Hey Mikey, sHe Likes It!

Our Little Ladies are fully moved in to the Palace! Dear Hubby loves to go out to the palace and play with "his" ladies. He clucks and talks sweet and tickles them on the belly! They are happy, the kids are happy, Dear Hubby is happy, and NOW I am also happy!

We built a terrific little "interem" brooder from PVC and screen. It worked okay, but I need to make some modifications for next year. The duct tape pulled away from the screen, but the idea was not a bad one. The whole kit-n-kaboodle cost $46.00. I was shooting for $0.00, but the free cardboard fell apart when the waterer fell over!



They have a lovely roost made from sticks and a new bank of nesting boxes!






Our Ladies also have live-in guests! An Eastern Phoebe had made a nest on the I-beam of the chicken house and is currently tending at least three babies. There were four eggs, but we have not been able to determine the last one's status.




So, I plan to paint the hen house (outside) and jazz it up. But what I am missing is a name for our home. I have several ideas, but am not decided. Hen Haven, Poultry Palace, Chicken Chateau, Hen Harem, or something referring to Eggs. Please comment on any ideas you might have! I'll consider most anything!

99 Red Balloons

Okay, there was really only one! But it almost landed in our field! It was very cool! The kids were hoping, but it landed in our neighbor's blueberry field. The rest of the day was just beautiful, sunny and comfortable. We had some late afternoon showers, but were rewarded with a spectacular double rainbow behind our home! The picture does neither rainbow any justice! Just had to share!

That Which Doesn't Kill Us, Makes Us Stronger!

I've heard it said that the sure way to test a marriage is to renovate. There are 7 people currently in my home. Four of them are kids. We bought a house with three "necessary rooms" and when the one went, we actually lost two(One sits above the other and all the piping had to go)! We are now all sharing 1 potty! We have guests coming soon that will increase our numbers to NINE! Soon after, another family will be gracing our humble abode and the count will be at 13. WE NEED TO GET THAT JOHN FIXED ---- S O O N !!!

We have been down to one potty for a month, now. It's not so bad 75% of the time, but that other 25% is not pretty. Kids bouncing in unusual dance moves with a glassy look in their eyes, squeking out, "I gotta go!"

Progress happens with 3 steps forward, 2 steps back. Our steps have brought us to a point that the trees are being nicely watered (Thanks boys!) and Dear Hubby is burning the midnight oil so as to continue along in a happily married situation!

We're feeling stronger already!

The Poultry Palace

So the time has come that our little ladies are no longer welcome in our cellar. They NEED to go to the coop. Unfortunately, the coop is not quite ready.

It is going to be a wonderful place for them. All cement, 11' x 15', has a nice door and a window with a great view! As of this weekend, it now also has a non-leaking roof!

We still need to install the new nesting boxes, finish the run and lay down the bedding. Electricity will also need to be run to the building because it is still chilly at night and they are too young to completely regulate their body temps, so they still need heat lamps.

We had lots of help this weekend getting the coop ready. Dear Hubby is the kind of guy that can't do anything half-way. Actually, he really even has a hard time doing any project that wouldn't stand up to a Class 5 Hurricane or F5 Tornado! If a particular job requires 5 nails, he will use 15 nails, 10 screws AND glue! We had to keep telling him, "It's just a coop!"

So now our coop is a Poultry Palace! We don't have a proper roof -- yet. Since the roof was so leaky, it needed BIG repair. We looked at tin roofing, plastic roofing, concrete, and shingles. We opted for blue tarp. Actually, we layed down a layer of roofing felt then topped it with a blue tarp folded in half. It did turn out to be a little less expensive than the other options, but not as permanent. I don't think the chickens will mind but I'm not sure that the Queen would enjoy a night at this palace!