Hillfarm - good news, thank heavens.

[hillfarm]

Counting my blessings- so I don't kill anyone or maim any unsuspecting passerbys.

Our income tax check arrived.

Spent it on dental bills, chiropractor bills and some more fencing.

Things to fix other things. dentist to fix teeth, chiro to fix back and fence to fix the nosey old bat who wants to yell at my kids in my yard. Seriously, I can yell at my kids, I have the stretch marks that give me the right, but this canker sore is just using my kids to get her stress relief.

I got an excellent eval at work. Yet, I am losing my job. Thanks Rick Perry. You freaking narcisstic blindly rich arse hat. He turned down federal money for texas if he had to earmark it for education. He wanted it to go to his corperate buddies. again

but I just got a D/B/A filed and I am going into business for myself. Window cleaning anyone? Also house cleaning till I get an established clientelle.

The sweet dog is chewing everything in the yard. Built a pen for him with a run only to have him dig out. But my son adores his butt. So what do you do. Just treat him like the irritating neighbor's kid and tolerate him so your kid has a play mate.

The baby chicks are all feathered out and huge. I have two exchequer hens, a deleware, RIR, BO, millie fleur, porcelien D'uccle, my sweet baby a barred rock, a black star, black cochin, partridge cochin and an EE who is tiny so Im thinking a banty, but wasnt sure they make them in banty size.

My one adult hen Ruby, who's also an EE has gone broody in the treehouse, my son is non to happy. not to mention the babies will fall out if they hatch there. But hey, broody hen is good. Roo is bored not having anything to do though. I mean that literally, he's a bona fide slut. :bun

So there are my blessings, oh, my family of course, all good and healthy. Couldnt ask for better and expect it.

Hope yall are well.

 

[hillfarm]

ok the idea was to make a new coop, with nesting boxes and a run, to replace the Jed Clampett version we were using. Mind you it was free, but I have lost three hens in the last couple of months to our dog. Who is a shelter heeler and my son is very attached to. Otherwise I would of given him away. Not happy with him. But gotta take my own blame for my less than perfect coop soooo...I tell hubby I am going to make a coop. Which his man brain turns into "darling, make me fort knox, show me your muscles and I will love you forever."

So I suggest we use scrap wood and as much freebie, he has other plans, so far 600 dollars worth of other plans.

But its turning out incredible. It's gonna be critter tight. And its solid. man is it solid.

This is the frame and the inside boards I painted with leftover lavender paint from daughters room. Just to seal the board. The coop is on cinder blocks.

Here's a pic of the screen door he gutted and rebuilt with hard cloth and some cedar planks and scrap wood.

And a shot of the brooder boxes. Hubby felt the floor needed to be solid oak planking. thankfully that was some scrap, but time consuming. He said my fat bottomed girls needed more support than just ply wood. :bun

Today he is covering the outside with plywood, painting it to match the house and putting in the hinges and "extras. He bought egg basckets, waterers and feeders etc. He even is building me a bench and table to put in the run to hang out and play with my babies.

ITs really turning out gorgeous, I am very proud. But man, why do men do this. He also has electrical to it. So we have a heat lamp, lighting and a fan. Oh and he's working on a food and water system. Im not worthy.

 

[hillfarm]

Grown chickens
Sonny the buff orp
Pearl a white egglaying "easter egger"

Pullets
Fay an Egyptian Fayoumi and amazing escape artist
Big bird a white laced red cornish
Precious the Barred rock
buffy the buff orp
Scarlet the RIR
violet the porcelin D'uccle
Dotty the millie fleur
Poor Babythe bottom of the pecking order who is a silver pencil dark barham bantam
Two excheqours Tweedle dee and dumb
And Star the Black Star with no butt. She looks like a cochin at the moment.

This is my gang.

Just wanted to record the group for future look sees.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Wow ! Great job. Your ladies will be proud.

 

[hillfarm]

this is where he started.

boxes closed in. looking great.

Insides. brooder box entrances and roost bar.

Sonny making sure his house is fit for his girls.

there's pearl making sure everything meets her inspection.

 

[hillfarm]

We bought Pearl two weeks ago from a cage at a flea market where she was being pecked by other hens. Her tail feathers were broken off at the height of the cage.
We had to bring her home. She's happy and runs Sonny ragged with her demanding. But she seems to understand we are trying to care for her and not harm her. She's a sweet heart.
We were told she was an "amerycanna" which I was pretty certain she was not. Her eggs are white. And her legs are a pale yellow. She's a bit of a wheat and grey coloring. Dont know what she is but she's bearded and looks hawkish. I think she's very regal.

Anyone got any idea what she might be? Just thought I'd ask

 

[Denim Deb]

Just taking a guess here, but I think she's















































a chicken?

 

[hillfarm]

Thanks Deb.

Im guessing from the eggs she's laying that's probably correct.

 

[lorihadams]

Deb, you're a hoot!

That coop is looking good....my husband keeps wanting to build a new coop, even though our old one is in good shape and cost us $400. He just wants something bigger that can hold more birds....I don't want more birds right now. We have just enough to meet our egg needs without them tearing their run to dirt. It's a fine balance ya know.....so when do we get to see pics of all the chickens???

 

[hillfarm]

I will see if I have any on photobucket.

This is my white laced red cornish named Big Bird and behind her is my Egyptian Faoumi, that I call Fay but hubby is calling Cleo, short for Cleopatra.

This is Pearl and Sonny. The growed ups.

This pic is a bit older, the girls are pretty young. I have a barred rock, a porcelin D'uccle, a millie fleur, the black cochin was eaten and an excheqour. Good group, they really have grown since this photo.