Scenes from spring season

Boise Eagle Tour de Coops 2012 Rise of the Chicken!

It's that time of year again. The blessed event when Boise and Eagle turns up it's fabulousness and is home to the combined annual Boise/Eagle Tour de Coops. This year's theme is Henzilla: Rise of the Chickens. (Awesome).
So much hard work and effort is put into this event by Erik Kingston and his committee. We'd like to officially extend a BBC high five to all the wonderful people who participate in this event.

Erik was kind enough to answer a few questions before this years event.


1. What is the Tour de Coop? Where and when can we see it?

The event runs from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, September 22nd. See
www.boisechickens.com for details and registration information (along with
pictures from last year’s tour). We have various bikeable locations in NW
Boise and several coops in Eagle. The After Party follows the tour at North
End Organic Nursery (NEON) from 4-7pm. (Folks will still have time to hit
the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley’s shindig that evening). Last year we
did two days with around 10 coops in each location (too much) so we’re
sticking to one day this year.

2. How long have you been in "chickens"?

I got my first chickens in the spring of 2007. Three Silver-Laced Wyandottes
named Feather, Sparkle and Monkey Banana. They were soon joined by
Australorp Iris and Easter Egger Ginger. Their coop featured some recycled
materials from Second Chance and a few other projects. Here’s a picture of it
before it got covered by poo and chicken dust.

I used to run a community garden and fisheries coop in Salt Lake City, and
have always been interested in polyculture. I’m still threatening to add some
fish tanks to raise tilapia and prawns.

3. We love the Boise Tour de Coop posters past and present, who designs these and
what is the inspiration?

Thanks! I’ve kinda done the art direction on promotional materials the past
three years. The first ‘Chicken Head’ art was a photo I took of two of our
Wyandottes and processed in Photoshop. I added the eggs to the type as an
afterthought.

Last year we commissioned Ward Hooper to design the super cool bike
wheel/chicken rider art. This year Chelsea Snow at bricolage turned me on to
local artist James Lloyd as soon as she heard about the ‘Henzilla’ theme...he
rocked it. I manage the boisechickens site and we all use the FaceBook page
to share info.

4. Can you comment on the growth of backyard chickens in Boise? How do you feel
about it?

Well, the theme this year is ‘Rise of the Chickens,’ which is a nod to a
recent 2012 study that estimated around 90,000 urban chicken coops in
the U.S. and projected that number to double next year. I think backyard
chickens are like many things. Done right, they are an urban analogue to 4H,
providing fresh eggs, recycling scraps, controlling insects and generating
some thermonuclear-grade material for compost. But there is a downside
to chickens if folks don’t pay attention to conditions and let noise, flies
and odors become a nuisance for neighbors. It’s important for folks to be
responsible and considerate. We’ve always subscribed to the ‘Eggs for Peace’
program with our neighbors. I’ve heard some not-so-nice stories of neighbor
issues, some involving dogs.

5. What safety precautions are taken to prevent coop to coop contamination?

We consulted the folks at Wasatch Community Gardens (I was the E.D. back
in the 90s) in Salt Lake City and use foot baths with a peroxide solution at
each location. We ask visitors to step through the solution both entering and
exiting each coop location. We also alert hosts to this issue and encourage
them to be aware.

6. What are your favorite types of chickens? Why?

Personally, I like our Wyandottes and Australorp for personality; they’re
good listeners. Our Easter Egger is a drama queen. All our girls have pretty
much slowed down or stopped laying after 5 years. I’m interested in maybe
getting one or two Buckeyes (purportedly good mousers) and Marans for
their cool chocolate eggs.




Maps. Following traditions established in other Tour de Coop events, there
are no 'tickets' per se. We're encouraging visitors/tour guests to register
online at http://2012boiseeagletourdecoop.uticketit.com. Once registered
(and when the maps are finalized this evening), each registrant will be sent
a map that can be shared with family or a small group of friends (around
five people, give or take). This is in part how we cover our individual out-of-
pocket costs for posters and such like, and create a foundation for next year’s
event. Folks are on the honor system here, and we trust that no one will copy
and distribute or forward the map.

Shirts. The shirts this year turned out great, thanks to artist James Lloyd and
the pros at Deadwood Designs. We have Men’s and Women’s styles, Youth
sizes and will be ordering limited edition black tees for the grunge-at-heart
crowd.

After Party. The charming and talented ladies at NEON are so amazing.
They are hosting the After Party this year (They hosted in Year 1 and then
Zamzow’s hosted last year), and have arranged for Payette Brewing and
several food trucks to be on site. They have also organized some live music
for the event, which runs from 4-7pm on the 22nd.

Directions to coops. Besides the maps, we’ll have 11" x 17" host posters
with the Henzilla art and the word HOST in big letters. These get posted
at gates and driveway entrances to take the guesswork out of the final
approach.

Hygiene/safety. You’ll also see a poster that encourages safety and hygiene
that should be near the foot bath at the entry/exit point of  the chicken area.

Who is doing this and why? Short list consists of Gretchen Andersen (author of The Backyard Chicken Fight), Martha Lane, Elizabeth Donick-Swisher, Sallie Herrold
 (who just purchased and is rehabbing the Hollywood Market), and Kelsey Nunez.
 In 2010, I ran into Dave Krick from Bitter Creek shortly after returning from the Salt Lake
City Tour de Coop, run by an organization I led in the early 90s. They now
have an entire ‘Chicken Week.’ Dave had wanted to do something like that
in Boise to help folks share information about chicken wrangling so, a few of
us got things organized and made it happen. I still maintain this is all Dave’s
fault.

We all chipped in to plan and implement the tour, and crossed our fingers
that we would not lose money. We partnered the first two years with a
local nonprofit and donated the net to them at the end of each year. We are
currently negotiating with another local food-related nonprofit to take over

the tour's administration and finances, while offering to help with the heavy lifting 

on a voluntary ad-hoc basis in the future. 

We'd love it if other folks wanted to step up and get involved going forward, and we’ll have a volunteer signup sheet at the after party. It's a fair bit of work and time, but people seem to enjoy the tour and it's a good way for someone to understand what backyard chickens are about

Lets Go To The Fair!

I've often told my husband that we should seriously consider inventing a car freshener scent that smells like the Fair. But what would such a lovely yet abominable creation smell like? Fried Cokes, cotton candy and kettle corn with just a hint of sawdust.

It's that time of year again. It happens right at the end of summer every year. It's time when the fair comes to town.
There are many reasons I attend fairs. Being a busy mother, artist, blogger and urban farm wife,  "free time" is elusive and nearly mythical around these parts.
 Urban Farm Euphoria for me is the agricultural and exposition portion of the fair. I found myself, almost embarrassingly, skipping on the pathway leading to the exposition building.

Walking through the heavy glass doors was like walking into a building of homespun reverence: a magical land of baked goods, spun yarn and gourmet vinegars. Kaleidescopic quilts hang immensely overhead like  proud homages to the homesteading gods. Baskets of gourmet goods bursting with homemade crafts.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the Grand Reserve Champion ribbons. Royal Purple in color, the satin bows were proudly displayed on the winning entries, carefully kept under eye and even behind locked glass cabinets. The idea of receiving a reward, for what I consider an art form that is experiencing a resurgence lately, is wholly perfect. The modern urban homesteading and self-sustainability movement should remember, just for a moment, these dusty symbols of extremely talented handiwork that existed long before our current, hipster-farm mindset.


In the Home-Arts area I met another family who were handling their area together. Each was helping by answering questions and handing out recipe cards.

Beverly Goodwin of Sweet, ID in front of her winning basket for preserves.

 Beverly's soft smiling eyes and easy handshake seem to tell me that she would answer all of my eager questions. She swiftly turned her crotchet needle quick and sure while she smiled and told me that this is her eighth happy year at the Western Idaho Fair. Since starting, it has grown into a family affair that now includes her brother and sister.

Some of those I spoke with were participating for the first year, like teacher Wylene Knight from Horseshoe Bend, who was nervously awaiting her homemade bread to be judged. I wished her the best.

When we spoke, Beverly had taken an early lead and ended up walking away with numerous honors this year. She took home six 1st-place ribbons for her Strawberries, Apricots, Grapes, Thyme, Tarragon and Almonds.

Since this particular fair has a large open class, it really is one of the best kept secrets for those participating in the Home and Agricultural  'arts'  to get recognition for their hard work throughout the year.


I took my time, browsing the agriculture buildings, speaking with enthusiasts and fair participants in different areas.

Chris and Tina Abe own and operate Fuji Farm, in Nampa, Idaho, raising Nigerian Dwarf goats. Tina cheerfully considers their dream a family endeavor. Their farm is home to more than six Grand Champion prize goats.

Photo credit Fuji Farms. This is  GCH Sandy Hollow UK 2*M 

 All four kids help pitch in with the the daily milking and farm chores.
With determined smiles they handled each of the goats, taking them individually for their afternoon walks. One by one, The goats marched out, some with noses as small as acorns and dark eyes that lure you to scratch their nobby little heads just a minute longer. I spent about twenty relaxing minutes with one of their smaller goats who was both tame and sweet. I highly recommend goat-petting for what ails you.

Because I took my time, my fair experience has forever changed my respect for those who contribute both their talents and their time to pull off such a tremendous event every year.

Patiently waiting with a flower in her tail.

The Chicken Exposition building shares it's space with the Cavies (Guinea Pigs) and Rabbits. So of course my head almost exploded with the amount of cuteness overload in one building.

Grand Reserve/Champion Bantam Plymouth Barred Rock White

Handsome show Rooster

Robin Hopper has been working in the Chickens division for fifteen years and answered all my sometimes silly questions with a smile and wink. Chicken entries this year have gone up and she says she definitely sees the backyard chicken trend being represented more than in the past last few years.

Robin Hopper in the poultry building was so helpful

The youngest man I interviewed ( he was around 11) smiled with a boyish face behind his ginger hair. He had entered and took home ribbons with two handsome cochins. His older brother proudly held his prize-winning Polish crested hen. He talked excitedly about his interest in raising and showing his chickens and pigeons.

Satinette Pigeon Hen

This is a way of life for these boys and their family. Their mom sweetly pushed a stroller by the plexiglass display holding newly hatched quail as small as dimes.

Hatching quail

I imagined for a moment what it would be like to win one of those gorgeous, flamboyant Grand Reserve Champion ribbons for one of my chickens, a batch of beautiful eggs, or a jar of Strawberry-Ginger Jam.
As stated above, there are many reasons I go to the Fair. Upon reflection, I'll have to admit my favorite memories were not the entries that ranged the gamut from Light Horse Mule Driving to pickled pints of asparagus. It was remembering the genuineness of the people of Idaho who I had the opportunity to talk and share with. Of course next year, I'll want a ribbon too.

Grand/Reserve Champion blue eggs. 

 View results from the 2012 Western Idaho Fair.

Early Moulting Hen Society

In every flock there seems to be the innate understanding of a pecking order. Once the order is set you can begin to catch glimpses of a society. If you watch even closer, you can learn the quirks, moods and habits of each individual chicken.

I'm convinced that within the basic pecking order lies a subculture. 

The Early Moulting Hen Society has as its charter members a group of bantam hens.
A blue Silkie hen, Huckleberry. She is the eldest of the group. Her daughter is a lavender Silkie hen, Fleur. Bunny, the black Silkie and Fluffy, the lone speckled Cochin, round out the group. All are docile, persistent and moulting.

Huckleberry moulting

This society prizes modesty over all. The commonality of moulting early in the summer seems to bind this group together. I imagine that they must mutter to each other using a shrill British-like accent. Initially I wanted to include more pictures in this blog but the EMHS girls were throwing off some pretty creepy looking stink-eye. I decided, rightly so, to back off with taking pictures.

Under normal circumstances, a layer-bred hen will often moult in the fall and take about 2-3 months. This usually indicates that they will be good layers. Chickens who are early moulters, such as the Early Moulting Hen Society, tend to lose few feathers and may not be the most prolific layers in the flock. These are my "dainties" of the coop. They are so self-conscious, they are too timid to leave the protective housing of their nests.

Not even a peach juice block could lure out the EMHS.

I'll admit, it's hard not to anthropomorphize this experience. It is irresistible not to insinuate a wealth of  human emotions to members of my flock. I can report on their daily activities, and extrapolate based on the nature, breed and age of the hen.

Every day for the last month, the Early Moulting Hen Society (EMHS) meets in the nesting boxes. This is after a morning turn around the yard to peck at honeysuckle dew and the worms crawling home after a night spent in the wet grass. Then it's back to the coop for their daily routine: staring at each other and picking at pieces of straw.  Their indignant, high pitched 'tuck-tuck' can be heard from the coop every time one of them gets kicked out by a resentful non-member who is just trying to do her job laying an egg. While this is not good behavior, it is an entertaining example of full-force, pecking order dynamics.

Without access to the nest boxes chickens will lay everywhere

Here is what I know about moulting. Moulting is a yearly occurrence in the life of a chicken needed in order to replace old feathers with new feathers. Hens that begin to molt after 12-14 months of egg laying are generally understood to be better layers. Late Moulter = Better layers. Because they go through their moulting process much quicker than their counterparts, the Late Moulters have a longer laying season and their feathers are shabbier looking.

Early Moulters, in contrast, take their time moulting and seem to lose less feathers. Even more so in Silkies who have more fluff and few feathers to begin with.

It's also hilarious.

Beatrice from Keara Farms won the 2011 BYC Moulting Championship

I try to break up their meetings whenever I can with beneficial moulting treats of Hemp and Chia seeds.

EMHS on a rare break outside the coop.

I pull them out of coop at least twice a day and send them into the yard. Each time they will just wander back to the coop. I'm not sure if it's a sense of stubborn jackassedness or an overly developed sense of dignity.

In my opinion, it's the latter. These hens are ladies through and through, and when it comes to their yearly moult, it is just easier to endure in the confines and safety of a coop. Do chickens have vanity. I vote yes. And I am not just imposing my wayward human musings on my flock...really, I'm not!

To this day the Early Moulting Hen Society meets daily in the coop. Time to go break it up.  

For more information on Chicken Moulting-What is Moulting?

The Canning Post

It's National Canning weekend!

Now for those who have yet to bitten by the urban homesteading bug, it's a tradition that would have been lost were it not for those brave progressive foodies such as we...we Canners.

My collective knowledge of canning for the last ten years was limited to the directions on a package of pectin. But with my super sidekick Kristi guiding me, I was ready resume this hallowed homesteading tradition.

There is something, some type of homesteading magic that comes with cooking with someone else in the kitchen. Lessons are relayed, inside jokes are created and something with an unholy amount of natural flavor and tart sweetness is harnessed by a precise scientific method.

As dramatic as that might sound, what it boils down to is a great day of canning with Kristi at her house. Another defining moment of glorious and slightly intimidating commitment into self-sustainability

tip from K. eliminate foam with a pat of butter

Science is involved, lots of hot boiling water, special canning tools.
This was Big-Girl-Britches homesteading.

Bubbling and Boiling

Mostly for the sake of my lesson, it involved me watching Kristi deftly weave through her kitchen while I watched and listened intently, taking mental notes on her tips.

My favorite new canning tradition, I learned from Kristi, is the tasting jar. A conglomeration of sweet bits and pieces left over from each individual batch. This wonderful new thing is my favorite.

tasting jar

While on a break I stopped in on Kristi's flock of beautiful birds.
If I haven't mentioned it before, she has a beautiful flock that contains some gorgeous banty chickens as well as some rare blue and lavender orpingtons. It was very tempting to allow myself to get sidetracked sitting in the shade of her big coop house, watching her birds scurry around the scratch.

 

Breaks are required. Why? Canning is not easy. (Ok, we're not talking neurosurgery, but stay with me.)

Batch times depend on how well you time and finish each process.

Stations: Clean stations are important. An area for prep, an area for ladling and capping, and an area for cooling the jars.

In order to run smoothly and safely it's important to keep these areas clean between use to prevent cross contamination. Also child power comes in handy when it's mashing time.

Equally as important is the quality of the fruit. Regardless of how organic it is, if your beginning fruit is not ripe and tasty, then the quality of your jam will logically be lesser. That's something else I learned from the efficient Miss Kristi.

The outcome was two gorgeous flats of Strawberry-Ginger and Ginger-Peach jam. Now we had a chance for one of my favorite parts: trading jams. With names like Tripleberry, Blueberry- Lime, and Apricot, I came home with some winners. This resulted in a major rush of Farm-Wife Euphoria. (For a working definition of farm-wife dopamine events, see post on much less successful wheat grinding).

I relish spending time with others who are like-minded in their general belief that food is one of the most precious things we can share. Sealing tastes of nature into jammy heaven contained in pretty glass jars.

Armed with all my new found knowledge I was going to get my jam on today with the remaining mangoes, strawberries and limes from the canning session with Kristi yesterday.

I channeled my inner Eleanor Roosevelt (no idea if she actually canned), grabbed my new fabulous handmade chicken apron (made by Kristi's super talented mother/seamstress) and the Ball Canning book. Shameless Plug- (yes, readers, these are for sale).

I used my awesome new canning powers and processed two small batches of the remaining fruit to create a life-changing jam. Strawberry-Mango.

During each process and step today it was nice to reminisce about yesterday with Kristi. I remembered, of course, to make a new tasting jar.

Strawberry Mango nirvana

It was worth all the chopping, measuring, stirring, bubbly and boiling madness. I couldn't be prouder of my jams. I even love the small act of putting them up into my cupboard for the season, knowing that in one day, I've provided a staple of my family's diet. Really good jam.  These are my moments of 'Zhen'.

The leftovers don't go to waste. I fed them to the girls in the yard who happily gobbled them all up in a manner of minutes. 

Cora 

Carmen discovering mango

Give away a jar to a friend. Allow yourself a moment to revel in the glass-walled beauties housing preserves, veggies or even pickled eggs. This carefully prepared food is meant to be shared with your loved ones. Even more special was the time I spent with both my friend Kristi and then later, when I passed the lesson from Kristi to my darling husband as we finished canning the strawberries. I spied the glint in his eye. The homesteading bug has claimed another willing and eager participant.

**(Note from Husband: Dear Readers, the "glint" she speaks of as evidence of my conversion to the wonders of canning, though wonderful, was more about observing how sexy she looked in her chicken-decorated apron. Guess I'm a sucker for my Farm-Wife. Thank you, the Husband.)**

This blog is dedicated to all of you out there in homesteading nation who do it because they simply love really good jam and are willing to dedicate time to sharing it with their loved ones through the magic of preserving.

Peace, Good Fruit and Happy Canning!