Pallet fence for the vegetable garden

Back at the start of December I finished creating the pallet fence along one side of the vegetable garden (read about it here).

And just four days later took it apart again to use the pallets to build the front of the chicken palace because the Avian Flu Prevention Zone measures were enforced.

Last Tuesday, we managed to collect some more pallets from the local business that we buy the pallets from and yesterday I decided to rebuild the fence around the vegetable garden.

The weather was glorious yesterday, it was frosty start but the sun threw a deep pink colour across the smallholding making the frost twinkle. After I had done the morning chores and Mr J had gone to work, I carried the pallets to the annual vegetable garden, put them into place ensuring that I had a pallet at right angles to the fence between each fence pallet and tied them together. 

To go around a corkscrew willow tree that is slap bang in the middle of the fence line, I used a double length pallet so that I didn't need to put a cross brace where the tree is planted.

I was so pleased to have some fresh air and sunshine that when I went back inside I opened the patio door and the ground floor windows to air the house. 

To celebrate the winter sunshine and that so many of the chickens have come into lay, either back into lay or laying for the first time, I decided to have an egg salad for lunch. Both the smaller chickens that we hatched at the end of July last year that are a cross between the bantam cockerel we had for a short while and either Jack or Diesel (I can't remember which of them) have started laying this week. Two of the Jersey Giant girls have started laying, one of the Australorp chickens (we call her Mrs O) has been laying for around two weeks. A couple of the Cream Legbar girls starting laying again last week, which is fabulous as I had got to the point of thinking that they would never lay again. So we are now collecting around 9 - 12 eggs a day and I expect this to rise as the light levels increase and the days get longer.

I get a huge amount of satisfaction from being able to go to the garden and gather food for our meals and yesterday while a couple of eggs were cooking, I collected some salad leaves from the greenhouse and some lamb's lettuce (corn salad) and spring onions from the vegetable garden.

The rest of the day I was busied myself with cleaning out the chicken house in the field (that is currently home to our meat bird). I was somewhat alarmed to discover that there is red mite in the house, so I cleaned it out as much as I could and sprinkled diatomaceous earth (DE) all around the corners, the perch supports and all the usual hiding spots for red mite. After I had put fresh sawdust in the henhouse, I sprinkled some more DE over the sawdust in the areas that I know the bird sits. Hopefully that will prevent him being bitten by the mites and it will kill them off. Once he has been dispatched, Mr J and I will take the house apart and treat all of the wood including in the joint sections that I can't reach by puffing and sprinkling the DE while the house it together.

Having dealt with the red mite situation as much as I can right now, I went inside, peeled off my outer clothing and put it straight into the washing machine so that I didn't transfer the mite from the house in the field to the other henhouses. I have seen no evidence of mite in the other houses, so wanted to take as many precautions as possible to prevent the spread.

Clean clothing on, I headed back outside just in time to greet our friend the tree surgeon who had arrived with a large trailer load of wood chippings. These comprise mostly of hedging plants and have a fairly high leylandii content, so I don't want that to go onto the garden soil, but these chippings are ideal for use on the pathways in the vegetable garden. The pathways have a weed suppressing membrane over the ground and chippings over the membrane. The chippings will break down over the next couple of years and then I will add it to the soil and then I can put down new chippings on the pathways.

This arrangement with the tree surgeon seems ideal. For his customers who want the waste wood cleared away from their property, he needs to either store the chippings, take them to a tip (which has a cost implication for him) or he can deliver them to someone who can make use of them (me!). I now have a long term source of wood chippings and once the pathways are all covered, I can leave the heaps of chippings in situ for a year or so to let it break down before adding it to the garden. When he delivers chippings that do not have a leylandii in them I can make wood chip heaps in the chicken fields and let them scratch through the chippings (which they love to do), turning them (which they are very good at doing), adding their manure (which they do naturally) and helping it to break down quickly.

It was a very satisfying day and exhausted, I fell asleep on the sofa by 9pm. If you'd like to see my day on today's vlog you can find it here or click on the video below.

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Happy Duck Dance Day

I've had a very quiet day, after the push to get the chicken walkway completed I am tired, so taking things slowly and gently seemed a sensible idea.

Thankfully yesterday I had the energy to dispatch a chicken which we had for lunch today. The Jersey Giant boy was almost 27 weeks old and although there was the potential for the meat to be a little tough, it was succulent and the best tasting of our own meat chickens that we have had to date. We both agreed that we'd like to raise more Australorps and Jersey Giants this year and that perhaps the answer to raising the meat birds is to keep the boys together in their own space and just have one male in each breeding pen at a time. With a little moving of houses and building covered runs (in readiness for the next lockdown), we can keep the male meat birds in a good sized space of their own.

The chickens are now laying well and I've been gathering eight to ten eggs a day. In the nesting box of the chicken palace I found a full size egg. It would probably be an extra large egg if I was buying it in a shop. I think it was the older of the Australorp girls' eggs and over lunch Mr J and I discussed that it is heading towards the time for us to separate the Australorps and Jersey Giants. We have a house and a covered run that we can move the Australorps into and then a couple of weeks after that we should be able to incubate some of our own Australorp eggs and some Jersey Giant eggs knowing that they will be true to breed chicks.

As the sun went down today I wandered out to put the ducks to bed. I had left the water on that fills their little duck pond and it has spilled out onto the ground. The ducks seemed very happy with the resulting muddy mess. I filmed them as they were dibbling and Frederickson did a happy duck dance. This made my day!

In case the video won't play for you, it can be found on YouTube here.

In the spirit of having a gentle day, today's blog is short (but hopefully sweet), so I think it's time I put the kettle on for a fresh cuppa!

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Thought for food vlog

After a reasonably busy day I have now uploaded a new vlog to YouTube in which I think about the realities with producing our own food, deal with a tricky lock and enjoy spending time with the chickens.

If clicking on the video image doesn't work for you, you can find today's vlog on my YouTube channel here.

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Chicken walkway Part 2

Having made a start on the new chicken walkway on Friday, (read about it here) we spent part of the weekend and most of Monday working on it too.

For the first time since we moved here I spotted a ship or perhaps it is a boat, whichever it is, it was a vessel on the River Severn beneath the Second Severn Crossing. Little events like this are important to me, I find a huge amount of pleasure in just enjoying the moment.

 Late on Sunday afternoon, after the chickens had been locked safely into their houses, I 
strengthened the door to the chicken palace. It is made from three pre-fabricated panels that I have strapped together with cable ties. I've now added 2x1 wood along each side to hold panels rigid and to give me something to which I can attach hinges. 

Mr J continued to knock upright posts into the ground and then we fixed cross bars and roof supports to them. The walkway/run measures 8.25m long and 2.25m wide, it's a bit of a beast. We had to work our way around the pallet on the floor as it protects a drain access (man hole type thing) which doesn't have a metal cover on it, just a piece of rotting wood over it and the rotting pallet over that. One of my tasks this week is to find a suitable metal cover for the drain access.

Once we'd got all the posts into the ground and the horizontal bars and roof supports, Mr J cut the excess off the top of the posts., 

While he cut the uprights, I cut two lengths of chicken wire and used cable ties to join them to create one large sheet of chicken wire to cover the roof area.

We wrestled the chicken wire roof into place and secured it with a few strategically placed cable ties. It took a bit of jiggling around and more than several choice phrases, but it is now at least over the roof struts ready to be fully secured into place.

Then I stapled chicken wire around the lower part of the run, it continues across the ground by about 40cms which will help to secure the chicken wire to the ground and hopefully deter any digging predators.

Mr J then put together a door frame and I covered it with 1/4 inch wire mesh.

Today I have continued to secure the roofing wire to the beams, trying to pull the tension across the width as I go. I then attached some clear plastic and windbreak fabric to the upper section of the side. I didn't have enough of either material to complete the job, but that will do until I buy some more windbreak fabric. I will fix chicken wire to the outside of the upper section too, but on a day that is less rainy.

So we still need to hang the door and put the scaffold netting over the top of it, but it's almost completed. The girls have been very curious about what we are doing and I'm looking forward to being able to let them out to play in it.

Of course I have overdone it this week and Mr J is back to work tomorrow after his first well-earned week of holiday from work since he began his job at the start of August. Finishing the walkway may have to wait a few days while I rest and recuperate. 

I'll start that process by putting the kettle on and making a cuppa!

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Homestead Vlog Tour January 2017

Hooray, I've finally done it, I have made a vlog tour of the smallholding! 

Well, actually it's not a complete tour of all of the smallholding, but a brief stroll around the annual vegetable garden and an introduction to the chickens and ducks.

If clicking on the image above doesn't work, you can also find my vlog on YouTube here.

I think it's going to take me a little while to get the hang of editing a vlog and to come out from behind the camera more often. I've always been a production team type of person rather than an on-stage person, so seeing myself on a screen is a little unnerving.

Anyway, if you like the vlog, please hit the like button on YouTube and subscribe to my channel, that way you'll receive a notification each time I upload a new vlog.

If you like the music that I've used, it's by Kafkadiva, it is taken from their album Big Toes & Fingers (Explicit) and is a track called Breathe. 

You can find it on Amazon (via my affliates link) below.

For more information about my affliates links, please see the Small Print and Disclosure section.

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A new chicken walkway

The chickens in the stable are beginning to go stir crazy because despite having a reasonably good size space in which to spend their days, they aren't used to being confined. The process of getting them from their chicken shed to the stable in the morning and back again at dusk is starting to irritate me too.

The chickens don't really like being herded or carried back and forth the thirty feet between the two and Mr J and I thought it was about time to tackle the issue. We thought that if we create a covered walkway between the two, then the dawn and dusk double quick march could become a meandering stroll. If I enclosed the walkway completely with chicken wire and covered the roof, the chickens could then spend as much time as they liked out in the covered walkway or be inside in the condo.

 I spent some time looking carefully at the space at the back of the stable to work out how I might create the walkway and on Friday three hundred feet of treated battening was delivered from the local builders' merchant.

Mr J cut ten of the lengths in half.

And cut points on the ends of ten of the pieces.

I positioned the first couple of pieces of wood on the outside of the rear stable wall, but trying to screw so many screws in by hand was going to mean that the building of the walkway would take an awfully long time and probably more than a few tears.

So this morning we took a trip to the local DIY superstore and bought, amongst several small pieces of ironmongery that I wanted, a cordless screwdriver and cordless drill. 

My life is transformed. Okay, so not on a grand scale, its not climate change being reversed nor poverty being eradicated, but on a 'this is going to means making things is simple' scale, it is a big deal.

When we got home Mr J made a cuppa and I read the instruction manuals, then I headed out into the garden to continue making the frame for the walkway. I managed to put in the next two uprights, two roof braces and one long horizontal brace before the rain forced me to abandon my task and head back indoors.

Weather permitting, I will continue building the frame tomorrow and I may even finish the woodwork. I will then cover the frame's top and sides in chicken wire and also the roof area will be covered in scaffold netting to prevent wild bird poop from falling onto the ground from above. I will create two doors in the walkway, one near the stable door and one at the far end going out into the chicken field. By having two doors in the walkway, we will be able to have free movement into and around the walkway once the birds are allowed to free range again.

We plan to leave the walkway in place after the lockdown is lifted as I am sure that some sort of lockdown will happen again next autumn when the wild birds are migrating again. This way the infrastructure (and structure) is in place to allow us to respond quickly and get the birds inside and under cover as soon as the Prevention Zone measures are announced.

If we ever decide not to keep chickens or to move them to another area on the smallholding, I will be able to either dismantle the walkway or I can use the walkway as a fruit cage. 

Yesterday's blog post was about vloggers who have inspired and entertained me and very kindly Dan at The Grass-Fed Homestead mentioned my blog on his most recent vlog (you'll need to watch this episode to the end if you want to see the mention). I also noticed that James and Dee at Happy Homestead have mentioned my blog and said some very kind things about us. It is especially nice to be a part of a network of enthusiastic homesteaders who are supportive and caring.

As I type it is late in the day, Mr J has already done the evening chores and so I need to head to bed, without my usual post-blog cuppa!

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Watching and learning

I really enjoy watching a range of vlogs made by other folks who are living a similar lifestyle to us. I take inspiration from their ideas, learn how to do things and get hint and tips about what not to do. I'm sure everyone knows what a vlog is, but just in case, it's a video log, just like a blog (bio-log) but a filmed one, usually but not always, put onto YouTube for others to watch.

I will be starting to vlog on a regular basis very soon. I made a couple of short vlogs last year so that I could start to learn how to edit videos. You can see them at my YouTube channel here. I'd be delighted if you would subscribe to my channel and then you will know each time I upload a new vlog.

I've been inspired to vlog by a few people who I see so regularly on the telly screen in my living room, that they are starting to feel like old friends! 

These are some of my favourite vlogs (in no particular order), I subscribe to all these YouTube channels and watch each new vlog as it appears.

Sean James Cameron

Sean (with the help of Rusty the cat) has been making videos and vlogs for around four years from his allotment in London. Together with other allotment holders, he makes interesting and instructional vlogs. As with all the vloggers that I like to watch, Sean tells it like it is and doesn't gloss over the problems that arise when gardening. He is also rather partial to the occasional cuppa (which makes him a kindred spirit).
Find Sean's channel here 

Art and Bri

This couple, who have four young children, inspire me by being so positive and yet almost humble in their approach to life. Art and Bri's love for each other and their children is touching to see. They've been in their homestead for a year or so and are now enjoying having their first farm animals, chickens and goats.
Art and Bri's volgs can be found here

The Grass-Fed Homestead

Dan and Ashley (and Little Buddy) have recently started out on their homesteading adventure. I like their humility (a wonderful trait in my eyes) and their gentle approach to life, the way they care for their animals (sheep, chickens and rabbits) and the obvious joy that they get from learning new information and skills. They've spent ages studying permaculture and are now putting that knowledge into practice.
Watch The Grass-Fed Homestead here

Pure Living for Life
Jesse and Alyssa live off-grid and debt free and are recording their progress as they develop their 5 acre plot of land from scratch into their homestead. I find them highly entertaining and like their practical yet joyful approach to life. They made the best video I've ever seen about the trials and tribulations of trying to dispatch their first chicken!
Pure Living For Life can be found here

David The Good
I find these vlogs great fun, sometimes a little off the wall which is just up my street, but always filled with interesting and inspiring ideas for gardening in a food forest. David The Good and his family live in a rented property that is currently on the market for sale, but that doesn't stop them from putting down roots and making long term plans. 
David The Good's channel is here

Happy Homestead

James and Dee have just moved to Eday, a small island in the Orkneys to start a new life on a croft. It's great to follow the progress of lovely pair who have become firm friends, they came to visit us several times before they moved (read about it here) and I'm delighted to see how they are settling in.
Watch Happy Homestead's channel here

Justin Rhodes

I expect that many of you have already seen Justin Rhodes' vlogs. They are inspiring, uplifting and entertaining. Justin currently lives on a homestead with his family, although they are about to embark on a tour of homesteads and farms right across America and Canada.
Justin Rhodes' vlogs can be found here  

Off-Grid with Doug and Stacey
I admire this couple, they are practical, informative and entertaining. They've learnt so many skills since moving to their homestead in 2011. And, you don't need to be living off-grid to glean loads of useful information from their vlogs.
The Off-Grid with Doug and Stacey channel is here

This is not an exhaustive list (there are many others that I watch occasionally), but I hope you enjoy exploring these YouTube channels as much as I have.

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