Tag: chickens

A Year of Gratitude – February 19, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – February 19, 2024

My gratitude was wrapped up in this look from Penny Lane today. In the moment when I needed it most, she turned her head to look at me, took a deep sigh, and stared right through my soul. Pets are very in tune with their Read More

A Year of Gratitude – February 18, 2024

A Year of Gratitude – February 18, 2024

Gratitude was waiting for me in the nest box of our chicken coop this morning. It was cold outside, but there were warm fresh eggs waiting for me to collect in my egg basket. That always makes morning chores seem a bit warmer. One of Read More

Keeping the Coop Fresh Naturally

Keeping the Coop Fresh Naturally

Imagine that you live in a small one room apartment without indoor plumbing.  Living with you are your closest friends.  You dine together in this space.  You sleep in this space.  You go to the bathroom, when necessary, in this space. It’s not the prettiest Read More

A Healthy Fall Treat for our Hens – Pumpkin Oatmeal

A Healthy Fall Treat for our Hens – Pumpkin Oatmeal

Fall is here. Our landscape is becoming more colorful every day. The foliage has been just glorious this year, the most beautiful I have seen in several years. Each day, I am astounded by the intense colors Mother Nature has treated us to this year.  Read More

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day

I grew up celebrating Independence Day with sparklers and barbecue. We lived in Kansas and didn’t really need the guise of a holiday as an excuse to eat barbecue. Fourth of July parades and celebrations seemed to be as ubiquitous as sunshine on a summer Read More

Helping our Hens Stay Cool in the Summer Heat

Helping our Hens Stay Cool in the Summer Heat

Here in New England, we spend more of our calendar days with frigid temperatures than intense heat. Yet, we can count on several days above 90 degrees each summer and seem to see more of them each year. Today, our temperature is predicted to exceed Read More

Jewel Toned Easter Eggs

Jewel Toned Easter Eggs

Every holiday has its own unique food traditions. Easter has many. Creating brightly colored eggs would be near the top of the list. For a few years, we were unable to participate in this tradition due to a food allergy to eggs. Those egg free Read More

Henhouse Morning Mix

Henhouse Morning Mix

From the moment that our first day old chicks arrived here at 1840 Farm, I was hooked on chicken keeping.  We built their coop by hand, using repurposed materials when possible, planning the best we could for the chicken keeping adventure that lay ahead.  We Read More

New Post: A Lesson Learned from Hurricane Irene

Read my new post on the Community Chickens forum from the publishers of Mother Earth News and Grit Magazine: A Lesson Learned from Hurricane Irene

And Then There Were Seven

And Then There Were Seven

I’ve had a wide variety of duties here at 1840 Farm. I’ve been a wife, mother, cook, housekeeper, handyman, appliance repairman, etc. Luckily, I’ve never had to be an undertaker. Well, until a few days ago.

A Chick, Chick Here

A Chick, Chick Here

It was a typical Tuesday morning at 1840 Farm.  I was 90 minutes into a tomato soup canning session when the phone rang.  When I picked it up, I could immediately hear the “cheep, cheep, cheep” in the background as a not very impressed postal employee Read More

Which came first-the chickens or the coop?

Which came first-the chickens or the coop?

I am on a mission.  1840 Farm will have a flock of chickens in residence before winter comes calling.  No, this didn’t happen because of the salmonella egg scare that has been the news story du jour as of late.  But I will not tell Read More