Hubby went after Luci yesterday they should be here by about 1 am. My house is clean. I worked my butt off over the last week and the carpets didn't get, the problems with the house like the kids crayon that won't come off is still all over the walls, the holes in the walls are still there, but my house is clean. I have three loads of landry left. One in hamper, one in the washer and one in the dryer. Its a bit shocking to be caught up on that. I don't think I have been in over a year.
The rabbit cage came in after Hubby left and I had to put it together myself but they seem happier now than they were in what we were keeping them in. The puppies are starting to get along too. Now if I can just get my hands on some bees, I would be perfectly happy.
The Roosters were crowing a bit this morning they have been playing "King of the Mountain" on the water container the last few weeks, but the posturing was worse this morning. One of them even flew half way up the run, where I was standing and started attacking the wire fencing.
The only other thing going on is that today is my baby sisters birthday. I promised her a pair of socks and Im trying to learn to knit one sock inside the other so I can get hers done faster. Well that and Im afraid that Ill have the same problem with her socks im having with Neva's. Ill finish the first one and forget how many rows I knitted after adjusting the length of the leg.
Showing posts with label Chickens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chickens. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Chicken Update
We finally got the chicks out of the house this past weekend. Hubby did an amazing job on the chicken coop and fencing. I know it doesn't quite count as free range but its more free range than what they would get being raised by Tyson or some other chicken or egg company.
We ended up doing a lot more than we intended because of the cats. First we didn't realize that chickens could fly five feet into the air. So we had everything set for about 4 feet. One of them flew up on top of the coop and before we could get over our shock and get it down, one of the cats jumped up and got it. We couldn't save the chick. So, now we are down to 31. But, we learned our lesson and spent the rest of Sunday getting a roof on the pen.
The coop is small but it has five nesting boxes and a natural roost. Bear found a long tree branch that worked perfectly as a natural roost for them. they survived the night just fine and are getting bigger by the hour.
Everything around the coop makes it look like we could win the redneck yard of the week award. But, that is one of the things I am still trying to figure out. How to get rid of all the crap we have out here. It got here in a lot of different ways, left over from when mom and dad both lived out here, from when my sister was here, the stuff that belonged to my grandparents no one knew how to get rid of.....
I'm hoping to be able to contact a guy in the area that will clean up your yard for the scrap metal he finds laying around soon. But, I can't until Bear has all of his tools put up and the only things that are out there are things we don't mind him taking. But despite the way the area around the coop and run look I am proud of the work Bear and the kids did on those.
When he has the time, I'm going to get him to write up his design and post it here.
We ended up doing a lot more than we intended because of the cats. First we didn't realize that chickens could fly five feet into the air. So we had everything set for about 4 feet. One of them flew up on top of the coop and before we could get over our shock and get it down, one of the cats jumped up and got it. We couldn't save the chick. So, now we are down to 31. But, we learned our lesson and spent the rest of Sunday getting a roof on the pen.
The coop is small but it has five nesting boxes and a natural roost. Bear found a long tree branch that worked perfectly as a natural roost for them. they survived the night just fine and are getting bigger by the hour.
Everything around the coop makes it look like we could win the redneck yard of the week award. But, that is one of the things I am still trying to figure out. How to get rid of all the crap we have out here. It got here in a lot of different ways, left over from when mom and dad both lived out here, from when my sister was here, the stuff that belonged to my grandparents no one knew how to get rid of.....
I'm hoping to be able to contact a guy in the area that will clean up your yard for the scrap metal he finds laying around soon. But, I can't until Bear has all of his tools put up and the only things that are out there are things we don't mind him taking. But despite the way the area around the coop and run look I am proud of the work Bear and the kids did on those.
When he has the time, I'm going to get him to write up his design and post it here.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Happy Brigid's day
Normally, I would have spent today cleaning house as that is what Brigid's day is usually for. Taking the day to do your spring cleaning and we could certainly use it around here. But, instead I spent the day constantly on the go.
I started out ordering the chickens. I ultimately ended up ordering from The Welp Hatchery The lady I talked to there seemed very nice. Then I called and ordered the trees from TyTyGa only we ended up getting not just the 6 apple trees but also two peach trees. They should be here by the start of next week.
Then Bear came home early and we went and paid the taxes on the land. Then we took Brit to get the stitches out and take Mel home. Overall it was a pretty good weekend.
I'm still working on the proper layout for the garden. Its harder than you think considering I only have about 520 square feet to work with in the front yard.
Bear and I are actually talking about building two chicken coops. The one in the front yard close enough to the garden that we can open the run up so they can graze where the lettuce and spinach was growing and another one in the back yard to graze off the yard out there. The grass grows extremely thick, their are all kinds of grasses and weeds as well as bugs all over our back yard. One would be for unfertilized eggs to eat and the other group would be for fertilized eggs and our broody hen(s). That is probably going to have to wait though.
While we were paying the taxes we stopped by and paid the electric bill. Our Coop is trying to raise money to build a fourth hydroelectric plant. They want people to buy blocks of electricity on top of what they are already paying to help build the plant. My personal opinion is that they should send out a voting slip in the bill asking that everyone vote on whether or not to put profits over the next two years back into the new plant. I would vote to let our share go back to that, but instead they want to pay everyone their share and then have us give it back and then some. It would be nice to be less dependant on coal burning and I'm glad they are doing it, but I still would rather put my money into the solar panels than give it to them for their hydro plant.
I started out ordering the chickens. I ultimately ended up ordering from The Welp Hatchery The lady I talked to there seemed very nice. Then I called and ordered the trees from TyTyGa only we ended up getting not just the 6 apple trees but also two peach trees. They should be here by the start of next week.
Then Bear came home early and we went and paid the taxes on the land. Then we took Brit to get the stitches out and take Mel home. Overall it was a pretty good weekend.
I'm still working on the proper layout for the garden. Its harder than you think considering I only have about 520 square feet to work with in the front yard.
Bear and I are actually talking about building two chicken coops. The one in the front yard close enough to the garden that we can open the run up so they can graze where the lettuce and spinach was growing and another one in the back yard to graze off the yard out there. The grass grows extremely thick, their are all kinds of grasses and weeds as well as bugs all over our back yard. One would be for unfertilized eggs to eat and the other group would be for fertilized eggs and our broody hen(s). That is probably going to have to wait though.
While we were paying the taxes we stopped by and paid the electric bill. Our Coop is trying to raise money to build a fourth hydroelectric plant. They want people to buy blocks of electricity on top of what they are already paying to help build the plant. My personal opinion is that they should send out a voting slip in the bill asking that everyone vote on whether or not to put profits over the next two years back into the new plant. I would vote to let our share go back to that, but instead they want to pay everyone their share and then have us give it back and then some. It would be nice to be less dependant on coal burning and I'm glad they are doing it, but I still would rather put my money into the solar panels than give it to them for their hydro plant.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tomorrow It begins
Tomorrow I am ordering our chickens and Apple trees. Bear is also going to start looking around for a tiller. Its the one gardening tool I have always needed and never had. I have a feeling it will seriously improve our chances of actually getting a garden to work instead of having a bunch of plants that never really produce and get buried in weeds I can't keep up with.
I want to make sure that the chicks we get will go broody so I never have to buy chickens again and can rather raise my own. Of course, Ill have to hope that there is a rooster in the bunch of chicks they send to me. We are going to order them from McMurray Hatchery. If you want to see a picture of the ones we are getting you can find it here.
For the Apple trees, I couldn't find a local source so we are ordering from TyTy Nursery. For now we are sticking to Arkansas Black Apples and Gala Apples. The Gala is the best to cross breed with the Arkansas Blacks.
From there its just a matter of finding the seeds I want for the Strawberries, Broccoli, and Snow peas to start getting them started in a small greenhouse box indoors as well as buying the tiller.
Monday, I'll mail the payments for the taxes on the land and we will be good to go for at least another year.
I want to make sure that the chicks we get will go broody so I never have to buy chickens again and can rather raise my own. Of course, Ill have to hope that there is a rooster in the bunch of chicks they send to me. We are going to order them from McMurray Hatchery. If you want to see a picture of the ones we are getting you can find it here.
For the Apple trees, I couldn't find a local source so we are ordering from TyTy Nursery. For now we are sticking to Arkansas Black Apples and Gala Apples. The Gala is the best to cross breed with the Arkansas Blacks.
From there its just a matter of finding the seeds I want for the Strawberries, Broccoli, and Snow peas to start getting them started in a small greenhouse box indoors as well as buying the tiller.
Monday, I'll mail the payments for the taxes on the land and we will be good to go for at least another year.
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