Happy Chicks

The chicks didn't really know what to think of being outside. For the first few days, I would have to carry them out, and then carry them back in. Once they were out they were happy. They hadn't figured out how to go inside if the wind picked up or anything.
I have since, put chicken wire up along the fences. They now are eager to go out when I let them out in the morning. I built them their own special little ramp. And they are slowly figuring out how to go back in! I actually haven't left them out until dusk, like you're "supposed" to, but i'm sure they would figure it out themselves. But I guess they do just have a chicken brain...

  

bribing them out

Worked until the sun set!

Moving the Coop

This weekend we were Finally able to move the chicken coop outside. It was supposed to be warm from now on (I'm just hoping) and it was semi-dry outside. We (and by we, I mean Jed) attached a chain to the coop and Bob towed it out with the backhoe. Chicks inside! I had wanted to have a run set up for them outside so they don't have to be inside while they move the coop. But you can't really have an attached run with no coop...

Seeing some natural light for the 2nd time (sad, I know!)

attaching a chain

After their little road trip

Let them out for a while...still not used to it...also doesn't help that the ground was muddy+damp!

 I have since then added a little run, put some chicken wire up against the pig panels, and gave them a ramp to come out their own personal door! I will post pics of that eventually.

Weekend.

After a HUGE breakfast of biscuits and gravy which I had never heard of, together, we went outside. First of all though, Jed had been bugging me to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast because "Andrea made them for Cole" (Jed's brother who he works with) so that means I had to. I had never heard of those things. At least not together.  I guess what it is is ground pork cooked, and then added to a white special gravy thing, and then served over biscuits. Jed actually bought all the ingredients for it last week while he was in Miles City. (He knows I would never buy it when it's just me shopping! Mainly because I Really don't know what it is). He asked if he should get some biscuits. Clearly he's seen my fails and fails of bread making! However, I can make biscuits.
So Saturday morning, we made them. I had made some biscotti the night before and didn't wash the dishes. Which is totally Not me! I wash the dishes after every meal because I can't cook in a dirty kitchen. But it was like 9:30 when the biscotti finished and Jed was already making some popcorn so I definitely couldn't do dishes while he ate the popcorn!
That just meant that while Jed was making the gravy and pork, he took over the counters+stove. I made the biscuits on the table. It was a well dirtied kitchen!

Biscuit making. Or made. 

Eventually we I got the kitchen cleaned up and outside we went. We had to put fascia, sofit and trim on the coop. The sofit was leftover from a job Jed's been on, and the fascia likely dates back to the early 80's. (Joys of having many old buildings on the property to find materials!) It was a nice enough day that I hauled the chicks to an old fenced in area that they used to use for other chickens and bird like creatures.  It was in the shade, cool and damp. Nothing like toughening them up! 

I found an old basket around here and hauled them like that. Some of the littler chicks were small enough to escape out, so they got royal treatment and got carried by hand. 

Hand carrying the weird ones! 

We were looking through the old buildings here and found this gorgeous old stove! I'm going to stake my claim on it now. I also found some cast iron pans I want to refinish!

This little dog watched the bulls for half hour or so and then decided to take 4 steps into the pen...too bad for her (and us) it was about 8" of poop/pee/water all mixed together! 

She also met the chicks, but decided annoying a cow was a better idea than watching chicks

            

Perfect day for sheet drying! 

                           The little silkie! I think this is Jed's favourite chick ha!

              

Hauling them!

Another Week

It's sad. I realize that all my posts lately have been pretty much strictly chickens!!  I guess that's all my life is right now, or all worth photographing at least!

I did clean up some of my garden this week. There's a tree at the north end of my garden which I decided i'm going to plant a bunch of flowers all around it. Like a wildflower patch! And just hope they grow. But i'm feeling doubtful considering it was waist high of weeds last summer...
I started throwing out cow patties out of my garden. Most people Want manure, but I don't! I believe that the manure in my garden last year was too strong, causing death to beans, carrots, onions, peas, etc. I'm secretly hoping that my garden didn't do well last year because it hadn't been touched in Years. Let's hope.
I take my dog for walks everyday and one day this week there was a cow and her calf right where we wanted to go. I know better to let a cow-eager dog get near a cow+it's calf! This particular cow was Pet. You can Pet her. But not when there's a dog involved. We just took a walk a different way.

This is Pet.

Love getting photos of this little munchkin! 

I think they're remembering the head scratches I gave them when they were brand new.

Soak in the sunshine

Myrtle doesn't like pictures. I'm also terrified she's going to fly into my face!

I convinced Jed to make a temporary roost for the chicks. They like it! Each day it seems like more pile on. It's a tad too big for their claws but considering how fast they grow they'll be fine!

And then there's one that sleeps in the feeder.