A New Use for an Old Greenhouse

When we built the house in ’97, we had specific plans to attach a greenhouse at some point. The builder looked askance when we told him NOT to put a window on the back side of one room because we were going to build a greenhouse. Actually, the builder looked askance fairly frequently at some of our strange requests…

In 1999, the Boss finally got around to building that greenhouse. We have used it constantly ever since. Without it we couldn’t start our seedlings for planting and would be forced to buy starts. This would get incredibly expensive. By starting our own seedlings, we are also able to have a diversity of plants and varieties that would otherwise be impossible.

We have used it for all sorts of other projects, too. Drying things, painting things, you name it, the greenhouse has probably seen that kind of use.

However, we never intended to use it as easy access to the roof. Never even thought of that one!

The back porch is fairly close to the greenhouse. The curved shape makes it accessible to the cats. One of the cats found that by jumping from the porch to the greenhouse, the roof is an easy climb. What a vantage point for bird “watching”!

One cat had an ongoing “issue” with a mockingbird who would sit on the roof and mock her. She took matters into her own paws and began stalking the bird while it sat on the roof! There are little claw marks up one side of the plastic where cat traffic has been repeatedly.

We hadn’t had a cat on the roof for a long time…until yesterday.

The Boss and I were in the office when we heard a BOING…or was it a THUMP?... outside. “WHAT was THAT?” The sound reminded me of…reminded me of…oh, yeah…a cat on the greenhouse!

When I walked out back, there he was…scaling the roof. The Indiana Jones of the cat world.

Booooyyy was checking out the chimney, talking to himself. By the time he got over the ridge and down to the front porch, he had apparently decided this adventure thing wasn’t such a good idea, and he started to cry. (look close, he's under the dormer) The dogs were cavorting around, trying to figure out how to get their furry immenseness up there and have a little fun. The more he cried, the more they cavorted. I called them all from the backyard.

The thrill of adventure behind him, Booooyyy went back over the house to begin the descent.
Hmmm, looks like it’s a long way down!

Mama? Help me Mama!

Oh, wait….what’s this interesting thing? Hmm, something to eat?

Finally, he decided to hop off the side of the greenhouse.


With that adventure over, he’s off looking for something to eat elsewhere.

With interruptions like this one being regular occurrences...it's no wonder I don't get anything done!

Benefits of Barn Kitties

Most every barn I’ve ever been in has had at least one resident cat.

When a barn is used for grain storage, it is like issuing an open invitation to rodents and critters from near and far. All too easily these visitors can get way out of hand. Enter the BARN CAT!

Years ago, Miss Kitty showed up on the farm. Hugely pregnant and incredibly hungry, she was first seen swiping a piece of buttered bread from the chicken bucket on the back porch. Over time, she had her kittens, became tame enough to pet, and eventually made her way inside. It’s been well over 13 years since our first meeting, and she’s still part of farm life here on the hill. She’s moving way slower these days, but she still does her fair share on the rodent patrol in the barn. She has also moved back to the barn and seems to favor the warmth of the hoophouse.

About two years ago Squeekie showed up. She was just a timid kitten when we first began seeing her. She, too, had a litter of kittens. (Since then, ALL the cats have been “fixed”) Despite our continued interaction with her, she is just not as friendly as “Mert” (Miss Kitty doesn’t MEOW…she usually just says “mert”…hence, the nickname.) She is a nice cat and a tireless hunter, nonetheless.

Squeekie chose the hayloft to have her kittens. There was the cutest little nest of four kitties. One did not survive. Somehow, the survivors ended up staying. Correction, two stayed, one moved in with A & T and continued the family line elsewhere. The kittens are grown cats now; “Booooyyy” has even gotten his own blog entries, while Sissie is the kittie beauty queen.

With all these cats, there are no rodents chewing through feedsacks, and no birds bringing with them the possibility of coccidiosis. Voles and shrews, and even moles are quickly dispatched. There’s not too much chance of any type of pest staying in the barn for long. This is fine by us!

The cats’ antics provide some much appreciated amusement along the way, too. It is not unusual to see them catapult into the loft or race through the barn in hot pursuit of each other, or sleeping together in a fuzzy kitty pile. Their interaction with the dogs create some funny moments as well. They are all somewhat friendly and funny and allow a warm cuddle now and then.

But, quite possibly their best quality….they LOVE to eat GRASSHOPPERS! As a matter of fact, the horrible pests seems to be a preferred summer delicacy.

Considering the amount of damage grasshoppers cause us, we're glad for all the help we can get.


Yay, Barn Kitties!

Moving Day....er, Night

After the new henhouse was completed, it was time to re-locate the hens. It is best to move chickens after dark when they are somewhat drowsy. Otherwise, it just becomes an aggravating chase with lots of squawking and cussing.

To keep the chaos to a minimum, Jed and Ellie were relegated to the barn. Poor dogs…they miss out on ALL the "fun"!

The Boss moved the old henhouse (with the hens inside) out of the way of the new one.

Feed was placed in the new henhouse, as the hens will have to stay inside for a day to get acclimated to their new digs.

Then the hens were caught and rather unceremoniously moved to the new house.

Look at their spacious new dwelling! They should be impressed…

Nah, they squawked a little, found comfortable sleeping arrangements (one decided to sleep ON the feeder) and went back to sleep, snoring their little chicken snores.

The electric net fence was replaced. Job complete!

After a day, the Boss will let them out to forage once more. At this point, he will also add the second nest box to the house. It had to stay during construction of the new house so the girls would have someplace to lay their eggs…and THEN he will find out just how well his automatic chicken door closer works!

In the meantime, since Jed and Ellie were released from the barn, they are intent on investigating the old chicken house that is now parked in the backyard.

It is just a matter of time until it morphs into something else. Just a matter of time…

All the Modern Conveniences

When the Boss bought the old horse trailer to re-furbish into a henhouse, I had more than a few doubts. Since he could see the finished project in his head and I wasn’t able to imagine it, I really wondered. But, as it nears completion, I am more than a little impressed.

The hens really needed some more space, particularly when the weather is bad and they cannot get outside. After the mite issue last winter, we purchased metal nestboxes and really needed to get both units into use. When spring comes and the pullets begin to lay, the large flock of laying hens would be quite crowded in our old henhouse.

After a good deal of demolition, the new construction began.

There are hinged shutters that will allow ventilation during hot summer days, but keep the snow and cold at bay in the winter.

Poly-carbonate wall panels allow some light, while keeping it dark enough for the hens to feel safe enough to lay their eggs. The end was closed in and a "people door" installed.

The metal nest boxes have “roll-out” trays to keep the eggs clean and un-eaten. The fact they are metal with no bedding will prevent the nasty mites from finding a comfortable home. There will be another unit placed opposite of this one.

The wire floor is stable enough for human traffic, but open enough to allow the chicken manure to fall through, keeping the henhouse and hens clean.


But, the “piece de resistance”, the most modern of modern conveniences is an electric timer on the door.
This is something we have missed for a long time. Our henhouse back in Warrenton had a similar device. Pick the time; set the switch and prest-o…the chickens are closed in safely for the night! No more trips out in the cold, rain, snow, dark. No more forgetting the nightly closing due to senior moments or an early onset of sleep. Never again will we wake in the middle of the night unable to remember if we did indeed lock the chicken door.

Yippee! The Boss is brilliant!

Now, the fun part begins…the big hen transfer…
That’s a job for after dark, when all the hens are sleepy and complacent.

Here we go…

Solar Power

This time of year, the hoophouse can be either a place to find great delight, or have a moment of complete despair.

With night time temperatures dipping into the twenties, the plants in the hoophouse often freeze solid overnight. The first time I witnessed this phenomenon, I was certain that we had lost the entire crop. I went back a couple hours later and was totally amazed at the transformation. The wilted, frozen plants were strong and straight and vibrant. WOW!

As long as the plants are protected from the winds, and somewhat sheltered from the cold, they will survive. On extremely cold nights, we put row cover on the young, delicate plantings. While we must accept some minimal loss throughout the winter, the amount of growth in the UN-heated hoophouses always amazes me. Some cloudy days the plants will stay frozen, only to have them bound back to verdant beauty with the next sunny day.


It might not be a trip to the islands, but on a sunny day it is green and warm and wonderful. ...not to mention profitable!

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Waylon’s life has been like a country song.

He left his mama and the home farm behind. He found himself in with a gang of other misguided youth. Then, he had “women”…lots of them! …and now, he’s incarcerated and alone. SO alone!

Last month, Waylon headed out to the ram paddock. You can read about that here. http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2011/11/waylons-really-bad-day.html



Since then, he has paced, he has cried, he has butted the fence, he has cried, he has climbed the fence, he has cried. He injured himself attempting to stand on the gate to look for his missing girlfriends. The best explanation of his injury would be a sprained ankle. He hobbled around for more than a week, crying the whole time. He finally made a complete recovery.

Last week, he stopped eating well. Then, he stopped eating at all. He would nibble at things, but there was no enthusiasm to his eating, no real appetite. He looked thin. I worried.

When I worry, I in turn worry the Boss. I get more than a little repetitive as I try to figure out solutions. I am probably about as annoying as Waylon’s crying. The difference is, I apologize—Waylon does NOT.

In considering solutions, we checked his health. Sheep can be victim of several internal parasites. The one with the most visible effects is the Haemonchus Contortus, the red stomach worm. This parasite survives on the host’s blood, and anemia very quickly follows infestation. Waylon’s eyelids and eyes were pale. This demanded prompt action. He was given and antihelmintic and a probiotic immediately. The antihelmintic kills the parasites, the probiotic restores the good "bugs" to the gut and encourages appetite.

The following morning, his appetite was back, he had a little zip to him. But, he was still crying…

We have already been through the list of solutions. Get him a “friend” was the most likely one. However, that is much easier said than done. This time of year, all the shepherds are down to their breeding stock. A donkey might work, but we didn’t want to introduce the handling issues of another species. (someday I’ll have to tell about our llama of long ago, Shirley) Besides, it was quite possible Waylon would freak out with a donkey and then we’d have a whole new set of problems.

The decision was made to let one of the little girls go live with him for a while. This will more than likely produce lambs at a weird time of year, but there are worse things. Like a dead ram, for one. Once we get the lambchop crop of 2012 on the ground, we can figure out a better long-term solution.

In the meantime, just one more day of Waylon…..”Crying, crying, crying over ewes…” (Roy Orbison, I apologize. I went for the pun...I really couldn't help it!)


**for the record, I DO know that the title is Hank, Sr. …not Waylon Jennings!**

What's All the Ruckus?

Part of Jed and Ellie Mae’s job as our guard dogs is to alert us of anything unusual. However, their “definition” of unusual and ours is vastly different. More than once I have found myself saying “WHAT…What are you barking at?” only to realize I am talking to a dog.

The cold, clear nights of late fall and early winter cause all the wild critters to come out to forage. There are skunks and raccoons, and a LOT of deer. Quite often, the dogs will spend most of the night patrolling and barking. Then, they spend the rest of the day sleeping in order to recuperate for the following night. Yes, sometimes this is truly annoying. But, it is their nature, and part of the reason we have them.

Recently, the deer have been quite active. Not only is it the “rut” (mating season), it’s also hunting season. We see deer most every day. The Boss and I have both startled a doe (on separate occasions) within 50 feet of the house. So, the dogs have been doing a LOT of barking. We have learned to “zone them out”.

Thursday, they began barking during morning chores. Sure enough, when I looked, there was at least one deer visible. As I watched to see if more followed it up the hill, I heard yelling from down in town. Apparently, one of the town neighbors’ dog had escaped. First, the kid called the dog. Then, the mama called the dog. Then, the dad called the dog. Finally, the whole family called the dog. Each and every time they yelled, Jed and Ellie barked.

The bark of a Great Pyrenees is a deep and sonorous bark. It is an impressive, rather pleasing sound. (Unless, of course, it is the middle of the night.) The sound carries a long way so I was not surprised to see the neighbor’s vehicle come up the lane in response to the barking. Jed and Ellie bounded up the drive and barked at the gate. I suppose the neighbors realized these huge white “bark-meisters” were NOT their dog, because they drove off quickly. Things calmed down.

I had just decided what to have for breakfast, when they broke out barking again. NOW WHAT?? With the thought of a dog on the loose, I went back out to check the sheep. An aside here, more sheep are maimed, severely injured or killed by pet dogs than any other type of predator. So, a check of the sheep paddock was in order.

All the sheep were facing down the hill, staring intently at something. My immediate thought was that it must be the rogue dog. Since it was far enough away that the dogs couldn’t get to it and I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, I got my camera in order to use the telephoto to see better. I could tell it was a bird of some type. The size indicated a bird of prey. I figured it was a red-tailed hawk. We see those quite often. The hunting is quite good with all the undergrowth along the fencelines.

As I watched, one of the more curious sheep walked closer. When she did, the bird took flight. Jed and Ellie went nuts! What in the world? It was NOT a hawk, but a great blue heron. Herons are frequently seen fishing along Back Creek. This creek runs through the front of our property.

Jed and Ellie were not satisfied that the heron flew into the neighbor’s field. They fussed and worried over him/her until finally the heron flew away, and has not been seen since.

The rest of the day was relatively peaceful…...as Jed and Ellie Mae rested up for another round of farm patrol.