i want that box!

This morning I was standing in front of the kitchen window when all of a sudden I hear loud noises from the hen and chick house, so I go out to the hen house first and what do I find 2 reds screaming at each other because they both want the same box! There are 10 boxes in that house...there is no excuse for all the "bitching" that was going on! I dragged the first red out of the box and told her to pick another one! We moved Penelope and the 8 fertile eggs (that have survived living with the reds) to the chick house...along with Mildred, who still has Bumblefoot, but if Mildred can't behave herself, she is going back in the crate on the patio! What a morning!

compost helpers

The girls love to help with the composting...we have two compost piles in their yard area. Mildred thinks she owns this one. She only let one of the reds stay up there long enough for me to snap a picture and then she shooed her away.

last day

This is Fugly...I thought he was a hen, but a few days after DH processed the Dominique roosters, Fugly "showed himself." I don't know what kind of chicken he is, but he has the prettiest feathers. I wanted him to be a hen, so that we could keep him. He is constantly going under the construction fencing and trying to mate with the red hens...they can't stand him. He caught one of the reds feasting on a bug this morning and was able to get on her back. As soon as he got off, she started pecking him and then screaming and chasing him. He paced back and forth trying to get back with the one Dominique hen and two Leghorn hens. I went in there and told him, "You get what you deserve for wandering over here with the reds, when you know that don't like you!" I picked him up and took him back to the hens that tolerate him. He'll be taking an ice bath tomorrow. Mildred, Penelope, and Petunia will be joining the reds tomorrow...that should be interesting.

aww...pasture grass

Yesterday afternoon, we took down the fence and the reds attacked the area...they love this type of grass.  We closed the gate to their larger area and reseeded it.  All the roosters will be processed in 2 weeks and we'll combine all the hens...this should be interesting.

chickens and feed box

These leghorn roosters are so mean...they pick on everyone...I can't wait until they are in the freezer!  The pasture grass in the background is for the red hens...we reseeded that area 3 weeks ago and the hens can't wait for us to remove the construction fence keeping them out.
This hen has gray legs and beautiful feathers...we don't know what kind of chicken she is...she was mixed in with the dominiques.  
One of the dominique roosters.
DH built this feed box for me last weekend, so I've been painting it the past couple of days...it's going to need another coat of red paint.  

random sunday...

It finally rained!  After I fed the chickens this morning, I grabbed my camera and went back outside.  These are raindrops on the garden gate. 
One of the hens posing for me.  They will be 13 weeks old this week.
I sketched this Wednesday down by the creek...this house is on our side of the creek and all I can see is the rooftop. I'm hoping the weather will stay warmer, so I can get out more with my sketchbook.  Sketched in my 5x8 wc moleskine.
I took this picture on the other side of the berm...all you can see is the top of our roof.  I love to go wandering around in the woods.  This is about where I was standing when I did the sketch above.  
DH made this boot scrapper for me...I definitely needed it this morning.  

what a burger...

I baked kaiser rolls yesterday and we grilled burgers.  I did a test batch Thursday, but wasn't happy with them, so I made a few adjustments and was more than pleased with the results yesterday.  

DH and I went to the movies Sunday morning to see TAKEN...great movie!  

We processed 5 more white chickens Saturday, so there are only 4 whites left...we will process them this weekend.  I can't wait for the red hens to start laying eggs and the roosters to start crowing...I may regret that comment.  We have 9 red roosters, but will only keep Lefty.  

chickens and garden...

DH feeding the reds rye grass...they have rye grass in their yard area, but like to think they are getting something special if you hand feed them.  This past Saturday we processed 6 whites...we roasted one Sunday and the others are in the freezer.    
DH welded this row maker together.
This is what the garden looks like after DH made the rows...I couldn't believe how fast he was able to make the rows.  We plan on planting potatoes this weekend.