Our Mixed Flock Journey!

[drstratton]

This is so great to hear, Rene. I hope Roo 2 keeps making progress!! Also, Congratulations on your husband's retirement. I'm sure you both are beyond excited!

Thank you Rei...he's doing really well now, always coming over to get a pet!

Yay, more chickens! That will be so awesome to have your own meat. We are cattle ranchers, but I think we eat the same amount of chicken, if not more than beef Once we move to a bigger, more permanent place I would love to do what you are doing and raise meat chickens! I can't wait to see what you get !

I really want to get some meat chickens, but my husband is just too tired to convince right now! After he retires I will push it and get my way... , seriously though, he sees the benefit it raising them too, everything just takes so much time & energy! I would love to be able to raise my own beef, but that won't happen this year if ever! To bad we don't live closer to each other we could trade...lol!

We've been working like crazy, I will share what we've accomplished tomorrow, I have to head back out and get some more work done!

 

[drstratton]

Before I call it a night, I have a chick pic and a few pics of the new pen & the garden area!

We transplanted some Hosta's near the pen and having read that chickens love them, my husband planted one close to see if they really do...they went after that leaf. Well, before I came inside this evening I decided to plant one right in their pen, they devoured it!

We didn't get the grass seed spread this weekend, but we are very close. We had to finish planting the garden & our new berry plants. It was a very full weekend. This is a picture looking from the far end of the pen towards the Coop and Rabbit hutches. I can't begin to count how many wheelbarrows full of pine needles and whatever else was on the ground that we raked up and burned. We wanted to make sure that we get good coverage with the grass seed when we finally spread it! This pen area was such a mess and overgrown with blackberry & raspberry plants, I didn't think we'd ever get it cleaned up, but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel!

A view from the new pen towards the garden! We got all of our new berry plants in the ground. In the area to the right, near the fence...I think there was more rock than dirt! I'll post one more below this pic!

My husband lined them all up next to the fence, you can see that in the above picture!

Berries in! Currants, Josta & Gooseberries!

Blackberries and Raspberries!

 

[N F C]

Before I call it a night, I have a chick pic and a few pics of the new pen & the garden area!

We transplanted some Hosta's near the pen and having read that chickens love them, my husband planted one close to see if they really do...they went after that leaf. Well, before I came inside this evening I decided to plant one right in their pen, they devoured it!

View attachment 2182766

We didn't get the grass seed spread this weekend, but we are very close. We had to finish planting the garden & our new berry plants. It was a very full weekend. This is a picture looking from the far end of the pen towards the Coop and Rabbit hutches. I can't begin to count how many wheelbarrows full of pine needles and whatever else was on the ground that we raked up and burned. We wanted to make sure that we get good coverage with the grass seed when we finally spread it! This pen area was such a mess and overgrown with blackberry & raspberry plants, I didn't think we'd ever get it cleaned up, but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel!
View attachment 2182777

A view from the new pen towards the garden! We got all of our new berry plants in the ground. In the area to the right, near the fence...I think there was more rock than dirt! I'll post one more below this pic!
View attachment 2182778
My husband lined them all up next to the fence, you can see that in the above picture!
View attachment 2182781
Berries in! Currants, Josta & Gooseberries!
View attachment 2182784
Blackberries and Raspberries!
View attachment 2182785

It's going to be really nice for you guys once the berry plants start to produce! Is there jam and jelly making in your future?

 

[drstratton]

It's going to be really nice for you guys once the berry plants start to produce! Is there jam and jelly making in your future?

I'm definitely looking forward to having fresh berries again and yes if they do well, I will be busy canning!

 

[drstratton]

@NFC Hi Debby! I've been meaning to tell you how much I love Wyoming as do my son and his wife! They actually spent their honeymoon at Crossed Sabres Ranch near Cody and if it wasn't for the cold winters, which my son can't handle anymore, they would have loved to move there!

 

[WhoDatChick]

Before I call it a night, I have a chick pic and a few pics of the new pen & the garden area!

We transplanted some Hosta's near the pen and having read that chickens love them, my husband planted one close to see if they really do...they went after that leaf. Well, before I came inside this evening I decided to plant one right in their pen, they devoured it!

View attachment 2182766

We didn't get the grass seed spread this weekend, but we are very close. We had to finish planting the garden & our new berry plants. It was a very full weekend. This is a picture looking from the far end of the pen towards the Coop and Rabbit hutches. I can't begin to count how many wheelbarrows full of pine needles and whatever else was on the ground that we raked up and burned. We wanted to make sure that we get good coverage with the grass seed when we finally spread it! This pen area was such a mess and overgrown with blackberry & raspberry plants, I didn't think we'd ever get it cleaned up, but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel!
View attachment 2182777

A view from the new pen towards the garden! We got all of our new berry plants in the ground. In the area to the right, near the fence...I think there was more rock than dirt! I'll post one more below this pic!
View attachment 2182778
My husband lined them all up next to the fence, you can see that in the above picture!
View attachment 2182781
Berries in! Currants, Josta & Gooseberries!
View attachment 2182783
Blackberries and Raspberries!
View attachment 2182785

I’m so jelly... all of this is looking so good! And the little ones are really getting big! I can’t wait till mine get big!

 

[N F C]

@NFC Hi Debby! I've been meaning to tell you how much I love Wyoming as do my son and his wife! They actually spent their honeymoon at Crossed Sabres Ranch near Cody and if it wasn't for the cold winters, which my son can't handle anymore, they would have loved to move there!

It's beautiful up around Cody! We came within about an inch of moving there a couple years ago but DH's wants to keep the job he has and that's 5 hours away from Cody (a bit much for commuting ). The long cold winters sure aren't for everyone, sometimes I'm not sure they're for me either. This past winter was really long, we had snow from mid-October until end of April.

There is a lot of natural beauty in WY and it's an interesting place for sure!

 

[drstratton]

I’m so jelly... all of this is looking so good! And the little ones are really getting big! I can’t wait till mine get big!

Thank you...it certainly feels good to have everything planted! They really are getting big, I look at them now & I don't see babies anymore, but they still are, I'm reminded of that when I still hear them make the baby peep sound...

 

[drstratton]

It's beautiful up around Cody! We came within about an inch of moving there a couple years ago but DH's wants to keep the job he has and that's 5 hours away from Cody (a bit much for commuting ). The long cold winters sure aren't for everyone, sometimes I'm not sure they're for me either. This past winter was really long, we had snow from mid-October until end of April.

There is a lot of natural beauty in WY and it's an interesting place for sure!

That is a very long winter. We had one year with snow on the ground from November 19th (I remember because it's my daughters B-day) until May. We usually have very little snow, but some years we get it where it snows, melts & snows again, so that was quite unusual that it stayed without melting. I like snow at Christmas, then it can melt and stay away after...

 

[drstratton]

We went to TSC yesterday, my first time at one, didn't know there were any close by! Anyway, Dale wanted to buy some more grass seed formulated for sun and shade and we found a Chick's Mix of seeds, so we will be throwing this into the other seed he bought! I wanted to buy some clover seed and this mix has the red & white clover, 2 types of Ryegrass, Alfalfa & brown flax! I hope it grows well and the Chickens love it! We will be adding the new sprinklers tonight...if it's not raining like it is right now and hopefully we can spread the seed too, but that probably won't happen until at least tomorrow!