Our New Wild "Hen"

So it seems our sexy rooster has lured in a new female fan... this lovely little pheasant has been hanging around the chicken coop for the last few weeks. We first saw her (or possibly a family member) nearer the property line & in the raspberries, but now she's a regular around the chicken run in the mornings when I toss out scratch. The story we're telling ourselves about her is that she's a juvenile recently separated from her mother and has set up camp where food is abundant and the presence of other birds comforting. She's increasingly tame and, unless I'm imagining it, getting prettier by the day. Her tail seems longer & her feather pattern more pronounced. The Dr. Doolittle in me wants her to move in with the chickens so we can keep her warm & fed come winter time. Yes, I know... farmers are tougher than that & guard their birds against dreaded disease-carrying wild birds... uh... yeah, right... not this farmer. So, I am a little less careful than I should be with the scratch in the morning & she feeds within 10 yards or so. Life is very very good.

Our New Wild "Hen"

New galleries of the chickens and the ducks

Galleries posted for the chickens and the ducks and the coop gallery has been updated.

Chick groups combined

All the chickens are doing well, we decided to move the second batch in with the first batch to get them more space.

Big chicks hanging out

Hey you, feed me!

Whatchoo lookin at??

Max and Dan visiting chicks

Big and little chicks eating vetch

One big happy family

Second batch of chicks!

The second batch of chickens (6 hens) arrived today, they're all settled in the "brooder" in the bathroom now.

Dan watching the new chicks

New babies

Move in day for the chicks!

We've finished up the clapboarding and built the internal wall and door to keep the chickens out of the grain area, so today is move in day for the chicks!

Internal wall and door finished

View of the internal door from the outside

Putting in the shavings

All ready!

Getting ready to release the chicks

Releasing them!

Chicks getting used to the new digs

Got to stick close together!

Growing chicks...

Updated pictures of the chickens!

Farm critters.

Just some pictures of all the critters.

Cute chick - tail feathers are starting!

They've got me!

I'm huuuuuuge I say!

Goats attacking pruned maple branch

More goat action

Roxie, Max, and Dan chilling enjoying the goat antics

Please, please, please... throw it!

Wing feathers and attitude

The chicks are doing great, they're starting to get their wing feathers and they have plenty of spunk and attitude.

Are you taking pictures of me??

See our lovely wing feathers?

Chick update

More pictures of our cute little Dominique chicks.

First shipment of chickens has arrived!

After some touch and go with the post office and thinking we weren't going to get the chicks today, they showed up! We're really excited, they all see to be doing well!

Chicks in their shipping carton

Dan giving a chick it's first drink

Cute little Dominique chicks

More cuteness

Even more cuteness

Setting up the brooder

We set up a brooder for our chicks since they should be here tomorrow! We used a cage that we borrowed from Debbie, plus some bubblewrap insulation to make a nice little space for them. Plenty warm and should be safe and free of drafts. We're wicked excited!

Doesn't it look cozy??

Birds and the bees

Another day, another farm visit. We visited Beth and Peter to get a chance to meet their chickens as well as talk about their experiences with beekeeping. We're seriously considering adding bees next year and were really excited to get the chance to talk to them in person about their experiences. It was a dreary rainy day, but we still a ton of fun! They've previously given us some of their honey and it is truly wonderful stuff!

Beth and Peter's chickens on a rainy day

Beth and Peter's beehives

Visiting friends' chickens

We decided to try to tour as many different coops as we could to try to get some ideas for coop setups and validate what we're trying to do. We visited two different setups today and got to see a maple syrup evaporator while we were at it!

Ed and Sarah's chickens

Dave's maple syrup evaporator

Mmmm... maple syrup!

Dave and one of his hens

Changes in the raised beds..

We've got big new plans for the raised beds this year! We're moving all of the vegetables down to the big garden in the field and converting the beds to perennials. The first bed will be next year's garlic bed (instead growing them in the back flower garden), then asparagus (moving it out of the back flower garden), then low bush (and two mid-bush) blueberries, then cranberries, and finally strawberries. I recently cleaned out the hallway and one of the goat stalls in the barn and mulched the aisles and fertilized what will be the cranberry bed. I'm also going to take all of the soil out of the strawberry bed and compost it for a few years since it's most recently had peppers and tomatoes in it and then bring in new soil, compost, and composted goat manure.

Also, we've settled on a site for our new chicken coop, it's going to be in the back "courtyard" to the side of the clump of maples. We're finalizing coop plans and getting materials ordered for construction. We're hoping to have a very nice home in place for our 12 Dominique pullets and 1 Dominique cockerel by the time they arrive!

Freshly mulched beds.

Bed with compost awaiting new cranberry plants.

Me, Max, Rox and the goats in the (partially) clean barn.

Future home of our new chicken coop.