallop squash (I did get the patti pan, but am still interested in the one here if anyone has it)
Chantenay red core carrots
Stuttgarter onion
Red of florence onion
Catskill brussel sprouts
Early purple sprouting broccoli
Green macerata cauliflower
Romanesco Italia broccoli

Gardening in February in the Rockies, ordering birds & compost

2/15- I attempted to save some Royal Burgundy Beans from last year's garden. They don't quite look like the original seed that I planted with, so I've planted 6 seeds to test their viability. I want to know now if they are viable, rather than waiting until the last minute & having to order seeds. Ordering seeds at the last minute can mean a couple of things. Reputable companies selling non-GMO, heirloom seeds may be out of stock. It also means "Oops, it's too late to plant them." Planting in the Rockies is a very skilled task. Our season (zone 4/5) is short. They give us 100 days, but that is not always the case. Last year our night temps didn't get above 42 until mid-July. Considering that and the fact that I'd never gardened outside of Georgia, the garden did extremely well. The Lord blessed us, not only with a decent bounty (considering the obstacles), He also presented hands on learning for us. I believe we learned a LOT last year & that we can do better this year.

Along with beans, I also planted some lavender, "peppermint" (true mint will not come from seeds) and some parsley. I had 6 herb plants that were neglected while we were away & I've got those soaked down (and drained) and in a clear rubbermaid container with lid (greenhouse), hoping for their survival.

2/16- Compost has proven difficult for us, thanks to frigid temps. It's hard to turn the frozen pile in the winter, and it gets so cold that it doesn't seem to cook itself into the wonderful richness called black gold. I've taken a 3.5 gallon icing bucket from the bakery and filled it about 2/5 full of dead bean plants (from my saved seed), egg shell, coffee grounds & filters, and banana peel. I was also able to sweep up some shavings & rabbit poo from the barn floor to add. I made sure that all pieces of material in the bucket are cut very small. No more than an inch long and about 1/2" wide. I've poured water over it all, mixed it up & it has a home in the coldframe, where the temps should keep it from freezing. Not the intended use for a coldframe, but I wanted to test this thought out.

I also had to make food for my chickens. The feed store is closed on Sundays and we ran out of feed. I couldn't go Saturday as I was waiting to sell a few more eggs to have the funds to get the feed. With our emergency trip, funds are tight for us right now. On Saturday, I wasn't even aware til later in the day anyway, that we'd used the last bag. I was going to go yesterday, but when I called they were closed. I called again today, to make sure they were open today, and they are..... But not until 5pm. Frustrating stuff. But..... They had Gourmet- apple cores & peels (were in freezer for apple juice jelly- guess I'm not making that anymore), arugula, flax seed, sunflower seed, cooked pintos, popcorn, blueberry yoghurt, some dry oats and raisins. Sounds appetizing, huh? No matter, they enjoyed it.

I also cut the hole in the top of my barrel so I can try to get it set up in the next couple weeks. A bit late, but apparently our winter will slam us in March. We've had an extremely mild winter thus far. I didn't get that worked on more, because between that, digging out (frozen) soil, messing with the compost bucket & other outdoors chores, my fingers hurt from the cold. I forgot to grab my gloves. Yes, I should know better. Hush.

I have found another gardening tool, speaking of frozen soil. I brought the bag in & took the hair dryer to it. Worked quite well, if you ask me. You don't have to ask, though, I just offered that bit of advice up *grin* .

Last month I ordered more layers, more meat birds & (drumroll, please)



(picture from Dunlap Hatchery)

POULTS!!!! SQUEEE!!!!

Everything should be available for pickup in May. If I remember correctly I've ordered the following (I don't have my sheet in front of me at the mo):

2 Rhode Island Reds (eggs)
2 Easter Eggers (eggs)
2 Barred Rocks (eggs)

10 White Plymouth Rocks (for meat. And I actually ordered 30, but only 10 are mine)

3 bronze & white poults (I can't remember but it's 2 of one breed- I think white, and 1 of the other breed)

I've never done turkeys before. I know they only do straight run, & being in city limits, I really can't have a Tom. Therefore, I'm hoping at least one is a hen. I do have (a) home(s) for any that are Toms. I have some learning for sure, but just like the chickens & rabbits, I'm willing. And I'm doing a LOT of research.

I planted a dishpan of 8 garlic bulbs today, too.

I think that's all for now.

February 15th 2010

I bred Bunnicula again. She had 7 babies on the 2nd, but killed them all. Being a first-time mother, this behaviour is common & was not surprising. If she keeps at least one baby alive on her next kindling, we will keep her. I know mothers also kill deformed & unhealthy babies, but repeated litter killing can mean bad blood lines. She has another chance, and if all goes badly again, she will go to the stew pot. I have still not been able to breed Mary with success, but hope to try her with Cowboy again sometime this week. If she takes, I need to hustle & build another nest box. Mary will be attempted for breeding at least twice, but if she refuses to submit, or things don't go as planned, she will also go to the stew pot. I pray this is not the case, as I had a very difficult time finding rabbits for meat breeding here in Wyoming. If I have to set out to search for 2 new does, I will most likely have to drive to Boise or SLC, UT.

Fortunately, Cowboy knows EXACTLY what to do. He'll be staying.

Welcome to my online mini-homesteading journal

And that's all it will really be. I don't promise to be exciting. This is simply a place to log what we are doing to self & support locally on a small in-city-limits lot. Most of my posts will be short & to the point. If I've bred a rabbit, or need to add my monthly measurements for eggs, produce or remember what orders I've put in where & when to expect them, I'll be posting it here.