Peachicks

The two farthest from the camera are the chicks. They are almost as big as mom.
One was just hatched when I purchased the hens The other was hatched here,
about a month later. A little silkie hen just behind the chair. I was surprised to
find almost a dozen eggs in the nest yesterday. The pullets are starting to lay.
I had been only getting about one egg a week until this last week. Lot's of omelets
and egg and bean burrito's now.

Leroy, the peacock and one of the peahens on the run when I brought out the camera

Cold December Morn

These mornings are clear and cold. After the rain the chicken pen is wet and cold.
I go out early in my bathrobe to feed the animals and let out the chickens and pea-
cocks so they can get out in the sun. Then I go into the house and sit by the fire and
read. I'm reading, "Animal, Vegitable, Miracle " by Barbara Kingsolver. Can she
write! It's especially along my interests to read both seed catalogs and books about
gardening as I think ahead to the coming season. After the fire died down a bit
I went out on the back porch to sit in the sun. It is actually warmer there than in
the house. There I sat with a blanket over my knees communing with the peacocks
and reading a bit more. Later I got dressed and got busy. I put out some leaves in
great piles that I had picked up from town when I saw a man raking. I created
berms for the rain water to soak in from a runoff area. The rotting leaves will
create a great sponge for the water. I have plans of building a pond just below
the berms. This is in the auxilary horse pasture to the back and side of the house.
I also then dug two holes and planted two trees, also in the auxilary horse pasture.
It concerns me that I am spending so much on animal feed. I'm trying to grow some
of their food and I feel trees that have edible leaves like mesquites and memosa's
will help . I have been also been going out with the hoe and digging small holes
and planting birdseed and millet. I don't know if it will work as the birds follow
up. They dig and scrath where I have planted. Now there are little hollows
where I planted. I have so many birds that are making this their home. Like the
peacocks who like my back porch I have two young thrashers, three young
cactus wrens and four young ring neck doves who stay close to the back porch
where they were hatched. They believe everything I plant is for them.

Fun with hats

Amy and Dethan, Neo brim in the corner

Fun with hats

Neo, giggling with Mexican hat

Yah Who,

Grandma and Grandpa playing cards with the Grands

Sunday Morning.

It's been a week of fighting a cold. Boxes of used tissues ready for the fire, staying indoors unless there is a window of warm opportunity. I went out for awhile yesterday and cleaned the chicken yard, hauling the rakings to a spot that would fertilize a section of trees, I also put out a bit of straw mulch here and there. I keep working at that. Then I took the bermuda hay that the mustang and burro had strewn about out into the horse pasture with the hopes that some will grow and create pasture after the rains.

Come evening I went out at dusk to put the little hens in. I had let them out to scratch all afternoon in the corrals and under the fruit trees. What fun chasing them into the chicken house. They like to get snug at night but hate to give up their freedom. After thought I had the last one in and the door closed I turned and there was yet another. So back at it to get the last of the wandering crew in. At last they are all snug in the chicken house for the night. It made me think of my poor little white silkie , cluck, cluck who I found one late morning with her head stuck in a crack of the chicken house. I thought she was dead but when I moved the board she was still alive. I was full of thoughts of what it must have felt like being stuck like that all night. That is what happens to little hens who I have forgotten and don't get in at night. It took her about a day but she is now back to herself . How she managed to get herself into that predicament is hard for me to imagine but there is a lesson for me to make sure they are all in at night before going in.
So it's Sunday morning and I am watching movies on the vcr as my dish has gone out. I am surfing the web and looking for more gardening sites to explore. I found one yesterday. http://www.freedomgardens.org.
It is by the Darvaes who I respect for their self sufficient lifestyle. Lots of gardeners there. It's grey and cold out this morning and my daughter said it may rain. Rain is always welcome.
I got a row of prickly pear planted last week along an outside fence. It will make a good fence row providing fruit for me and the anteloupe squirrels, not to mention the birds. I also planted another fig and almond. I transplanted into pots some fig starts that had roots from under one of my fig trees and some of my peruvian pear cactus. I have lots of lettuces coming up and in the little green house planter from a rotisserie chicken I have more lettuces and cabbages coming to transplant into my frig gardens. My efforts outdoors are piecemeal at best but efforts no less.

The Garden Girls Chicken Tractor building project has 6 parts. If you go to Youtube you can watch the other five as they will come up beside the first one. Just click on and you will get to the end where it shows her putting in the chicks. These chicken tractors fit on her raised garden beds so all the droppings go right on the garden soil. If I remember right she rotates her cages every month.

Garden Girl TV: How to Build a Chicken Tractor 1

chicken tractors

Garden Girl TV: Vertical Gardening One

More good videos from the garden girl

How to build a raised bed.

Another good video by the garden girl

Raised Beds in the City

I just love the system the garden girl uses.

What is Urban Sustainable Living

The Garden Girl Tv videos are very informative. She has a great set up.