A Hen's Life at Berryridge Farm

It's been about a year and 1/4 since we got our original six hens. They have survived one winter and lost one sister to a local hawk. Our hens get to roam around in a pretty good-sized area during each day.  Sue and I secure them in their safety zone, the coop plus a ten foot square caged-run, each evening.

I sited our coop to the west of our fire-wood processing and storage sheds. We knew the coop was going to be a little raw-smelling, at times, so not having it too close to the house was part of the reason for siting where I did. The structure I built was divided into a coop and a tool storage shed. The roof is metal.

I saw a very convenient nest-box set-up on some pre-fab coops in a homesteading magazine Ad and so I designed my own variation, see photos at left and right. Just recently I put a  rain gutter along the overhanging roof so we wouldn't get as wet collecting eggs on rainy days.

As the Fall of 2010 approached I wondered how the "girls," as we learned to call our hens, would be able to handle the cold and snow. It came to me that maybe they should have some outside shelter, with a roost perhaps. So I built a smallish covered roost within their "safety Zone."

The shelter at left is what I came up with and little did I know how welcome it would become during the "girls" first winter on Berryridge Farm, as you can see at the right.

If Sue and I didn't quite feel like home-steaders the first few years, we certainly feel it now that we have "live stock." As live stock goes, hens are pretty easy and if you don't have a rooster, then the hens love you all the more. They want to be around where

you are working, even when you're cleaning their coop. What's more they make their feelings known as soon as they hear the back door of the house opening. They are very greatful for any treats that you bring them, like bugs, berries, kitchen scraps etc. The "girls" will peck at you from time to time and they steal food from each other, no one's food is safe. However, they do seem to tollerate the small wild birds who raid their feeder.

We did name the "girls" but I can only recognize three of them on sight, Dottie, Marilyn and Chole O'Brien, yes, from 24. There you have my Hen Report - oh, how could I forget - the EGGS - they're soooo goood!!

Have a wonderful Fall ~ John

Fall, the Season of Color

I was talking to a Masonic friend of mine yesterday and he told me he was not just sure whether he liked Spring or Fall the best, both are colorful and full of promise. I said to him that for me it was Fall, because the harvest was in and there were so many good fresh things to eat.

As I look out my little home office window, my feelings are very mixed. The day lily plant I can see is mostly yellow with a few remaining streaks of green. The black-eyed Susan's have dropped most of their yellow petals and the plant leaves are turning a burnt orange around the edges. The crowning gleam in my sight is the Maple Tree, its called October Glory and has already gone from green leaves to dark red and eventually they will turn a brighter red before the November winds will strip them from the branches.

Out here in the foothills the Vine Maples turn from green to orange-red or green to yellow with orange-red edges, in either case it is a beautiful sight. One other show-stopper in our yard are the blueberry shrubs, so red-orange they look as if on fire. I mentioned my feelings and they are tugged-at by the wilting leaves on the bean plants and grapevines. I have to remind myself that life lives in a cycle and that during Winter's apparent rest, plants are rebuilding for Springs emergence.

Another reason I love the Fall, are the low-lying clouds which settle in the valley's. The scenes they produce remind me of Taoist Paintings from China's past. Images of mountain tops peaking through clouds as if floating on those very clouds surrounding them. I sometimes watch in wonder as clouds drag by through the stands of Fir, Hemlock and Cedar trees on nearby hills. There is such a quality of Zen philosophy, available for those who seek it, here in our foothills. Living in the moment, the now of time, it becomes easy to feel connected to the rhythm of life and with the creatures we share existence with on this planet.

Sue and I are ready for Winter, we have a good supply of dry wood, a fair amount of food in the freezer and most important the knowledge we've gained from our previous winter experiences. We hope each of you have planned and made ready.