Scout Ireland Primrose Part 1

      Scout's birth story starts long before she was born and is a lengthy story. Her story begins shortly after Shiloh was born in 2009, nearly six years ago. Our first four kids were born pretty dang close together. Four babies in 4 3/4 years. On top of it, I ran a dayhome. Yikes. Our life was hectic, crazy, a whirlwind, chaotic, etc.etc.etc. Although is was insane, we loved MOSTLY every minute of it.  Nate came from a small family... Ok a tiny family. He has one brother and one sister. One cousin that lives in Ontario,and only saw a handful of times growing up. Maybe a couple cousins in Alberta he saw even less.  I, on the other hand have nearly 75 first cousins. I would see most on a weekly basis, if not daily. I loved coming from a big family and new I always wanted a big family. Nate loved being from a small family and wanted a small family.

      After Shiloh, who was #4, we were at an impasse. No matter what I said or did, I could not convince him to have another baby, and he could not convince me we were done having babies. I tried everything I could think of, I played every card in my deck, and he still wouldn't budge.  He had some good points that I completely understood, such as being able to spend quality time with all of them, being able to afford things like snowboards and horses for all of them, being able to afford to pay for college for all of them..the list went on and on. Another major point he had was that Shiloh was born with a incomplete cleft lip. Knowing how "minor" Shiloh's cleft was and how much worse it could have been, he didn't want to put another kid through that and possibly worse with surgeries and emotional issue down the road. When Shiloh was a baby we had meet with a genetic counselor and she believed that Shiloh's cleft was a genetic thing and just not random. She also said that we had a 10% chance of having another baby with a cleft.(by taking additional folic acid you can reduce the chance) For the normal population its a 3-5% chance.  I agreed with him on his points completely. But I still knew deep down that I was going to have another baby, that she was waiting to come to our family. I knew it. I was never very logical anyway.

    Luckily I don't have one of those husbands who go behind there wife's back and have his mother take him to get a vasectomy. Seriously it happens, I met a couple that this happened to!  He's lucky too that I'm not one of those wives that "forget" to take a pill. I've meet that couple too! There were times over the years that I accepted that we weren't going to have more babies and would start to get rid of baby items. The time I sold the baby bottles, I came home and cried for an hour. It was devastating, a constant tug of war. Back and forth between trying to accept that our family was complete and knowing that it wasn't. For years it went back and forth like this.

     Fast forward to summer/fall 2013. Around this time it seemed like every one and their dog were getting pregnant whether they wanted too or not. Of course I was happy for everyone but I would go back home and bawl that it wasn't happening for me. I think that maybe this was when Nate started to see what it meant to me and how much it was affecting me.  Every time someone else told us they were pregnant, I almost went through a grieving process for days or even weeks after.  I grieved for the baby I knew I was meant to have and never would. I'm really not a dramatic person but when it came to this it really was a struggle. I don't mean to take away or compare myself to anyone who has lost a child. I have a sister who lost a baby and I know my grief never will come close to hers, but I did grieve none the less.

    By fall my emotions and feelings were consuming.  I approached the subject again with Nate and for the first time really explained to him what I had been going through, all the hurt and pain and the ups and downs.  We talked about it over the next few days. He made all his points again, and I agreed with them all. But it didn't change the way I felt. It was the age old fight between the head and the heart.The heart wants what the heart wants. I think finally he started to think with his heart instead of his head. Once I saw his resolve start to weaken I started pulling out cards I never knew I had. Such as, if I got a baby he could get a motorbike ;) ( He's still too practical to actually buy one even though he's allowed)  Finally but extremely reluctantly he said YES!!

    There were still a few things we had to work out. I had to start taking extra Folic Acid at least 3 months before getting pregnant. We also had a trip booked to Ireland and Scotland for Sept 2014 that I was not giving up.  I didn't want to be in my first trimester travelling and being sick and I didn't want to be too far in the third trimester while traveling either. We had a 3 or 4 month window of when we could get pregnant. The fall, winter, and early spring were the llooonnggeessttt months of my life, just waiting until we could start trying to get pregnant. Finally it was time. We had a plan with not a lot of wiggle room. We expected to get pregnant on the first try because the other 4 were all on the first try (or not even trying) so why would this one be any different? I'll tell you why..the universe gets a kick out of ruining peoples plans. Its kinda sadistic like that.

     The first month we tried...nothing.  The second month we tried...nothing. I had started wondering in the back of my mind that he just might be that kind of husband that has his mother take him for a vasectomy.  Just kidding...sort of.  He was lucky because at the end of May we found out we were pregnant!! We were both excited. Even though we both had our fears and concerns, we were happy. Over the next week or so something felt a little off. Something was not quite right. I didn't say anything to him until I knew for sure, but I knew from the beginning. June 4th I miscarried. Words can never describe the pain, the hurt, the anger, the grief, the sadness, and the sorrow of the loss of a child at any stage of its life.  After fighting for so long, after hurting for so long, the joy of finally getting the one thing you wanted more than anything else in the entire world, and then having that taken away from you. I was angry that after grieving for the child I never had, I now had to grieve for the child I had and lost. I was angry at myself for wanting this child so badly and I was angry at Nate for never being able to fully understand what had been taken from me.

    A week later I was starting a summer job at a friends restaurant. I needed the distraction. I needed out of the house. I needed time away from my family. I also needed to earn spending money for our trip coming up in September. Our trip also provided a distraction for me. I was able to plan and dream about something other than a baby for a little while.  To add insult to injury after my miscarriage I got the worst bladder infection I've ever had.  Which meant we had to wait to try again until all the medication was out of my system. And with that, the "window" to get pregnant before our trip was out the window. The rest of summer went by with not much improvement to my heart and soul. I made it through each day because I had to. I still had to try to be a good mom to my kids, and a good wife.

    With our trip only a week or two away we decided to try again. If I got pregnant I would be home again before any sickness set in.  We were in the beginning of our trip in Dublin, trying to enjoy myself, forget my pain, and get over massive jet lag, I also got my period. I had a good cry in the shower, got myself cleaned up and we went out to supper in the Temple Bar district. It really was a neat area, I wish I could have enjoyed it more.

    As our trip went on and we saw more castles and enchanting country sides, I could feel my heavyness lifting. For the first time in months I felt like I could almost breathe again. As I walked through the towns, villages, and cemeteries of my ancestors I could feel them, I felt connected to them. It was a connection that I knew couldn't be broken by death. Its crazy I know, but if you've ever had the same opportunity you'll understand. By the end of our trip I can't say that I was "healed" but I can say that for the first time in what felt like forever, I knew things were going to be ok. I knew Nate and I were going to be ok. I knew I was going to be ok. My eyes were opened, my burdens lifted, my heart re-opened. I really can not put into word what happened to me while in Ireland and Scotland. Maybe it was the fairies, maybe the whisps or maybe the feeling that world is really bigger than any of us. That time will pass no matter what we do. And its what we do with that time that really matters.  It was a total battery recharge. I still dream of the day I can go back, I never want to forget what happened to me there.

   While driving in the Scottish Highlands one afternoon we found this random little loch. I stood with my feet in the water feeling the cool water wash away my sorrow.  I sat on this rock and never wanted to leave this spot. This is my happy place.

 

Chickens in town? Yay or Nay

In Alberta there are only a handful of towns/cities that allow chickens in town limits none of them are near our little corner of Southern Alberta. Some of you may be glad of that, some not.  I for one am not.  A few years ago I may have thought otherwise.There are many pros and cons to this debate.  I'm here to set straight fact from fiction, ignorance and biases. Maybe I'll change your mind on the issue, maybe not. Either way I would like people in our community to be open minded and listen to the pros and cons, facts, and do a little research for yourselves and then make up your mind.

  I try to be open minded with any issue, I like to do my research on both sides of the fence and then make my decision.

Now, chickens are not for every one! They are hard work. They can be expensive. So let start there. Here is a list of CONS as to why chickens should not be allowed in backyards or why chickens are not right for you.

1. Chickens can be time consuming. I spend probably close to a hour a day on my chickens. That includes feeding, watering, collecting eggs, checking food and water again, making sure everyone is healthy, cleaning the nesting boxes, etc.  That hour doesn't include the every couple week coop clean out that can take up to 2 hours to do properly.  Most people don't have the extra time to care for a flock properly.

2. A hen only lays for 2-3 years and then egg production drops off and can stop all together. Chickens can live up to 10+years. Are you going to keep up the cost of feeding the hens and not get eggs in return? Or what will you do once they reach 3 and stop laying?

3. Do you have the space needed for healthy chickens?  A coop requires 3-4 sq feet/bird with a run of 10sq feet/bird.  So for say 6 birds you would need approx 24 sq ft coop, and a 60 sq ft run. Does your yard have that space?

4. Chicken are fairly delicate and can get sick easy. I haven't checked so I cant say for sure if we have any local Avian vets. My guess would be no. You would need to be able to diagnose and treat sick birds. This includes washing poop covered bums. It can be gross and dirty.

5. Chicken feed can attract rodents if not stored properly. Mice, raccoons, skunks,snakes, and weasels which can kill your chickens. We haven't had a problem with any of these, we store our feed properly and our dogs and cats keep those rodents at bay.

6. Your hens need a safe secure well ventilated coop that will keep them warm in the winter and cool in the summer, as well as keep them safe from predators.

7. Chickens are social animals so you need to have 3 or more to keep them happy. They also don't do well being confined, it can lead to feather picking and even cannibalism. This is why it is important to have a proper sized coop and run and even allow free range time if possible.

8. Chickens can be prone to lice and mites just as your cats and dogs are prone to fleas. You will have to be able to treat the problem as the lice and mites can kill your chickens if left untreated.

9.You will need to fix/build your fence to protect your flock from predators from getting into your yard

10. Your own cat or dog can and will kill your chickens if not raised with them. Even dogs that have been raised with chicken should never be left alone with them.

11. Do your research. I spend 6 months and countless hours researching breeds of chickens, how to care for chickens, pretty much anything about chickens. I don't know everything about chickens but over the last 2 years I have learned  a lot.

12. One of the biggest reason for NOT raising chickens is the cost vs production ratio. You can buy a dozen eggs from the store for around $2.50.  For a backyard flock most cities only allow up to 8 bird/household. On average a hen lays 4-5 eggs/week. For arguments sake lets say you buy a chicken coop. Buy already laying hen because its way cheaper than growing them from chicks. Plus the cost of feed, your looking at something like this:

Coop                                                                $500+  (depending on size)

run                                                                    $200+/-(depending on size)

laying hens 8 @ $10/bird                                   $ 80

straw/ pine shavings                                           $  50/year

feed for 8                                                          $ 25/month

medicines/health care                                         $ 50/year

everything else                                                   $ 100/year

So just for the basics for a flock of 8 for the first year your looking at a total of $1280. The next year your looking at about $500/year/8 birds. Yes there are ways to reduce this cost. But if you are going to raise chickens you should do it properly and give those hens the best diets and care.

Lets say the average family uses 2 dozen eggs per week. Buying their eggs at the grocery store at $2.50/dozen they will spend about $260/year for eggs. That is about 1/5 of the start up costs and half of the yearly costs of having 8 birds.  For people wanting to raise chickens to save money, its just not realistic. There are ways to off set this cost, for example, sell your extra eggs to your neighbors, trade eggs for free straw bales etc.

Time to switch gears here a little, lets talk about the some of the PROS. 

1. The nutritional value of store bought eggs vs free range eggs. As well as the color,texture, and taste of fresh eggs vs store eggs. It is something you have to see in person to truly appreciate.

 

2. FREE FERTILIZER.  When you clean the coop the dropping and straw can be added directly to your compost pile or your garden. For those of you who grow garden this is an excellent way to boost your production for FREE.

3. Chickens LOVE bugs. They will eat anything including ants,spiders,flies,caterpillars,slugs,worms, june bugs, grasshoppers, mosquito,moths and beetles. Really anything that is creepy and crawly. They will keep the bug population of your yard to a minimum.

4. Chickens will till your garden for you. They love to scratch and dig to look for treats. In the fall and spring let them into your garden area and they will eat the weeds, add fertilizer by pooping in it and then mix it all in for you. That means less yard work for you!

5.Chicken are great entertainment.  No really they are and I'm not talking about cock fights!  Every person that has visited my farm and seen my chickens say to me that they could sit there all day and watch them. 

Its true, chickens have personalities just as dogs and cats do. Nothing is better than sitting on your deck at the end of the day watching your hens chase around bugs. 

6. Chickens can teach children responsibility. Our kids do NOT own ipods/ ipads.  They have very limited computer or Wii time. Not that we limit it as much as they enjoy being outside playing and running. They love checking for eggs and counting how many we have each day. They have chores to do around the farm. They feed the cats, dogs, and horses and they love it. They love having the responsibility and routine. It makes them feel important. It teaches them to do a job well done and be proud of their work. Last time I checked there wasn't an app for that.

7. This is where your eggs come from....

This is where mine come from...

 As you can see my birds have full feathers and can walk. The health of the bird effects the quality and nutrition of the egg. I'm not vegan. I believe animals are here for us to eat. But I do believe in NOT being cruel to animals and giving them the best healthiest life.

8. Allowing chickens in town will help to boost our local economy. We are lucky to have a great local feed store and hardware stores. You'll remember cost breakdown above of $1280 for the first year. IF 100 families decide to raise chickens and buy their supplies locally that is $128,000 put directly into our local economy. In a town of approx 3500 people $128,000 is a lot!  I also believe that it would bring new people to the community.

9. Chickens can actually reduce waste from going into our landfill. Here is a quote from Organic Gardening about backyard chickens "In Belgium, one city is actually giving three laying hens to 2,000 homes in an effort to reduce landfill costs. City officials expect to recover a significant portion of the $600,000 a year the city spends on dealing with this type of household "trash." According to Foreman, a single chicken can biorecycle about seven pounds of food residuals in a month. If just 2,000 households raise three hens, it could divert 252 tons of waste from landfills annually."  You can find it here.    

10. Some people have chicken for pets and not for eggs for meat. There are many breed of chicken that are some of the cutest things you've ever seen. There are also bantam chickens. They are about half the size of normal chickens and laying eggs half the size of normal eggs. Here is one example of a bantam silkie.

So now on the the Myth section of this post. There are so many misconceptions about chickens. I will try to clear up a few that I hear the most.

CHICKENS ARE NOISY        Yes, chickens can be noisy, especially a rooster. Towns/cities that do allow chickens do not allow roosters for that very reason. You do not need a rooster to produce eggs. Roosters are only needed for fertilizing eggs. When a hen lays an egg she sings an egg song, its not loud yes you can hear it if your outside and the coop window is open. I have never heard the egg song when I am inside my house.  If you don't have a rooster there is no crowing in the morning. We put out bird food to attract other birds into our yards to enjoy their songs and watch them play. Chicken are birds. They provide the same entertainment their smaller counterparts do.I lived in a city for 6 years. In that time, I can not count the times I was woken up by dogs barking. At least once a week I was woken up by cat fights. I've had chickens on my farm for 1 1/2 years. My bedroom window is less than 50 ft from the coop. I have NEVER been woken up by them and we even have roosters.   Bottom line chickens are NOT as noisy as people think. They are way less noisy than the animals currently allowed in town limits.

CHICKENS SMELL     They are NOT smelly. The birds themselves do not smell. The inside of the coop at times can get smelly when due for a clean out, but I have never been able to smell it from the outside. I've tried. If your neighbour says he can smell it he's probably lying. Tens of thousands of chickens in a commercial farm stink. A few backyard chickens do not.  Yards full of dog poo stink. Garbage's that cats get into stink. 

CHICKENS BELONG ON FARMS    So do dogs. Dogs shouldn't be confined to a backyard or run their whole lives.  They require walks and care. As do chickens. Chickens thrive just fine in backyard settings.

Those are the main myths that I have heard people express at their concerns. Which is fine to express concern but learn the facts. Find the answers to your questions. Don't just assume.

Being a chicken owner I would have suggestions for cities or town considering allowing chickens. I think they are fair and represent all members of the community and address certain concerns

-  Before they open the town to chickens they should do a pilot project. Only allow so many household to have chickens for a year see how it goes and go from there.

- There should be licences or permits as there are for dogs. Hey! it will help the town earn a little extra cash.

- There should be a maximum number allowed per household.  Anywhere from 3 up to 8 depending on lot size.

-There should be building codes for coops as there are for decks and sheds etc. 

- A neighbourhood agreement. Having your neighbour's on both sides give their consent.

- In Mundare AB (near Edmonton) in 2010 they allowed up to 5 chickens per household but anyone who wanted to have chickens had to complete a course on chicken care. Which include keeping the coop clean.

-apply fines for breaking any of the rules.

I believe there are ways to keep both sides happy. I think you would be surprised to find out how many chickens there are already in our towns and cities. And you don't even smell them or hear them. I know a family in Lethbridge who had chickens for YEARS before there neighbour found out and eventually reported them. Their children were devastated about giving away their family pet. 

I will always have chickens. I am lucky to be able to live on an acreage where me and my chickens can live in peace. I raise chickens for eggs and meat. For peace of mind knowing where my food comes from.  God forbid I ever have the grand misfortune to live in a town or city where I cannot have chickens. If that day ever comes I will either a) fight for the right to have chickens in my yard.  or the more likely answer b) just have chickens anyway, my neighbours most likely would never know and if they did I would just bribe them with fresh healthy eggs.  

But in all seriousness I beg you to take the time to do a little research before you make up your mind. I encourage you to visit the Hutterite egg farms or any other egg/chicken farms and them visit farms like mine and then decide where you want your food to come from.  I open my farm up to anyone who would actually like to learn more,see or ask questions about chickens. To see what they would actually be like in a backyard setting. I would suspect that you would be surprised. And if not change your mind on the topic, you would be more open to the idea.

2nd Annual Primrose Pumpkin Shoot!

One of the great this about living on a farm is you get to shoot stuff!  Last year we started this tradition and the kids couldn't wait to do it again this year!  After Halloween we take our pumpkins out back and line 'em up, and have target practice with them. All the kids got a turn with Daddy's help. I know I'm a little late posting these. But hey, I've been busy...Give me a break!

                                        

Oh a hunting we will go...

Nate likes to be the manly type so this last weekend we loaded up the kids and went hunting. It being the opening weekend for deer hunting there were hunters everywhere. We didn't have much luck in the morning or afternoon. But as the end of the day approached and most hunters were headed home we got lucky! Nate's dad got a doe first. Then we drove a little farther down the road and Nate got a Buck.

The kids were excited to get a picture with the deer to go on the "Kill Wall" at school. They go to a rural school where most of the community hunts. So all the kids bring in their pictures and get them put on the wall.

I think the kids handled it pretty well. Claire had a little meltdown. But she understands that we only hunt for food.  And that its important to be thankful, to the deer and to God for providing food for our family.

It was an interesting experience. Kinda like butchering the chickens. I have never been hunting before so I didn't know quite what to expect, I don't think it was as bad as I thought it would be.  We are still waiting to get our meat back from the butcher. We will be getting, jerky, breakfast sausage, dinner sausage, and some cutlets I think.  Next year we want to try butchering ourselves and see how it goes.

Wood Run

In the Fall we like to load up the kids and head to the Mountains. We cut down dead wood to keep our house warm through the winter. The kids LOVE going into the Mountains. We couldn't have asked for a better day. The weather was beautiful, we had chili and cornbread for lunch, and spent the day working and playing with the kids and Ma & Pa Primrose.  They were great helpers!

Isnt' he sooo manly??

 Taking a walk with Grandma

Every time Shiloh sees a camera this is what she does...

 seriously...every time...

...Once in awhile she will throw in ones of these.

Having a rest with grandma after a yummy lunch!

We can't wait to go again next year!

First Egg!!

About 3 weeks ago, We figured that we needed to get the laying boxes built because the chicks would start laying soon. As Nate was building them (Yes I still let him build some things! It makes him feel manly ;) I went to clean out the coop and get it ready for winter. And I just about shovelled an egg up!!

I was super excited, I ran to the house and got all the kids and Nate and made them come see. Shayde was so excited he was vibrating!  Nate was like "Its an egg." ... He wasn't that excited... he had chickens growing up and never was fond of them and an egg wasn't something to get excited over. But I explained to him that it wasn't just any egg.. It was OUR egg!  After that he was stoked...or at  least he pretended to be for my sake.

Shayde had to put the egg in a bag to take to Grandmas house to show her.

This is what he called his "egg beard"

Now about half of the chicks are laying. Every time we go collect them I still get so excited! Once they are all laying and going good we will be selling them. So if your in the area and want some awesomely tasty and healthy free range eggs let me know!

Butchering Day!

Growing up we had cows, I always looked forward to branding day. It was a fun time to spend with my dad and brothers, and get prairie oysters thrown at me. NOT that I like that part all too much! The morning we were getting ready to butcher the chickens I kinda had the same feeling of excitement. A day to spend with family doing farm work, joking and playing around.


Last weekend the Mr. had a day off so we decided it was time to butcher the chickens. My father in law came over to give us a hand since this was our first time and we didn't really know what we were doing! Nate had to catch them first. Then the heads where chopped off. Next they were dipped in boiling water to help the feathers come out easier. This is where I come in, I had to do most of the plucking. Then they were gutted and put in a pail of ice water to wait until all the chicken were done. They were bagged and put in the freezer to wait until I forget this day enough to be able to cook one!

At first I had a hard time with it, I was feeling a little queasy. In high school I was actually vegetarian for a while and I have a hard time eating anything that isn't cow or chicken. But I know that raising and eating your own free range chickens is WAY healthier then the store stuff I normally feed my family. And I know that the butchering was done in a humane way. So I took  one for the team and plucked those feathers! While I was plucking I didn't really think about anything, It wasn't until after we were done and all cleaned up that I actually got sick, I don't know if it was guilt or buyers remorse or what but it took me a day or two to get over it :(

 

In the end we butchered 12 roosters. We kept one, and we still have our 13 hens that should all be laying by the end of September. So it wasn't a lot. It only took a couple hours. I think that we will try it again next year. Now that we know what we are in for, and maybe we will try a few more. Also I think we should find a chicken plucker, I think that would make my life a lot better!