One step forward

Between work that I got done yesterday and then work that I got done today after working all day, I'm getting closer to feeling like the garden looks good.  Looking good means I'm a little closer to having it actually produce this summer.

I spent about 40 minutes fixing the fence to keep the chickens out.  I pinned down the bottom all the way around since they were finding spots to sneak under it.  In the three hours of free range time today, not one got in.

I added a wire fence to the back of the garden where the berry bushes are

Added a wire fence along the row for the green beans to grow on

Put all the tomato stands in

And made four more potato piles although you can't see very well in this picture

Two Girls?!

I knew I had one female guinea because every time she was locked in the coop with the chickens, she laid an egg.  Meanwhile in the other coop where the two "male" guinea were, there was never an egg.

Well today, I found two guinea eggs!

The one on the right has different coloring so I think it's from a different bird.  If they looked the same I would think that one was laid yesterday and I just missed it.

She is nuts

First, I turned around this afternoon and saw Carrie doing this...

Then, I went outside late in the afternoon and saw her doing this...

 The thing she is standing on is just a piece of metal fencing that we barely attached in the chicken run for the birds to perch on.

 And so it soon broke under her weight...

 And she was stuck for a minute

But not too long...

And then she was back up and trying again....

Their first taste of freedom

I decided today was a good day to let the first batch of chicks taste freedom.

I opened the door.

And then waited.

And waited.

And waited.

 And FINALLY we had a brave bird that went into the coop and as he/she stood on the edge, an adult chicken came behind her.

 She jumped out of peer pressure, I'm sure of it.

Not too graceful

Walk it off like a pro

She was out of the coop alone for about twenty minutes before I gave up and went inside the house.   About thirty minutes later I went back outside and found another bird had tasted freedom.

 I figured maybe they would come out if they could come out through the coop so I propped an old ramp up to the door and immediately someone poked out to see the world.

And the rest followed.

All nine are walking around testing their freedom and and adult birds are doing fine with them, except for Silkie Sue who tends to attack every once in awhile.  :/

One step closer to my homestead

The garden is showing some hope and we got more things in the ground this weekend.  My fingers are crossed that things continue to grow and that we will get a lot of fresh produce throughout the summer and fall.

Sunflowers

Dill

Cilantro

Rosemary

Carrots

Lettuce

Green Beans

Onions

Tomato

Broccoli 

Calendula

Garden beans (yellow beans)

Purple potatoes (really!)

Gold potatoes

Rasberry bush

Future site of watermelons and pumpkins

Sweet potatoes

Brussel Sprouts

Squash

Zucchini and Cucumber

The don't stop growing

I needed to clean out the basement brooder where the youngest chicks are and I thought it would be a good time to get some pictures of them and how much they have grown.

They did NOT like being put into one tub together while I cleaned things up.

Ignore the old lady in the background

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