Monday, October 25, 2010

Clucking along

What a roller-coaster of an autumn!

Some nights are below freezing and some are t-shirt warm, most of the time it's raining or just about to rain (or just finished raining), then you get bursts of cold or hot sun, one day the wind tries to carry the chooks away and the next day not a breeze stirs the flies - it's just nuts!

Luckily the birds are more patient than I am with this kind of stuff.

Zen chooks.

Barn renos: the end is finally in sight!!

All should be ready to bring the banties in by end of week and by mid-November everyone will be in their new digs inside the barn. Just need to prep their sleeping and nesting areas, sand baths and playing spots as well as patch up drafts and make sure the ventilation is good... those horses sure do make a LOT of moisture with the gallons of pee :-/

Someday I'll be able to afford a nice big brand-new coop JUST for the chooks. For the moment they have to share, ya gotta make do with what ya got.

Over and out!

-Technodoll aka Carpenter Mama Hen

Friday, October 22, 2010

A Friday treat n'giggle for you :)

Meet Tyler, our crazy little partridge sizzle roo...

He's got to be the silliest, most entertaining little thing
you've ever seen in a flock!




I rescued him last year from a tiny, dark, stinky cage at the bottom of a shed, he was very sick and we had to syringe meds down his throat for three days before he got better - and get better he did, he's been in splendid shape ever since!

He's going on four years old, we think.

Tyler has an incredible joie de vivre, he gets excited for the tiniest crumb of food and seems very grateful for his life - as you can hear!

And yes, he's always like this ;-)

We love him to bits!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Around the farm this morning...

Today's nice sunny weather has got the flock frisky..!

Or rather just Ti-Lou, my six-month old blue laced red wyandotte roo whom I put in with the big girls a few days ago - I should have named him Hottie McHornypants!
He's been a... very busy boy...


Amazingly the girls line up to be his "girlfriend of the moment"!


I guess it's because he's so handsome?


He's actually very sweet and must smell really sexy because the girls (all 23 of them) couldn't wait to cuddle up next to him, they all follow him around the yard like he's the pied piper or something...

*shakes head*

I'm just glad everyone's happy :-)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Zombie chooks

I can't leave the house or go anywhere 
on the property without THIS happening:


Dooo! Duuuum! Doooo! Duuuuum!

Admit, I'm so lucky ;-)

Saturday, October 9, 2010

I love me some new layers!

It's always a thrill when one of your pullets lays that mysterious first egg!

What color will it be? What size? What shape?

And oh that funny squat, LOL!

The coop has been pretty quiet the past few weeks, we're dealing with lots of rain and clouds but when there's an occasional sunny day the chooks are all out free-ranging to their little heart's content. Mind you, a few of them still go out in the pouring rain - specially the new girls who spent the first months of their lives inside small pens, the rains must be a thrilling new thing not to miss!

This morning we woke up to the first real frost of the year - eeeek!

Winter's coming, are you ready?!

-Technodoll aka Don't Like Winter Mama Hen

Monday, October 4, 2010

More from my crazy bunch

I wish I had a 'do like that!


(sweet Lafonza, 6 month old leghorn/polish mix)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Soggy!

It's been raining and flooding here the past three weeks, really not cool...

Some of the chooks don't mind or even love getting wet as long as it's not cold, I guess they figured out that the earthworm buffet is at its peak in those times!

(yecchhh)

I'm still hard at work trying to get their winter quarters in order, I can only put 2 or 3 hours per day in that big barn and the progress is slooooow. Makes me nervous. If all goes well the new windows should all be in by next week, then I have to attack all the giant cracks in the foundation to try and block drafts and vermin. Still so much to do I don't know where to put my head.

But all for the love of the birds :-)

-Technodoll aka Working Farmer Chicken Mama