Wisconsin Forest Plants

I went walking through the woods back a ways behind my home in rural north central Wisconsin a few weeks back.  I was originally out looking for wild leeks.  Unfortunately, I didn't come across any wild leeks because I was in an area that was too wet.  As I walked back in the woods, I found tons of beautiful yellow flowers and what looked to be some sort of lettuce.  I had no idea what they were.  I looked online and couldn't find any information.  So I asked someone who previously worked in forestry who knew exactly what they were.

The first plant is called a Marsh Marigold.  I wish the picture below came out better, but as I looked out into the woods, all I saw were these yellow flowers growing everywhere.  It was so pretty.

The other plant looked like some sort of lettuce with its big broad leaves. The unusual thing about this plant is it has a reddish growth growing to the side of it.  I found out this plant is called Skunk Cabbage. Yes, it did smell like something was rotting back there.

How to get your broody hen to adopt new baby chicks (or ducklings)

We had been noticing for the past few weeks that one of our chickens, a Golden Laced Wyandotte, stayed in her nesting box day and night.  When we would pick her up and bring her out she would peck around a bit and then end up back in that nesting box.  Unfortunately, the other chickens were not too happy.  Even though I have about six other nesting boxes, they all want to use the same one. 

After doing some reading on getting a broody chicken to adopt baby chicks, I decided to try this myself.  I went to our local farm store and talked to the gal that worked there (they are great at giving advice).  She told me to 1) move the hen to another location because the other chickens will eat the baby chicks and 2) To put the baby chicks under the hen at night so she doesn't see what I'm doing.  So I bought four day-old Cornish Cross Broilers and one Spotted Sussex and took her advice.

I moved the hen (and the nesting box) into our garage as soon as we arrived home from the farm store just to make sure that she would stay in the nesting box.  She stayed!  After the sun went down and it was completely dark, my daughter and I brought the five chicks to the garage and put them under the hen.  I figured she had to know what was going on because the little chicks were chirping away.  But they quickly quieted as they snuggled up under the warmth of the Momma hen.  We left and went to bed and this is what we found the next morning: 

Momma hen with her new adopted chicks.

We found a very very happy Momma hen.  The nice thing about having her raise the chicks is she does all the work.  No need for heat lamps or to make sure the cats and dog stay away.  She has turned out to be very protective;  Our cats know to stay away.

After about a week the momma hen will take the chicks outside of the nesting area on little excursions to look for bugs and other good things to eat.

They sure are cute!

One thing I hear about Cornish Cross Broilers is they have a lot of problems with their legs as a result of getting too big too fast (they are a breed of meat chicken and most likely the breed of chicken you buy at the grocery store).  They are fast growers and it generally takes them about 7 or 8 weeks to get up to weight.  Getting them out early like this, and having a Momma hen raise them will ensure they develop into healthy birds.  

OK, so I mentioned "ducklings" in the title of this post, because I read that hens will adopt ducklings, the same way they adopts chicks as I've described.  Our local farm store will get in some ducklings within the next few weeks and if for some reason I have another hen that becomes broody I will try this again.  Please note, the hen has to be broody for this to work.  When a hen is broody, she will sit all day and night in her nesting box and never leave.  If you try and stick your hands in the nesting box, she will nip at you.  She does NOT want to leave!  

Red Shoulder Yokohamas

This year we bought a few new breeds of baby chicks.  You have seen the Red Ranger Broilers in previous posts, but we have also purchased 4 Easter Eggers and 4 Red Shoulder Yokohamas.  The Red Shoulder Yokohamas are a somewhat rare breed for backyard chickens because they are smaller, often go broody, and need more space, making them a better option for a free-range environment.  Here are my Yokohamas at about 8 weeks old.  They are so small compared to my other chickens.  I can't wait to see how small their eggs are when they start laying.

Jungle Gym

A few weeks back we had some high winds.  We lost a few trees and one of them was within the electric fencing.  Now the Goats and cats have a new jungle gym!

Red Ranger Broilers

Here are a few pictures of our Red Ranger Broilers at 2.5 weeks old.  They have grown so much faster than our egg layers.

This is our first time with meat chickens so I can't compare them to the size of Cornish Cross Broilers.  Someone I know raised some Cornish Cross Broilers last year and had a few die (she didn't know that you have to take their food away at night so they don't eat themselves to death) so I thought I would try a slower growing bird that would be good for a free-range environment.  I notice that the red rangers do eat quite a bit too, so to be safe we have kept the food away at night too.  If anyone has experience with these types of chickens and whether or not they keep the food away at night please let me know.

We had them in the house for about a week before we moved them to the garage.  I think they like it a little better out here because they have more space.  Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, we can move them outside in the next few weeks.

Red Ranger Chicks

The red ranger broiler chicks are almost a week old.  They are all healthy and growing fast!

Making Your Own Chicken/Duck Brooder

It's really easy!  The first thing you will need is something to put the chicks in.  I found an old container that I used to store things in.  You can use just about anything.  Cardboard boxes might not be a good idea though.  I used one of those last year because we had so many from moving.  They don't last long.  Namely because the bottom gets wet and you can't clean them out.

The next thing you will need is something to absorb the water.  I use newspaper to start with so the baby chicks only have their chick feed to eat.  A day later I add some pine, not the dust but the bedding type you get from the store. If you are only feeding them chick feed you won't need any grit.  If they are eating anything other than chick feed then you may need to add grit to help them digest the food.

The day before they arrived I filled their containers with food and water.  You can add a little sugar to the water because they may be thirsty when they arrive.  I bought my containers from my local farm store but you can get them at Mills Fleet Farm or online at Amazon.


I like these because they are easy to clean and I can stick them in the dishwasher as needed.

You will also need to have a heat lamp ready because chicks need lots of warmth.  I like to use one with a clamp just to be safe.  Last year I had one fall and it burned a piece of wood.  Luckily, I got to it before a fire started.  I also prefer the clamp because I can easily change positions of the lamp.  When the chicks first arrive they will need the lamp a little closer because they need more warmth.  As they get older, week by week, you can move the lamp farther away from them as they need less heat.  I also like to use the red lamps or the ceramic heating elements used in reptile aquariums.

A good thing to keep an eye on is how the chicks are behaving in the brooder.  If they are all on top of one another, trying to stay warm under the light you need to move the light a little closer.  They care cold!  If they are on the opposite end of the brooder trying to get away from the light they are too hot!  Move the light away a bit.  If they are scattered all over the brooder and not congested in one spot the temperature is just right.

Chickens like to roost, so the chickens would appreciate it if you add a piece of wood.  I used a small piece of firewood, but really anything should work.

For ducks you will need more water and you will need to change the water more frequently.  They are messy!  Last year I had ducks and I was constantly adding more water.  They drink a ton and if they get a chance they will splash around in it.  They need just enough to dunk their heads.  For a treat you can put them in the bathtub and let them swim around but don't leave them unattended.  They can get tired and need a way out.

And finally, you will need a cover to put over the brooder or leave them in an area that pets cannot get to.  My dog and cats are really curious!  But don't worry we are supervising and would never leave them alone together.  Last year, I made a cover using wood and chicken wire.  This year, I am keeping them in a separate room until they get a little bigger, then I will put a cover over them to keep them from flying out.

Refinishing the wall to the downstairs bar

Keith took a week off of work and wanted a project to work on, so we decided we would take care of the wall in the downstairs bar area.  This is something we had been planning and talking about for a while (and looking on Pinterest)

The first morning of his vacation we went downstairs we decided on a whim to take down all of the cabinets.  We didn't like them!  I had seen some posts on Pinterest that had given me an idea of tiling the whole wall and then putting up a floating shelf.

Here is Bob the cat helping us out!  You can see the tiles we chose- a copper medley that we purchased from Menards.  We needed about 5 or 6 boxes to get the job done.

Now Whiskers wants to see how he can help. :)  We are almost done here, but decided before we finish putting up the tile we should figure out the shelving.  Instead of the floating shelf we decided to use galvanized steel plumbing materials to make the shelf.  We purchased that from our local hardware store.

We spray painted the galvanized steel black and attached the pieces to the wall.  Then we used a couple pieces of 2 x 12 construction wood to attach to the plumbing.  So far we love it! Now we have to finish the tile and then put in the grout.

Thunder the Rabbit

We have a new pet, Thunder the Rabbit.  He is a mixed breed: part Lionhead and I'm not sure what the other half is, maybe Angora.  His siblings are more fluffy and have that "lion" face that the Lionhead breed has.

Isn't he cute?

I was worried about how the cats and Reeses, the dog would react to him.   Prickles the cat has taken a special interest in Thunder.  They look so cute together but I don't think I could ever leave them alone together.  But they are adorable together!

Toastie and Milkshake

It looks like Toastie the Goat has learned some bad habits.  He is now Milkshakes side-kick and they are both escaping their enclosure together.  I think it's about time to get that fence fixed!

Lot and Lots of Deer

Earlier in the season when I went snowshoeing in the backyard, I decided to follow the deer tracks to see where they led.  I discovered that they had completely snapped the electric fencing and were making their way to the hay bales.  Of course, I then realize that the electric fencing is no longer working.  Thankfully, none of the animals noticed (and a few months later they still haven't noticed because we haven't fixed it yet).

Almost every day, either at dusk or dawn, we see deer wandering around our backyard.  Usually, Reeses, our dog, spots them first.  But yesterday morning, I woke up early and found 6 of them.  This time, I was the first to spot them.  Reeses found out a short while later as you can hear him in the video.

Banding Baby Goats

So, we have had goats for about a year and a half now.  We have had the vet take care of any castrating that needed to be done.  Well, about a week ago, I watched some youtube videos and read "how-to" articles about how to band goat kids.  I thought it seemed easy enough for me to do on my own so I went out and bought some castrating rings and a banding tool.  Yesterday, Keith held onto one of the boys as I tried to band the goat myself.  We realized that our one boy had only one testicle that had descended.  We are really hoping this other testicle descends soon or we may have to think about surgery.

This happened to another one of our goats, Willy, last year.  The vet said to wait to see if it descends, so we waited and waited and nothing happened.  I was really worried about him because our local vet said that ruminated animals such as goats do not do well under anesthesia   Luckily the surgery went well with no complications and Willy has fully recovered and is enjoying his goat life.

Taking the Goats for a Walk

Willie is leading the pack as I take some of the goats out to where my neighbor delivered some hay.  Willie is one of my favorite goats!  When he was little I spent a lot of time with him because I had to bottle feed him.  Now that he is grown he is so affectionate.  He always comes to greet me and follows me everywhere.

Chicken Treat

Last year, we planted some pumpkins.  We mainly used them for carving jack-o-lanterns and for a haunted walk in our backyard.  We toasted some pumpkin seeds for ourselves, froze some to give to the chickens at a later date, and gave any unused pumpkin guts to our goats and chickens.  They couldn't get enough of it.

I was thinking about this during my latest trip to the grocery store when I saw that they had assorted squash for .99.  Since I love making my chickens and goats happy, I grabbed a couple.

The goats gobbled their share up right away (sorry, I didn't get any video).  But here are some of the ladies enjoying their treat:

I have read a lot of claims by blogs that pumpkin seeds play a role in reducing fecal egg counts.  It seems to me that more studies need to be done, as this has not been proven.  Here is one study I found online:
http://www.desu.edu/sites/default/files/Pumpkin%20Seeds-Worms_DJO.pdf



Regardless of whether or not they control worms, squash is a nutritious treat, especially during the winter when the variety of foods is limited.

Lemongrass Sugar Scrub

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, Lemongrass is my favorite scent right now.  I can't get enough of it! Not only does it smell good, but it has a lot of beneficial properties as well.

Since I love the smell so much, I decided to bring the smell to my shower.  I found some sugar scrub recipes online and decided to substitute whatever essential oil they were using with lemongrass.  I found this grapefruit scrub recipe from Bulk Apothecary.

Ingredients

Lemongrass essential oil (or any other essential oil you might like)

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of coconut oil (it should not be melted)

Combine all the ingredients.  I used about 30 drops of Lemongrass essential oil.  You can use more or less, depending on how strong you want the smell.  

 Put the ingredients in a blender and blend for a few seconds.  It really didn't take me that long to blend mine so it looks like frosting like the picture below.  Of course, I used a Blendtec and those are pretty powerful.

Put your sugar scrub in a container with a lid and keep it in your shower.  This recipe really didn't make a whole lot.  I can see using it up after a couple of showers.  If you end up really liking it you can always double or triple the recipe.

Baby Goats

This past summer we had a male goat that we had castrated.  Unfortunately, we didn't get him castrated soon enough because he got three of the females pregnant!  Because we knew the babies would be born during the winter months we kept an eye on them.

I figured based on the dates that they would be born in January.  Well, they were born in December!  One morning, I woke up early like I always do to let the dog out.  When I opened the door I heard wailing coming from the barn.  So we quick got dressed and went out there.  One of the females had twins!  The first one born was already cleaned off and dry, but the second one was like an icicle.  So we grabbed the baby and brought her inside to warm up and dry off.  Then we brought her back out to be with mom.  We ended up naming this goat, "Icicle".  After that first experience, I made extra trips during the night to make sure I could be there to help clean off the babies so they wouldn't freeze to death.  We were there when the two other goats had babies.  Here is a short little video we took of one of the goats having a baby.  Luckily, we were there because it was deathly cold outside.

Making My Own Soap- It's Easier Than You Think

I have made a few batches of soap.  It's so easy, that my first batch turned out great.  The batch pictured here is a lemongrass soap with lemon peel exfoliate.  If you don't have lemongrass essential oil that's ok.  You could use any essential oil or if you don't have essential oils you could use honey, although I have used honey before (with an oatmeal exfoliate) and the smell was not that strong.  I love the smell of essential oils and if you like the smell strong you can add more drops or less if you want a subtle smell.

Here are the things you will need:

1.  A soap mold.  I used one large one so I could cut the soaps myself.  You could buy molds that doesn't require you to cut them yourself.

2.  If you are using a soap mold like mine, you will need something to cut the soap into individual soaps.

3.  A soap base.  I used a goats milk soap base.  What's nice about this soap base is it's easy to use and doesn't require any lye.

4.  A scent for your soap.  I used 20 drops of lemongrass essential oil (it's my favorite scent right now) and some lemon peel.

 First Step- Melt your base.  Cut the base into cubes and put them into a glass bowl.  Microwave the cubes in about 15 second increments until the base is completely melted and looks like the picture below.  For me, as soon as I noticed that there was some melted base at the bottom of the bowl I would stir continuously to get the rest of the cubes melted.  I would continue to microwave and stir until everything was melted.  Be careful not to burn the base.

2.  Because I used lemon peel, I sprinkled some at the bottom of my mold.  If you don't have lemon peel that's ok.  Some other ideas to use are oatmeal (pulse it in a blender), coffee, or dried herbs).  Of course you can choose to not use anything too.

3.  Pour the soap base into the mold.  I decided to pour a some more lemon peel on top. :)

4.  Let it rest for 24 hours.  After 24 hours you can peel the mold away from the soap and cut the soap into individual soaps.  You should let the soap continue to rest so it has a chance to cure.  This could take up to two weeks and will result in a longer lasting soap. 

Healthy Snacks- Zucchini Style

I know it's February and I am a little late on starting my New Years Resolution to eat healthier.  But better late than never.

One of my weaknesses is snacks.  I like to munch in between meals so I decided to try to much on healthy snacks instead of chips.  As I looked though my fridge I noticed some zucchini that I needed to use up ASAP before they went bad.  These little zucchini snacks are super easy to make, don't take a lot of ingredients, and taste delicious.





Ingredients

Zucchini- as many as you want- quartered.
Parmesan Cheese
Herbs
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Wash off and cut zucchini in quarters. (pictured to the side)
2.  Put them on a cookie sheet.  I used a rack to keep the zucchini off the cookie sheet.

 

3. Mix together the herbs with the parmesan cheese.  I used oregano, basil, parsely, and garlic powder.  Really you can use whatever herbs you have or that you like.
4.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste if you like.
5.  Put them in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese becomes a little crispy.

Are my seeds still good?

It's time to start thinking about spring planting.  Like me, I have some left over seeds from last year and I want to know if they are good or not.  An easy way to tell is to put them in some water.  The seeds that float to the bottom are still good.  The ones that stay floating on top are no longer good.

A Few Tips for Keeping your Animals Happy this Winter

 It's another blistering cold day in Wisconsin.  The temperature outside is -2 degrees and the alpacas are loving it!  Not sure about everyone else though.   I can tell by looking out the window they are standing next to the metal "barn" to stay warm.  Thankfully, the sun is shining and heating up the metal.

When it gets this cold there are a few things I do to keep them happy.  Number one, I bring out a pail or really really warm drinking water.  The goats, chickens, and ducks absolutely love it.  For the goats in particular, this is a treat.  The will drink it down so fast.  Number two, I provide shelter from the wind.  All the animals can go in and out as they please.  All my animals will do fine, as long as they are dry and out of the wind.  Number three, feed them at night when it is the coldest.  Goats, cows, and alpacas all have rumens and they will eat to keep themselves warm.  The temperatures at night are the coldest, so it only makes sense to feed them at night.  Last, but not least, make sure you have plenty of water.  I don't know about you, but it seems like my animals drink a lot more in the winter.  And to make your life a lot easier, use a tank heater.  If you don't have electricity in your barn, see about finding a few extention cords or find a solar tank heater.  Make sure you read the information on the tank heater box before you buy it.  You want to make sure you get a heater that can handle your size tank.

As I was researching some things to do to help my animals in the cold months, I ran across an article on the farmandranchguide.com.  The article mainly discusses cattle, but goats, alpacas, and other ruminate animals can benefit from this information.

It's Winter and My Chickens are Still Laying

Before our baby chicks arrived, I read lots of articles and books about chickens.  Everything I read says that we need to provide extra light and warmth for our chickens to continue laying during the winter.  So far this winter, I have not added extra light or heat, but they are well fed.  One of the major reasons I don't provide extra heat is because with the added threat of a fire, I can't sleep at night.  We have a lot of hay in our pole-barn which scares me.  A few weeks ago we had some baby goats, and yes, I did put out some heat lamps for them. but I couldn't sleep at night.  Every few hours I would get up and look out the window to make sure nothing was on fire.

We have 14 chickens and 2 female ducks laying eggs.  During the summer months I was getting around 9 to 10 eggs a day, now I am getting around 5 to 6.  Yes, I am getting less, but at least they are still laying.  There were a few nights with temperatures around -15 to -20 degrees and I still got eggs.  Personally, I think it's because they are getting high-quality food and they are free-range.  My chickens are able to go out with the goats and other animals and eat anything they have left.  We also feed them meal worm treats and kitchen scraps daily.  Yep, our chickens are spoiled.

Is there anyone else out there with chickens living in a cold climate like Wisconsin?  Are your chickens still laying eggs?

Welcome to Alex Acres

Hello everyone!  After moving into a home on a small hobby farm in rural Wisconsin for a year and a half, I thought I would start a blog.  We currently have 14 chickens, three ducks, two alpacas, three cows, 11 goats- five of our goats are brand new babies, four cats, and a dog.  Only about 3 weeks old.  This blog is about life on our farm, raising these wonderful animals.

Let me introduce you to a few of our fun and furry family:

 We are so lucky to have happy chickens that are still laying eggs despite the cold Wisconsin temperatures and no additional light in the coop.  They are free-range chickens and can go outside whenever and wherever they want.  We have a coop they automatically go in at night and an automatic door that opens and closes automatically each morning and night.

 These furry animals are our alpacas.  The darker one is Independence (He was born on July 4th of last year- so he is one and a half years old).  The lighter colored one is Tino.  Tino got his name because he used to be named Tina.  When we bought him we were told he was a girl, well, we never looked ourselves so after a few months we realized Tina was a Tino.  Tino and Independence are loving this cold weather!  Come spring we will have to start thinking about giving them a haircut.  Last year we had someone come and trim them for us.  We might just try to do it ourselves this year.

This is our sweet girl, Mona.  She was raised on another farm and was given to us by one of Keith's (my husband) co-workers.  Her biological mom rejected her so she was raised by a human mom which is why she is such a sweet girl.  She had some joint infections as a baby so her legs are shorter than they should be.  She is half angus and half holstein.

Here are some of the most friendliest goats you will ever meet.  Milkshake is in the back and Willy is in the front.  I had a little fun this last election season, and had Milkshake running for president with Willy as his running mate.  With politics as polarizing as it is, I thought I would make things a little fun.  Milkshake is looking to run again in 2020 so stay tuned.