How they saw it...

Big World...Small Shoes

Pull Over

Great Grandparents

Zach and Joplin

 

The final chapter...

A couple years ago we embarked on a journey into the realms of chicken ranching. Over the years we experienced the joy of the first egg, the fear of a predatory black snake, and the sorrow of loss. It is time now that we close the last chapter of the Chickenski Chronicles and move along to the next adventure. All the girls have been re-homed and are healthy and happy.

What's in store next? I have been thinking of a new project lately and we will see how that pulls together.

Spring chicks!

Well, we've just got our spring chicks in! 16 cute little fluff balls that will grow up to be dinner. That's right, these are the meat birds. Some may say that it seems a little harsh to get chicks to raise just to turn around in a couple months and slaughter them. Bottom line is that all chicken on your plate was this cute at one time too. The difference is that we know what goes into these and they will live a much better life.  We don't have an issue with store bought chickens. They lead a sad life of no sunlight and crowded space just to be injected with saline solution to entice consumers on the shelves, but we know that while this seems a little cruel, it does provide chicken at a reasonable price to many who would not be able to afford them otherwise. So while it might be a little hard to see these guys go in a couple months, it is pretty nice knowing that they are about the healthiest chicken our family can eat! Of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a few shots with the little fur balls...

Feeding Time

The huddled masses

What can I say?

Updates on the ranch

 Well it's been awhile since I've sat down to write so I figured an update was in order. The girls have experienced their first snow fall. They are definitely southern belles because they were not interested at all in walking through the cold white stuff! No matter the weather though, the Chicken Chores must be done!

After this freakish southern snow storm the sun finally showed itself and we are back to normal NC weather. We have a few new additions to flock to introduce. We picked up five two week old Rhode Island Reds from a local guy here. Unfortunately we had to rehome one who liked to peck the feathers out of her sisters. She was making the others bleed so we separated her and gave her the name "Time Out". After researching a bit, we realized she would probably never change the habit so we found someone who was willing to take her in. Tyler is having a blast taking care of the chicks. They are already eating out of our hands so that's a lot of fun!

You can actually see where Time Out pecked this one's back

In anticipation of these girls being added to flock in a couple months, we extended the run to give them a little more room. We'd like to build the coop structure up a little taller down the road as well, but one project at a time. Jeremy did most of the work with his junior helper since Josh was fighting the tail end of the stomach bug and needed my attention every few minutes.

Measuring out the corner

supervising

Lunch Break!!

napping in the garage :(

The girls thought it was an overnight renovation so they tried to move in.

There's a pretty lady!

Working hard

So there you have it, another 8'x6' area for the girls. They went right to work pecking at bugs and digging in the dirt!

Fall Festival Costumes!

So anyone who knows me knows I find absolutely no joy in purchasing halloween costumes from a store. I just can't bring myself to limit the kids' options to what is "in stock". The best part about costumes is the creativity involved in creating them! When I asked the kids what they wanted to be a couple months ago Tyler said she wanted to be Rosie. I thought the idea was absolutely hilarious and told her we could make it happen. I wouldn't want to stifle her creativity after all! :) We used a black shirt and black pants spray painted with a feather design. Then I used an old hand towel and sewed them on the pants that I cut off to make the yellow legs. I made a covering for the shoes and put a foam foot on them. I made up the comb for the top of the hat and the wattles for the sides. The wings were made from cardboard that I spray painted black and white and then disassembled some black boa's and stuck them on. The beak is foam board and the icing on the cake is the halo on top! Tyler helped with a lot of the construction and all in all we were pleased with the outcome. Here's a picture. Josh went as a puppy and we realized the irony of him being the very thing that sent Rosie to her demise! Every picture of them together he is pretending to eat her now :)

Rosie