RIP cream brabanter

The cream brabanter rooster spent only 20 days at the farm before a fox or coyote ate him. That's a disappointing ending to his story.

Eggs!!

My girls finally laid their first eggs today! I found this perfectly shaped, small brown egg this morning.

I checked again at bedtime and was surprised to find a second! This hen had shoved all the straw in the nest box to one side and crushed the egg onto the wood. The shell broke but surprisingly the membrane is still intact.

I'm waiting for one more egg and then it's time for an omelet!

Crochet scarf and fox cowl

I made this sea green City Neckwarmer scarf out of bulky alpaca yarn. As expected, it's soft and warm!

I adore this Fox Cowl! Can't wait to wear it all winter long.

Stay of execution

My housemate took the cream brabanter rooster to her farm property. There is one other rooster there but no hens, and they have plenty of space, so they should get along. He left yesterday. He crowed a handful of times during the drive, but otherwise the move was easy and he's settling in quickly.

Last meal with his girls.

He'll be handsome when he's full grown!

Bye bye, little guy.

The caretaker of the farm property has named him Ringo.

Chickens and rabbits and gardening

It was a busy homesteading day. I gave the plants fertilizer (which I don't remember to do often enough) and water. I pulled most of the kale plants because they were getting infested with aphids and neither I nor the chickens like this variety. (Stupid picky chickens.)

I borrowed a jigsaw from the Oakland Tool Lending Library and cut a new door into the wall of the chicken coop. I moved the heavy metal feeder to sit on the other side of the door. It will now be easier to refill, and it's completely covered by the shelf of nesting boxes above it.

The water bucket got moved from one end of the roosting bar to the middle, since the chickens always squeeze themselves to either side of the bar.

And I raked out the old, thick layer of straw and put down fresh bedding. I put the compost pile at the opposite end of the chicken run, and of course the girls (and the brabanter) immediately started scratching and pecking at it in delight.

I then hung up and skinned three rabbits, which I'd purchased whole and frozen from a local rabbit supplier. (Don't worry, no pictures.) The first one took SO long. It felt like the skin was adhering more strongly to the meat compared the rabbit we'd skinned at the IUH workshop. Different age, different breed? I became more efficient with each one. The pelts are now curing in a bucket until the weekend. The meat is cut and in the freezer. I'd thought that I might cook some up tonight, but I was too tired by the end. I still had to walk the dogs and shower. Now, a scant 30 minutes to decompress and crochet before going to bed and a regular workday tomorrow...

Correction

The cream brabanter is, in fact, a rooster. I just hadn't looked closely enough before. (He's rather flighty.) I sent out feelers for rehoming or for help culling him. I haven't had a chance to learn about chicken slaughter yet, so I'd need guidance. Sure, there are tutorials and videos online, but an experienced hand will make the process more efficient.