The Walnut Wizard

When I was a little girl on 14th street, our yard had three walnut trees in between our house and the Kelly's next door.  In the backyard was another black walnut. 

My dad would have the kids (neighbors, and my sister and myself) pick up the walnuts, and he would carefully lay them out on tarps to dry, then hull them himself.  There were many times we cracked black walnuts in the house in the evening and picked out and ate their good meats.

Fast forward 50 years.... we have three walnut trees in our yard now, and every year, I spend hours bent over picking up walnuts to get them out of the way of the mower, and prevent myself from breaking an ankle stepping on them.  Last year, I paid the grands to pick them up, and then took them all down and unloaded them at the brush pile in the pasture.

So.... this year, a friend asked if we would donate our walnuts to her, as she needs tires for her car right now.

I said "Sure".  Then she got a bad cold, so I began picking up walnuts and putting them in buckets for her.  Yesterday, on the way to Fort Leavenworth, I dropped off what I had gathered and told her there were plenty more.  I dropped some walnuts in her drive as we bagged them in net bags... and she ran to get.... The Walnut Wizard!  WOW!  I had never seen one of these.  So today, I stopped by there on my way home AGAIN from Fort Leavenworth, and borrowed the walnut wizard and some sacks from her.

 

If you biggify the picture, you will see that Keith is laughing.  He did a whole bucket in about five minutes or less, a bucket that took me 30 minutes of bending and standing to fill yesterday.

 

Here is a better look at the Dyson of Walnut Picker-Uppers.

 

 

To empty it, you gently pull the wires apart and let the walnuts fall into the bucket.  We picked up in 30 minutes what it took me an hour and a half to do yesterday by just picking up.  We still have to get the ones hiding against the walls of buildings, or hiding in deep grass... but really, this made it so much simpler.  We have a hulling station about 30 miles from us, and my friend will drive out there next week with the walnuts (or perhaps Friday) and sell them.  They are hulled first, then she will be paid by the hundredweight. 

 

Keith says we will get a Walnut Wizard this fall. 

 

I noticed that the tree by the above big henhouse had huge, plump walnuts, while our ancient tree has small ones.  We have another tree over by the road, and it's walnuts are smaller, too, but I will spend time tomorrow picking up those.  I'm hoping to take 3 full buckets and 3 full sacks to my friend tomorrow or the next day.

 

Our neighbors have a tree with bigger walnuts, and tomorrow, I'll see if they would like theirs rolled up by the Wizard.

 

 

It is an absolute joy to drive the roads of Leavenworth County these days.  The colors of fall almost hurt to look at, and I am stunned we have so much color despite the drought that still lingers.  They tell us there is a chance of rain Thursday, and a better one on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

The birds from the little henyard flock were enjoying their bread treats, despite the overcast afternoon.  I'm praying we get some of the rain they're talking about, despite the way it turns the henyards into a skating rink! 

 

Once we move birds out, there will be only 8 small roosters left in this yard.  Eventually, when the big henhouse has been refurbished, we will move the oldsters and some of the other small roosters back over, so they'll have some friends.  Towards these lines, I have kept the door between the two henyards open for several weeks now, and have noticed that the two big roosters, Rambo and Legs, have not bothered these little guys, who kowtow to them anyway.   Jackson and Annabelle sleep in this yard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Determined Mother

Silka... tonight:

Notice the tip of the iceberg under her breastbone?  I crawled in there.... there were TEN EGGS under her.

I'm not telling Keith.

She, Flicka, and Rosewitha hatched at least 30 chicks last year.  Rosewitha is living in the big henhouse again now, and so far, Flicka has not plopped herself down on any eggs, thank heavens.  Let's see.... 12 new bantams, but one a cockerel.... 22 chicks in the shop under lights.... hmmmm..... 15 original occupants (with the loss of Ruffles) in the little henhouse.  I sure hope that new henhouse gets built quickly before golf season goes into full swing!

Hopefully, my friend Joani will be interested in some nice-colored and hopefully frizzled bantams for this summer!

I didn't have the heart to throw them out.  

A Little of This and That

Well, we are about to descend into the snowbanks again here in Tonganoxie, starting tomorrow.  The driveway has just turned into a fine sheen of ice, so I guess we are lucky that the snow will cover it.  We had a bit of thaw yesterday, and could actually see gravel in the ruts of the drive, but they turned to ice at nightfall. It meant that the snowboots came back out, as we are both afraid of a fall and breaking a limb.  I was on crutches a few years ago for weeks, and it is not fair to Keith if it happens again!

We are expecting some frigid nights in the next week, so will be back at it, making sure our little birds in the little henhouse have good water at least morning and evening.  They did not get outside today, we are still worried that the tiny ones will not be able to get back up the long ramp and inside.   Keith had to net one the other night, on one of the few days they have gone out.

This picture shows how we block the doorway, so that young chicks can't get out freely until they are able to jump up and over.

The chickens currently residing inside the little henhouse are bantam crosses, half silkie, half frizzle cochin bantam, called "Genevieves" by a friend.  They are nice little birds, and they also have a little Old English Gamebird thrown in some of them, and a little Japanese bantam.  Several of the new little birds are very, very small, almost smaller than the Old English birds.  I like the little birds, and yes, you can eat their eggs too!

Some of the current hatch... they were born in September.  You can see the silkie influence by the topnots on several, and the black bird looks just like her mother, who I am sure was our cochin bantam Blackie.  The pretty brown bird is silkie and cochin, and out of Flicka, one of the three mamas that raised these.  These birds are full grown, but very, very small... they have been breeding down for three years now.  The little cockerel on the roost is full grown! 

And THIS is one of the four birds left from last June's hatch who has GONE BROODY!

I have tried for two nights to get her off the eggs... I was able to get one out last night but she is guarding the rest with life and limb.  We can't reach into the corners of the little henhouse (we are going to rectify that by cutting two cleanout holes when it gets warmer).... so on Saturday, I will have Nathan climb in through the back pophole and lift her up, and get all the eggs that have been laid this week by the four hens laying in there!  ARGGGHHHH!  This is NOT the time of year to be hatching chicks! 

To be fair, her endocrine system is probably off, as I have had to run a warm light in there since September, first because the chicks were so little, and now because of the cold.  It's a red chick light, but still, it affects the hen's sitting and egg-laying.

So far, she is the only one going down on eggs... we are hoping the other four grown hens in there don't get the same idea!

Tomorrow night, it's book review time!

First Look at Snow

Last year at this time we were under about 3 feet of snow, and zero or below-zero temps.  Friday we had a light snow and were worried that it was going to continue (shades of Christmas Eve 2009).  I was off work and went out to do chicken chores in mid-afternoon, and as I approached the little henhouse, I saw the September hatch chicks in the doorway, marveling at the snow!  These chicks still don't go outside... the piece of wood is still put up daily to keep them in.  When they are ready, they'll start hopping up and over, like the hatches before them. Then we'll have a chick round up for the first few days or weeks every night.

Yes, that's duct tape on the wall... we made a hole for the electric cord to pass through the night the chicks hatched so we could light the warming light.

Now it's run up and through one of the upper windows that's now covered with fiberglas.

Rosewitha, one of the three mamas, has now gone back to the big henhouse, where she is living again happily with One, Two, Three and Four the roosters, and her sister Dovey, as well as the other chickens who roost in the rafters. Flicka and Silka are still caring for the chicks, who are now all roosting with the two hens, Ratchett the Rooster, and the four remaining chicks from the June hatch that live in the little henhouse, 3 pullets and one rooster, Ruffles.

What IS that stuff out there?

I had two Old English Game Hens (now living with my friend Cindy) but they have numerous descendents in the little flock.  That's one on the right.... and the one on the left is clearly a silkie cross.

I have several friends who swear by their purebred chickens... and I like mine, too... but I love my little bantam crosses and think them very beautiful.  This weekend I'll try to get a good picture of the whole bunch lined up so you can see what nice birds they have become.  This hatch is VERY small.... and I'll try to get pictures of how small that is. 

Tomorrow night I'll write about what we have accomplished here at Calamity Acres this year, and all those dear pets and friends who have gone on now over the Rainbow Bridge, and what we would like to do next year.

Mamas At Work

Rosewitha, Silka, and Flicka are all taking good care of the ten new chicks.  Chick twelve was born but did not make it, another fully formed, but was probably not warmed and died of exhaustion.  Chick Thirteen never hatched, and the egg went out today.  All seem to be vigorous, even the two that I had my doubts about.  The mamas cluck to them constantly, and the chicks ebb and flow around their skirts as they search the bedding of the little henhouse. 

The Little Henhouse

Yes, that's a doghouse under it where the earlier hatch lived with their mother!