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Introducing our New Flock!
Some of you may have seen this pic on Instagram already and maybe you read my post about losing two of our four chickens in one month (due to old age). Since we were worried about losing a third chicken and then one being by itself, Matt and I decided it was time to get some baby chicks. Baby chicks are so cute and grow so fast, so I had to do a little photo shoot to document their adorable fluffy butts! There names are (from left to right), Ricki, Winnie, Birdie and Buffy. I know, we got real creative with the names this time. 😉 Ricki is a German Lakenvelder, so I thought…
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Aging Chickens
When I took my City Chickens 101 class back in 2007, to prepare for the flock I would be getting that year, they didn’t really cover what happens when your chickens get old. The average life span of a chicken is seven years, so when my four Buff Orpingtons turned five, it was something I started to think about. That was four years ago and at nine years old, we just lost our first chicken. Matt and I have been so lucky with these ladies. Aside from some rodent problems, some pecking issues early on (that were fixed by making their coop bigger), one egg bound situation (that was fixed by a warm…
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The Great Chicken Coop Remodel of 2015
Okay, now that the Coop Tour is over, I can finally share some of the prep work we did for it. One huge thing we did was finally remodel the chicken coop. Not only was the fence behind the coop rotting, but the coop itself had a dirt floor, so rats were getting in. I had also always wanted to paint the coop, so being on the tour was a huge motivator to finally get everything done. Much better, right? This was a multi-stepped process, which took several days and involved both Matt and I. Well mostly Matt, if truth be told. I wish I had taken more pictures along the way, but we…
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Urban Farm and Coop Tour Recap
Last weekend was my 3rd time being a host on the Seattle Tilth Urban Farm and Chicken Coop tour and I think it was my favorite year. It was certainly the biggest turn-out we had ever had! There was a steady stream of people from 10am when we opened until 4pm when we closed and that was a first for us. Matt estimated that we had about 80 people come through that day. Mind you, I don’t host every year. The first year I hosted was in 2010 and then again in 2012. I don’t like to host every year, because sometimes I like to go on the tour! It’s only been…
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Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour
“Rake and Make Ranch” (as I so dubbed it in this year’s application) was accepted to Seattle Tilth’s Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour, listing it as one of Seattle’s top 25 urban farms! I’ve been a host before in 2010 and 2012, but I’m especially excited about this year, as Matt and I have been working really hard on our coop and garden lately. The coop got a new fence, paint job and concrete pad and Matt built a new hops trellis, so everything is looking tip top. If you are in the Seattle area and have been wanting to see our urban farm in real life, now is your chance! For more info and to purchase…
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Farmy photo shoot!
I am usually the one taking the pictures, so I am rarely in them. That said, I am so excited to have some pictures of myself doing the things I love; working in the garden and in my sewing room. Thank you to Amy Kiel of Amy Kiel Photography for coming over on a sprinkly Seattle day to photograph me in my element. I have long been a fan of Amy’s work, so I feel honored to have been photographed by her!
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Chicken Shit Bingo
All good things seem to come from Austin, TX. I love that city and I used to go there a lot. Seattle and Austin are like sister cities. It’s one of my favorite places for so many reasons. Modern day Flat Track Roller Derby was born in Austin as the Texas Rollergirls. TXRG is the league that helped the Rat City Rollergirls get their start, but that’s another story for another post. You know what else came from Austin (according to me, I don’t know where it came from before that)… Chicken Shit Bingo! The one and only time I ever experienced Chicken Shit Bingo (before recreating it in my backyard), was at Ginny’s Little Longhorn in Austin, TX. It was…
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Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour
Seattle Tilth’s Chicken Coop and Urban Farm tour is next Saturday, July 14th from 10am to 4pm and I am a host! There are over 50 urban farms on the tour that are showcasing veggie gardens, chickens, goats, bees and more! Buy your tickets from Brown Paper Tickets and get the map. Come see me and my garden and as many of the other gardens as you can! I have been a host and a participant (I tend to alternate years, so I can go see gardens too), so I can say it’s well worth it!
