Paradise in Disguise Hobby Farm Blog

As some of you know, we've been composting with our chickens for many years now. In 2012, I wrote this article for a Backyardchickens.com contest & won!  Composting with Chickens   A lot has changed since then. We've moved.  We moved 75 -80 cubic yards of finished compost for our new garden.  (photo below - Nov 2014) We have a lot more chickens.  I've made mistakes and learned from them.  But, I'm still composting with chickens.  This is the 5th year we've been recycling food scraps from Cross Roads Cafe & Tuna III in Delhi.  For a few years now, I've been looking (and continue to) for more sources of food waste, whether it be a small or large amount.  I've put a few "ads" out there on FB, craigslist, etc, but only had a few short-term contributions of food waste.  We mostly used compostable material from our garden, mulch hay from local farms and leaves we'd scavenged ...

After my previous post that was on the "heavy" side, I thought I'd share a few photos from the end of April 2017. The first group is of the PA/DC group during their free-range time on the side lawn, while waiting for the grass paddocks to grow. turkey hen sunbathing Truck Cap Coop main rooster & hens Leaves just budding out Rooster pen - the big boy in the middle is just that. The rooster to his left is a Bielefelder cross, so also  a big rooster. The one to the right is like 1/4  bantam cochin, 1/4 Swedish Flower Hen, 1/2 Catskill Homesteader - so he's small, but good-sized for being a "little rooster".    Leaf Vacuum / Wood Chipper Trailer at DCHA clean-up day The pile of leaves we got - one very full load!

1/21/16 - A Day in the Life: Photographic Journey through Winter Chores at Paradise in Disguise Hobby Farm In the 45 days since I last posted here on my blog, winter has officially arrived. This past week (1-17 to 1-22), it hasn't gotten above 30*F, and we've had light snow flurries on almost a daily basis. This makes daily "critter chores", as I call them, more of a challenge than in the summer months. The garden hose is frozen, so I fill up 2 water buckets in the shower. Even though I have 4 heated water bowls, they need to be topped off, plus the rooster's and main flock's water rubber dishes need to be filled. But before I can go outside, I put on snow pants, coat, gloves and/or mittens, and heavy winter boots. Because last weekend, it did get above freezing, the snow started to melt, then re-froze, coating all the high-traffic paths with ice! Therefore, I have to wear ice cleats or else I would have fallen many times. The winter mode of transport ...

There is so much to be thankful for, that it would take more time that I'd like to spend in just one sitting to write it all down! But, here's a few "favorite" things I'm thankful for: The provision of a home and food, a wonderful life that despite its trials and tribulations, there is much that makes it very enjoyable. The abundant garden this year, including the fall crop of arugula that's surviving the cold temps & repeated frosts. My great parents and the special time we spent together for my birthday, including this wonderful hike. An especially BIG THANK YOU to My God and King who has faithfully lead and directed me each step of the way along this journey of life.  I'm also thankful for all that has gotten accomplished this year, especially the delay in snowfall, because it has allowed us to get many outdoor projects buttoned up before it was too cold. The many pullets and yes, cockerels that have been ha...