Chickie Update March 28, 2011

I suppose I should quit calling them "Chickies" pretty soon...they're HUGE! You can get an idea by looking at the sizes on the feeders. A Plymouth Bardrock is a big chicken, so as big as they're looking, they're probably only about half grown. Today was their first day outside for a full day. Our weather's been so lousy, they've only had a couple hours in the yard at a time. Rog actually put them out about 7:30 this morning and they were out until he came home again around 8pm. He came home at noon to check on them but said they appeared thrilled to be outside. They can actually fly fairly well and we finally had one clear the short pen (she was outside the fence pictured here and 'snuggling' with the fence trying to get back in! The only one we can identify enough to know that it belongs to one of the kids is the pullet Anna picked...she's darker and a lot smaller than the others (and was when Anna picked her).

Anna's New Purse

Miss AnnaBell's new denim purse....she wears overalls a lot...this is Grandma's attempt to 'feminize' and make it look more girly (this little one is fashion-conscious...nobody has any idea where she got it!)

Yard pen, coop, chickies

I see I haven't blogged in awhile....chickies must be about a month old. Wore out their 'indoor' welcome last night by waking Rog at 2:30 and keeping him up the rest of the night.

We put them outdoors in their "pen" for a couple hours, then one hour in the new coop (can't say they were impressed). I think their feet are actually too small for the roost so they were struggling with the wire at the bottom. He's actually stringing a light and setting them up in the garage for at least a few more weeks.

They're lots of fun....running around outside and heard a neighbor's dog...froze and started chirping for Mom (me). Very cute.

Rog is off to the dentist today...looks like he's decided to pull that molar for now instead of working on it. His pain level is still pretty high and they can't find any infection...need to get the tooth out of there and see if the pain stops. They want about $2K for a root canal and crown or $2K for a permanent bridge...I think he's opting for the bridge.

So far, our day off (meant for chores) has produced a nice breakfast out, errands and WalMart and playing with chickens. Oh well, the paperwork will wait another day!

Chickens playting in the sun

Rog built the chickies a 2'x8" pen (8 ft. square) and took them outside for an hour today. After they got over their initial panic, they seemed to relax and peck in the grass and on the boards. Their enthusiasm went way up when he gave them their water and food. They are about 6" tall and can definitely fly....can clear the boards without any problem. We spent a little time putting them back, but they pretty much stayed in the pen.

We're shocked at how fast they're growing. Their wings are growing out and starting to turn black and white. They're still "fluffy", but it's disappearing fast and they're starting to look scruffy.

Hhhmm....where to start after all this time?

I decided the new chicks were noteworthy (since we aren't exacty farmers). Four of the five grandkids were allowed to go to the feed store on Feb 12th and buy a chick (fifth grandkid, Jakob, is in Texas). Not sure I can post in the right order, but I'll try and put up a few shots. Blogging after all this time will probably be an adventure.

The top picture is Miss AnnaBell with the new chicks the day they came home. The middle, the heat lamp, window screen set up. The third a fairly accurate picture of how they've doubled in size in one week.

Their gentle "peeping" is starting to have occasional sqawking and has doubled in volume, too. Anna has named her chick "Buck-a-buck" and JP has named his chick "Chick-a-dee" (no, we can't distinguish between them yet.....It looks like Anna's is the smallest, but that's about it).

Lots of fun and something that making the new house feel more like a home. Rog has been working on the compost/chicken coop for awhile, but it's too cold to put them out yet.

I'll try harder to post more often. Hello to all.

Hydroponic Veggies

Rog jury-rigged the bags outside so I could work on this experiment......You take the foil bag, insert the red bag inside, add 3 Tbs. of millenium soil and 4 qts. of water. Let it 'simmer' for two hours. Add 1 Tbs. of 'fertilizer', stir well. Find a way to bury your veggies in the bag and the jello-like consistency 'cubes' and then zip tie the red bag closed around the plants. Lots of fun.

The two lower pictures are where I'm going to try growing them. There are three lemon cucumbers in one pouch; one cherry tomato in another pouch and one "jetsetter" big tomato plant. The plants are supposed to stay between 60-80 degrees and have 10-12 hours of light per day.

It should be an interesting experiment. This is a gift from my friend, Karen, in Alaska (she's going to be trying them, too). You add water when the plants 'wilt' (1 cup).

Roger's comment was that the treadmill is an expensive paper weight (meaning, plant stand). I wonder if I'll be able to keep the kids from knocking these off??

Sorry I haven't blogged in so long...tyranny of the urgent, I suppose!

We've had a nice weekend here as I was called off and it's rare for me to be with Rog the whole weekend. We had breakfast out, church and have been doing chores this afternoon (although we did manage a little chatting and sitting in the sun).

February 10, 2010

The long promised pictures of the Willow tree on the corner that fell.....then Jonathan's fifth birthday (Jan. 5), Andrew's fancy duds, no shoes. No time to write. Just got a call from the realtor that they need to show the house in an hour and a half. Prayer good for any that see this in time.