Hungry Chicken Homestead | Promoting the pursuit of the American Dream … One egg at a time

Chickens Love Colorado Springs!

Welcome to Hungry Chicken Homestead! Six hungry chickens live here as well as some other animals, and people who know where the food is stored.

The chickens love Colorado Springs and want to tell you about local farms and small businesses right here in our community! Chickens know a thing or two about the importance of a good flock and good things to eat. Likewise, people benefit from knowing their neighbors and knowing where to get good food!

Look around! You’ll find stories about Colorado businesses and farms, stories about the Homestead and even listings telling you where to buy food grown or produced right here in our neck of the woods.

We hope you’ll find a little inspiration for your own story too!

Meet the Farm and Art Market Vendors: Rocky Mountain Worm Company

Posted on May 20, 2013 by bonnie

Some farms look like this…

Noisy, sunny and full of dirt. I love it!

And some look like this …

It’s oddly quiet in here. From a worm’s perspective, it all looks the same, I suppose. It doesn’t matter if your dirt is in a bucket, a worm composter or a garden.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from my visit to the Rocky Mountain Worm Company last week. I’ve never seen a worm farm, or a farm in a warehouse! Then again, I can probably count the number of actual worms I’ve seen here in Colorado on my fingers.

... Until Jay opened the first bucket of worms, that is.

“Do you want to hold one?”, Ken asked. ”Oh, no,” I said squeamishly.

This well organized farm in the distinctly un-farmlike neighborhood around Platte & Circle, is a family business. Ken Williams and his son Jay happened across a DVD about worm farming in 2010. As Jay tells it, his wife suggested they go into business together and the two practiced organic gardeners decided to do it.

The worms start as “cocoons”, which they sift out of the soil. Then, much like chicken eggs, they go into an incubator.

The incubated cocoons hatch and then the whole batch of them go into buckets.

The buckets of African Nightcrawler Worms, the big worms you see in soil, are labeled with the worms’ age.

“So … these are the pullets?”, I said, as we stood over the newest worms.

Jay looked quizzically at me.

“Well … yes, sort of,” he said.

The red wiggler worms like to do the composting. Ken & Jay keep them in a gigantic composting bin.

The red wiggler worms like to do the composting and can be kept under the sink. Ken & Jay keep them in a gigantic composting bin. They donate the castings to Pikes Peak Urban Gardens!

They sell the worms for compost and gardens until they get too old. At that point, they are sold for bait.

“Do you have some favorites?”, I asked. ”You know … like some chickens in every flock become pets?”

Once again, they looked at me quizzically.

“Hey!”, I said. ”We had so much fun naming Lil’ Bit Farm’s baby goats, why don’t we have a naming contest for your favorite worms!”

Jay pointed out that thousands of worms lived in this bin and it would be hard to find them again.

“If we gave all these worms names, we’d spend all our time thinking of names!”

You can buy castings, cocoons and worms from their shop at 411-A Tia Juana St.

They’ll be at the Farm and Art Market with castings, cocoons and a small selection of worms. Call ahead if you want worms, to make sure they bring some for you. You can also order them online and they’ll ship to anywhere.

“Worms are the intestines of the earth,” said Jay, quoting Aristotle.

A worm farm may lack the chaos and sunshine of a chicken or goat farm, but worms do their part for healthy soil.

They deserve respect too, even if there are too many to name.

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Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Kind to Animals: Belcrest Animal Clinic

Posted on May 15, 2013 by bonnie

“I called earlier and you suggested dropping him off,” I said to the Belcrest Animal Clinic technician behind the counter, “but I just can’t leave him.”

“The doctor will be here in half an hour,” she said kindly. ”Do you want to wait?”

I appreciated this. Setting foot in any kind of medical establishment makes my stomach hurt. I lost 3 cats in a year and a half, the odyssey ending last July with the death of Snowball. I like to think they are with my late husband, all of whom have gone to Cat Heaven, because Dave liked cats and wouldn’t mind being surrounded by them in the afterlife.

Patience is here with me, but I like how the picture is a little otherworldly.

As you can imagine, I get a little anxious whenever I take my cats to the vet now, especially if it’s an emergency.

Mr. Pickles isn’t feeling well.

Mr. Pickles has been throwing up more than is normal for a cat and despite his best attempts to act like nothing is wrong, I took him to the doctor this morning, even though we didn’t have an appointment.

The clinic has been renovated and looks so pretty outside!

We waited a while in the waiting room, where Pickles sat on my shoulder and looked out the window.

This window.

No cat in his right mind wants to go to the doctor, but even after spending a full week there in kittenhood, Pickles is not afraid of the staff or Dr. Hancock. Everyone we talked to treated us patiently and kindly, despite our lack of appointment. One technician even stopped by to say hello to Mr. Pickles when she heard he was there.

I’m sure Mr. Pickles was happy to see her again, but he was busy curling up in his box.

Dr. Hancock (like Dr. Linda Mitchell in Cleveland at Rainbow Vet Clinic) is a good veterinarian. He patiently answers all my questions. He takes my comments seriously and acknowledges that I know my cat. He and the clinic staff treat my animals kindly and recognize how important they are to me.

Anyone who has a beloved pet will understand what I mean when I say there are times when I’d give them my house to make my little friend feel better. Dr. Hancock doesn’t take advantage of this, though (nor did Dr. Mitchell). He gave me a treatment plan and a cost estimate in writing. This professional touch is a show of respect for the client.

I’ve got one more thing to say and I think it’s important.

Mr. Pickles probably ate something he shouldn’t & he’ll likely be alright, but I noted something when I brought Snowball in for the last time. Dr. Hancock understood that no one lives forever. He knew, just as I did, that it was time to let Snowball go. He told me the heroic measures we could take, but didn’t insist upon them.

I appreciated that.

Mr. Pickles will have an x-ray this morning and I will sit by the phone until they call. In the meantime, I know the staff are treating him well.

And I know he’ll be home soon.

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Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Four Lessons from Roxanne Chicken

Posted on May 14, 2013 by bonnie

What a delightful spring morning in the Homestead backyard!

Patience the Cat is galloping across the yard at random intervals while Mr. Pickles watches him from the cover of a bush. The hens are pecking around, looking for bugs and overlooked bits of hen scratch. Every so often, Patience expresses his exuberance by leaping into the air like a gymnast, after a fly.

Later, we’ll all do this.

Roxanne Chicken is doing as the other chickens do, except that occasionally she wanders over to say hello to me.

She stands next to my chair and eyes me amicably.

Roxanne is the Garage Chicken. The other hens give her such a hard time that I bring her into the garage at night to sleep.

I scold them when I see it, but chickens never listen to me.

I scold them when I see them harass her, but chickens never listen to me.

Roxanne, who is Chicken #6 of six, keeps an eye on me. We have a closer relationship than I do with the other birds and I believe this gives her confidence.

This plucky little bird finds ways to get her share of the treats.

I’m learning a lot from Roxanne. I did not know chickens could anticipate or enjoy anything, but she has shown me that they can. She likes to play a game we call Chase the Chicken and she watches me closely to make sure we don’t miss a scheduled match!

Every chicken has her likes and dislikes. Marshmallow, seen here, is very serious and does not play games.

Maybe I’m anthropomorphizing, but maybe I’m not. See what you think.

Every night we follow the same routine. I come outside at dusk, get a scoop of hen scratch and throw it in the coop. Chickens #1 – #5 go into the coop after the scratch and Roxanne waits patiently. I lock the door, give her a handful of scratch and finish the outside chores.

Lesson #1 – Chickens can play

Then it’s time for Chase the Chicken. Roxanne runs ahead of me, just out of reach, like a playful cat might do. After a minute, she stops and I scoop her up. If she’s feeling extra-playful, she jumps off my arm and we do it again.

Lesson #2 – Chickens can look forward to things

I did not expect this, but Roxanne seems to look forward to our nightly routine. She gets impatient. If I run a bit late, she ignores her handful of scratch and runs after me while I finish the chores.

Lesson #3 – Chickens anticipate the next part of the routine

One evening last week, I had to bring the laundry in. I tried to do this between putting the big birds in the coop and bringing Roxanne in, but Roxanne would have none of it. She followed me to the door, as if to say, “Hey! Monkey! You forgot me!”

I did not forget her, but try telling her that! I put the laundry down and the Chase the Chicken game commenced.

She teaches us one more lesson, in her simple and feathery way. You can have all kinds of friends. Some of your friends may not see the world the same way you do, but you can still be friends.

We all have something to offer, even those of us with tiny little chicken heads.

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Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Meet the Farm and Art Market Vendors: A Joyful Noise Farm

Posted on May 13, 2013 by bonnie

“It started with six chicks for a homeschool project,” explains Kellie McHugh of A Joyful Noise Farm in Black Forest. ”Then we saw Food Inc and wondered what else we could grow.”

They had the space. Their neighborhood looks like this and yet it’s only 45 minutes from downtown.

I’ve been mulling over my fascinating conversation with Kellie and Craig for days now. Craig talks animatedly about the tradition of “gentleman farmers”, people like George Washington and Henry Ford who made their fortunes, made their contributions to public life and then went back to the farm and changed the way farming was done.

Three greenhouses will supply vegetables all year round.

Like Bob and Dianna of Stone Creek Farmstead, Kellie and Craig are building a second career. They came from California, where Craig built, ran and finally sold a computer services business over 18 years. Looking for a place to raise their children, they settled in Black Forest.

“It was like coming home,” they said. Black Forest bears some resemblance to the Orange County, CA of the late 20th century, where they grew up.

Neither I nor this steer have been to Orange county, but we're both enjoying good lives here in Colorado.

Neither I nor this young steer have been to Orange County, but we’re both enjoying good lives here in Colorado.

Entrepreneurs by nature, the McHughs are indeed changing the face of farming. They’ve formed a friendship with celebrity farmer and author Joel Salatin and use his methods and principles.

This baby goat whom Kellie is gently holding was born to run around and live like a goat.

Maybe you’ve heard of Salatin’s methods. The animals move around the farm, acting like they do in nature. They clean up after each other, replenishing the soil and keeping the place clean. Joyful Noise Farm smells exactly like the rest of the neighborhood. A blindfolded visitor would not know it’s a farm.

I have never seen such happy, active pigs as these. The piglets ran around, annoying each other and generally acting goofy the whole time I watched them.

I have never seen such happy, active pigs as these. The piglets ran around, annoying each other and generally acting goofy while their mamma looked on.

Can I wax philosophical for a moment before telling you what you can buy from the farm?

“If you must,” says this dairy cow, as she tries to lick my phone.

“We want to restore the honor to farming,” said Craig, pointing out that the current model of gigantic, centralized, industrial farms is only 50 years old. ”You can make a living as a farmer,” he explained.

That made me think about what you can do with money. You can buy silly things or you can change the world. Every farm I’ve visited does the latter, in big and small ways, inspiring a better world by example.

So do these barn cats, whom I photographed using their resources to lounge in the hay.

These barn cats are inspired to lounge in the hay.

You can buy goat milk shares, meats, eggs and chicken feed from Joyful Noise Farm, as well as produce, homemade pesto from their basil and refrigerator pickles they make during the cucumber harvest.

So stop by their table at the Farm & Art Market this summer. Shop, visit and watch them change the world.

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Click here to go back to the beginning of the Meet the Farm and Art Vendor series.

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Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Making the Most of Your Milk

Posted on May 10, 2013 by bonnie

(I’m subtitling this “The White Album”, with profuse apologies to the Beatles, because all of the pictures are white … including the one with the chickens!)

Of course, I waited until the last minute before my class to call up Allison at Buckley’s Homestead Supply.

“Do you have any chevre culture on hand?”, I asked, confident that she did.

She paused.

“Well, everyone’s been getting their milk shares and we’ve actually sold out.”

I know what you’re thinking. It’s what I was thinking too. ”This is exactly why a person should not wait until the last minute!”

Allison continued, “I do have some ‘fromagina’ culture. Will that work?”

Relieved, I said it would.

Fromagina is made exactly the same way as chevre.

In retrospect, I’m glad we landed on this new cheese culture because it gave me a way to make the point that the type of culture determines the flavor and texture of the cheese. This one is a little softer and smoother than the regular chevre.

Our little group met at Tabor Mountain Bakehouse, where Kristi and Brian graciously hosted us. I’d like to mention that in addition to giving us gluten-free berry oatcakes, whoopie pies and almond bars to eat, Brian also washed all the dishes! I didn’t expect that! Thanks to his hard work, I hardly had to do any clean-up and was home in plenty of time for Chicken Bedtime.

The chickens appreciated this. Roxanne likes to play “Catch the Chicken” before bed and would have missed our game-time. Here they are drinking the leftover whey.

Marilan, from Easter Egg Acres, brought milk for everyone. Seriously! She brought us two gallons to work with PLUS a half gallon for every student to take home. AND she made ice cream too! I can’t thank her enough for her contributions to this class. She really made it extra-special!

She even brought milk for me, which is great timing since I had just run out!

The five students asked lots of questions, which I love because that’s the only way I know whether I’m telling them what they want to know. They said nice things in the feedback forms too.

“This is a wonderful class and I can say I feel confident to make my own milk [cheese] and yogurt now.” - a participant

They gave me good feedback about my goal of inspiring people to buy local agricultural products too. One student said she would like to know more, which gives me the idea to put lists of where you can get locally grown products on this website. In that spirit, I’ve added a list of where you can get goat milk and goat milk products around here.

We made yogurt with freeze dried starter and everyone took home a jar.

We made yogurt with freeze dried starter and everyone took home a small jar.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated and made this such a great class! See you next time!

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Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Baby Goats say, “The Milk Class is Tomorrow!”

Posted on May 8, 2013 by bonnie

This group of baby goats asks, “What are you doing with your milk share? Is it languishing in the refrigerator?”

I think it’s amazing they know words like “languishing” at just a few weeks old!

This baby goat says, “You could be making your own yogurt right now, without any expensive equipment!”

Goats are very frugal and never buy expensive equipment.

This baby goat says, "The monkey's 'Making the Most of your Milk Share' class is tomorrow!"

This baby goat says, “The ‘Making the Most of your Milk Share’ class is tomorrow! Are you signed up?”

It’s true! The class is tomorrow! We’ll make yogurt and chevre, and eat homemade goat milk ice cream from Easter Egg Acres. We’ll talk about making greek-style yogurt and where to take more advanced classes. Marilan, from Easter Egg Acres, will be there to answer all your goat-milk questions.

This is a hands-on class and you’ll go home with the yogurt and chevre cultures we’ve made to ferment at home. Advanced classes cost more than $50 a person, but you can participate in this introduction for $30.

This fine looking chicken gently suggests signing up right away. Only three spots are left.

Take her advice and sign up today!

***

Note: There is still time to sign up for the whole series of four food preservation classes at a discount. See the class schedule page for more information.

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Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

A Galaxy of Stars: Stargazers Theater

Posted on May 7, 2013 by bonnie

The band blew on stage at Stargazers Theater last Friday like a hurricane of colors, lights and style. Pointed, still images marched across the screen in the backdrop, heightening the mood. The crowd of music fans spanning several generations settled down as the whiskey-voiced singer began to speak into the microphone.

A voice interrupted from the dance floor.

“Hi Grandma!”, it chirped.

The highly entertaining classic rock band Whiskey Fingers has a following of all ages!

Cindy and John Hooten fit right into this multifaceted experience. I looked over my shoulder during the show to see Cindy in the crowd on the dance floor, striking poses with one of the little girls. It’s easy to see that Cindy and John enjoy their role as hosts.

They are artists of a different sort, specializing in hospitality.

Their venture into the entertainment industry began when the old United Artists Cinema building came up for sale in 2008. They had always liked this building and felt they could take on another business since, as the owners of the Timber Lodge on W. Colorado Ave, they had some down-time in the winter.

Cindy’s artwork, displayed throughout the building, includes items found during the renovation.

They did a great job with the 10 month renovation and subsequent building of the local theater’s clientele.

“About 75% of the bands we host are local. 15% are regional and 10% are national,” Cindy explained.

They try to match the concession stand offerings to the style of the band! I love that!

I thought the story about Grandma’s Groupies at the beginning was emblematic of the atmosphere Cindy and John have created at Stargazers. As community minded people, they build relationships with their community and entertainers.

They are avid supporters of local business. Cindy asked me if I knew of local food producers she could buy from for the concession stand. (I said I did!)

And they are kind. Cindy described the pleasure of traveling bands who arrive at Stargazers and find themselves eating a home-cooked meal. It had never occurred to me before that those travelers must be exhausted and homesick. Cindy’s old-fashioned thoughtfulness means a lot to them.

The lights line the auditorium.

“There’s no feeling like creating a memory people won’t forget,” says Cindy.

Thus, it doesn’t surprise me that the Whiskey Fingers concert felt like a cross between a big name show and a concert in the park. Adults yelled comments to each other over the sound system, people came down to the stage to take pictures and children wove themselves in amongst the patrons of the dance floor.

It’s a community minded place, suitable for ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and children of all ages.

***

Note: Stargazers offers space for private conferences and business events as well as shows. Contact John and Cindy for more information.

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Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

Meet the Farm and Art Market Vendors: Lil’ Bit Farms

Posted on May 6, 2013 by bonnie

Note: This is the third in our series about vendors at the Colorado Farm and Art Market. Click here to go to the beginning .

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I pulled up to Lil’ Bit Farms in Ellicott last week.

“We have a surprise for you,” said Ken.

“We’ve been up half the night because Star had her babies,” Diana explained.

BABY GOATS!!

This cat-sized baby was hardly 8 hours old. She was resting (and getting used to her ears).

Star had two baby girl goats.

Baby goats are convinced that all adult animals have milk. This leads them to investigate everything .. shirts, fingers … anything they can get their little muzzles on.

“We’re not sure what to name the baby goats,” Diana commented. ”Do you think your readers could help?”

What do you think, readers? See more on the Baby Goat Naming Contest at the end of this post.

We finally tore ourselves away from the amazing cuteness that is newborn goats and walked around the rest of the farm, much to the dismay of the ducks.

Everybody this way! Quick!

Diana told me how she and Ken used to live in Florida. Ken had been in Colorado Springs as part of his military career and they wanted to come back.

Quick! Everybody over here!

They didn’t start out intending to farm, but the job search proved difficult. Plan B sprung from a viewing of “Food Inc.”, the movie. They wanted to do their part and make things better.

Oh no! Here they come again! Everybody this way!

When they bought the farm, it only had a house and a shed. They’ve built everything, including a “goat complex” and extensive series of chicken coops from recycled materials. The doors are open during the day and birds run around all over the place, entertaining visitors with their birdbrain goofiness.

Turkeys live in one of the coops. These pasture raised birds will be available for Thanksgiving.

Young turkeys live in one of the coops.

Diana, who works with children in a special education program, has a soft spot for disabled animals.

“Don’t feel sorry for Limpy,” she said. “Despite her bad leg, she’s the Head Chicken!”

All of these birds, including a patient disabled turkey, lay eggs which they sell to the public.

Turkey eggs are huge!

In addition to selling goat milk shares and eggs, Diana also makes beautiful goat milk soap!

The soaps come in a variety of shapes, colors and scents.

I have used half a jar of her whipped shea butter lotion in the last two days, out of sheer pleasure (and a lot of time in the sun).

You can buy her soaps, lotions and lip balm at Buckley’s Homestead Supply or online.

They also teach soap-making and farming classes.

All this hard work is making their dream into reality. ”We’re actually making a difference in our little, small piece,” Diana said.

You can make a small difference too. Give those baby goats names and win a “Colorado Survival Kit” of lotion, lip balm and moisturizing soap by leaving a comment with names for each of the two baby girls. Diana will choose the winner this Friday, May 10th.

And don’t forget to visit them this summer at the Colorado Farm and Art Market!

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Click here for the next article in the Meet the Farm and Art Market Vendor series … A Joyful Noise Farm!

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Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!

May Local Foods Meetup Events

Posted on May 3, 2013 by bonnie

Happy May! The sun is shining, flowers are popping up and the snow is gone … at least at the moment I’m writing this.

How did your plants fare in the latest freeze?

Are you ready to get out? The Local Foods Meetup has a whole flock of events coming up. We’ve got something for everyone this month!

May 4 – Nourish Organic Juice

Tomorrow (tomorrow!) we’re going to Nourish Organic Juice for lunch! Evelyn and Nichole have been working towards opening a juice bar since I’ve known them and now they’ve opened their dream. We’ll drink fresh cold-pressed juice, eat soup from local soup-maker Souped Up! and Nourish’s salads with their house-made dressing, eat gluten-free/dairy-free chocolates and muffins and enjoy good conversation!

I’ll just tell you right now … my favorite juice is the Perky Pants, with carrots & ginger.

Join us to support our hardworking neighbors in this venture!

May 5 – Easter Egg Acres

Once we’re well-nourished, we’ll go off to a completely different kind of adventure. Easter Egg Acres, a goat-dairy-farm in Ellicott, needs help with spring cleaning. Several hardy members of the group worked on this last week and we made good progress, but the work is not done!

This young man had the task of evicting the tumbleweeds from the farm.

Marilan grew up on this farm. She married a soldier in her youth and her father sold the farm while she lived overseas. She was widowed when their son was young and rebuilt her life by buying the farm back.

Eventually, Gary joined them and in time her son joined the Marines. They are proud of his service to our country, but miss his help on the farm.

As anyone who has done farm labor knows, it’s hard work and a bit much for two people (especially since Gary has another job). Join us on Sunday to help out our neighbors!

And if you’ve ever thought about starting your own farm, this is a great opportunity to ask questions!

May 11 – Stone Creek Farmstead

Remember Stone Creek Farmstead? I wrote about this camp-turned-licensed-dairy as part of the Meet the Farm and Art Market Vendor series.

Join us to visit the Farmstead on their “Store Day”! You’ll be able to buy their handmade cheeses, soaps and lotions while visiting their lovely home in the mountains.

We’ll visit the goats too!

May 25 – R&R Coffee Cafe and Roasting Demo

We were going to visit R&R in April, but had a bit of a misunderstanding about the date. Ryan, the owner, felt bad about the trouble and offered to do a roasting demo to make up for the inconvenience.

We’ll drink the coffee he roasts, eat sandwiches and pastries and enjoy each other’s company.

We have a waiting list for this event, but sign up just in case a spot becomes available. You never know.

As always, there is no cost to join. All you pay for is your own meal and transportation. Come on out, see what your neighbors are up to and support our local community!

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Want to read about locally owned businesses in Colorado Springs? The chickens want to tell you about them! Join them in supporting our local economy by signing up for our twice-monthly newsletter!