I am fortunate to live in the mild climate of the Pacific Northwest, but even we have had some pretty chilly days of late. When the temperature dips around or below freezing, the backyard birds need a little extra care. There are water warming trays on the market for backyard livestock, which come in handy in a cold climate. I have never quite gotten around
Deep Coop Cleaning
The duck and chicken coops get cleaned once a week, but a deep clean a couple times a year will help keep pests and disease at bay. Our weekly cleaning process involves raking out used bedding, cleaning out food and water dishes, refilling grit and oyster shell, and laying down fresh dry bedding. Dirt and grime builds up over time though, so this twice annual
Ducks in the Garden
It’s high time for an update on those wacky ducks on our homestead! It has been a few months since we finished construction on the duck coop and I finally got around to painting their finished duck coop. On a recent photo shoot in our backyard, the photographer said it looked like a bit of Mexico with all the bright colors. We’re been through enough
Broody Duck
It turns out that wishing for a new baby is contagious on the homestead! Our runner duck Ramona has caught baby-fever and wants to hatch her own little ducklings. Poor girl is going to be very disappointed when she patiently waits and the stork doesn’t arrive… Typically, I peek my head out the window throughout the day to check on the ducks and chickens, whose
Get Busy!
The growing season is not too far around the corner! Witch hazel is already blooming and my flowering quince buds are days away from opening. If we can get a handle on some garden chores now, we’ll be in good shape to maximize the harvest from our homesteads this year. When it comes to growing your own food, here is my short list of what
The New Duck Coop
Construction is complete! The runner ducks have a new, permanent home here on our little homestead. It should be a safe, predator proof place for them to sleep, play and lay eggs. Ducks need a little more wiggle room than chickens. Allow about 4-6 square feet per bird in their duck house and 10-25 square feet per bird for the run. In our case, the
Holiday Prep
The holidays this year are something we are admiring from a distance, rather than actively getting into the spirit of. Boxes are still stacked like a maze in our house from moving and projects are lined up high. What we would do without our sense of humor about it all? The duck coop is getting closer to completion and I suspect the final touches will
Duck Coop Construction
The ducks are getting a new, permanent home – slowly but surely. Last week we did some deconstruction and site prep. This past weekend I drew up some loose plans and we started building. The duck house should give each bird about 4-6 square feet of space while the run area can be anywhere from 10-25 square feet per bird. This wide variation may have
Out With the Old
How many coops have I built now? Ah, best not to keep track. I honestly forgot that we had a chicken coop still here at our house in Portland (pictured above). Past tenants were interested in keeping chickens, so we left it here. It sat empty while we were away and isn’t really needed anymore. We have a great coop now (pictured above) that has
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