Meet Woof and Moo

Yes, I have chickens!  About a month ago I went ahead and got two Delaware hens.  My daughter christened them Woof and Moo.  I built and rebuilt their coop and run four times before I felt satisfied with it.  I may continue tweaking it all summer.

I got a free coop off of Craigslist.  The roof and doors were falling off.  The poor chickens who had lived in the coop had been killed by a raccoon.  I hung a new door and re-roofed the coop with new wood, tar paper and shingles.  I drilled holes in the walls and put in some roosts.  I'm really not such a great carpenter, but I was driven by my obsession with chickens.

I bought six identical window sashes. They are wood with basic window screening.  Since that is not strong enough to keep out predators, I stapled chicken wire to each panel.  I searched in my basement for whatever else I could use to create my run.  I had two old single pane windows, a wooden shelf, a hollow core door and a baby gate.  All of these became part of the run!  Oh, I am creative...

My chickens are enjoying their new home. I let them out to wander the backyard when I am outside with them.  My cats are getting along well with them.  I worry about the neighbor's dog jumping into the yard.  I do have a good fence, but he is a large dog.  I hope I would be fast enough to stop that from happening.  I kind of love my girls.

I want Dwarf Nubian goats now! I have a lot more research to go on that one, however. I am reinventing myself as a hardcore urban farmer.

Thinking about Chickens

Like many Portlanders, I am thinking about chickens.  Actually, this is not a new quandary for me.  I have debated getting chickens for the last 2 years.  However, the allure of the domestic feathered friend is greater this year.

Why would a city girl like me want chickens? I would have a ready protein source for my family.  It would be a resource to barter with.  They would eat all of my kitchen scraps (although that would cut down the amount of compost I am creating).  And my dilemma would finally be over. I cannot begin to count the hours I have spent talking about whether or not I should get chickens.

I would need to get a coop.  My friends all have theories on the best coops.  I have seen some extra cool ones for sale on Craigslist. But I am going to be frugal.  The point of getting chickens is not to spend money but to save.  My mother has suggested I go with the extra large doghouse for my coop.  Evidently, the house looks like a log cabin, which appeals to my cutesy side, and has a lid that lifts completely off.  This would make it easy to clean and gather eggs. I would need to build a few nesting boxes and a perch.  That is about the limit of my carpentry skills, however I think I could manage it. This investment would be about $150.

Then I would need to create the run.  This seems simple enough.  I can pound fence stakes and secure chicken wire.  Creating a gate and a roof sounds like more of a headache.  The cost for this section could be $20-$50.

The chickens themselves cost only about a dollar each if I get them as tiny babies.  We are allowed 3 hens within Portland city limits. I would need to keep them inside under lights for 6-8 weeks.  I can imagine that my office would get quite stinky and that their little chirps could keep us awake at night.

To chicken or not to chicken, that is the question.  Will that investment pay off?  I would need to get about 50 dozen eggs to equal my expenditures.  Yeah, I may just keep on thinking about chickens...

Saving Money at the Asian Market

As times have gotten tighter for me, and I can no longer eat out 3 or more times a week (sigh), I have gotten more creative in the market and in the kitchen.  I am lucky that I have a 9 year old daughter who is adventurous and willing to try most foods.  I'm sure not everyone can experiment on their families as easily as I can.  But for those who are willing I say - head to the Asian supermarket.

In Portland we have lots of Asian markets, and most other sorts too.  My favorite is Fubonnn in the Asian mini-mall on 82nd Avenue.  My daughter and I love to explore the aisles, poke in the freezers and watch the crabs in the tanks.  We get something new to try (most of the ime many somethings) every time we go.  And the best part, it is CHEAP!

I am on a Thai and Indian cooking kick right now.  Even though they are not the most expensive foods to dine out for, they have become a luxury around here.  But at Fubonn I can get all the ingrediants to make a succulent curry or noodle dish for a few bucks. 

I start with rice noodles.  If I go to the regular supermarket and head for the gluten free section, my rice pasta will cost between $4-6 a bag, but at Fubonn it is $1.19! That is for the rice macaroni, shells or rigatoni.  If I want basic phad thai type noodle or vermicelli, I can get a huge bag with about 10 bundles of noodles for $3-4 dollars.  Since I can't eat wheat and I'm on a budget the noodle aisle at Fubonn has become my paradise.

Then I choose my spice packet.  There is every sort of spice packet imaginable. So far I have done the yellow curry and the masaman curry.  I have bought other for pineapple rice, phad thai, green curry and Japanese style curry.  These packets run about $2.  They have all the directions you need on the pack. Most of them require a can of coconut milk.  Don't buy it anywhere but the Asian market.  It's only a dollar a can!   I take creative license and add my own flair.

With the yellow curry I used two chicken breasts that I cut into cubes and a handful or two of prefrozen shrimp.  I buy all my meat in bulk at Costco, Fubonn or Fred Meyer.  I bought that 5 pound bag of shrimp at Freddy's a month or so ago for $20 and have used it for at least 5 meals.   There has to be half a bag left.  I also threw in one yellow pepper cut into strips and a grated carrot.  I threw a handful of cashews on top of the concoction (bought in bulk at Costco).

This meal fed 4 adults and cost about $5-6 dollars to make.  It took me about 30 minutes to throw together.  The longest part was peeling the shrimp. Next time I will make sure they are already peeled.  I'll pay a few more bucks for that!