The Backstory on Hornet Nests

Bald-Faced Hornet nests have a story to tell. Through most of the year, hornet nests are barely visible tucked in trees with leaves surrounding them. But in winter, hornet nests are easily found and fascinating structures that can be safely explored without fear of repercussion. Around my neck of the woods, bald-faced hornets make beautiful, teardrop-shaped nests that provide a home base for the colony from spring to late fall.

New Hampshire Chicken - Breed Spotlight

The New Hampshire Red chicken is a great family-friendly bird that's named for the state where it was developed. Many confuse this breed with the Rhode Island Red which makes sense because it was originally developed from Rhode Island Red stock. This is a good dual-purpose bird that matures early and consistently lays brown eggs.

Class: American
Origin: United States
Comb Type: Single
Color: Red
Standard Size: 6.5 Pounds (Hen) 8.5 Pounds (Rooster)
Egg Color: Brown
Egg Size: Large
Production: 4 to 5 Eggs Per Week
Hardiness: Cold and Heat Tolerant
Disposition: Calm, Friendly

Big Red and our Buff Orpington (behind) are two of our most friendly chickens.

Winter Chicken Keeping - How Cold is Too Cold for Chickens?

As winter sets in and cold weather is here to stay, it’s common to wonder how cold is too cold for chickens? Let's face it, the weather plays an important part in our lives. There's a reason it's the most-watched part of our nightly news. It affects us and it affects our chickens.

Every year there are stories of folks that bought the wrong breed for their climate and experience losses, have unhealthy chickens, or end up bringing their birds inside where the climate is more moderate.

Don't let this happen to you! There's no magic number when it's too cold outside for chickens, but there are some cautions you should take during cold weather.

Be Sure to Follow Me on Instagram!

Instagram is one of my favorite social media outlets. I love to see pictures of people's lives and flocks. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that's what I get each time I visit Instagram.

Be sure to stop by to see almost daily pictures of my flock here at Elm Ridge Farm, along with all our other animals, gardens and nature. Also, don't forget to check out my story highlights. Each Instagram page handles these differently. For me, I think these stories are a quick and fun way for you to get to know me and my flock better. I change them up regularly and think you'll enjoy them.

Backyard Chicken Video Favorites

Enjoy these video favorites from the last few weeks. You'll see my flock jockeying for position as treats are served and eaten. You'll also see the hens free ranging in the woods. While my flock free ranges every day, they are in a very large fenced area. When I'm in the yard working or outside a lot, I'll open the gates and give them access to our wooded acreage. It's obvious they love it!

Over the Fence - A Week in Farm Photos

This week at Elm Ridge Farm (2/19 - 2/25) was full of good and bad. 

The good first. We had a week of temperatures over 60 degrees with a record-breaker on Friday at 78 degrees. It was fun to get outside without a jacket! We all met the goat below at our local feed shop. He was quite the character. In fact, he butted his way onto the straw bale he's standing on, just to meet us. Spring flowers started to bloom this week and the chickens loved being outside in the comfortable weather. Peepers, our Speckled Sussex, found some creative ways to get out of the backyard but stood still long enough to pose for the Fluffy Butt Friday photo below. 

The bad. We had to put our 15-year-old cat, Maggie to sleep on Thursday. She was diagnosed with lymphoma and within a week, she was so bad that we had to put her out of her misery. Her picture is below with Middie, the bunny. Middie died suddenly in September and was beloved. So, it's been a rough few months with losses here in our household. We all hope that Maggie and Middie find each other in heaven so they can play together again. 

Enjoy my week in farm photos!

Over the Fence - A Week in Farm Photos

This week (February 11th - 18th) has been busy here at Elm Ridge Farm. It's been a week of wild weather, from cold to warm. Now it looks like we're going into a long stretch of 60-degree weather in mid-February. Amazing! We may even break some records. My only concern is that the plants are starting to wake up. If that happens and we go back into cold weather, that could ruin the spring bloom. But, no sense in worrying about things you can't control! I'm just planning to enjoy the weather. No snow equals no snow shoveling, and that's a good thing!

Enjoy the photos and video below from my week!

VIDEO 

For Valentines' Day, I treated the flock to leftovers from a crab leg lunch. They loved picking out all the leftover meat and happily munched on the shells too. Leftover seafood can be a great source of protein and calcium.

FOX SQUIRREL

This Fox Squirrel visited the tree outside my office and didn't like our cat below. He's too big for a cat, so he really had no worries. But he spent a lot of time yelling about the cat. Lol!