I need a garden sink…

My chicks are doing great.  The broilers are really getting big.  I love feeding the hens out of my hand.  They come running to me now as I come in the coop.  Really, raising them is more fun than I thought it would be.  I thought this would be to teach the grandkids that food just doesn’t magically appear but someone had to work for us to eat it.  We have had a couple of hen parties in the coop.  The grandkids love to bring their friends over and show off their hens.  I made way to many potatoes for Easter but my girls helped me out.  They ate a whole pie plate full and were looking for more.  My dear husband did a great job with the coop.  The fence is up and on warm days the chickens have been outside.  He likes things  more rustic then I do but for a coop it is a cool rugged look.  With watering them twice a day and washing up their feeding trays I think I need a garden sink of some sort.  After looking on the web and thinking about it I have a few ideas.  I need it for washing veggies, potting plants and now for watering the chickens.  I have always held to “form follows functions” but with a garden sink I think it might be more like “form follows FUNKtion”.  Got any ideas you would like to share? What is your latest project?

Squeezes,

Laurie

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So sad…

I have been a bit behind in my posts.  Just a quick update.  My chicks are doing wonderful.  With this unseasonal warm weather we are having they are all having a great time in the coop already.

The sad news I have is our 10 month old dogs ran away on Sunday.  I have been using every spare moment I have to post to lost dog sites like http://www.animalhumanesociety.org/lostandfound. We miss them.  If they weren’t such good bird dogs they would be safe and sound in their dog house right now but that goose was too good looking for them not to chase.  Off they went leashes and all.  For now their dog house sits empty waiting for their return!

Squeezes,

Laurie

My new peeps…

Yesterday we loaded up the mini van with the grandkiddos and took a little road trip to Runnings farm store.  We came home with 3 boxes of chicks.  I can’t tell you who was more excited the kids or me.  The kids each had a choice between Black Sex Link and Buff Orpington pullets.  They giggled as the gal tried to catch the ones they each chose.  I chose 25 Cornish Cross Broilers for meat.  We went home with 31 chicks.  3 of each of the layers and 25 meat birds.  On the way home the kids talked about names that they wanted.  I reminded them that we shouldn’t name the meat chicks because it would be harder when it was time to butcher.  They all argued because they thought they all should have names.  My oldest granddaughter came up with a solution.  The meat chicks would be named Dinner #1, Dinner #2 and Dinner #3… That way they would remember they would be eating the chickens when they grew up.  Pretty smart huh?  Well we all thought so.  I had taken the large dog creat we have for our big dogs and took it apart so I had two halves.  My dear hubby had cut plywood to be placed where the door goes.  After a few tries he came up with my tripod to hang the brooder light from.  We put the water and feed tray in and then the kids put in the chicks.  All this was in the bathroom.

The windows were put in the chicken coop on Saturday.   My dear husband just has to frame up the other side that will be the covered outside roost area.  Then the run.  I think this project is coming along nicely.  I only hope raising the chicks will be as nice!  How’s your projects going?

Squeezes,

Laurie

Wait that’s my tree…

Our outdoor projects are coming along nicely.  My dear husband finished his little barn.  It is just waiting for some warm weather to be stained.  It turned out to be a really nice size.  I’ll have to get out and get some updated images for you to see.  If your following this blog I don’t think you will even recognize the chicken coop.  We decided to go over the outside instead of finishing the inside of it.  My dear hubby added a steeper roof line for the metal  roofing too.  He wanted it to be a bit more rustic so he went into the woods looking for a couple of trees he could use as posts.  He came back in ranting and raving about someone taking his trees.  I couldn’t imagine who would steal our trees.  When I looked at him bewildered he told me to come out and see.  I found some boots and followed him into our woods.  The evidence was clear.  Beavers  were clearing our land faster than we wanted them too.  It was amazing they have built-in measuring tapes.  The trees were gnawed into 8 foot lengths.

beaver damage

They had even started to drag them out to the pond.  With the warmer weather coming all projects were put on hold.  My dear husband revved up the 4 wheeler.  He was going after his trees!  No beavers were going to beat him at this game.  We started to think of ways to protect certain trees from the beavers.  We talked about using wire to wrap the trees in.  My daughter remembered a pin I had pinned on Pinterest and thought it would be a great way to protect the trees.

Source: ww3.gardenpicture.com via Laurie on Pinterest

Still toying with this as a next project but I thought it was a cool idea she had to put the “ghost dresses” around the trees.  What do you think?  How are your projects going?

Squeezes,

Laurie

My chicken coop project…What a great Valentine’s gift!

project chicken coop 1

I’ve been wanting chickens since we moved here.  My dear husband just isn’t into animals like I am.  Let’s just say he has been dragging his feet when it comes to chickens.  He doesn’t want to be tied down anymore than he already is.  Which is very funny because we are tied down plenty already with 2  1/2 horses (1 is a mini that’s how you can have a 1/2 a horse) and 3 dogs.  The gardens in the summer need attention and well we are just tied down.  We were talking to a group of our friends and he mentioned I wanted chickens thinking they all would be on his side but to his surprise they all said ” let her have chickens they’re so easy”.  He started to talk about plans for the chicken coop.  Sometimes it just takes him awhile to warm up to an idea. I had been looking at coop ideas and so I was already to sit down and plan my dream coop. Looking at Craigslist one day I saw a cute little shed for $50 listed.  Made a call on it but didn’t get a call back.  Figured it sold.  A week later the guy called back and asked if we could move it.  My dear hubby assured him he had the means to move the shed.  “Well come and get it then. I’ve had two other people come and they couldn’t figure how to move it.”  My hubby hooked up the trailer and was off with in the hour.   It was getting dark when him and our son-in-law  got back but they brought me my chicken coop.  I was tickled pink.  So the chicken coop project has begun.  So what’s your latest project?  Have a great Valentine’s Day dreaming up some projects with your sweetheart!

Squeezes,

Laurie

project chicken coop 2