Beautiful Day!

I've been in work mode for months now.  I haven't had any gumption to blog or post on Facebook.  Today is my day off, it's beautiful, sunny and promises to be warm.   I have put off buying some shoes for months.  I hate shopping, any kind, except maybe fabric.  Even then, I shop online.

I found my clothespins and have laundry on the line.  I love looking at it in the sunshine.  I have a chance to talk to my girls when I'm hanging laundry.

They are so happy to see me,  Probably more so if I had a bowl in my hand,  They usually ignore me after a bit.
The babies are doing fine.  They are thriving under their adopted mother's care. The other hens leave them alone, or else Mama will school them.

Just home from the store.

 Second day at our place.  Mama and babies are doing great.

I think this was their first day out.  They loved it. Now they only go in at night.

These pictures aren't too good.  The fencing is in the way and the light is too bright.  But the chicks are doing great.
Oh ya, I remember where I was going with this - - -

My clothes!  Funny how I pin them but it so I don't have any pin marks after they've dried.

Well I guess I need to get ready to leave the house.  I have some grocery shopping and shoe shopping to do.

I hope to get back so I can do some sewing.  I've cut out a couple a tanks for Doug but have to get some clear elastic tape for the neck.  I bought some but I can't find it.  I also have a quilt on the longarm that I hope to work on some.

Have a wonderful day everyone!  Drop in and let me know how your day is shaping up.

She Thinks She's a Sparrow

The other day, like many days, the girls get out of their run.  We've tried to fence them out, but they always find the hole in the fence or the weakest link.  They root up everything they come in contact with.  My tulips probably won't make it this year.  They just love the soft earth to take their dust baths in and to find the tastiest morsel.

You know the saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence"  well that's a couple of my girls.  Here's Jana, thinking she's a sparrow.  There were two of them up them but I didn't get the picture snapped in time.

Fall Storm

Yesterday I looked up and saw the rain pouring down.  I could hardly see the field next door.  I rushed in and grabbed my camera to get some shots.

The chickens were no where in site.  Some of them just hate the rain.  Others, when it's not a downpour come out and forage.  They look like drown rats but they get the worms.

This field is directly behind our house.  See the puddles?  Doug digs the ditches so they drain but lately he can't keep up.

Then it stopped and the sun came out.  There were still black clouds in the direction of the storm but a brief respite.  See the girls?  They run out on any break and see what they can find.

That was our day.

Saturday at My Place

Last week gave us 4 new chicks.  Mom and the chickies are doing great.  She's teaching them how to scratch for food.  She's very protective of them and when she and the little ones are in the coop, no one dares enter.  That makes for 15 other hungry chickens.  So we've been letting them out of the coop so everyone can have a bite.

I've been saving my feed bags or rather retrieving them from the trash.  Doug thinks I'm a real hick to keep them.  Well I've made one tote bag (tutorial) so far.  I even used it at the grocery yesterday and it held up.  I have a few more to make.

It's not fantastic, but I like it.  I did notice while the clerk was bagging yesterday that I did put my handles on wrong.  Not a big enough mistake for me to fix.  I'll just remember on my next bag.

Flowers: rather Hydrangeas.  One of my all time favorites.  My daughter got me a Hydrangea potted plant one year for Mother's Day.  I fell in love.

Since then, I put them in every garden I have.  Take a look

I love the colors!

This post is being linked to Homestead Revival Barn Hop

Chick Celebration!

After having one year old hen go broody and not hatch a single egg, we didn't know if we wanted the hens to go through the ordeal.  But Cleo has hatched a batch before.  Actually it was exactly a year ago.  Are their internal clocks timed like that or was it a fluke?  Anyway, we put 8 eggs under her in two batches.  Her first 4 eggs hatched yesterday and the rest should hatch today.  Here's one of them...

 Cleo is adamant about nesting way above ground and last year when they first started hatching, we moved the nest box to the ground, so the little ones wouldn't fall out.  Well, when we did that she abandoned the rest of the eggs and concentrated on the hatched chicks.  This year we decided not to move the nest box until tomorrow.  That way all the eggs will have had a chance to hatch.  So we put up a "playpen" around her box.  That way the lttle ones can't fall out.  There is Start N Grow in the metal pan and water in the plastic container...

It was interesting to see how Mama got the little ones to start drinking water.  She would scoop some up in her beak and let it dribble down her crop.  The little ones would catch the water drips off her crop.  Very interesting. In the picture below there are three showing. 

We got away for the 4th and had the neighbor boy feed and look after our place while we were gone.  On Thursday he said PJ (Plain Jane) (below) started to sit in this nestbox.  He said that she pecked at him trying to gather eggs.  So we have another broody hen.  This one is a year old also, we aren't sure of how she'll hatch.  But boy is she fiesty.  Doug is trying to see how many eggs are underneath her.  She must have pecked him 4-5 times.  He said she was serious, she was pecking him hard.  He only had time to feel 3 eggs.  Maybe tonight, I don some gloves and see if I what I count.  These will be due on July 27th.

Thanks for listening to me.  I have had my chickens for a year and half and they are so much work, fun, and entertainment.  But we don't have any domestic animals. No dogs, birds or cats. 

This post is being linked to Homestead Revival

Starting the Garden

We are getting a later start on our garden than we wanted.  We have been looking for a tiller and just today found one.  So Doug got busy tilling.  We want to get the tomatoes and peppers that I bought in the ground.  So he's just tilling enough of an area for that right now.  It's suppose to rain all week and it would be nice to have them in the ground getting established.

 Right now the chickens have the run of the place.  We will be planting from the trees to the chain link fence and back to where the green plant is in the back.  That's my rhubarb.  I had to fence it in because the chickens were eating the leaves.  They are really loving the newly scratched dirt.

The chick on the right is one of our new purchases.  She's about 3 weeks old.  We got her and two others.  They seem to be adjusting well with the older hens.

This post is being linked to Homestead Revival Barn Hop

My Design Wall May 7

I decided to join Judy's Sweet Treat Quilt Along.  I know, another project? I don't have the rest of my unfinished projects completed and I'm starting another.  I can't help it.  If any of you missed her post the link above will take you there.  I didn't get the 30 blocks done she suggested.  I've got alot cut out and I maybe able to do some after work this next week.  Although, the weather's suppose to be wonderful.

In other news, We got 3 3wk old chicks.

In other news, We got 3 3wk old chicks.  They stayed in the garage for a couple of days and nights and Friday we took them to the coop with the older hens.  They were let out of their cage this morning and everything's going well.  In fact, we even discovered a broody chicken tonight.  She sqwaked and screeched at Doug as he was gathering eggs.  So we picked out 6 nicely shaped (not cylindical nor pointed ends) ones from different hens.  Maybe by June 2nd we will have more babies.  I hope so.

This post is being linked to Patchwork Times and Homestead Revival Barn Hop

Is that a Chicken egg?

We gather eggs everyday around 4:30pm.  On weekends Doug usually gathers them for me.  Last night he came in and said "I think we have a Guiness record in the basket"  I looked and I didn't see anything unusual and remarked that none of them looked huge to me.  He pointed ---  Guniess for the smallest egg.

So I grabbed the camera and took a couple of pictures. 

What's the smallest egg you have ever gathered?  Post a picture.  I'm really interested now.

This post is being linked to Homestead Revivial Barn Hop #52

Eggstraordinary

My hens have finally started producing.  It seemed like it was a long dry spell.  Had it not been for my young laying pullets laying almost everyday, we would have been skunked.  Now of my 15 hens, I have been getting anywhere from 4-9 eggs daily.  When we gathered the eggs last night, we counted 10 eggs. That is an all time high for us.  That means that some of my older hens are laying.  Which ones, we don't have a clue. I'm so glad I talked Doug into culling the end of March.

I think this is great!  I've been selling my eggs faster than I can bring them to work.  This last week I was able to bring in 3 dozen and still have some for our personal use.  This week, I'll probably take in 4 dozen.  I'll find out where the saturation point is for eggs at work.  No matter, I'll find inventive ways to use them if that happens.

For now...Atta Girls!

This post is being shared with the Barn Hop

Chickens and Coop

We finally were able to find some recycled windows at the auction Tuesday and put them in the chicken coop.  We were leaving the big doors open for light, but the grackles, starlings and sparrows were wreaking  havoc on our feed and the chickens weren't getting enough natural light.

Doug spent a couple of hours yesterday installing the windows.

Today he will trim them out and revamp the nest box arrangement,  We have 15 hens and one rooster.  It's a small space so we are continually trying to perfect it.

I was trying to get some pictures of hen butts yesterday, since it was so nice out and they were enjoying their freedom.  Problem was they are continually moving about.

We can't seem to build up our burn pile.  The chickens find it so interesting they end up spreading it all over.

W

Oops, a rooster butt

I just think they are so nice, interesting and entertaining.