Hen House Extreme Make-over - part 2

"What is all that ruckus out there?!" demanded Ms Frizz. "Thumping .... banging ... shaking our house! I declare!"

"Well, my dear", said Agatha, "I can see that the sky looks clear, now that we have a window to see out of, so it's probably not a tornado coming. I did overhear the missus say, if mister would do anything to please her, she would have him build a yard for us to get outside. You know, something like the one built for cousins Gertrude and Maude and Clara.

"Of course it won't be that fancy, cuz mister will use some material on hand. (I heard it being said he is so tight he squeaks, but missus says he is very frugal and wise) Look thru the crack and see if you can tell what is going on out there behind us", suggested Lila.

"Why, I do think we are going to have a yard!" cackled Agatha.

As usual, Agatha was right. And we are making as safe a yard as possible with wire buried a foot deep.....

....and netting over the top so no critters can get in .....

Don't they look happy? I know they are.

My husband deserves a special thank you for his hard work! I will be planting comfrey along the pen for them to pic at and eat. They love it and it is full of vitamins. There are a couple more things to be done to complete the "make-over" so watch for the follow-up. Thanks for stopping by!

Cheese, if you please (aka; Lazy Housewife Cheese)

Now that the Amish neighbors have enough extra milk to spare I get to make cheese again! This one is a simple, quick cheese that I just love!

Heat 5 qts milk to 185*and hold there while you add a coagulant such as lemon juice or vinegar ( 1/2 cup) and stir in. Let set for 10 min. pour into cheese-cloth lined colander. I do this allowing the whey to drain into a bucket so I can feed it to my chickens. Some people like to drink the whey. It is rich in Vit B

I allow the curds to drain an hour or so , just till it quits dripping. Then I put it into a bowl and add fresh chopped chives from my herb garden, some garlic granules or fresh minced garlic (mine isn't quite ready yet) about 1 tsp sea salt and some coarse-ground pepper.Mix this all in good. At this point you can either put it into a covered plastic keeper for spreading, or , as I like to do, put it into molds. As an added plus, this cheese freezes well for later use.

I have some pretty molds I like to use for at least part of the cheese. These have drain holes in the sides and bottoms. I let it drain further in the molds, set in a pan in the fridge for a few hours till chilled.

The end product... what do you think? Would you like to try some?

Flower Art

Last Saturday's creations......

These look a little drab to me against the block wall, so I will be adding something to "spruce it up" a bit.

This week-end's project

Can you guess what these are for?

I really like using what is at hand, or what I can get for "cheap".

Have a great week-end everyone!

And may all your gardening efforts flourish!

My oh My! yummy Rabbit Pie!

Click here to get the "whole scoop" on this delicious dish!

Cattle working day - not the best pics

Twice a year we "round up the cattle" in order to give them their booster vaccines and to de-worm them and check them over for any problems (teeth, feet, udder problems, tail clipping) and just a general check-up. (Fall photo)

We were a little late this year as we had taken the cattle-working chute out of the barn to rennovate for the rabbits. (Plans are in place for a simple machinery shed with a section of the back being for the cattle-working facility) So we temporarily set up the chute and corral panels a week ago to get this work done. Here they come .....

#39 .... that's my cow, born and raised here

Okay, no crowding .....

Some fall calves ...

Opps! wrong way, baby....

Working the head-catch ...

applying pour-on de-wormer ...

Acouple "cow-hands" in the back corral making sure the cattle keep moving through.. . wasn't able to get their picture in action. I manned the injections and record keeping and stayed put out of the way.
The "crew", dirty and tired, but happy to have the job done.

Cow herd early in the fall....

We enjoy the beauty of the Hereford breed, and their gentle temperament.We usually have calves born twice a year, spring and fall, and usually from an Angus bull. It is not a large herd but a small venture which my husband especially enjoys. ..... and it is a joy to raise and consume beef that has not been hormone-injected.