Escaping Suburbia

Any closer and I will totally peck at your face.

Oh, hai! The girls have begun determining their pecking order in earnest, I believe. They have these ginormous beaks now, so, hey. They are very funny and cute, still, even though they’re getting all scraggly around the neck. When I come sit by their bin, they all stop and peer up at me and they’ll hop into my hand without hesitation.

Muwhahahahaha, peep peep peep, mwhahaha.

They’re scratching at their food and taking “dust baths” and they are still trying to fly, even though the netting is over the top of the bin. They FREAK OUT if we’re doing something over the bin, to which I call out… “the sky is falling, the sky is falling!”

Silly little bird-brains.

Hey, what’s up.

Well, all six chicks are still with us. And, we have flight. I caught one on top of the water container and a few minutes later, watched one fly up to the top of the bin. Time for the netting!

This week the tail feathers started coming in and they’re really busy preening. They’re getting bolder about jumping into our hands. We gave them a couple of treats — a handful of grass and some gound-up eggshell — and they went nuts for both.

Well, that’s about it for now. I think we’ll be starting on the coop this coming weekend & I’ll try to take photos.

taking a drink

Well, we made it through week one. The chicks will be 7 days old on Tuesday. We found out they were a day old when we got them and they hadn’t been vaccinated, so we switched over to medicated food. They’re learning how to roost and scratch — and boy are they vigorous about the scratching. Food flung EVERYWHERE.

Their wings are getting longer and stronger and the markings are starting to show on the tips.

They practically fall asleep on their feet. In fact, the falling asleep is the funniest part of watching them. They go all floppy.

They’re a bit rude to each other, bumping and pushing and walking upon and running over to see what another is pecking at and having to peck at it too.

I’ll have another update next week!

Took this shot yesterday evening — have I mentioned how much I love daylight savings? These beauties are out by our mailbox and between the light at that time of day and the color of these flowers, they look kind of unreal. We also have yellow daffodils, both small and large. I don’t know what types they are.

Hahahaha.

Okay, lousy photo right now, but never fear, I am sure we will get many many many more in the days to come. We got six Barred Rock pullets & they are currently in a bin, under a heat lamp, in our bathroom.  We’ll probably move them to the living room tonight, but we wanted to put them in a small space with a door until we can get a screen over the top of the bin. I forgot to ask how old these were.

Chicken butt!

Mr. Wolf and I did a quick inventory while we carpooled to work this morning. Here’s what we have planted so far:

• 3 blueberry bushes (plan to get at least 3 more)
• 1 peach tree
• 2 cherry trees
• 1 fig tree
• several strawberry plants
• 3 grapevines (table grapes)

Additionally, I have garlic and onions waiting to be planted. In the front bed, we have rosemary, thyme and sage… I hope they survived the frost. Haven’t checked. I’m sure the rosemary did, but I wonder about the others. Oh, and we of course have the hazelnut trees which, well, we’ll try again. Dratted birds. We also have the ever prevalent blackberry bushes that just grow and grow and grow. And groooowwwww.

Today, with any luck, we’ll pick up the chickens. Last week, the farm store had sold out by the time we got over there after work!

For the rest of the garden this summer, I think we’re going to go for some pole beans, tomatoes (urg), a few kinds of hot peppers, lettuce and… hm… can’t think of what else yet. Oh! Carrots! Lurve carrots.

Now, it’s 28 degrees outside, so someone please send me some slightly warmer temps, kthx.

So, you know all the reasons people say to buy produce locally if you can… it’s fresher, it tastes better, it’s more nutritious. Yes, yes, all true. But you know what else I like? I like that it hasn’t been sitting in an inch of water for who knows how long. Gross! Many of the grocery stores around here mist the hell of of their produce and I don’t get it. Brown, slimy lettuce? PASS.