Vlog: Reviving My Neglected Sourdough Starter + Preparing for Bird Flu (in the PNW)

Watch as I manage to revive my nearly-dead sourdough starter, and then use it to make lots of backups, just in case. Also, now that the HPAI (bird flu) has reached the PNW, it's time to brainstorm ways to help protect our mobile chickens.
Thanks so much for watching!
Enjoying our vlogs? You can support our work with a small donation here: ko-fi.com/awoo...
Check out our Amazon store for all our favorite tools and supplies:
www.amazon.com...
Amazon affiliate link to parasitic wasp larvae: amzn.to/3wjLCsX
F I N D U S O N
Instagram: / awoodennest
Tiktok: / awoodennest_
Facebook: / awoodennest
Website: www.awoodennest...

[@christybartolic6037]

Thanks for the lovely and relaxing update. I loved seeing your girls have so much fun together outside. Kids just don’t do that enough these days - so cute! I’m glad your chick made it. We moved to the central OR Coast in January and are looking forward to a garden, home grown food & chickens /eggs. We just need to prepare a nice place for them, so maybe no chickens until next year. But the garden is started in a community garden bed, and I have lots of smart pots ready to try more planting around our home with tons of seed started tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, tomatillo’s, squash & herbs. Potatoes (baby) are on the list for smart pots too. I hope there will be enough sun, but we are going to give it a good try). I’m also looking at pressure canners. I’ve been reading about the “All American” pressure canner. Any recommendations are welcome, as it’s all new to me.

[@BreCat7]

I only recently found your channel watching knitting podcasts. Your knitting is wonderful. I wish I had the confidence to just try knitting a sweater. I have found your knitting, homesteading and family life to be wonderful to watch. The shows are interesting and calming. You and your young man have a beautiful family. I love watching the girls learning, playing and having fun not attached to electronics all day. I am so glad the Blue survived and no issues with the birth of the baby goats. (I watch to much Dr. Pol) 😊 May you continue to make these lovely videos .🧶 🐐 🐣

[@AWoodenNest]

I've heard good things about Dr. Pol. Thanks for the sweet comment. So glad you're enjoying our videos.

[@woodsandtea]

Always enjoy seeing snippets of your family’s time on your homestead🪴

[@chrisb1682]

I always love your videos. Your filming always hits the right spot, very beautiful…. Never knew about keeping the sourdough in this way! Thank you for showing and giving us glimpses of your lovely small holding life. Always in great admiration 😊🌿💕

[@cassandra3399]

I loved it all. I have sour dough too. So glad the chick lived.

[@AWoodenNest]

Me too. Couldn't help but get attached. Thank you :)

[@santiamlady7906]

You guys are amazing! Another warm, relaxing, and fun video of life on your little homestead. 🥰 I love these videos so much. Thanks!

[@AWoodenNest]

🤍🤍🤍

[@gailweeks4334]

Inspirational as always. The cowl looks great on everyone.....I see some Dandelion Jelly in your future!

[@edytheneumann4656]

Great music and coverage of your lovely place - thank you!

[@TheWaywardSkein]

Oh the birdhouses are so cute

[@mairead5891]

I was so interested to see how you dehydrated the sourdough starter. I have a backup 200g of regular starter in my freezer. It works so well once it's defrosted!

[@TXDHC]

I know this is 5 months old, but it is worth mentioning, when chicks are struggling it is probably coccidiosis. I keep a bag of Corid on hand. 1 tsp:1 gallon water for 5 days for the entire flock will usually turn them around very quickly however if not treated they go down even quicker.

[@AWoodenNest]

I hadn’t even considered that. Will try it next time, thank you. 🤍

[@TXDHC]

@@AWoodenNest I keep a bag of the powder on hand just in case.

[@rozemievandekerckhove2276]

awww, i was rooting for that little one ! Go Blue ! and how good your daughter has gotten with sewing that knitting cowl. Thanks for the ideas with the starter also. Our part of the world hasn't seen any rain for weeks. famers are getting desparate... lots of love from Belgium

[@carolbulmer8253]

Thank you for the footage of the goats. I’m glad that you could revive your sourdough. The new chickens are looking good.

[@AWoodenNest]

Me too! It was a close one. Thanks. :)

[@jlsaven]

Do you have any recommendations for a vacuum sealer? I love the idea of sealing mason jars to keep things we harvest and dehydrate this year, but there are so many options! So glad Blue Moon made it!

[@Shepz963]

Cleaning your boots before entering the chicken run area will keep you from bringing in possible contaminates from all over your property. Short of that we are also struggling with how to protect our free range flock at work :/

[@meghanmcknight4841]

Beautiful footage! We have 3 blue ameraucanas from Cackle Hatchery and ours were so much lighter than this as chicks! I wonder if yours will turn out to be black. Either way, so happy she survived! Trying to figure out what to do about the bird flu here as well - we are in Pennsylvania.

[@AWoodenNest]

Yeah, Blue was the darkest of the 4 Blue Ameraucanas they sent us. One was a light cream, the other two were a lighter gray. They all had a certain look to them, though, that was different from the OE's and the BCMs. How long have you guys been dealing with the bird flu there in PA? I know it was on the east coast before it came here, but I'm not sure when it became a serious issue there.

[@jillipepper5353]

Loved the video as usual, I enjoyed my morning coffee while visiting the farm. I have a question, blackflies have arrived vicious and starving, do you make an organic bug spray? I used to get a bath product that had Rosemary or other scent based that the bugs didn’t like but can’t find it now. The grandkids are being eaten up and before mosquitoes arrive with whatever they may be carrying now I’d like to get something made up. Any thoughts? Hope your chickens are safe, we’ve lost quite a few of the birds who have lived in our woods since we moved here😢, even a pair of wood doves that were so pretty and we’re almost tame before we lost them. Our Bluejays were hit hard, I’ve only seen two of the 10 or so we had up until last year. So sad, they are asking us to not put up feeders again this year. 🙋🏼‍♀️

[@AWoodenNest]

Ugh, that's so sad. Matt and I are kicking ourselves for not getting our hoop house up sooner. We just didn't know... The blackflies are definitely bad this year. I don't have a spray, but we did order a parasitic wasp larvae off amazon that's supposed to help. I'll put the link in the description. We also read air circulation from fans helps to keep them from congregating, so we've turned the fans on in the barn.

[@djdalkdj]

What food sealer brand are you using? Thinking of replacing mine but definitely want the jar function! Thanks.