My Blueberry Life

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My Blueberry Life A page for sharing the joyously real adventures of raising backyard chickens on a neighborhood acre while gardening organically. Come join the fun!

I am a small backyard hobbyist located in Georgia who spends most of my days snuggling chickens, raising peeps, training roosters, gardening, blogging, reading, and researching, while my dear husband of 31 yrs helps build our homesteading dream. I keep a wide variety of heavy breed layers that are named, live in a designer coop, free range in my backyard, and are all around spoiled to death. Every

thing I know about chickens I have learned from the vast assortment of internet resources, poultry scientists, local breeders, and my own personal chicken keeping experiences. Chickens are my favorite kind of therapy for relieving stress, staying active, and bringing healthier eating to my family through delicious fresh eggs. Feel free to comment, share, or message me about your own experiences with keeping chickens or tending your veggies. I just love sharing the fun I have with my backyard babies, one glorious cluck at a time!

WOW!!!My man bought us a serious bread knife for our sourdough after the sharpest one in our drawer would barely cut the...
26/06/2025

WOW!!!
My man bought us a serious bread knife for our sourdough after the sharpest one in our drawer would barely cut the boule yesterday. This is like the gold standard of serrated knives in my kitchen arsenal, and even though I vehemently protested an expensive cutting tool, he insisted on it as a joint anniversary gift. Tomorrow I'll try it out and see if it's truly as amazing as it's purported to be. 🤞🏼🗡️🍞

Another high heat day, another round of ice water and frozen treats. A little diced cucumber and zucchini, and a cool do...
25/06/2025

Another high heat day, another round of ice water and frozen treats. A little diced cucumber and zucchini, and a cool down in the shop again helped everyone feel better. This time it was the Brahmas who needed a reprieve from the heat, and my moody broodies were forced to come outside and boost themselves with electrolytes. Pearl is doing great today, but I still made her cool off in the shop to avoid another possible problem. The peeps managed to sneak a few nibbles after the aunties had their fill, and have enjoyed staying cool under the deck today. My lead rooder has started warbling and hunching at me, but still never bites or challenges me over anything. He really is a very good boy. Clouds are slowly moving in with rain predicted, but we'll see if it ever starts. The garden could definitely use a free watering, and the yard needs refreshing. Mr Blue and I are heading to dinner soon, so I better get ready. Stay cool my peeps!

First sourdough + first tomato = perfection! 🍞🍅🥬🥓
25/06/2025

First sourdough + first tomato = perfection! 🍞🍅🥬🥓

Thirty one years...That's how long this journey has been going on. I met Mr Blue at the tender age of 17 just months bef...
25/06/2025

Thirty one years...
That's how long this journey has been going on. I met Mr Blue at the tender age of 17 just months before graduating high school, and a year later we were married. Three kids, four houses, and countless adventures later we are here celebrating this life we've built together, and always looking forward to tomorrow. I won't say that every day is sunshine and cinnamon rolls, nor is it hurricanes and burnt cheese sandwiches, but it's always ours and we love every minute of it. Today we have no special plans aside from a catfish dinner, and perhaps an episode of our favorite show, but isn't that what anniversaries are all about? Celebrating the continuation of the everyday in the journey of a million steps that one takes after saying 'I Do', tossing the bouquet, raising the kids, exchanging leather for spandex, getting a pill divider, and applying for that AARP card. I love every minute, and am looking forward to many many more. 🥂

With a high of nearly 100° today and a heat index even higher, the chickens were in danger of overheating, even as the d...
25/06/2025

With a high of nearly 100° today and a heat index even higher, the chickens were in danger of overheating, even as the day was winding down. I went outside around 5:00 to check on them before starting dinner, and found Pearl parked in a nest box panting in distress. Chickens don't sweat like humans, and pant to release heat, but densely feathered, heavyweight breeds like Brahmas and Wyandottes suffer greater distress in our southern heat waves, as they simply can't regulate on their own. We have fans running round the clock in the coop and run, and offer cool water and frozen treats, but Pearl doesn't catch or find treats like the others, so she misses those opportunities to hydrate and cool down unless fed separately. 🫐

I grabbed her out of the nest box, as she had already laid her egg, and ran her to the shop where the a/c keeps things around 80°. I shoved a few frozen berries in her beak, and tiny ice chips that were in the bowl with them, and left her on the cool concrete floor to go prepare an electrolyte based ice water. When I returned, about a dozen other birds had joined her inside, so I left the door open, and let everyone drift through for a cold drink and cool down. My birds don't use standing water stations to cool off, but they will stand in drain water under the deck, so we put trays under there on the hottest days or dampen the ground. 💦

I've been keeping everyone locked in the paddock to force them to stay near fans and under the trees, but poor Pearl isn't always smart enough to find the blast zone, so I have to keep a special eye on her. I didn't bring her in the house because it causes her to return all hours of the day, and miss normal cues like Deacon's alert calls and bedtime lockup. After 15 minutes she returned to normal and sauntered back to the coop where fresh ice water was waiting. Even the Wyandotte chicks have been panting harder than usual despite their smaller size and lighter feathering, so I've been keeping them closed in their brooder cell with a fan blowing directly on them for half the day. It definitely helps them stay comfortable, even if they do get bored. 🪶

It's unfortunate that the breeds I prefer to keep are less heat tolerant and more cold hardy, but extra care and diligence on hot days can help them survive. I've never had the willpower to choose the best breeds for our zone, and always go for the ones that love arctic climates like Wyandottes, Brahmas, Swedish Flowers, English Orpingtons, and Russian Orloffs. The Easter Eggers and Barred Rocks don't seem to care either way, but still enjoy cooler temps. Tomorrow I'll watch a little more closely, shuttle out frozen fruit, and keep that water cooler chilled. Gotta keep those sweet fluffy butts from expiring unnecessarily! ❄️

(Clockwise from top center)
Cedar - Red English Orpington
Zenzen - Olive Egger/Brahma mix
Lulu - Russian Orloff
Kalique - Swedish Orloff cross
Mimosa - Swedish Flower Hen

And she's done! 🌾My very first sourdough boule is in the books, and while the side crumb came out more perfect than the ...
24/06/2025

And she's done! 🌾
My very first sourdough boule is in the books, and while the side crumb came out more perfect than the center, it all tastes amazing. Even the crust had a tiny crackle, but was tender and firm. It's very spongy and chewy, which is what I was aiming for, and the sourdough taste is mild but flavorful. I'm not sure if or what I need to tweak to make the center crumb more porous, but for a first attempt, I'll count it as a win. Mr Blue and I dove right in for a sample after it cooled and now we're both craving a bowl of soup to dunk it in, but first I think I'll make a sandwich. Not sure I'll be sharing any of this loaf with the chickens, but maybe one day... 😅

It's so hard to photograph chickens eating a treat when beaks are going everywhere and they all think you're trying to p...
24/06/2025

It's so hard to photograph chickens eating a treat when beaks are going everywhere and they all think you're trying to poison them. Come on guys, it's just a frozen zucchini muffin! 🙄

T***y Tuesday is off to a blisteringly hot start with a reading of 96° on the outdoor thermostat and 450° in the oven. M...
24/06/2025

T***y Tuesday is off to a blisteringly hot start with a reading of 96° on the outdoor thermostat and 450° in the oven. My perfect boule went in at noon, and now I'm shuttling out some cool treats to the birdies while it bakes. I won't lie, it's been so fun focusing on dough this week that I'm ready to go again before this loaf even cools, but one step at a time. Our 31st anniversary is tomorrow, so maybe I'll be brave and try out those cinnamon rolls I've been dying to learn. Meanwhile, my birds are enjoying the giant fan Mr Blue installed Sunday night, as the babies were about to expire in the stagnant heat of their brooder box. Most birds have started sleeping outside again, so keeping the air stirred helps everyone stay cooler.

I hope you have a terrific Tuesday and stay cool in this blazing heat. Be safe my peeps! 🌞

Oh my goodness, peeps... it worked!!!I did all my stretch and folds, then left it to rise while I went to dinner. I wasn...
24/06/2025

Oh my goodness, peeps... it worked!!!
I did all my stretch and folds, then left it to rise while I went to dinner. I wasn't terribly hopeful since I had seen no change in rise or texture during folding, but when I returned, it had doubled in size, smoothed out, and was ready to coil, laminate, and shape. Mr Blue watched as I cupped and pulled it into a perfect boule, which builds surface tension, then I stitched the bottom and tossed into the banneton to cold proof overnight. There were even some bubbles under the surface, which I hear is good?
I'm pretty sure there was some dancing, squealing, and claps of approval, so now we wait, and tomorrow we bake. Even though I said I didn't want to learn boule style loaves, I decided to start off with one for practice to get familiar with working the dough. If I'm successful, I'll move on to sandwich loaves, and then cinnamon rolls. I won't pretend there isn't a considerable amount of thought and work that goes into this sourdough making, but if it works, the satisfaction of knowing I tried and conquered my fear of failure will be reward enough. I can't wait for tomorrow! ☺️

Making sourdough!It's sticky, dense, and shaggy, but so far looks good... I think. The autolyse step is over, salt added...
23/06/2025

Making sourdough!
It's sticky, dense, and shaggy, but so far looks good... I think. The autolyse step is over, salt added, and I'm in the stretch and fold stage now. Another few rounds, then it's on to the cold proofing stage. I'm cautiously optimistic, as with all new endeavors because I'll either end up with dumb luck success or total failure, but I'm prepared either way. I'm using Mr Blue's grandmother's Pyrex bowl for a good old fashioned boost of confidence, so maybe it will bring me luck. Sorry I went from chickens to sourdough overnight, but it's just so exciting, and I want to share my joy no matter the outcome. 😁

Whoops! 😳I underestimated how fast she would grow, and went from half a jar to out the top in an hour. Time to bake some...
23/06/2025

Whoops! 😳
I underestimated how fast she would grow, and went from half a jar to out the top in an hour. Time to bake some bread!
🍞🍞🍞
I still need to name this bubbling betty, and while clever puns pepper counters all over the world, I'm leaning towards simple and easy to remember. I mean look at how long I'm taking to name the baby rooders! Contenders today are Betty, Bertha, Jupiter, and AmyLee. If you know who the last one is, you'll get the joke.

Just another Mimsy Monday! 🍹It's hot and humid in the south today, and already the thermometer is reading 90° with a rea...
23/06/2025

Just another Mimsy Monday! 🍹
It's hot and humid in the south today, and already the thermometer is reading 90° with a real feel of 103°. Yuck! I've been keeping the birds confined to the paddock to force them to stay near fans and in the shade, but also to make sure they drink their daily dose of worming meds. I'm over a month late on their annual treatment, so this is the perfect excuse to get everybody up to speed and keep cool in the process. Several times a day I offer cool treats like apples, melon, or zucchini to keep beaks happy, and occasionally I toss in some garden weeds to give them play fodder. 🌿

The babies are as wild as ever, and my daily attempts to cuddle them are always met with resistance. My nameless leader is the most friendly, and I'm starting to wonder if he's a black laced red instead of a gold laced. I've never seen an adult black laced, so I have nothing to compare him to, but he seems darker than Roux was at that age. Naming something you love shouldn't be this difficult, but nothing seems to stick or is too closely related to Deacon, like Declan. Today's choices are Cassian, Dante, Six, or back to Rodan. Right now he's content to be called handsome and sweet boy, but it would be nice to give him a proper name. 👑

My dreadful head cold has moved along, and is all but a memory. Tonight we're going out for dinner with our son and dil, and I may even attempt to start my first loaf of sourdough so it can cold ferment overnight. She busted out of the jar this morning, though I'm not seeing bubbles, so I need to break out a larger jar and start learning how to both discard and feed proportionately. I'll never be able to keep up with the science of this stuff, but an overflowing mess I understand. 🍞
I hope you have a marvelous Monday my peeps, and stay cool from this dreadful heatwave. Don't forget to hydrate! 🌞

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Our Story

I am a small backyard hobbyist located in eastern Georgia who spends most days snuggling chickens, training roosters, vegetable gardening, reading, blogging, and raising a teenage daughter, while my dear husband of 25 yrs helps to build our homesteading dream in our modest suburban neighborhood. I keep a wide variety of heavy breed layers that are named, live in a designer coop, free range in my backyard, and are all around spoiled to death. Everything I know about keeping chickens I have learned from personal experience, scientific poultry journals, the internet's vast assortment of chicken bloggers, local chicken club friends, and memories of my own family's chicken keeping days. Chickens are my favorite kind of therapy for relieving stress, staying active, and bringing healthier eating to my family through wonderful fresh eggs. We practice compassionate realism on our homestead and support many different methods of keeping poultry. Feel free to comment, share, or message me about your own experiences with keeping chickens or tending your veggies. I just love sharing the fun I have with my backyard babies, one glorious cluck at a time!