Journey to the Sea...

We are spending labor day weekend at Seabrook on the coast of Washington, a most beautiful beach and planned community close to our lovely rain forests.  We had sun and clouds and maybe rain tomorrow!  We ride bikes, BBQ, have wine and cheese hour everyday, and we play games together in the evenings like Monopoly (Nick always wins), Settlers of Catan, Clue, Pictionary (I'm really bad at drawing cows) and Risk.

We always play boche ball on the beach and I lost very badly this year.  We may have a badminton tournament tomorrow.

We all really miss our dog Tina, the best Jack Russell Terrier in the world, who passed away after Christmas.  She loved Seabrook and the beach so much.  Last time we were here she found squeaky "eggplant" toy that drove us all nuts.  She was the fastest ball chaser ever!

We collected driftwood for my driftwood project...

We found some pretty good driftwood specimens in the dunes...

When I leave for a short trip or vacation, I have friends who come over and let the chickens out and put them in at night.  Its great peace of mind knowing that they are responsible and the chickens will be well cared for.   They also collect the eggs and make sure everyone looks healthy and happy.  Water is really important to replenish since its still warm this labor day weekend.  I hope everyone is enjoying the last lovely weekend of summer!

- Rita

Pooper Scooper - The Dark Side of Chicken Ownership

I hate to say it, but you must know this truth behind urban chicken keeping - It's not all fun and free eggs...poo must be scooped!

With 6 chickens in my yard I have to scoop poop daily in the Summer.  This is my "pooper scooper" and I actually find it somewhat relaxing to just zone out and scoop.  You can either keep the poo for fertilizer or to add to mulch, or you can put in the yard waste bin or composter.  The other plus about scooping poop is you will be able to monitor the health of your chickens.  If they have runny or wet poo then you immediately know you have a problem and can track it down.  Some people use a poo board - a board you put in the coop under the roost at night to judge the health of chickens - but I just scoop and look.  The poo should be solid and have a white salt layer.

But there is a silver lining! In the Winter the job is a bit easier. With all the rain in the Northwest, the poo just filters right down into the grass and garden.  Its great organic fertilizer for the yard - I never use chemical fertilizer in the backyard in order to keep my chickens healthy and happy.

Just remember when you decide to keep girls - poo happens!

- Rita