Cleaning Out the Chicken Coop & Recipe of the Week: Not Your Mom's Meatloaf

Some of my followers have been giving me heck wondering, "What gives? Why haven't you posted?" Like many other bloggers out there, I've been busy with the new responsibilities of Spring and early Summer. Right now northeast Ohio is caught in this crazy weather pattern where it rains practically every other day. It's making it impossible to get my garden out! When I do, I'm planning on documenting it as well as including some helpful hints.

One of the myriad of things I've accomplished so far is cleaning out the chicken coop. By no means a glamorous job, but still a necessary task. I picked a non-raining day and went to work.

This is before I went to work. Things were just kind of here and there. When it's the middle of Winter and 18 degrees outside, you just want to hurry back to the house. Eventually after a few months of that, things start looking pretty messy.

My coop is divided into three pens: a Hospital, or sick pen, the "Bantie Pen" and the General Population pen. The General Population pen is twice as big as the hospital or Bantie pens. I started with the General Pop pen first, since it was the biggest. I shoveled out all of the old bedding until everything was cleaned out.

I then sprinkled a Poultry Dust on the floor of the coop. This dust helps deter lice and other creepy crawlies from living on the birds.

See the dust on the floor? Also, take note of the two new nest boxes I hung. Matt's Uncle Stan and I designed them and then he built them. There is a perch on the front for the birds to hop up on and a lid on the top for me to open and collect eggs. I never have to set foot in the pen.

Next, I put down a thick layer of fresh wheat straw. Almost ready for the girls to see their new pen and boxes...

Ahh, a happy tenant in her new home getting ready to lay an egg!

Looks like somebody has been hard at work!

A place for everything and everything in its place!

Not only did I clean out the pens, but I also mixed my new hens in with the older ones. Sometimes adding new chickens to the "pecking order" can be pretty dicey. I can't say it didn't go without some squabbling, but overall, it was the most uneventful mix I've done. The girls are in full swing and giving me eight to sometimes 13 or 14 eggs a day. I have eggs coming out my ears!

Recipe of the Week: Not Your Mom's Meatloaf

courtesy Renee Schaaf, CT Farm

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2/3 c. dry bread crumbs

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 Tblsp. parsley

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 c. dried minced onion

1/4 c. ketchup

Topping:

3 Tbsp. BBQ sauce (I used Bob Evan's Wildfire sauce)

3 Tbsp. ketchup

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Mix topping ingredients and spread on top of loaf. Bake until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees. Let rest five minutes before slicing.

This makes great meatloaf sandwiches the next day...