From begining to middle

Well,here we go a building the lay hutch,hen house what have you.Its the place we hope the eggs will be layed.



This is were I began,near the gate(I think now it was a mistake)We will see.
I took scrap wood(pallets,old privacy fenceing,a piece of ply wood,roofing tacks,1/4 x24''x5' and a hand full of 16 penny nails)

 I started with a 2x4 2 ft off the deck,leveled between the post.

I then built a a box frame  and nailed the mesh down and proceed'd to wall the box.

I used old tin roofing to cover the top(score the metel then cut with shears) Pain in the patooty.

So now Ive  got it closed in,Ill work on it more tomorrow.

Now my (Cin's) pics of the day. 

Sheldon keeping the girls in line.

I went to the Feed store and got them a new feeder. The small chick one just didn't allow enough of them to eat at once. This one gives them plenty of room but will leave the old one in there also. I went in nervously, not sure how much it would cost, but it ended up being a bargain at 6.95! I almost bought 2! It is metal and seems fairly sturdy. 

They really are digging the perches. More and more hang out on them.

They hated Pup making all that noise with the saws & such and tried to hide in the corner whenever the saw would start up. I'm pretty sure they think he is crazy or perhaps some giant monster trying to destroy the planet.

That's all for now. Tomorrow is Friday! WOOOHOOOO! 

Thanks Pup for all the work you did on the hen house today and taking time to post pics and walk us through it! I love you!

Hump Day!

It is Hump Day! Only a couple more days before the weekend. Gotta love having a Monday holiday and making it a short week.

The past few days have been just gorgeous. Perfect weather for being outside enjoying it.

The first Gardenia bloom appeared today. It smells divine.

The chicks are getting so big. The coop is not gorgeous but it is sure working perfectly so far. The chicks seem to love it in there. It is secure so far. They have not escaped and nothing has broken in.

So far so good.

The Hen House will be built in the next couple of days. It will be on the right side by the door. Not sure how Pup is going to do it. We have a good many pallets and more coming but I'm not sure if he is planning on using them for that or not.









How about some updated pictures of the cool chicks? They are getting so big! They are going through a lot more food and water too. It is about 3 gallons of water per day. I haven't really measured the food but today they switched to Laying feed from the original chick feed.

 One of the Barred Rocks enjoying the perch.

An Americauna & a Barred Rock

The flock

I so love the colors of the Americaunas!

The one little yellow chick is almost all white now.

The BR ladies.

Perchin it.








The pool is still green. Pup worked on it today. Hopefully it will be clean soon. I NEED to float!

Happy Wednesday All!

Sunday relaxin

It is such a beautiful day today! I've been working on the pool. We have major issues with the ladder and it is still putrid green. I do think it is looking better though....maybe a tiny bit. *le-sigh*

All of the chicks survived their first night out in their new home, (the Coop) They seem really happy. They run around and scratch in the dirt, chase each other and try to peck my toes when I am in there.

I think we are going to need a larger feed dispenser soon! I did give them a watermelon rind, They were pretty sure it was a monster at first but ended up eating it happily.The larger water dispenser is working pretty well. They are totally nasty though and it has to be cleaned a couple of times a day. They scratch stuff all in it, step in it, throw stuff into the water tray.

Since the hen house is not built yet we put the brooder box on its' side so they could run in and out of it for some shelter. They seem to love it. It worked so well as a brooder but we might end up incorporating it into the hen house somehow. There are a few improvements we could make on a new brood box if we need one. Pup says we have to cycle them. Get new babies to take over when these stop laying. I'm not sure how that works. I guess I need to read up on it. At any rate I think he plans on having more chicks in the future.

Sheldon da Rooster

The garden is showing signs of progress, I guess. Melons & Sunflowers!

Memorial Day Weekend

Last night we went to a friends house and celebrated Gavin's graduation from the 6th grade. He is officially in Middle School in the fall and a teenager soon after in September. Growing so fast. 

Today we worked hard in the yard. Pup and Amber worked on the chicken coop while I cut the grass. Then I joined them to help with a few things. We got out early before it got too hot. It was a gorgeous day! Not a cloud in the sky. 

They got the coop fenced in. No hen house yet but at least we could get them out of the broodbox. They seem really happy being able to run around, dig in the dirt and find grubs to eat. 

Amber was such a huge help! She and I rounded them up and clipped their wings so they couldn't fly out. Yes, chickens can fly! Not very well but enough to go over a fence. We only clipped one wing. That way they can still fly a little to get away from predators but they will fly in a circle and come back. We shall see how this works!

I got the info on how to clip their wings from www.backyardchickens.com. They have so much great info there! I highly encourage anyone wanting to have chickens to check them out. Here is a link to them and the wing clipping:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-clip-trim-the-wings-of-your-chicken-to-prevent-flight

This is the Rooster we will probably end up keeping. It is amazing how quickly they change colors!

Our little rooster here was the first one to escape the new coop enclosure. We are not sure HOW he got out but we caught him before any hazardous encounters with Havoc or Topper and promptly clipped his wings a bit more. Just in case! Pup says if he keeps that up he might be the first eaten rather than the one Rooster we keep! LOL I may call him Sheldon after the Big Bang Theory. He was sure smart enough to get out!

Pup worked hard and did an amazing job on the coop! Love you baby, you are awesome!

Boudreaux supervised the progress. Okay maybe he napped but he was there just in case we needed him!

I love the markings on the Americauna chicks! I kind of wish we had gotten all Americaunas and not the Barred Rocks. Their colors are so unique. This one reminds me of a quail. I'm sure their colors will change more but I am totally enjoying watching the progression. 

I think the lighter colored Barred Rock on the left here is a Rooster too. Notice the larger reddish cone. We shall see. The brown Americauna is so pretty! I think her (pretty sure she is a she) colors will keep changing though.

The Sun spotlighted Boudreaux while we worked.

I wandered out to the garden and found several green beans on the vines. 3 or 4 peppers (Bell & hot) on a couple of bushes and the watermelon vines are going crazy and have blooms on them! Progress finally! I am encouraged.

Tomorrow is another day. I will try to finish cutting the grass and hopefully Pup will work on the hen house. The pool also needs to be scrubbed. Which means getting into the nasty green water and wiping it down. We have been bombarding it with chemicals so I'm pretty sure we won't catch anything while doing it....but it is still kind of icky. Has to be done though and I think tomorrow is the day! FUN FUN.

Special thanks to all our Veterans both alive and those who gave their lives for our freedom! Thank you for your service and dedication. 

Things I have learned about chicks.

Things I have learned about chicks.

1. They aren't cuddly nor do they snuggle.
2. They really aren't very smart. Actually they are completely stupid.
3. They drink a lot more water than I thought they would.
4. They don't pose for pictures nor do they allow someone to pose them for pictures.
5. They act like bullies but if you reach for them they run...randomly...in a mob mentality.
6. I won't get attached to them, thank goodness. I pretty sure I won't mind eating them.
7. I have not named any but I am pretty darn sure they will never come if you call them by name.
8. If you pick one up you better be prepared to be pooped on.

I'm sure I will add more later.

They are really getting big! They need to get out of the brooder and into their pen! Pup worked on the new coop with the help of Blake and Kyndel, my grandkids.

Still have a good bit to do but it is coming along.

This was a wonderful surprise Saturday morning. The Hibiscus  Lauren & Gavin gave me for mothers day blooming proudly

I replanted the Hibiscus, one of the Bougainvilleas and the Confederate Jasmine. I have not even made it into the garden at all this weekend. I'm hoping if I miss a few days I will see more of a change. Pup has been in it and watered everything. He is also working on the pool. It is not clearing up. If it doesn't soon it will be emptied and refilled. We are trying to avoid that if possible.

Thank you for all you do my sweet Puppy, JJ. You are awesome!

Thursday's pics & news

Beautiful day out today! We got a load of pallets today for the new coop.

The chicks are getting big and fat!

Tail feathers!

I feel like I might be coming down with a cold or something. I can't, the weekend is going to be too busy!

The garden looks okay. Still kind of pitiful but coming along. The potatoes look good though!