Busy Busy Busy..........

Ok...... Sort of but not really.


Past three weeks have flown by. We cautiously ventured out to West Texas (Marfa) to escape the heat for a bit and do a little recovering. My farmhand Claire is BRCA2+(click on cancer risk tab) and a few weeks ago she had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. After a nine hour surgery, a stay in the ICU, and a few days of begging to get out of the hospital, she is doing remarkably well. Marfa is the city of do nothing. So we did a whole lotta nothing, except rest and recover. It was a beautiful 75 degrees everyday and a chilly, fire starting 50's at night.  I was able to catch a few shows at El Cosmico, where the fabulous Patty Griffin and her legend of a boyfriend Robert Plant played to a crowd of less than 150.  

Patty and Robert

It was awesome to get away, escape the heat, and do nothing. I definitely needed the recharge.I have been thinking a lot about water conservation since this drought in Austin began and I realized I may need to change the way I have been doing things around here at Uprooted Bamboo. I have been throwing around a few ideas and am still weighing some possibilities. Something has got to change since I can't seem to grow anything successfully.  


We got home yesterday and the heat is back to 103. This week it's supposed to dip down to the low 90's.  I went ahead and decided to go ahead and put my artichokes in the ground, praying that the cool weather comes around soon. Anyway, here's what happens when the girls are around and I try to plant something. Not the best helpers around. Seriously, killin me. 

Uh Uh, Stop it..............I know.

Boneless skinless in the House.

Yeah that's right. Remember when I said I could write a book with instructions about how to handle rare chicken happenings that occur when raising chickens? Well seriously......... I can.

A couple of months ago our two furry, four legged farmhands got a little rowdy and ambushed the girls. I know they were probably scheming this sneak attack for a few months, but one windy day, an unlatched gate, and my forgetfulness gave them their long awaited opportunity. Rouge ended up with a hurt leg and a few feathers missing and Penny ended up with a small cut on her back and a few missing back feathers. I cleaned them up, applied antiseptic, massaged Rouge's leg for a few days and in no time they were on their way to recovery. So, I thought. 

Rouge healed up nicely and after a few days the limp was gone. Penny on the other hand seemed to be losing more feathers. Over the next few days, I noticed more and more gone until one morning I walked out and all of her feathers were gone.  I mean, it literally looked like a piece of boneless skinless chicken you would get at the grocery store. Great.

What the hell was going on? I started a search and the list of differentials was long. I ruled out everything from mites, illness, to molting and came to the conclusion that the other girls must be pecking on her. They free range all day, are fed a very balanced feed and have plenty of space, so it took me awhile to believe that this indeed was the cause. Normally chickens turn cannibalistic( yeah I know harsh word, but that's what the feed store guy called it) if the aforementioned needs aren't met. But, I think the cut on her back from the dogs led the other girls to believe she was weaker, low on the totem pole, and ultimately in their world gave them the right to pick on her. The thing is, I never really see them peck at each other. They hang out, eat together, free range, and even at night on the roost I have yet to see them peck each other. One friend even suggested that since it's so hot in Austin, she probably just pulled them out to escape the heat, like taking off her down jacket of sorts. With this heat, as crazy at that sounds, I wouldn't put it past her.

Either way, the situation started to make me worry.

I headed to the feed store for some advice. I had read some things about Blue Kote and wanted to give it a try on her bare skin. It turns the skin a bright blue almost purple color, helps to rapidly heal wounds, and also tastes bad to the other girls who peck her.  The guy also suggested that I try a product called Rooster Booster.  According to the guy, it tastes awful(he knows because a coworker snuck some on the top of his drink once), only needs to be applied once, and will definitely keep the girls away from her. 


I went in guns a'blazin with both products, snatched up Penny, and applied liberally. Shockingly, she was fine with me putting it on her. The real test would be to wait and see if it worked. 


Ok. Now. Really. You have got to be kidding me. Remember when I said I could write the book on yada yada yada............................ well seriously, I can. 
I mean really, only MY girls would like the taste of both of these products. KILLIN' ME. Penny thought it was a buffet on her back and the others took a few tastes and went back for seconds, thirds, fourths. They pecked her back more in the first five minutes of the application than I have seen in the last few months. 


Now what? I could separate her, but the reintroduction might be just as miserable. I found another option, a last resort of sorts. When I found it, I couldn't believe it actually existed or that I would be using it on one of my girls.  Enter the chicken saddle. I know. So freaking ridiculous, but hysterical at the same time. And so versatile really. I put it on Penny yesterday and she's so easygoing she didn't even mind. She is now probably making the other girls jealous now with her sassy new jacket. I know....stop it.


We had a cool front blow through yesterday. 91 degrees. Aaaahhhhhhh. Feels like fall already. Just in time for Penny's new sportswear, only time will tell if it works. 

Chicken saddle sassiness

Oh yeah. It's camo too.

Merge

So the merging of two flocks begins.................... I wouldn't be so worried except with my unlucky chicken history, I could write a book about how to handle rare situations that almost never occur when raising chickens. Seriously. 


The little girls(Bridget and Monica) have been out for almost a week now. I think they were shocked going from a nice breezy 73 degrees in the laundry room to a scorching, melting, make you wanna move out of Austin 107 degree heat. It took them a few days to adjust to the heat, but with a box fan and daily ice downs they are doing well. 

2 little chilled chicken booties

The big girls are super skeptical. The pecking order does indeed exist in chicken life and the big girls aren't letting the little ones off the hook. I am merging slowly as all the literature advises. I have a small chicken hutch within the coop where the little ones reside. The older girls see them and interact with them, but the little ones are safe from the occasional peck that flies at them. So far Penny seems to be the biggest bully. She likes to walk up to the hutch, throw a few pecks around and act tough. As soon as the little ones are big enough to defend themselves(a month and a half or so) I will let them free range with the older girls and then merge them as one flock. Seems easy enough, but ya'll know me, the more complicated route is more my style. 

Hutch in the coop

Bridget

Monica

Dry Dry Dry..................Parched

Texas is dry. A drought they say could last for years.
I read a good opinion piece in The Times a few days ago that sums up what we here in Texas are going through and have to look forward too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/opinion/sunday/as-texas-dries-out-life-falters-and-fades.html

Sigh

Mulch, Mulch, Mulch..............

I have been lagging with the mulching. 

Mulch  does a variety of good things for plants, veggies, and trees. With this heat it really isn't something I should have been ignoring.  Did I mention I just rotted in the box(Job) for 11 days straight? Yeah, I said 11. Yowser. Anyway I have four days off (yay!) and today I was able to snag some pine needle mulch. I went with pine needles because at the end of the season, I will be able to just till it in and use it in a good organic matter kind of way. 

I fertilized today and will every two weeks with good ole stinky John's Recipe. Im tellin you, after I use this stuff(and spill it all over myself), the dogs go crazy around me and I'm not allowed to sit on the couch until I shower. P U. It keeps the plants strong, growing, and is super simple to use. 

I am spraying the leaves also every week with NEEM oil. I have a little bit of an ant problem and also have noticed a few little slimy worm patterns on a few of the tomato leaves. So, I am keeping ahead of a potential problem(remember spring) and spraying every week. It's safe, organic, and wont hurt the plants or us, even if we harvest and eat on the same day. 

Pepper plant with the new mulch. Drip Irrigation is underneath

On a happy note, the little girls Bridget and Monica are thriving. They love to go outside in their backyard hutch, scratch around, and take dust baths. I can't believe they are already almost three weeks old. 

Bridget and Monica

Heats Killer. 


 I started seeds last week indoors for Chard, Broccoli, and brussel sprouts.

Shade Cloth Savior

Remember when I said my fall garden was going to kick ass. Well it's gonna, if the heat lets up and if it ever rains. Did I mention we here in central Texas are in a serious drought. It literally hasn't rained since May. 

The last good day to plant tomatoes and peppers in Austin was around July 25th from what I have been reading and from what the good folks at the garden store told me. So, I planted mine. Round two. Here we go. I swear if I don't grow at least three good tomatoes this fall, I'm going to..................... yell and hell I don't know keep trying I guess. 

Since it's so hot and sunny, the mid day sun is killer on the tomatoes, peppers, and squash. My savior is a 40% shade cloth I set up. Because it's 40% it's supposed to cover all of the boxes for the full day and allow 60% of the UV rays to soak through, enough for ample plant growth. So far everything looks good. By the end of the day the peppers look a little sluggish, but I give them a little water and they perk right up. 

I really just want this to work. 

Btw, the black around the boxes are weed barrier. My next project is to edge the garden area off and add some gravel. Soon.