New Chicken Fence

Here is our latest project!

In the last post, I showed you the comparison from last Thanksgiving to this Thanksgiving. After we finished the living room we took about a month or 2 off and then did some more work for about a month. Since then, we haven't done anything until now. 

One of our chickens died and we were not getting enough eggs with 2 chickens. So, we got 2 more chickens. Well, Bult, this red one

and blacky, this black one were not being very nice to our new chickens.

In-fact, they were attacking them when left in the coop. We had to let them roam so the new little ones, Lucy

and Jewl would be safe. But with the chickens having run of the entire yard, there was poop everywhere! Yes, EVERYWHERE. I couldn't stand walking out the back to to poop.

We decided to fence off the side of the yard so the chickens had a big enough area that they could share. They are getting along better and they stay with each other all day, but when it comes to food, they still fight. There is a definite pecking order with Blacky at the top and Jewl at the bottom.

I love the way the fence turned out! It blends right in and when my garden is growing this spring, it will look great. The only problem is Jewl is small enough that she can fly over it. At least the others can't!

While our fence was going up, Papa re-built with a few modifications C's climbing tower. It's now more like a tree house since it sits under the trees. C & L spend every possible moment in it now. They LOVE it!

Garden Update

This summer has not been good to us on the farm. Those lovely planter boxes that we built to keep the gofer out I guess had bad soil and not enough water, so we lost a lot of our plants in the first month. Things are finally starting to grow. There was one box that did well for us this summer, it was the box where I put compost and dirt from the ground in it.

We got and are getting lots and lots of peppers. The only problem is when it gets really hot they get sun scorched. I have a shader up, but it's not enough. The weather has been very mild this week and today I found all those peppers ready to harvest! I was so excited. I also found 1 cucumber ready to harvest as well. I am so excited to finally be finding food! Tonight we actually got to eat peppers, cucumbers and strawberries from our own garden. That's the most in one meal in a long time.

Our chickens are another story! It has been crazy, they started laying eggs under all the mango trees and I had to go on an egg hunt every day. Then they stopped laying eggs and went broody. For a while I could take one egg a day out from under them, they would take turns watching the egg they shared for that day. After almost 2 months, they stopped sitting on the eggs and stopped laying all together. Finally, we are up to 2 eggs a day again for the past 2 days in a row. Maybe it's the weather. It did get pretty hot for a couple weeks.

So, there is our update. I'm going to try to plant a bunch of squash after I get the garden all weeded. They are supposed to be pretty disease resistant in the fall.

Eggs!

Woo-who! I went out to pet the chickens this afternoon about 12:30. I didn't check their roost this morning because I do every day and when I peaked in the hole to see who was hiding, Honey was in there. Then I remembered I got 2 new chickens yesterday. The white one, the frizzle to the right of her and the other one in the middle behind the white one.

So, I opened the door and guess what I found in this little basket?

Yep, you guessed it, eggs! 3 to be exact. I am so excited, even more then my kids are. Little C said, "Ah-oh, I hope it wasn't a rooster that laid those eggs." He knows we have to get rid of the roosters.

We are on our way to not buying eggs anymore, that's saving 4-8 dollars per week! Organic eggs are expensive and we usually go through 2 dozen a week. Yes, these little eggs are a bit small, but our chickens are barley 6 months old. I am assuming as they grow, so will the eggs, at least a little and if they don't we have 8 chickens to make up for the size.

Kristen

Chickens

Well, it turns out 2 of our chickens were roosters. It started last weekend, Mr. C thought he heard the singing of a rooster at 6 am. I slept right through it and couldn't understand how he "thought" it was a rooster. You either hear a bock or a cock-a-doodle-doo. 2 days later I heard it, it was definitely a rooster. Mr. C went out there to see who it was and the little boogers were in the roost. Couldn't see them. Yesterday, I snuck up on them, peaked through the hole at the top and saw 2 singing. BUMMER! We started with 4 and now were down to 1. Our white one got taken away by a Red Tailed Hawk.

I called the very nice lady we got the chickens from and she said to bring them back and get new. Today we went with 2 roosters and came back with 5 more chickens! Don't we have such a pretty flock?

Too bad it wasn't just that easy to get them in the coop. I had the carrier outside the coop waiting for little C to go potty. L comes out and opens the door when my back is turned. I hear, "Mommy, L let the chickens out!" WHAT?! I look and 3 chickens are scattering all over. We not have a nice enclosed small yard. We live on about an acre of land. This was not an easy task getting them back in.

I'm trying to gather them into one area barking orders at the kids to help me and get their dad. Finally they come walking over as I'm yelling, "Did you tell daddy the chickens are out?"
C responds, "Yes."
Me as I've got my arms spread bending over trying to heard in the chickens: "Where is he?"
C says calmly, "Over there."
Me: "Over where? Outside?"
C: "Yes"
Me: "Did you tell him to come?... Then I yell at the top of my longs his name!

So, Mr C comes over asking what happened before he jumps into action. Like we really have time for the discussion of what actually happened! The point is I need help or we are going to loose 3 of our new chickens that don't know where their home is and who are running around like a chicken with it's head cut off.

Eventually it becomes me chasing down the chickens. I thought that I could just chase them right into the coop so I asked little C to go to the door and open it. By open it I meant wait there and open when it's time. I guess I should have been a little more clear to a 5 year old because I see Robin running out of the coop! Oh my goodness! Luckily, Robin is our only original chicken left and she knows where her home is. She also knows what corn is when I toss it at her. The new ones just ran further away. We got Robin back in the coop pretty quickly then I was off to capture the others.

Finally, after running all over the place, get to where I can grab one, she is kind of cornered. I step, reach and go tumbling down! I get back up and I'm not sure if she is looking at me because I looked crazy or she is confused by what just happened. But, she is still there a just bit further, so I quickly step a little closer to reach again, but my foot landed on a fallen orange from the tree and slid all the way till I was down in the splits and the chicken was gone. That was this girl that looks like she has a hat.

I did eventually manage to get her. Yes, it was me that grabbed her and all the rest while Mr. C was doing some chasing or blocking and laughing. Little C and Mr. C named her Alice.

This pretty girl, well hopefully girl, is Daisy (my name choice). She is one that got out. I got her just as she ran out from under the trailer. Mr. C scared her out from the other side and I grabbed. She got out of my hands, but I grabbed again. She is a beauty!

This little one here is Snowy. Little C said the white on the tips of her feathers looks like snow so he wanted to call her Snowy.

The last one we caught was Honey II. One of our Roosters we named Honey because of her honey color. She is a honey colored frizzle like the chicken above. I didn't get a good picture of her because she kept hiding behind the others. But she was the most wild. I tried to get her over to the coop in the beginning, but she just ran to the other side of the house on top of the wall that has a huge drop on the other side. I was worried she'd go down there, so I left her alone to calm down. After the first 2 were in, we went and found her at the other side of the house waiting to go in. Mr. C suggested we let her in, then it might be easier to catch her... Yeah, right! and get poop all over my house?! I don't think so.

She was running and flying all around and she flew right in-between our back door and laundry room door. HA! Trapped, cornered. I grabbed and put her in the coop. I was pooped after that. There was my cardio for the day.

Now that we have 6 chickens that are safely in their coop, no broken bones on my end, hopefully we will have some eggs and no roosters. Those chickens are not getting let out for at least a month now.

Kristen

Bringing Home the Chickens

We got them! Our chickens. I have waited so long for this. We are so excited. They should start laying eggs in a few months. Hopefully they are all hens, no roosters.

Here we are getting ready for the little hens... Hopefully, hens.

Here are their baskets.

Little C and Mr. C are filling the water.

L is watching, waiting for the chickens to come out.

Here they come!

C is eager to hold one.

He is so gentle with them.

L thought she was ready, but changed her mind.

Aren't they cute? We wanted all different. they two on the left are sisters and the two on the right are sisters a little bit younger.

Ah-Oh, one got stuck. We need to get a string for that latch. I don't want to be locked in with the kids when we are the only ones home.

Now can we call our home a farm?