The Front Porch Swing

[heartsizedfarm]

I have a great recipe for strawberry rhubarb freezer jam that uses the no-sugar pectin so you only have to use as much sugar as you like. I don't like a lot of sugar because I prefer to taste the fruit and I like it tart. The recipe also works for blueberry rhubarb jam. Yum!!!

Blueberry rhubarb jam sounds delicious! A double season jam!

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Oh, you guys!  I can't stop laughing.....I've got tears running down my leg from laughing, and my eyes are watering too!  Ken is so mad at me right now he just got in the pickup to "run down to Tam's for a minute and have a conversation with someone who won't make fun of him."  I can't help it....

Yesterday's conversations about when to expect eggs must have gotten to him.  I told him what you all said, and said that it's too early yet.  I said, "Even if, by some slim chance, we did get an egg it would probably not be fit to eat."  I told him that sometimes when they first start laying it's not unusual to get soft shelled eggs, deformed eggs, small eggs - even eggs with no discernible identity as eggs, such as no shells and little structure to what is there.  "Be patient."  I told him.  "We have a little time yet before we need to prep the nests and such and first eggs aren't always real good."  I went about my business.  That was last night.

So just a few minutes ago I came in to fix us some lunch. I'd already fed and watered the chickens, put them out in the run, and closed the pop door so I could clean the poop board and open the coop people door for a little bit.  There I am, standing at the sink, when in he runs...yelling, "You ain't gonna believe this!"  I turned and he had something wrapped in one of his shop towels.  "Look at this, honey...this is either a first egg or it's the biggest chicken t**d I've ever seen!"  

"Um, Ken, that is the biggest chicken t**d you've ever seen."  Then I couldn't help it...I busted out laughing.  The look on his face went from "WOW, isn't this cool?" to "Oh, crap" in 2.2 seconds!  And then he just stood there with this honking thing in his hand staring at it like it would just disappear and he could eat his baloney sammich like nothing had even happened.  Oh, it was so priceless!  And then, and THEN, he started frantically looking around MY kitchen like he was magically gonna find someplace to put this "first egg".  No. Way. Buster.  Not on a bet is that thing going to be anywhere near my kitchen.  There was this sad sigh, and then he said, 'Okay, I'll take it out and put it in the bucket."  As he faded out around the corner he looked like a little boy who was just told his discovered dinosaur bone actually belonged to a dead cow.  I heard him mutter, "Stupid chickens." 

Oh, I'm dying here..........and I gotta stop before he gets back.

That's too funny! Gotta love his enthusiasm though!

 

[OHhappychicks]

I understand your frustrations!

This is the first year we've tried to do any kind of real breeding ... and it has been so frustrating for us, too. We only have one trio of breeding birds (Delawares, two hens and one male). We wanted to have broodies hatch their eggs. When we had a lot of eggs from the two breeding hens, we didn't have broodies. Now that we have lots of broodies, we don't have lots of eggs!

We are having the broodies hatch out the Delaware chicks in the Delaware coop. The three Delawares don't know what to make of their new roommates, and spend most of their time nosing them away from nests and feeders. The more hens with chicks we have in "their" coop, the fewer eggs we're getting. I figure that's either because the Spring Rush is over, or because the hens are too busy being nosey. We've had about 25 hatch so far, I was hoping for a hundred or more as 25 really isn't so many to choose from to make improvements in the line, and the "extra" roos were going to be meat (we have a good demand for cockerels, and these are supposed to be especially meaty cockerels), the extra hens are supposed to refresh our laying flock (Delawares are theoretically about the most ideal dual-purpose breed). Regardless, the original 3 birds will be seriously outnumbered soon enough, so they had better learn to share.

Meanwhile, Freedom Hen marched out of the bushes with her 17 Freedom Mutts ... She is doing a GREAT job taking care of all of them, and doesn't even seem to want us to bother to feed them. We cannot keep them in the coop/pasture during the day -- where they all hold their own against our 100+ hens & roosters at night & in the early mornings. Freedom Hen takes the Freedom Mutts out of the fence several times each day so they can scratch around in the leaf mulch nearer our house, then gets them back in for a little rest or drink of water. In and out, in and out. That hen is a genius, and I think she is raising some very self-suficient, intelligent chicks.

The Delawares? Le sigh.

It is very frustrating!!!

Your Freedom Hen is an AWESOME mom to have hatched, raised, and protected 17 chicks!!! Not one lost!

I really want to have a broody to hatch and raise my chicks. I just contacted the buckeye breeder I purchased my chicks from last year, to see about getting a few chicks. If the broody is still, well broody, I will put them under her. But she has been on the nest for about 2-3 weeks, she will probably be done by the time I get chicks!

 

[OHhappychicks]

Oh, MY! Then yep, you would certainly know!

You might be able to see the two grape plants that Ken put in there on the south side, by the short little fence. We have 4 other grapevines as well, but they aren't by the chicken run. They are my jelly grapes, deep purple and they make fantastic jelly. The new ones Ken just planted are table grapes, red seedless, and he decided to put them on the south side because that's where the others have done so well. My plan on the front side is to put a few flat baskets of flowers on it - maybe those little bags that they put things in. I don't want to block the front completely with vines and such, as pretty as that would be, because it's hard enough to watch and enjoy Chicken TV the way it is....LOL

Aha! Yes you don't want to not be able to watch chicken TV, that's for sure! Yumm!! Grapes! Are the concord variety? They are the BEST for grape juice and jelly! We have some planted, but have yet to get them on anything to vine on. Hopefully soon!

 

[OHhappychicks]

Oh, you guys! I can't stop laughing.....I've got tears running down my leg from laughing, and my eyes are watering too! Ken is so mad at me right now he just got in the pickup to "run down to Tam's for a minute and have a conversation with someone who won't make fun of him." I can't help it....

Yesterday's conversations about when to expect eggs must have gotten to him. I told him what you all said, and said that it's too early yet. I said, "Even if, by some slim chance, we did get an egg it would probably not be fit to eat." I told him that sometimes when they first start laying it's not unusual to get soft shelled eggs, deformed eggs, small eggs - even eggs with no discernible identity as eggs, such as no shells and little structure to what is there. "Be patient." I told him. "We have a little time yet before we need to prep the nests and such and first eggs aren't always real good." I went about my business. That was last night.

So just a few minutes ago I came in to fix us some lunch. I'd already fed and watered the chickens, put them out in the run, and closed the pop door so I could clean the poop board and open the coop people door for a little bit. There I am, standing at the sink, when in he runs...yelling, "You ain't gonna believe this!" I turned and he had something wrapped in one of his shop towels. "Look at this, honey...this is either a first egg or it's the biggest chicken t**d I've ever seen!"

"Um, Ken, that is the biggest chicken t**d you've ever seen." Then I couldn't help it...I busted out laughing. The look on his face went from "WOW, isn't this cool?" to "Oh, crap" in 2.2 seconds! And then he just stood there with this honking thing in his hand staring at it like it would just disappear and he could eat his baloney sammich like nothing had even happened. Oh, it was so priceless! And then, and THEN, he started frantically looking around MY kitchen like he was magically gonna find someplace to put this "first egg". No. Way. Buster. Not on a bet is that thing going to be anywhere near my kitchen. There was this sad sigh, and then he said, 'Okay, I'll take it out and put it in the bucket." As he faded out around the corner he looked like a little boy who was just told his discovered dinosaur bone actually belonged to a dead cow. I heard him mutter, "Stupid chickens."

Oh, I'm dying here..........and I gotta stop before he gets back.

Oh the things we newbies have to learn!!! He was soo excited, though! You gotta love it!! I remember waiting for that first egg!! I still have the pic of it!! My Dh was working in Houston Tx. I was due to fly down, so the day before I was to leave, we got that first egg! I was sooo excited! I packed that egg, wrapped in paper towels and put it in a small container and put it in my carry on!! It flew all the way to Houston with me and I fried it for my Hubby the next morn!!! The BEST egg ever!!

 

[Blooie]

I have been ordered, under threat of retaliation, to post the following disclaimer in Ken's defense.....The "egg" in question was indeed really huge. It was also covered in litter and PDZ, so it looked like a big, shapeless blob of something but not like identifiable chicken poop. That said, when he got home and walked up the steps to the deck I burst out laughing again. Oh, I'm a bad wife. Guess this means my steak dinner tonight is on hold.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

I have been ordered, under threat of retaliation, to post the following disclaimer in Ken's defense.....The "egg" in question was indeed really huge.  It was also covered in litter and PDZ, so it looked like a big, shapeless blob of something but not like identifiable chicken poop.  That said, when he got home and walked up the steps to the deck I burst out laughing again.  Oh, I'm a bad wife.  Guess this means my steak dinner tonight is on hold.

Fair enough. And you did tell him the first ones could be very odd looking.

 

[dpenning]

I have been ordered, under threat of retaliation, to post the following disclaimer in Ken's defense.....The "egg" in question was indeed really huge.  It was also covered in litter and PDZ, so it looked like a big, shapeless blob of something but not like identifiable chicken poop.  That said, when he got home and walked up the steps to the deck I burst out laughing again.  Oh, I'm a bad wife.  Guess this means my steak dinner tonight is on hold.

. A mistake any of us newbs could make! I wouldn't laugh too much, granted it WAS funny but I admire his enthusiasm! You don't want to discourage that. I can't get my DH to show any interest at all!

 

[Triple Willow]

. A mistake any of us newbs could make! I wouldn't laugh too much, granted it WAS funny but I admire his enthusiasm! You don't want to discourage that. I can't get my DH to show any interest at all!

Ditto. My boyfriend wants nothing to do with the chickens- and he is a country boy that grew up with them.

 

[jmoeller]

Anybody on the Front Porch feel like a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie?





Love the bits of a garden that provide without needing tending!

Oh yum yum yum....