Which Came First?

Here are a few of our chickens, past and present.  We have an eclectic flock, to say the least.  The fourth down is our beloved Pippa who is no longer with us.  The middle guy is Manny, he thinks he runs the show.  He's from our original flock.  The little white guy at the bottom is Albert, as in Einstein.  Can anyone guess why?  Haha  These are the best pics I have of the birds so far.  They are less than enthusiastic about photo shoots.  Enjoy.

Hope this brightens someone's day.

~Ash

Again, I speak too soon

Hello out there.

I should have kept my mouth shut but I just couldn't...I really thought we were home free.  Last night, Kyleigh found five of our chicks dead.  Not sure why but I'm wondering if they were forgotten at feeding/watering time.  They haven't had any problems and seemed to be super healthy and happy.  So, I shall refrain from boasting of our good fortune from now on.

We are still in the middle of a Montana spring.  Everything from low teens to mid 50s for our weather, depending on the day.  We are also having snow here and there but I am just grateful for some moisture.  I think I'd rather have the snow than rain right now, the rain would make a gross mess.  Today is beautiful, I will be happy for that!

In other news, our oldest, Kyleigh, has passed her written (computer) driving test and is now a legal permit holder.  It's gonna be so nice to have a break from the driving.  Really nice.  Now if we can just get her to embrace the stick shift...  I think she'll come around fairly quickly, being the only option.  So, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  LOL

Have a spectacular afternoon/evening.

~Ash

Birds, Birds, Everywhere, Birds!

Hey Everyone.

I promise I have not forgotten you, I really am trying to build up some good posts.  With the weather getting a little nicer I'm hoping to get more outdoor pics with the animals.  The "caged" chicks just don't really look all that cute.  We've also added two ducks and a goose, I have no idea why!

Actually, I do know why...they are just so darn cute!  Add to that the stress relief of watching everyone forage and socialize and I can't imagine a better way to relax.  There are times I just need to go out and watch in the quiet.  The hens all gathered together, the rooster, Manny, being "the man" and showing the new rooster, Bob, how it's done.  Bob's also got his crow, so very cute.  Manny also believes himself to be more turkey than chicken, I think he believes himself bigger than he really is!  Men, HA!  J/K, kind of...  Another of my favorite things to watch is when the ducks are running around.  They always stick together and are constantly in some discussion or another.  Oh, and their little tails wag so cute when they waddle around.  I'm a sucker, I know.

First 10 Chicks of 2013

Here's one of Stella observing the new chicks.  She approved.

For now, the first cycle of new chicks has been moved to the "nursery" outside.  It's still cold so they are in the coop with no run, when it's nice they get to get out and run in the pretty weather.  I'm hoping it won't be too much longer before they can transition to the adult coop/run area.  I see a LOT of free ranging in our future, I may have adopted a few too many.  Once they move, I'll have the ducks and goose move to the nursery and later the last round of chicks.  We've been very fortunate this year, we've only lost 4 chicks out of  about 30...I can't remember how many we got, genius.

So, on top of that I have procrastinated a little longer than necessary, I still need to paint and clean the grown up coop.  Not really looking forward to it, I keep telling myself I'll have lots of wonderful filler for my gardens.  I'll also have to work on keeping seedlings safe from cats, dogs and birds.  It will never end, there is always something to be done "on the farm."

Hope you're having a wonderful day.

~Ash

Wednesday, Already?

I can't believe it's already Wednesday!  I'm very grateful for the quick passing of days this week.  Our house has been a hotbed of the "funk"...  We have all succumbed to the ickies and it's taking a little time to recover.  Poor Kyleigh missed a week of school and Lucy and Nick missed 4(?).  It's hard to remember with everything going on.  I'm also pretty certain the Hubbs is now feeling it.

Speaking of the Hubbs, he left Sunday for another round of globetrotting.  Sick kids AND Daddy leaving is so NOT cool.  They were able to get some quality snuggle time in with him which about the best one can ask for.  In usual style, the hits began before he left.  Obviously, the gross cold running through our house was a damper.  We also figured out we need a new well pump.  In typical WoodsFam fashion, we need a 2 hp pump which runs approx $1000 more than the smaller ones.  Yes, you read that right, one thousand dollars! The good news?  We have a portable cistern we can use to fill our reserve cistern.  Then, last night, I broke the brand new, interior truck handle.  It's been on there for about week.  Go me!  So, it's back to rolling down the window to exit the truck, at least until I go back to town and pick up another one.  LOL  And to add insult to injury, we lost another chicken last night.  Not sure what happened but when I found her she was in bad shape so I brought her in and wrapped her in a towel to warm up.  Lucy then held her until she passed away.  At least she was loved up the the end.  She will be missed.
 

R.I.P. Anne Boleyn

I hope everyone has a wonderful day.  I am off to get back in bed and hopefully sleep some more of this off. Perhaps when I post again it will sound like it makes sense.  Right now my head is scattered and I must keep re-reading what I've already typed.  Oh well, to another day.

~Ash

Kitchen Gardening

Welcome Everyone.

It's Monday, again.  A new adventure on the 'ole farm.  Today I am planting a few seeds to see if I can get them to grow indoors.  Winter is just so long here, I can't wait.  I've focused on herbs for the most part.  I did plant some beans and tomato seeds, you can never have enough tomatoes.  I love to cook.  Why is it I have never maintained herbs indoors?  I've planted and grown and forgotten.  I've been a lazy gardener the last couple of years.  Time to change that one.  No more excuses!  It doesn't matter if it's pretty so long as it grows.  What is my obsession with patterned raised beds anyway?  Neat, clean lines in a garden...I am a little OCD about some things.  I am in awe of those who can place plants haphazardly.  Most of the time, it looks fantastic.  I am trying to loosen up a bit and get out of the "meticulously landscaped yard of suburbs."  I miss my yard and my old house.  I do not miss having neighbors on top of neighbors.  I am trying to embrace the natural landscaping.  I should probably sketch out some ideas.  I will be taking it slow this year and only grow a few different veggies.  Think quality, not quantity.  I have a bad habit of getting overly optimistic and usually plant too much and get overwhelmed, resulting in disaster.  I should also admit to being a composting nightmare.  I always put off and then forget the whole "stirring" of the pile.  I have found a few interesting ideas on Pinterest I may try, we'll see.

So there it is.  It's 7 January and I am already itching to get into the soil.  One babystep at a time.  I am thankful to have had the turkeys and ducks working on the garden areas for me.  I should let the chickens out soon also.  They have been staying close to the coop with all the cold weather.  I'm sure they are ready to get out and roam in some sunshine, warm sunshine.  It's also super windy again today.  I can't blame them for staying in, I am too.

What are your ideas/plans for gardening this year?  Please share.

TTFN

~Ash

A toe in the water...

Well, this morning will be my first real venture to test the waters of blogging life.  I've been searching and researching different ideas for our little area.  For now we are focusing on upgrading some shelters for our pets.  One day, hopefully soon, I will be able to paint the coop for the turkeys and ducks.  Unfortunately, we lost a turkey yesterday due to unknown reasons.  No, it wasn't related to the coop... RIP Patrick, you are already greatly missed.  A tough one to swallow following the devastation that was the "Massacre of 2012" a few weeks ago.  Something (we think a dog) managed to kill 16 of 19 chickens while I was doing the grocery shopping.  It is still a sensitive topic in our home.