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.