The Port-a-Coop!!!!!!

Drum roll please........ It's done! It took quite a bit longer than we thought it would, and we ran into some back-to-the-drawing-board moments, but it's DONE. Can you tell I'm excited?
The chicks took right to it and seem happy and at home. Or as Joel Salatin would say, the chickens were expressing their chickeness. They go crazy over wild strawberries! They are so much fun watch.
We may have to do some chicken training tonight to get them to go up the ramp into the house for the night. Not sure how that is going to go.
Plans for it will be available soon. Now I must go put in some tomato plants tonight as time is passing way too fast. It is already to late for the spinach and I will have to plant that in Aug.

The Last Screw!

Victory!

Do I want to go down there?

Coming down the board walk. ;-)

Happy Chicks!

More braving the way down.

They like all the bugs and grass seeds.

Pretty Isn't it!

I will paint that last board soon.

Proud of a job well done!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Chicken Tractor and Garden

                                                         What a great time of year!

We are busy getting our gardens in and the chicken tractor, through many bumps and fixes is almost done. It's a good thing too because the chicks are getting big and need their home soon.

We painted the Port-a-coop this morning. It was supposed to rain after lunch so we hurried, but of course the skies are clear now. The kids and I did a pretty rough job but it turned out pretty good. We need a little more paint to finish and a small can of hunter green for the trim. Over all I am pretty pleased so far. It is looking good and is not going to be an eye sore. Being in a neighborhood you want something nice looking. I know I don't like looking at junk , and all my neighbors keep really nice yards.

The great news is, the chicks should be in their new home before weeks end! I should get a new picture of them to post. They are looking more chicken than chick like now. We are pretty sure that 2 are roosters because Frank saw them fighting rooster style the other day. We will have to find a home for 4 of them soon anyway. If Rachel was not so attached, I would just try my hand at butchering the roosters.... yeah, not going to happen.

On the left is part of Frank's Amaranth field. The green in the boxes are our strawberries. Yum!

The 3 boxes in the back are our compost piles. The thing being built will be a shed  at some point.
Fence is going up around the garden.

I have so much work to do in the garden and the weeds are already ahead of me, it is a little overwhelming, but at the same time I am looking forward to the garden this year. It is such hard work but at the same time refreshing and relaxing. If you love gardening, you probably understand what I am saying.

Cool looking isn't it! Waiting for paint and chicken wire.

Painting!

One can of paint gone! I will be painting the trim green. But first it is ready for the chicken wire !

This is what we used. We will have to get a small can to do some touch ups.

Yes, we all came in spotted. 

It will come off in the bath tub. It was worth it!

John is working on and making the changes we found we needed to make on the plans.  I have to get some pictures to him for that and they should be ready soon.

Since it is not raining I am going to go put some more seeds in the ground and enjoy this beautiful weather!

Chickens, Gardens & Weaving

Well, I was hoping to have more updated pictures of our port-a-coop but the weather has not been on our side. So since we were stuck inside I had the kids paint some pretty garden markers. I love practical art!

We did have a wonderful Easter weekend and I hope you did too. The weather could not have been nicer on Sunday and the 2 older kids and dad went and hid the eggs, then we all sat back and watched the younger 3 hunt them.

I did some work on my new loom and am enjoying this. I have always wanted to learn to weave. I think it is one of those skills from times past that should be kept alive. There is a satisfaction of making something with your own hands that you don't get when you buy it. What am I making here? A practice piece that my 7 yr old has asked to have for her baby dolls. So I guess it will be a doll blanket!

Scallywag our cat "helping" me weave.

We got a little done in the garden. I am hoping that the seeds did not wash away! I am thankful that the winds did not blow away our almost done chicken tractor.

The chicks are getting bigger and starting to get their feathers and got moved to a big cage to await their new home to get done. I will try to get updated pictures of them up soon.