An update

I just love my girls!

Each one has a unique personality!

Simple is a Good Thing

…especially when it comes to the digestive system in a chicken! There is so much to learn about Chicken Keeping!

I need simple.

FOUND IT here!

Now I know where to check my girls when I read about an impacted crop! Before I had no clue (actually I thought it was the “other” end)!

Thank you, Tim Daniels, for making it simple!

The side bar of his website/this article gives information how to treat various Chicken digestive problems. A great resource indeed!

 

6 Signs

Although basically an advertisement for a certain product, the article: Is My Flock Healthy? 6 Signs of Happy Backyard Chickens, provides some great information. I’ve raised the girls from day 2 (?) can’t remember for sure! I want them to be happy and healthy!

 Strong Eggshells - exceptionally!

Consistent Egg Production - 5 girls, 5 eggs per day!

Dark, golden yolks - yummy!

Shiny feathers - beautiful!

Brightly colored combs - indeed!

High energy - oh.my.goodness!

So far, so good!

Feed and Treats

Maybe it's the heat. High today was 97 - again! I don't know for sure, but something's going on. I've noticed lately the girls just don't like their layer pellets any longer. It doesn't seem like they are eating much of it and scarf down the afternoon treats of scratch, oats/mealworms, and birdseed mixture I give them.

I've tried hand feeding them the layer pellets. Nope. Nada. They want something "special". The 50lb bag is half empty. Did the heat cause it to spoil? When I first changed them from chick feed to the layer pellets, they seemed to enjoy it and ate without issue.

Yesterday, our neighbor/friend checked on things while we were away. He collected the five normal eggs we've been getting from our five girls. Today I collected only two.

Yesterday afternoon I wasn't here to give them afternoon treats. Were they pouting? Missing the attention?

Until I can get back to the feed store, I may give them some peanut butter... just a tad... mixed with some meal worm/oats treats. And, I'll scramble their eggs and shells for an afternoon treat of protein! They love that!

Their eggs and shells scrambled with a bit of garlic! They LOVE it!

I'm going to change to crumbles. Maybe they'll like that better.

But, if it is a spoilage issue, what do I do? How do I keep it from spoiling? It's stored in a metal trash can with a tight fitting lid, inside the Garden House. Should I move their feed inside the house? (Not that it's any cooler inside the house when we are out of town!)

I'm doing research on what chickens like (and should) eat. Since our girls cannot free range, I do try to provide them with some things they would find outside their run, like grass clippings, grasshoppers I'm able to catch, and I move the logs inside the run around where they discover BUGS! These girls are FAST! They even catch crickets!!!

I thoroughly enjoy Lisa Steele's article "Healthy Treats for Chickens" and reference it quite often. I'm grateful for her list of Toxic items that can/will harm the girls.

What do you give your girls, crumbles or pellets? What treats do you give them?

 A newbie here, learning as I go!

It's been a while!

Oh. My. Goodness!

So much has happened since January!

Our babies arrived!

We got the coop and run built! It’s sort of finished… need to finish up the painting!

 Run is done and the girls are in!

They have grown so fast!

Momma got the courage to go inside & hold "Millie"

 

The girls are now laying!

 It's a good day in the Yolk Yard!

It's a Short List!

We recently completed an inventory of the materials and supplies we have on hand to build the chicken house! I’m thrilled our “need to buy” list is very short!!!

What we need to buy:

Deck blocks (6) like this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Common-7-in-x-11-in-x-11-in-Actual-7-125-in-x-10-375-in-x-10-375-in-Concrete-Deck-Block/50113084

Linoleum to cover a 6’ x 4’ floor (the size of coop we’ve determined we need/want), something like this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Armstrong-Flooring-Royelle-12-ft-W-x-Cut-to-Length-Rock-Hill-Stone-High-Gloss-Finish-Sheet-Vinyl/999978374

And the glue to hold it down… maybe liquid nail?

Exterior Paint

I haven’t 100% decided on its color. I guess I should make a decision soon! I’m looking at a soft yellow, trimmed in white. Yet there are so many different shades of yellow!!!

I must keep my focus on the upcoming chicken keeping! I’ve failed miserably and have let things outside my control get to me!

Fly By

Spring IS coming! 

This is the year to begin keeping chickens! That’s the game plan anyway. I never “count my chickens” but I do continue to learn what I can while I’m waiting for March’s arrival, and the baby chicks!

While spending time in Dallas with Momma over the holidays, we met my cousin and his wife at our favorite restaurant ~ El Fenix. They have been chicken keepers for about 10 years now. I felt like a sponge, soaking up all the suggestions and advice and tips they offered! I appreciated the first time sit-down face-to-face discussion tremendously!

Shirlene highly recommended reading anything by the “Chicken Chick” lady, Kathy Shea Mormino. I found her website and Facebook page, then went by two brick and mortar stores to buy one of her books. Nada. Thank goodness for one-day shipping through Amazon! I didn’t have to wait any longer. I was thrilled when it arrived on New Year’s Eve!

What an informative book!

Today or tomorrow, I hope Bud and I will sit down together and create the supply list of building materials for our chicken house and static run. I still want to base it on the design I wrote about last time, with only a few modifications to fit our needs.

I hope to seize a few sunny days in the 60’s here and there to make a run over to Home Depot (45 miles one way), then to get it started!!! Time will fly by if I’m not careful!

February is usually our hard winter month. (Yes. We usually have only ONE month of hard winter!) I’m hoping since it arrived early, it will move out early as well!

In the meantime, I’m working on a few weaving projects that will eventually be yard art. I’m also mulling over how to incorporate macramé items in the yard! We’ll need a lot more trees!

I’ll share photos next week of the new yard art!

Found it!

After all the videos I’ve watched about building a chicken house and run, I was still stumped how to even begin! A panic feeling began to simmer because over the next few weeks I need to capture all the “nice” days we will have before our “real” winter sets in during February.

Oh. My. Then I discovered native Texan April Wilkerson’s 3 part video series detailing the step-by-step process! I have NO IDEA how I came across her YouTube channel, but I’m so thankful I did!

  

With only a few modifications to fit our needs, this will be it!
 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Now I can put that issue to rest!

(Oh, I loved the bloopers she shows at the end of the videos!)

Her website is also very informative with other woodworking projects!

Happy Samhain!

Since 2009, when I visited… I came back stating, if I ever live any where but Texas, it will be in Ireland. However, that’s when we win the lottery!

In the meantime, I’ll live vicariously through watching videos of Bealtaine Cottage. During times of extreme stress with “life” - her soothing Irish accent is what I need to hear!

And, she’s doing my plan! This is what I dream ~ my goal is ~ for our west yard!

Oh, and I found her on Facebook as well! The Goddess Gardens!

Not until today, had I ever heard of Samhain!

Goddess Gardens

(I am NOT wiccan, but I do believe in fairies!)

 

Anyhoo...

Update on the planting…

I failed miserably not checking first what deer apparently love! A disastrous waste of money and time and energy planting two Indian Hawthorns…

Since the culprits only chewed on the leaves, I’ll keep it where it is, to see what happens in the spring! Maybe a planting of rosemary or lavender around it will “hide” its smell!

So much to learn about…

The earth, nature, going Back to Eden.

And, bringing in chickens…

Over the past few months, and after spending numerous hours watching YouTube videos and reading websites/blogs about keeping chickens, Lisa Steele at Fresh Eggs Daily has the most informative guides to raising chickens naturally! Her array of articles on Chicken Keeping Guide is quite impressive! As I’ve mentioned in a previous post – Still Learning – I love her two books I purchased/read …. great resources!

Okay…

It’s time to get busy!

Mimic Nature

While researching the permaculture gardening concept (and the Back to Eden method), I had the “aha” moment! To “Mimic Nature” is now my goal!

This area, the “west” yard, I’ve claimed to begin the Back to Eden permaculture garden! It’s where the chickens will be next year!

Once was pasture - Oak Tree planted about 20 years ago.

Anna helps me tremendously

Wish I'd known about the "no-dig" method earlier!

 I was so impressed when I heard Paul Gautschi’s interview! 

Our One Acre Farm’s article on Permaculture Principles for Practical Gardeners and Farmers is one of my top favorites I found!

The Timber Press blog lists (and details) the 12 Principles of Permaculture! I would encourage anyone interested to read their full article

1. Observe and interact

2. Catch and store energy

3. Obtain a yield

4. Apply self-regulation and respond to feedback

5. Use renewable resources

6. Produce no waste

7. Design from pattern to details

8. Integrate rather than segregate

9. Use small and slow solutions

10. Use and value diversity

11. Use the edges

12. Creatively use and respond to change

At A Return to Simplicity, she explains (with photos!) “Preparing The Ground For A Permaculture Garden”.  I just need to find a LOT of mulch and wood chips!

Bud doesn’t yet know it, but I’m going to ask him to dig me a nice deep trench near the started herb garden… something to try… Hugelkultur!

Chicken Chunnel

Although we are planning a static (permanent) coop/run for the hens, we have plans to allow them to “free range” – but within a Chicken Chunnel!

Something like this…