Chicklets!

As we sipped coffee on the screen porch on Saturday morning, we could hear peeps from underneath the porch. The dog and cats snuffled the crack in the floorboards.
We crawled underneath to peak. One shell, and one chick!

Later, there were two. Then four. More? We kept the cats inside all day and night, and kept the other chickens in their coop until we were sure all the hatching was done.

This morning, the hen (either Bonnie, Billie, or Barbie- they're indistinguishable) had crept out within reaching distance. We wanted to put her and the peeps in the chicken tractor, where they'd be safe from cats, pullets, and raccoons. Jake held her and handed me all the chicks. Six! They're tiny- each about the size of a pingpong ball!

They're now safely installed in their temporary home. The other chickens spent some time crowded around the edges of the chicken tractor this morning observing their new coopmates, clucking their congratulations, it seemed.

And... there are not one but TWO buff ducks sitting on a big nest of eggs in the duck house! They mean business. It was kind of scary trying to take a picture.

Hopefully they'll be more successful than Agnes last spring!

Still she sits...

This little banty has been faithfully sitting on her nest of eggs underneath the screen porch's floor joists for days upon days. We're not sure quite how many, since we didn't know she was under there for a few, we just thought she was missing, but its been at least 17 days. 

My books say that a banty's incubation period is 19-21 days, so at any moment now I'm hoping to hear peeping from under the porch or little fluff balls skittering about! I'd love to have some homegrown chicks.

Better Burgers

Due to the amazing fortune I have to be a stay-at-home mom for the summer to a long-napping baby, I've had a lot of home bound free time which I've been spending in the kitchen. 

Jake and I have been trying to eat a lot less meat lately, and to make sure that we know where the meat we do eat comes from. Chicken: check. The odd duck: check. Our friends are raising 5 free-range pigs this summer, one half of which will end up in our freezer later, so future pork: check.
There are plenty of farmers around here from which to buy quarters or halves of organic grass-fed beef, but we haven't gotten around to purchasing any yet. You can buy small packages of ground beef and other meat cuts at the coop in town, but its really expensive, and its still meat, of which, as I said, we're trying to consume less.

But still, its summer now, and burgers on the grill are so good. Not only in themselves, but as vehicles for all that great garden produce. A slice of fresh tomato, adorned with new pickles, horseradish, and onions. Yum.

So today, I set out to create a recipe for vegetarian burgers that aren't too mushy, too bland, too spicy, or too full with obscure ingredients. Success! I used inspiration from several recipes I found online, and added and substituted freely. Basically, you need a filler and a binder and some spice for flavor.

I used red wheat berries and a mix of black and pinto beans for the filler, and duck eggs and bread crumbs for the binder. I soaked and cooked equal amounts of each, then mashed up the beans and fancied 'em up. I tossed in some scallions and green garlic from the garden, along with some grated carrot, and then some pinches of cayenne, some brown mustard, a liberal amount of nutritional yeast, and some tamari. I stirred in the wheat berries, and made patties, then baked them on parchment at 350 for 20 minutes.

They're so good! Flavorful with a good "meaty" texture. Even the dog likes them. I made 10 big burgers, most of which I'll freeze for future grilling enjoyment.

Loosey Goosey

Marsh the Goose has been a little sick this week. Last Sunday he was a little floppy, kind of flapping his feet as he walked, and even falling over a few times. We thought he was dehydrated since it was such a hot day, but even after some forced drinking he didn't improve. To the books.

The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals suggested botulism of all things.
"Signs of botulism poisoning appear within 8 to 48 hours of consuming the toxin. In mild cases, the only sign may be a brief bout with weak legs before the birds return to normal. In severe cases, the birds may appear sleepy and unable to hold their heads erect, due to paralysis of the neck muscles. The wings and and legs may become paralyzed, too, causing them to lie on their sides."

Marsh hasn't developed any symptoms beyond the weak legs, but even so we've kept him in his own little pen for the past few days and have given him water with some diluted antibiotics for waterfowl. He's still got a little hitch in his giddyup, but is noisy as ever.

Hopefully he'll be back to his rude self soon.

The Birds and the Bees

Summer has arrived at TelltheBees, and with it, a few changes among the residents of this place we call home.

This little henny is sitting so faithfully on a wee little nest under our new screen porch. Hopefully we'll have itty bitty banties soon!

Jake found this chickadee nest in a hollow log a few weeks ago. Last week I discovered they'd hatched!

We had these three male ducks that, though handsome, were pretty rude (ahem) to the rest of the flock. They're gone now, and everyone is much happier. One set of their wings went home with our friend from Vermont to become a headdress of sorts!

Jake drove to Honey Glow Farm in Owen, WI on Saturday to pick up a new single of bees.

Now we have two colonies of honeybees in residence at the back of the garden, and along with the weather, are helping our vegetable and flower gardens go gangbusters.

Case in point: Peony blossoms as big as baby's heads!

Best of all, we have a new human at TelltheBees too!

Alexander Birch was born on April 25 in Wausau, WI and joined our family forever on May 22.

We're all settling in together quite nicely.

Summer is off to a wonderful start here, and we hope it is at your place, too.

Watch your back, Rutherford Domingo.

I've been attacked by the roosters before, but always for a "reason," like taking eggs from the nest boxes, or picking up one of the hens to pet. They kind of flap up and come at you slashing their feet. The little one is all talk. He's about a pound. His name is Napoleon, and not for nothing.

That big one though: MAN, he's an asshole. 

I'm home alone this afternoon, enjoying the beautiful weather, walking around the yard still in my work clothes and flip flops, and out of nowhere this guy with the fancy name comes flapping and puffing and flying at me. I'm in the middle of the yard- I search frantically for a gardening implement, a stick, something, but he gets me once on the foot. And again, twice, on the shin. Oh, it smarts!
I start kicking, screaming "NONONOYOULITTLESHIT!" and "ECHO,GETHIM!" and backing up to hide behind a tree. Then I stay there, peering around the trunk, and darting to either side as he flings himself at me.
Echo is absolutely no help. He inexplicably kills friendly chickens with no warning, but pretends not to notice when his person is being attacked by one. Thanks, buddy.

AND, I stew, as I bob and weave, Jake thinks its my fault! He says the roosters and the hissy geese can "smell my fear," or something ridiculous like that. How can you not be afraid of feathery flapping creatures with razors on their feet? Plus, Jake did have a small bloody gash on his head last week from last week when he poked his head in the coop to look for eggs and met Rutherford. So there!

After about ten minutes, the rooster drifted away enough for me to make a break for the house. I gave him and his ladies a wide berth.

And now, thrice puncture-wounded, I plot.

Oysters

The morels have pretty much stopped coming up around TellTheBees... or perhaps the mayapples and gallium and jack-in-the-pulpits and whatnot have gotten too big and green for one to be able to find any morels. These oyster mushrooms, though, are big and pale and grow in clusters on logs- easy to find, and easy pickings. They smell of anise, and are heavy. So dense, they'd be grillable, I believe! The pound or so I found yesterday was sauteed with some garden chives to embellish some duck eggs for dinner last night. So good!

I'm excited to keep sampling more wild foods... a friend recently made a ramp pesto which I'd like to reproduce, and I have my eyes on nettles and raspberry leaves and my sights set on berry season.

May your week be fruitful!