This evening we let our chickies out to free-range first time.  I thought if we let them out late in the evening, then it wouldn't be long before they would go back into their pen and go to bed.  And they had a BALL!  They had eaten and scratched all the grass from the pen, so they were excited to be out running around in the grass again! Even a few bugs were to be had, too.  The hornworms had arrived here on Sand Flat Farm and I've been picking them off the tomato plants and one even ate all the foliage off one of my jalapeno plants and started on a pepper!  So, the chickies have been getting some big fat green hornworms.  Actually, BB (the bully brahma) has been getting most of them.  I try to move her and give the worms to some of the others, but she manages to bully her way into the fray and grab these delicious worms away from the other girls.

Since you probably don't know what chickens look like, thought I'd share a few more shots.  We've been having fun watching our chicks.  Very relaxing in the evenings.  We had Gypsy on her leash and she slept beside our chairs.  One of the hens got too close, however, and Gypsy turned and I think she would have either grabbed it or would have taken off chasing it.  I'm trying to teach her that the chickens are MINE and she is not allowed to mess with them.

 I set my scratch bowl down for just a second and see what happens?  In a minute, this bowl was full of chicken heads.  We've been giving them kitchen scraps, and I've got a little section in my garden that I've been growing greens for them.  They love fruits - especially bananas and watermelon.

I recently added a couple more hens.  They had just started laying good when I got them.  My barred rock and my Rhode Island Red.  I'm getting nearly two eggs every day.  This is so fun.  Just humor me, K?  I'll move on to something else soon...

I finally got all the front porch posts and railings painted.  I really like how it turned out.  AND, I painted the front door RED.  I love it!  Gives the porch a pop of color.  Still have some work to do, but I'll eventually get it all done.  Still have a couple of flower beds to build, but I need the husband to help me on that project and I've gotta wait til he's got the time and the inclination.

Well, it's time to call it a night.  

I'll try to do better on my blogging.  This is our busiest time of year! Sending you all a big hug from Sand Flat Farm!

PS -  SOUTH LIGHT ART BLOG HAS BEEN UPDATED TOO!  Yea, maybe I'm on a roll...

Cookbook Giveaway!

http://doublenickelfarm.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-cookbook-contest.html

You need to go over and visit at Double Nickel Farm and take a gander at this cookbook giveaway - I'm IN.  Southwest/Mexican style cooking at its best, I'm sure!  If you haven't met Jen and Bill and the "goof troop" (as she calls 'em), well you need to!

More Chicken Poo

OK, girls, I get my turn at talking about my chickens.  I'm LLLOOOOONNNGG overdue.  I'm still trying to figure out what their personalities are in case I decide to name them.  I actually started with 6 chickens, and the next day, I acquired two more so now I have 8 pullets. I added a Brahma and a barred rock.  We sit in the evenings these last few days and just watch these silly juveniles.  They are so funny.  They finally learned to put themselves in their coop at night.  You should have seen me having to catch them one by one and put them in the coop.  Tony was having a hey-day watching!  Did he offer to help??  Nope.

One thing that we enjoy ... when I open the coop in the mornings, they have learned to prance down the plank that I made with the little steps on it.  But their wings are growing, and they've now taken to launching themselves from the door of the coop and flapping furiously trying to fly.  Then they fall in a clumsy pile, right themselves and act like nothing happened.

I haven't named them all yet. Just a couple...  my sister had a parakeet when we were young, and she asked me to name one of them Budgie after her bird.  So, my littlest bird, the Black Star is the bravest, the most courageous, the first one to try everything became Budgie.  Budgie is younger than the rest, she kinda does her own thing altho she gets along with everybody.

The two ameracaunas (above) are pretty shy and timid, they are followers, and they move out of the way when the more aggresive hens come around or look at them wrong.  They're pretty birds, actually, and they have a kind of ruff growing around their necks.

The New Hampshire, the Buff and the Black Aussie are all just middle of the road pullets in temperament. No problems out of them.

This little Barred Rock is the escape artist.  Every time she sees me coming out, she runs to the door and tries to dart out. I really have to keep an eye on her.  She came along with this one...

The Brahma Bully aka  "BB"

Yes, I have one.  A bully hen.  She is a bit larger than the other girls.  She and her co-hort, the barred rock came from the Idea*l hatchery.  They ran a tight ship at their place - they ran with about 50 other chicks and I imagine that BB was the boss of that bunch, too.  If she draws blood or starts a riot, she'll have to... well, let's just say we may have to make other arrangements.  I'm hoping that she'll settle down and be able to stay here at Sand Flat Farm.

These two are buddies.

I may have questions for you chicken people... stay tuned...

The New Girls Are HERE At LAST!

I am now officially a Poltergiest!!!  Yes, it's true - at least that's what my sweet husband calls me now.  I  now am the proud owner of 6 pullets.  Finally, after all this time, about 3 years I'd say, I've got my chickens!  The coop is finished and I'm very pleased how it came out.  I designed it, and then Daddy and I (and Tony when he was available) worked on the coop and pen.  See what you think!

I think my hens will love living here.  I'm hoping that they'll be able to range about outside, too, but we'll see.  We've got lots of dogs, coyotes, hawks and owls around here.  If we do let them out they'll have to have a fenced off area in the orchard. 

Above, let me introduce you to our 6 pullets - one Black Austrolorp, one Buff Orpington, two Ameracaunas, one Black Sex-Link, and one New Hampshire Red.  They are anywhere between 2.5 and 3.5 months old.  So they won't be laying for a bit yet.  They are used to people, but they don't want to be held or touched yet. I hope they'll get used to me.  I was hoping to get a couple more, and I might still - we'll see...

The first night, I had to catch them all and stick them in their coop.  The littlest black hen is spunky.  She doesn't wait on the others.  She was the first out of the coop.  She's a brave little hen.  She had the first new chick food and real grass and bugs all by herself before the other pullets decided they were going to come out.  Scaredy-cats!

Below, is one of the Ameracauans trying to decide if she's brave enough to come out.

Checking out their new feeder...

Well, that's all folks!  Just covered up with work,, gardening, and chicken poop around here - i'll be checking on you all in the next few days!  Bock-bock!

Progress on Chicken Coop

Hey guys, been working on the coop AND the garden trying to get it put in.  Sorry I've been away for awhile.  This is the busiest time of year on the farm.  I've got a few more rows of beans to put out and my cukes.  Also have some raised bed boxes that I'm going to put some things in.  I just don't have enough hours in the day with my job.  Know what I mean?

Above, first we laid the boards around the base of the run so we'd have something to attach the chicken wire to and also to give it more stability.  Same thing with the boards supporting the middle.  The coop and run will have a slanted roof so the rain will run off the back.  Here Dad is measuring for the floor of the coop.

Now, my sweet husband is attaching the top supports around the run...

AND... cutting off the tops of the uprights when they get the angle of the slant all marked off.

Dad's putting the door to the run together here.  It took some finagling to get the angles right due to the slant of the roofline.  But my Dad can do it - He still hangs the moon for me.

Above and below - here's where we left off.  Roof, wire and finish coop.  And oh yeah, we have to bury some wire or tin around the bottom so the varmints can't dig in.  Soon, I hope to fence off a portion of the orchard area so the hens will have a place to free-range...

Below, some dark clouds rolled in last week, don't remember which day, but it's always beautiful when the sun is out - it makes the clouds even darker, and the spring-y green of the oaks coming out really stood out against this dark sky.  I thought it was so pretty...

Gyp is really enjoying this weather.  Note to self...  go to Walm*rt and pick up a slicker brush and comb to help ease that undercoat out.  She's getting a little matted and I felt some grassburrs stuck behind one ear...

Well, tomorrow me and Dad are working on the coop.  I'm hoping to get it finished before the weekend is out.  I have bought some hens and they are about 3 months old.  The lady I bought them from is going to just hold them for me until my coop is finished, but I'm so anxious to get them I could just jump up and down!  Boing, boing, boing!!!

Will give you an update and let you know how much we get done on the coop!  I remember how excited  Farmchick Paula was when she got her coop built and got her hens.  There are probably several of you gals that were just as excited as I am now.  I've always wanted chickens and it's finally going to happen!  My mom told me the other day, "I just don't know why you want those nasty things."  Mom, you just don't understand. But she grew up with them - they had a bunch of chickens and a huge henhouse, and she hated going into the coop and gathering eggs and squishing chicken poop between her toes.  Maybe cuz I never had 'em growing up is why it excites me so much to get them now. 

Gotta run, gals - take care - I hope to be back soon - I need to come visit you all and see what you're up to!
Keep your dress down!