Keep out the wolf

 Last night as we were getting ready to call it an evening I heard the girls making all kinds of noise. Flash light in hand I went right out to see what the problem could be. The light was still on in the hen house and all seemed fine however there was a abundance of feathers scattered through out the hen house. The red laced wyndott center hen in the picture seemed to have some ruffled feathers on her back. I picked her up and inspected her back and she seemed fine, no broken skin and no signs of trauma. I have no idea where all the feathers came from. There was no sign of entry to the hen yard. The girls settled right down when I threw some corn in the crock. As you can see in the picture they were very happy and not too bothered. I still have no idea what the problem was. I had become complacent about closing the hen house door eliminating the access to the hen yard. I have always thought they are secure. But after this hen house hassle I am not taking any chances. The door is closed and they are safe and sound and tucked in each night.

Composting for your hens

So here are the girls looking for bugs. They love going through the pile of leaves. Shortly after taking this picture they jumped in and starting kicking the leaves aside looking for worms. They have such keen eyesight that they will see the slightest movement and be right on that bug or grub. I have been a composter for many years and thought maybe I should compost for my hens. I am designing plans for a worm bin that will not only serve my fishing and composting needs but will also give me a good supply of worms for the hens especially in the winter when the natural supply of bugs has gone dormant.

Watch for more info in upcoming posts. I have research to do on worm bins.

Not hens today-Pyrex

How many of you remember the great Pyrex mom or grandma had in their fridge? I have read so many articles about the problems of storing and reheating food in plastic. So out with the plastic, but what to replace it with? Pyrex is the perfect vessel for those left overs and they go directly to the oven or microwave without any concerns. And don't they look good in the fridge.

But where to find them? I have been visiting the

thrift shops, the Goodwill and got some great items from my Mom. Thanks Mom!

There are some great websites all about Pyrex. Check out PyrexLove.com. It has all kinds of vintage Pyrex info I used it to locate pattern information and identified some of my own pieces.

This is Autumn Harvest circa 1982 not that old but very pretty. Keep in mind I graduated from high school in 1981.

The Verde is a two

section divided dish. What a pretty lid. Circa 1960's found this one at the Goodwill.

I found this whole set of mixing bowl at the Goodwill also. I think someone was cleaning out grandma's home at had no idea what they had. They are in great condition. Don't ever put your vintage Pyrex in the dishwasher. It will ruin the shiny finish.

More Pyrex later

My favorites

I purchased this ceramic egg holder at New Seasons. It is great I can wash it and it won't hold bacteria like the cardboard egg cartons that so many of us are using over and over. I save the standard egg cartons for sending eggs home with the kids and guests to our home. The girls are laying well and we give away a least a dozen every week. As you can see the eggs are clean people have a hard time believing they come out of the nest box looking this good. The girls

are very tidy layers

A friend gave me the old Star Egg Tray for my birthday. It is a cool blast from the past. Larry and I looked and looked for an egg scale and found this nice one at an antique expo. Most of our eggs weight in at Large. Way to go girls!

Breakfast served up

The girls are laying well, considering the cold weather and the shorter days. We have the light in the hen house set to come on at 5pm adding additional light for the girls turning off at 10:30 pm

The longer day is the key to keeping them laying. They tend to eat more during the winter. Not as many bugs and foraging go

ing on.

I whipped up some eggs for a quick breakfast.

One of my new passions is collecting some vintage kitchen items. I am in love with old Pyrex. Don't the eggs look pretty in this vintage bowl? This is a great healthy quick meal. Yum Yum.

My gardeners at work!

Yes, I have four gardeners constantly at work in my yard. They are great at pest control, they work for scratch and pay me! How many of you have gardeners that work hard and pay you for the privilege? I was removing spent peas vines the girls love eating the leaves. Yesterday Larry and I spent part of the day at the Clark County Fair. What a shame to see how the local fairs are diminishing, not nearly the participants that we saw 10 years ago. We enjoyed looking at the hens and I thought why don't they have displays that are pertinent to current interest. Urban hens are getting to be such a big deal yet not one exhibit showing people how easy and fun it is to have your own egg producers on a city lot. I have opened my suburban hen house to visitors on weekends. Since we are two blocks from the farmers market we get a lot of foot traffic on Saturdays. It is fun to share this hobby with others the fairs need to take note and get on board with agriculture for all not just large farm operations but also the urban farmer. My neighbor is not building the most wonderful hen house for her chicks, that she purchased several months ago. They are going to be laying come late fall and another urban hen house it born.

Four hens four eggs

This week was the was the first time we received four lovely eggs in one day from our ladies. They are all laying in the same nest box. I have actually seen two hens at a time in the same box laying. They truly love each other. At night they are roosting so close together that you will see what looks like a hen with two heads. I am not able to tell where one starts and the other ends. Just a mass of "heads, beaks and claws" as my husband Larry would say.

Today is market day here in Beaverton. First farmers market of the year. A local family had parked in front of our home to visit the market and the children spotted the hens through the fence. They asked lots of questions about the hens and left with some eggs for their mothers day breakfast. What fun sharing my hobby with others.

At the market this morning we saw many farmers selling organic free range eggs. The going price seemed to be any where from $4.50 to $6.50 a dozen. I enjoy sharing the eggs with other and have given ours to some of my friends at work. Everyone has commented on the rich flavor and the beautiful color of the yolks.