my very own micro farm

[attimus]

1st morning in a while its been frozen. Not a lot there's just the slightest bit of ice on the kiddie pool and some other water surfaces but man is the air chilly. Girls have gather. on the boxes

Good spot for the morning sun. Everyone seems pretty content. Getting around 4 eggs a day out of the 6. Burgler never really has been a consistent layer. But she's a fun bird. pinky and brain are probably going to be my best layers this year. They're new and fresh to the game. The others are like a couple of old maids in comparison. Dolly is the last to break this winter funk. But her cheeks are starting to brighten up. Maybe then Rosco will have his chance with her and that will be all of them. Gonna get moving now and warm up.

 

[attimus]

So infuriated! Lost another chicken to predation yesterday. This time the hawk and right next to my house in the middle of the day. I can't seem to get enough done fast enough around here. 2 years without any type of misfortune and now two deaths within as many weeks. Needless to say they are all staying penned up until I am satisfied with the expansion of their enclosure.

 

[nayeli]

So infuriated! Lost another chicken to predation yesterday. This time the hawk and right next to my house in the middle of the day. I can't seem to get enough done fast enough around here. 2 years without any type of misfortune and now two deaths within as many weeks. Needless to say they are all staying penned up until I am satisfied with the expansion of their enclosure.

I'm sorry! I use a chicken tractor to keep mine safe, but we don't have many predators in our area anyway!

 

[aart]

So infuriated! Lost another chicken to predation yesterday. This time the hawk and right next to my house in the middle of the day. I can't seem to get enough done fast enough around here. 2 years without any type of misfortune and now two deaths within as many weeks. Needless to say they are all staying penned up until I am satisfied with the expansion of their enclosure.

Bummer! Yeah once they get a taste you have to be very vigilant until they give up and move on.

 

[birdgirl408]

So sorry to hear that attimus. I would be devastated.

 

[attimus]

So after some amazing help from some friends and family and a little backyard scrap and ingenuity I've gotten two side of my house entirely secure. In theory anyways.

wire, stakes, and netting along the perimeter along with some large oak rounds lining the ground around it. Bird netting from there to the roof. Im satisfied enough to let them back out just into it. Definitely expanding to the front of the house soon. Few other things that have happened this week.
Potato box

with potatoes, gotta love when they start growing in the pantry.

My cat using the coop as a kill box for some wild finches before the girls were locked down. He got 3 before I figured out where he was catching them.
I also moved the tree that I made next to the pond for the ducks and dragged the day pen over there as well. They like the tree more than the chickens did. I'll snag a picture of them later today taking a nap under it I'm sure. Just trying to stay positive about all of this. I can see the indifference that people can have raising chickens as livestock as a posed to having them as pets. I'm still going to do my best to give them everything I can. Hopefully get some fertilized eggs from a coworker just as soon as one of the girls goes broody. Might take a little while with all the changes but they will. And if I can get ahold of an old friend up here he actually has the kelso and swedish flower that burgler came from. As well as copper marans. I really need to stay on top of that.
I missed this silver laced wyndotte and an ee pullet just an hour drive away by just a few days gonna keep my eyes out for a few young birds to help bolster the ranks back up while I wait for chicks.
Onward and upward. Attimus.

 

[darina]

Wowzers! You guys did a ton of stuff!!! I am trying to retain my stance on my bird being utilitarian (as in I would like to be able to process and eat them if needed) but I really enjoy them. A lot. My husband and coworkers have gently told me I am getting a little obsessive with the chickens. I find that they help keep me calm. I do social work with people with "severe and persistent" mental illnesses, and after doing that, I love hanging out with my chickens. Life with them is so much simpler.

 

[attimus]

Rainy day lazy day. Swear its been about a month since it rained last. Usually a good day to dig in the dirt but I'm gonna take it easy, especially after all that. It was all definitely a driven process which I hope to improve greatly upon. Going to home depot today to pick some new toys and supplies up to start working on the front. Once they are secure there as well I can focus on getting the boxes inside set up so I can grow without them completely destroying whatever's in there from dust bathing or eating the whole thing. This way we all benefit from it. I imagine some small slanted cages I can lift off the top of each box. No pictures of the ducks under the fake tree yet, they love this weather. Every pooled up little bit of water on the ground is like a new play area for them. Watching them stamp their feet in the mud when they are digging around in them always makes me laugh. Well, back to nothing. Attimus.

 

[Mary Courtney]

I love seeing pictures of peoples birds, coops and runs from various parts of the country. I wish we lived in a warmer climate.....these Illinois winters certainly do wear thin.....

 

[attimus]

Got to work on the new gate for the front garden yesterday.

Got everything leveled and filling it in now. Hardware cloth on the bottom for the pests. One box will be inside for the chickens and one out for me. I imagine by this weekend they will be able to hang out in there entirely enclosed. Once the fencing and netting is up in the front I can set about putting together some little framework cages for the boxes so the plants can still grow. Green onions are doing fantastic.

I have two more batches to plant still that are about a week apart and already growing in the container. I also think there's some basil sprouts starting in the burpee. And last but not least, the girls.