Canadian Acres
Farming in the North
The Wild Ones – Update August 6, 2014
This weekend brought the mess and chaos that canning brings to my house annually. It was hot, it was sticky and most importantly, it was magic.
More on that whole scene later, the real reason to bring it up is because while I was so busy storing away goods for the winter my father-in-law got a chance to head across the river and check on the wild ones (jealous).
He found 29 horses in all, and everyone looks happy, fat and healthy. The teeny tiny babies I fell in love with this spring are growing into fine horses and it’s so nice to see.
Here are a few select photos from Timber’s trip (thank you for taking them in my absence). Clay and I will attempt to canoe across the river to check them out ourselves this fall, somewhere between kayak trips and hunting trips and all the work in between.
Hope you enjoy the updated photos as much as we did. I am itching to get my Nikon D5100 back into commission and over the river and through the woods.
~Katy
Chicken Guard Dogs in the Making
August is officially here and we are closing in on the one year mark of my arrival in Canada. My goodness, for a season that doesn’t last very long, summer sure has kept me on my toes.
The chickens have been continually running my life these days and I’ve been letting them venture out onto the property more and more since the chicken run has become a hot-and-heavy junior high school dance. Have I mentioned we have a cock problem? It’s still not solved.
Free-ranging has become a necessity at Canadian Acres due to lack of space for so many roosters and having different sized and age grouped chickens. The older bunch are closing in on being 18 weeks old whereas the littles are going to be 8 weeks old. After being scared to death that the bigger chickens would immediately kill the smaller ones if put in the same pen (thanks a lot internet), I’ve been isolating the two groups in the coop. Everything was going smoothly until I had to start isolating certain hens from the roosters as well. Then I quickly ran out of room in the brooding pen. I currently have 12 large chickens in the roosting area with access to the run (coop plans found here) and 12 littles and 2 large chickens in the brooding area with no access to the run. So, being the wonderful chicken mama that I am, I felt bad on these hot sunny days and started letting the littles and Ethel and Beatrix out to free-range during the day.
They absolutely LOVE it! And I love giving them freedom but it does worry me at the same time. Not only because we have a number of predators on our farm, we also have two large “city” dogs with little to no chicken manners.
My largest concern with introducing the dogs to the chickens is that Maynard has a pretty strong prey drive. Wyatt really only cares about food and my husband, so I knew he’d be a pretty easy sell. Maynard on the other hand is part greyhound, so he struggles with little moving things. He loves to please his mama though, so I knew I had that on my side.
When the first batch of chickens came to the farm, we had a brooder box set up in the house. This worked well because the dogs not only got to see the chickens from a safe distance, they also got used to their smell and sounds. I would sit in the room with the dogs on a leash and let them watch and smell, correcting any nervous or fixated behavior and rewarding good behavior and posture. Wyatt grew pretty bored of the whole scene quickly, and Maynard found a way to calmly sit with good posture and use his nose. It took about a month for us to get to that state.
After moving the chickens to the coop, the dogs enjoyed heading out with me in the mornings and evenings to do my chicken chores. The chickens were always in their very safe chicken run so the dogs got a chance to interact without fear of anyone getting injured. As I cleaned the coop and fed and watered, the dogs took their jobs very seriously by walking the perimeter and peeing on any and every bush that surrounded the area. Great predator proofing in my book.
The only alarming behavior is Wyatt running up to the fence quickly to get a scare out of the chickens… he really enjoys that.
Next step was to pull out my handy training collar system and try some supervised free-range time. The training collar system I own is great. It’s a remote controlled system that allows me to control two collars with either a beeping noise, a vibration or a shock. Honestly, for this exercise, the beeping noise and an occasional vibration was all I needed to accompany my verbal and touch corrections. They did so well!
After a few weeks of training with the collars, the dogs now come out with me collar free and are in charge of helping me watch the flock. Wyatt has resorted to stealing their food and treats (really Wyatt, really?) and Maynard has some moments of nervousness, but I am always there to correct and reward. It’s been so wonderful to see them go through this process and come out with shining colors.
I am not a licensed dog trainer, but by utilizing my experience with animal behavior and my dogs quirks in particular, I was able to confidently and patiently introduce them to a new experience and training. I am so pleased with their willingness to learn and do well. They never cease to amaze me.
It just goes to prove that if I give them the opportunity to succeed and set them up for that success through knowledge, patience, guidelines and a whole lot of nerve, my boys really can live in peace at the farm. We have a long ways to go (Wyatt is pretty sure the horses are his arch nemeses), but everyday is a new day and I am dedicated to the health and happiness of all my creatures. So there you have it, my two chicken guard dogs in the making.
Hope you and your critters are all healthy and happy on this first day of August 2014.
~Katy
NPHS 2014 Garden Tour
Yesterday was an inspiring and overwhelming day.
I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that NPHS stands for the Neil Patrick Harris Society, but alas, it does not. It stands for the North Peace Horticultural Society and they sponsored a garden tour of 7 rural properties and 1 town property in the surrounding area of BC where we live. What an absolute blessing it was to actually witness what hard working people like Clay and I can accomplish in 10-20-30-40-50 years. Many examples of a lifetime of work. Lots and lots of work. Some guy built his own island with a moat. Did I mention it was a little overwhelming?
The experience was grand though and I tried to take a lot of photos and gather as many ideas in my slightly- hung-over- head as possible.
There were great combinations of edibles, perennials, flowers, garden art and overall ideas, ideas, ideas. Many were not my specific taste, but each one held a few key thoughts and applications that I could really get behind.
The two gardens that I enjoyed the most were a rural property owned by a couple who were closest to Clay and I’s ages and the town property that, gasp, actually incorporated some permaculture ideals and practices. It does exist around these parts!
The younger couple had only been on their property for 10 years, but it really spoke to my heart and sense of projects. They even had a small corral in the back where two young girls were riding their pony. Kind of seemed like something our property would have in 10 years.
She had a water feature in the front yard with many random perennial beds scattered throughout, a gorgeous shade garden in the front of the house, a charming greenhouse with a wood stove and a veggie garden to die for. I quickly made a note to myself to try and become friends with her… but covertly enough that she didn’t think I was psycho. More “oh look, we have similar interests” rather than “oh look, I was just driving by your house again”.
The second property was a regular house in an older part of town where this guy and his partner had created a permaculture-esque paradise in his back yard. I didn’t get a lot of photos here because I was busy talking and inquiring. All of his bushes and trees had an edible component, he had built plant guilds and a food forest that incorporated some showy flowers because he liked the added color and textures. His tiny greenhouse was loaded with an abundance of ripening tomatoes and he even had a fig tree…. a fig tree. The fire pit only had two chairs, but I figured that I could bring my own when we also became best friends. They seemed like the type of people who just loved to wear fabulous shoes and drink wine in the garden, yes please.
Anyway, all in all a great day! I returned home hot and tired and immediately judged my non-existent gorgeous garden, but reveled in the fact that maybe, just maybe someday our house would be on the garden tour and young inspired gardeners would be plotting to become friends with me. Smiling, I sat down in the yard and quietly watched the littles and Beatrix free range in our overgrown grass.
Our Chicken Coop
Let me tell you about our chicken coop.
If you will, remember back to the beginning of the summer where it all began… A sea can arrived at Canadian Acres.
It was hard to imagine what the end product would look like, but we were confident that it would be a fortress of a coop no matter what it looked like.
We started by clearing out the “shop” that had inhabited the sea can for an unknown amount of time. There were cables, breakers and a large amount of aluminum to be removed. So we did just that.
When it was cleared out, it was apparent that the floor needed to be sanded and repainted, that the whole interior needed a good scrub down and a fresh coat of paint.
The sea can measured 8 feet x 20 feet and we wanted to make sure we utilized the space in a smart and resourceful way.
The original plan:
We were lucky that the sea can was fully insulated, so that was one less cost for us. We made sure to spray foam insulation in all of the areas we cut into and/or covered up, including about 100 bolt holes that littered the outside of the sea can.
Clay built a partition wall to make going in and out a little easier. Dodging chickens and blocking dogs didn’t sound like a daily event I wanted to deal with. The partitioned area measured 5′ x 8′ and left the actual chicken run 120 square feet of room. Most chicken keeping resources call for at least 4 square feet per bird, so we had plenty of room for happy hens.
We cut and installed a window we got off of an online classified for $40, allowing plenty of light and ventilation on the south facing wall.
Inside, a waterer and feeder were hung from the ceiling and removable roosts were added too. All easy to clean and maintain, right up my alley! There are 3 levels of roosts measuring 4 feet each, allowing for at least 10 inches per bird if we have 14-15 birds (which is kind of what I’m going for).
Outside, we built a run that is roughly 25 feet x 25 feet. I dug a trench (ugh) roughly 6-12 inches deep between posts to allow us to bury a length of chicken wire to help deter predators. After enclosing the run with 1 inch chicken wire, I added string to the top of the run to prevent overhead predators, namely our resident hawk that hunts in the fields daily. My friend in Alaska swears by this method as it allows a winged predator to enter easily but will not allow for an easy escape. Most predators will not enter an area that does not have an easy escape route. So with that theory in mind, I strung away!
Clay cut a chicken door to allow entrance into the run and also made this predator proof when we close it at night.
Turns out it can also easily accommodate the size of a very helpful 7 year old.
When all was finished I painted the exterior and we added an herb garden. The only things to add are electricity for the winter months, a roof over part of the outdoor run, and the nesting boxes to gather our future eggs. The older chickens are closing in on 18 weeks (average laying start date) so it will be very exciting to see what color eggs we end up with.
All in all I’d say we spent a total of $150 on our coop, pretty thrifty if you ask me!
We’re thrilled with the outcome and the chickens seem very happy in their new home. MUCH better than my craft room I’m sure. It’s proven to be quite predator proof and even eludes the two security guards who work the perimeter diligently.
What do you think?
~Katy
Too many Dicks on the Dance Floor
Well, it’s official. We have a major cock problem here at Canadian Acres.
My hopeful wishing that our rooster Dick was the only of his kind in our starter flock of 14 has proved unrealistic. The count is now at 6 cocks, 8 hens. And let’s be honest, I’m a rookie so a new one could pop up any day now.
First, it started with more and more crows joining the chorus. At all times of the day. Then, it followed with a plethora of cock fights and over zealous shows of strength and all things that are man. Now, the school yard bullying has topped the charts, and the hens are none too impressed. Poor Beatrix won’t even come out of the coop anymore.
To quote one of my favorite Flight of the Conchords songs “Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor”:
“Too many misters, not enough sisters,
too much time on too many hands,
not enough ladies, too many mans.”
Which brings us to the sad conclusion that butchering day will be here soon and although I fear, with a heavy heart, that I will cry through the entire process, I know deep down that my ladies need to be safe from the clutches of too much testosterone and oh how I do love the taste of chicken. At least I know that they had a great life and were treated with the utmost respect.
For now, I do so enjoy hearing the attempted crows and the beautiful plumage of my fellas. Still not sure if we’re going to keep a rooster around, but I think Dick is definitely in the running for that position need it be filled.
Here’s to hoping that your days are not as filled with the over abundance of testosterone and crowing that mine are, and that you aren’t consumed with overwhelming idea of having to kill something, pluck it and eat it.
~Katy
Canadian Acres 