Windy Acres Tales

Dead Shrew

2012-02-07T14:38:00.000-05:00

Stop hanging around OUR coop!

Courtesy of the Girls: Grace, Doris, Ann, Nancy, Etta,

Aretha, Gladis, Big Brown Betty, Reba and Pat

New Year, New Starts, and New Family

2012-02-07T13:50:00.006-05:00

The fall went by in a blur. Egg production picked back up (and has since gone back down). Halloween, birthdays and anniversaries came and went. In fact, Keith and I celebrated 18 years of marriage. Wow how time flies.

As to the comings and goings of Windy Acres - I tend to focus on the life of the four-legged and feathered critters and not so much on the two-legged ones. So this one is about our family.

Since the day we met, Keith and I had always said that we wanted to adopt kids someday - no matter if we had our own or not. We also decided that if we were going to adopt, we wanted to adopt from within the state. We didn't want to adopt a child from a foreign country - we wanted to open our home to a child here in Indiana that needed a home. So, in November of 2010, we decided to move forward and start the process for what is called SNAP - Special Needs Adoption Program. For Indiana that basically means any child that is 2 years or older. We attended the Foster/Adoption training classes offered by the Department of Child Services. We had our home study completed in December 2010, and was formally approved as pre-adoptive parents by the SNAP council on February 28, 2011.

During this past year, we had a couple of interviews. Then at the end of October, we were picked to interview for Justin, a 6th grader down in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.. We were very excited and as always, tried not to get our hopes up. In fact, as interviews go we thought this one had been our worst. Then on Tuesday, November 1st we got the call telling us that we had been picked as Justin's pre-adoptive parents! November and December were a complete whirlwind - trying to somehow make it through the holidays and getting to know our soon-to-be son at the same time. There were many trips back and forth to Lawrenceburg. On Christmas Day 2011, Justin came to live with us permanently.

We feel so blessed and happy to have Justin in our lives. Are there challenges? Of course, but the reward is so much bigger. We look forward to all that this adventure has to offer and look forward to the beginning of a new family with 3 two-legged critters at Windy Acres.

Something Funky is Going On

2011-10-13T16:27:00.000-04:00

Something weird has been happening with the chickens. Egg production has dropped off significantly the last two weeks. Last week I gathered a total of 11 eggs between 10 chickens. It's like they all got together and decided that a different chicken would lay an egg each day.

"No - it's your turn Doris. I layed on Monday and Big Brown Betty had Tuesday. Aretha and Etta are taking the weekend shift, the Heart girls (Ann and Nancy Wilson) are both taking Thursday." - said Reba.

Everyday I would look at the one lonely egg in the nest and then look at the girls and say "Really? One egg?" - ending with my best Albert Brooks impression with "Come On! You're killing me here".

I know that things can decrease with winter - but it's not winter yet! I hooked the light back-up to a timer so that the girls are getting 14 hours of light a day. Maybe they need to get used to that. I have never seen such a drop from the entire flock.

I will say that life around Windy Acres has been fairly busy. The farmers have been harvesting the soy.

Coyotes have been active in the area. We can hear them every night - howling and yelping as the train rolls through. One coyote was literally hanging out in the field in front of the combine as it went down the rows. We were really surprised and fascinated. I watched him for about 1/2 an hour with a spotting scope. He seemed to have no fear of the combine and seemed to have done this before. We think he was on the lookout for fleeing field mice. He did eventually catch something. He was very aware of our presence but had much more important things on his mind.

There has been a Great Horned Owl hanging out as well. I went to the coop the other night and from up within the tree directly above the coop, the owl came swooping down and then out across the field, giving me quite a startle. Its wing span was enormous. We've seen the owl other times as well - flying across the soy fields the same night as the coyote.

I just wish I could pinpoint the issue. I have regular clients that buy eggs about every other week and I have had to halt sales for now. This week has been a tad better, so hopefully it was just a strange anomaly among a flock of semi-strange birds.

Harvest Time..which means canning time

2011-08-23T16:53:00.001-04:00

July and August has been a battle of wills between me and the Sun. After so much hard work went into building the raised beds and planting the garden, I was not going to let the weeks of 90 degree hot steamy summer days kill everything. So I babied and tended to the garden each and everyday. The effort has been paying off in cabbage, zucchini and yellow squash, peppers, along with pounds of cucumbers.

So what does one do with pounds of cucumbers? One makes relish - or at least I did this past weekend. The funny thing is that I don't even like the stuff. I am not big on vinegar based food items (which I have been told quite often that I am missing out). This was my first attempt at dill relish and I hope those vinegar lovin' people in my life enjoy it cause you're going to be getting some as gifts this fall. I may even go ahead and try some sweet relish as I think I still have enough cucumbers left to give that a try. That I may actually use in potato salad, macaroni salad, egg salad, deviled eggs, etc.. 6 little plants make for TONS of cucumbers!

Someone asked me the other day if I like canning. My immediate response was no - I don't like the process of canning. I do like being able to go to my pantry in the winter and grab a jar of my own tomatoes for chili, marinara sauce and more. Canning is an arduous process. Granted, the first day is the worst. There is all the equipment to bring out of storage. Then there's the cleaning and the prepping. It's like working out...have to get your mind and your muscles ready for the challenge - back into the groove. You've had a year to forget the pain and misery. Sunday's relish endeavor took over 4 hours from start to finish. It went something like this:

Equipment out of storage and into the kitchen
Wash and dry canning jars, lids and rings
Wash and peel 8 lbs. of cucumbers
Shred cucumbers in the food processor
Place cucumbers in large bowl with salt and turmeric and let stand for 2 hours (note to self - turmeric stains everything it touches)
Wash the food processor bowl
While you wait, peel and shred a ton of zucchini and then freeze in 2 cup bags (14 cups total)
Wash the food processor bowl (again)
Drain cucumber mixture in a colander in the sink
Peel and rough chop 1 lb. of onions and place in food processor
Put lids in sauce pan to heat up on stove, jars in canner to heat to 180 degrees
Wash cucumbers in cold water, drain again
Place cucumbers in stock pot with vinegar, dill and sugar
Heat up mixture and simmer for at least 10 minutes
Ladle mixture into the canning jars, place lids on and finger tighten the rings
Gently drop jars back into the canner and heat to boiling
Process jars for 15 minutes, then let stand in canner for 5 minutes with heat turned off
Remove jars and place on towel on the counter to cool
Clean up the giant mess of dishes, food processor bowl (again), pots and various other equipment that now crowds the entire kitchen

A couple years ago I bought a spare butane burner from my brother (he buys and sells restaurant equipment). There is not enough room on one stove to do all of this at the same time. The other issue I have is height. I am only 5' 1.5". The counter is a bit too tall for me as it relates to stirring pots and pulling things in and out of canners. I know, not a problem for much of the world but it proves tiring for a shorter person. My arms are still sore.

As I mentioned, I also froze enough zucchini to keep my family and everyone else I know in zucchini bread until next year. I also dehydrated another 4 large zucchini's and now my entire house smells like dehydrated zucchini.

Tomatoes are ripening as well and there is no comparison to a home grown, sweet ripe tomato! I can't wait each year for BLTs and other sandwiches which are made all that more yummy with a nice slice of tomatoes. Mmm, mmmm good. I have had some instances of blight on some tomatoes but nothing to the extent of the last couple years. It's been mostly on the golden ones vs. the Roma and early tomatoes. I should be able to harvest enough for canning both sauce and salsa.

Oh yay...more canning. Next up - peppers, onions, and potatoes.

Secret Garden at Sunset

2011-07-06T16:14:00.000-04:00

Whimsical raised beds = Happy Vegetables!

The garden has exploded in just the last two weeks. I've picked a few peppers (but not a peck). Collard greens are almost ready and I should have some squash and zucchinis ready to pick in a few days.

Spring has Sprung

2011-06-17T14:12:00.002-04:00

Life has been busy at Windy Acres. I'm behind in updates, so thought I would get them all done in one big blog.

Vegetable Garden
Keith gave me a wonderful surprise this year. I wanted raised beds after two-years of fighting (and losing) the battle of the grasses and weeds. Not only did he have beds built for me, but he also had them stained in bright beautiful colors. I love the whimsy it brings to my secret garden. I truly enjoy my time in the garden - even weeding and mulching. I can shut out the world and just be. the raised beds provide easier access and easier weed control. Now I want to add some fun ornaments. We have a bottle tree and I just need to get busy taking the labels off of the wine bottles and moving it out into the garden.

What's in the garden this year? Tomatoes, peppers (sweet & hot), carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, lettuce, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, peas, beans, onions, potatoes and strawberries. I planted spinach, but the seeds didn't take.

Baby Birds and Pick-up Trucks
We had an interesting incident with the pick-up truck this spring. Robins decided to build their nest right on top of the rear driver's side tire - not in the wheel-well mind you, directly on the tire. When it comes to sturdiness, maybe we should look to the birds! With the severe storms we have had so far, the nest stayed put through it all. When it comes down to it, we are both really big softies at heart, so the truck wasn't moved until the birds hatched and flew the coop.

Last week, I noticed Abby standing very still and staring at something in the grass. I thought it might be a frog as I have seen quite a few lately. Sandy comes bounding over to see what is holding Abby's interest. At that very moment, the baby birds began to flap widely trying to fly and escape the giant dogs. So here I go again, chasing after dogs. running trying to prevent them from squashing the baby bird while dodging very upset parents and siblings. it felt like a scene from The Birds with me yelling at dogs and running interference, trying to direct the baby out of the backyard and through the fence AND covering my head from the attacking Mommy & Daddy and sibs.

Floral
We've been working and some handy men have been helping get all the various flower beds planted this year. Our land was almost a completely blank canvas when we moved here in 2007. Some big trees on the outer perimeter, no shrubs and only a few perennials thrown in here and there. We have been slowly transforming Windy Acres one flower bed at a time. This was the first flower bed. It is just outside our main entrance, facing east. Although not my favorite type of rose, the Knockout Roses were really beautiful this year and the first flowers to show themselves after the torrents of rain that was April. It's hard to see in this picture, but I love the Land of Oz sign that my dear friend Karla gave me for my birthday a couple years ago - nestled in the roses. And yes, "The Wizard of Oz" is one of my favorite films.

...and the chickens
Last but not least, good news! Doris has finally decided to stop being broody. She definitely won that battle which lasted 3.5 weeks. And to think that the reference books only mention a few days when it comes to broodiness. I was also able to finally find another nest that the other birds would use while she hogged all the space in the first Coca-cola crate. the answer was a second Coca-cola crate in the opposite corner. Egg production is getting back to normal with 6 and 7 eggs per day between the 10 hens.

Doris is a Very Broody Bird

2011-05-20T08:46:00.005-04:00

I finally get my turn at dealing with a broody bird, and I can tell you that it has not been any fun. I am losing the battle with Doris Day, one of my Buff Orpingtons. She started going broody last week. At first I was worried that she was egg bound as she was lethargic and didn't want to move from the nest box. Then I went back to THE book, my chicken-raising bible, "A Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow. This book has been my go-to resource in my now two-year adventure in raising chickens.

Doris has been showing all the signs of a broody bird: staying put in the nest, puffing up when someone comes near, pecking when we try to touch/move her, and not eating or drinking much. When a chicken goes broody, she also stops laying eggs. As the book suggests, I have been forcibly removing her from the nest and removing any eggs from under her that she has been attempting to incubate. But she keeps going back. I can't really try the trick with the ice cubes as all the chickens use the same nest (that's a whole different issue).

We may just have to move her to a different location until she finally lays an egg again. They say that for every day a chickens is broody, it takes the same amount of time to get back to laying eggs. At this point it will be another week to two weeks before Doris starts contributing.

And then there were 10

2011-04-12T10:31:00.010-04:00

Something got into the chicken coop and killed one of the Dominques last night. They are the smaller black & white birds. When I went out this morning to let the chickens out, I noticed that some of the girls were already outside. Their small door was closed but the big door was open. My heart skipped a beat. Keith yelled for me to check to see if all chickens were present and accounted for. Sure enough, one of the chickens was killed and ripped apart lying under the roost. Oddly, there were several birds still sitting on the roost - the sun wasn't quite up yet. They did seem stressed and didn't want to move. I wanted to make sure everyone was ok so I shooed them out to make sure all their wings and legs were functioning.

I don't know what happened. I was sure that I locked the door when I put the girls up for the night, but maybe I didn't. The wind was blowing pretty hard so if I didn't have it latched all the way, perhaps it blew open and the something got in. It could be that something got in through the chickens' door as there is a gap big enough for a weasel or weasel-sized rodent. Keith is going to try and get that fixed today. I wouldn't be surprized if egg production goes back down. They tend to lay fewer eggs after a tramatic experience.

Ugh...I really don't know how anyone raises animals for a living. Every time I lose one, my heart just breaks. I question what I could have done to prevent something like this from happening. I just feel awful. They are my responsibility and when something liek this happens I feel as though I have failed them.

Mud & Dogs Round 2

2011-03-25T16:14:00.005-04:00

Last night Keith and I went Round 2 in our battle of the mud vs. dogs. I came home and walked into the living room only to see Sandy in the crate with that "I'm sorry mommy" look on her sweet face. I asked the obvious "what happened?", to which Keith responded "what do you think happened?" The trail of muddy paw prints from the back door to the front of her crate told the story. Keith had made the mistake of leaving the dogs to their own devices for a mere 5 minutes in the backyard. It is truly amazing what a dog can do in such a short span of time. Don't think she was the only one, Abby was muddy too - just not quite as bad (or as visible on a black dog).

So there we were after dinner prepping the bathtub for eight doggy pedicures (two dogs x four paws). First up was Sandy who had no intention of getting into the tub voluntarily. Keith had to pick all 70 lbs. of her up and place her into the water. He held her still while I scrubbed. The water turned almost black from the amount of mud that has somehow wedged itself between every hair and every toe on her paws. Luckily this time I had thought to pickup all of the mats and rugs before our little round of puppy bath time. Once all cleaned and dried, we opened the door to let Sandy out and Abby in who happened to be sitting against the door wondering why she was left out of all the fun. She didn't think it was really all that much fun once she realized what she was in for. Once the dogs were done, then the mopping began. On days like this I really am thankful for the hardwood floors. Just the thought of all that mud on a carpet gives me the willies - yuck.

We can thank the weird and wacky Indiana weather for the mud. This week we went from sunny and 70 degrees on Wednesday - to wind, thunderstorms, tornado warnings and hail by Wednesday night - to snow flurries by Thursday morning.

Of course, we can thank the dogs for the mud holes in the yard.

When Dog Meets Mud

2011-03-18T16:48:00.004-04:00

What was once a beautiful blond and tan fluffy dog, is now a wet muddy, smelly muddy mess. Oh Sandy, what will we do with you?

Chickens 1 - Squirrel 0

2011-03-10T15:32:00.004-05:00

I guess it was quite exciting inside the chicken pen yesterday. A squirrel that had been up in the tree over the pen decided to drop down into the pen with the girls. As Keith described it:

- The chickens chased the squirrel out of the pen
- The dogs were barking at the squirrel.
- No moose in sight.

They keep us laughing. I only wish we had video of their antics.

Elvis has died - Sad Day at Windy Acres

2011-02-11T10:06:00.006-05:00

Today we lost one of the last two chickens from 2009's original flock. Elvis was my special bird. She was the runt of the litter - yet the first to "fly the coop". She was always the friendliest and would let me pick her up and pet her. She was the last to start laying eggs. In December 2010, she had to go into the chicken hospital after surviving some fairly significant pecking from the larger birds. She made it through and worked her way up the pecking order. After losing Mama Cass, Elvis was strutting her stuff as one of the elder birds - actually getting to sleep on the top roost.

Yesterday morning, I found her huddled in one of the nest boxes with alot of blood on her rump and around her vent. I hadn't seen any issues in the days prior or signs that she might have been egg bound. The other chickens had been pecking at her and she looked pretty bad. I knew in my heart that the chance of saving her was probably very slim. We moved her out of the coop thinking that maybe some time away from the girls and some quiet might give her a chance to heal. Last night she was standing up and Keith said she had been clucking. But something wasn't really right with her and she was standing too still with her back to me when I went to check on her later. When I went out this morning, she was gone.

At least I know that she died peacefully. Thank you for your eggs that provided nourishment for our family and friends. Elvis, we will miss you.

Baby its cold outside

2011-01-12T08:53:00.009-05:00

Sometimes I feel that we may have done ourselves a disservice by naming our home Windy Acres. Maybe things would be different if we had named it Sunshine and Rainbows. The wind seems to blow cold and strong all day long. It's cold (really really cold), it's snowing, it's windy and did I mention that it's cold? Heading out to the chicken coop for the morning routine takes more time with all the bundling up that is required. I feel like Ralphy's little brother in A Christmas Story whose mom bundles him up to the point of immobility. The walk seems longer and longer with each degree below freezing. The chickens take a quick peak through their door and decide that inside the coop is much a better place. With all the snowing and blowing, there isn't really anything of interest outside for them.

January is always a little sad for me. The hustle and bustls of the holidays is over. The Christmas decorations and lights are packed away. Family and friends are back to their normal routines. Ventures outside are only if necessary and as quick as possible. Everything is gray (the sky, cars from the salt). All you really want to do is build a fire in the fireplace, hunker down with a good book and drink some hot chocolate. Spring seems soooo far away (and here in Indiana, it is at least another 2 months). The one bright spot is that the seed catalogs start arriving in the mail. I can start dreaming of the things I want to plant and changes that I want to make to the garden this year.

Egg Production Updates
Once the roosters were disposed of, peace and harmony (for the most part) returned to Little Deuce Coop. One of our Buff Orpingtons did get pecked a bit on her comb. but we caught it early, administered some anti-biotic ointment and she seems to be back in good graces with the rest of the girls.

Egg production has been up despite the cold weather. The week before last, we had a record week with 60 eggs. Generally, we seem to be getting 4 to 5 dozen eggs per week. We're on the lookout for a small fridge to put inside the shed as eggs are taking over my refrigerator. As you can see, it's quite the production line in our kitchen getting all the eggs ready for packaging and sale.

Tall Man Red Beans & Rice

2010-12-13T16:10:00.004-05:00

Keith and I recently graduated from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Although we have a long way to go to implement all that he has taught us, we definitely look at our personal financials in a whole new light. Those that have gone through the class know that there is much discussion around beans and rice. When times are tough, you can eat for a long time on beans and rice. So for our graduation pitch-in dinner, Keith decided it was fitting to add this to the meal. Here's his recipe, created to reflect the spirit of the dish, as well as the flavor. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup dry rice
1-2 tbs oil
2 tbs minced garlic (dried garlic powder can be substituted)
3-5 slices of some smoky meat, (ham, sausage, bacon, turkey)
1 small/medium onion minced
2 stalks celery chopped
1 16oz can Red Beans
1 8oz can tomato sauce
3-5 tbs of Italian herbs or oregano & thyme
salt
pepper
Cayenne pepper
hot pepper sauce

Prepare all items ahead of time. Dice and measure onions, celery, garlic, herbs. Open cans.
Step 1 - 1 cup dry rice - cook (my wife used a rice steamer)
Step 2 - In large fry pan: in heat 1-2 tbs oil to medium hot, lightly fry 2 tbs minced garlic (dried garlic powder can be substituted), 3-5 slices of some smoky meat, (ham, sausage, bacon, turkey,) diced. Drain grease if excessive.
Step 3 - Add 1 small/medium onion minced, 2 stalks celery chopped. Stir until translucent.
Step 4 - Add 1 16oz can Red Beans, stir. Add 3/4 can of tomato sauce, stir. Stir in 3-5 tbs of Italian herbs or oregano & thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 5 - Taste. Add Cayenne pepper, and hot pepper sauce to taste. Stir well. Keep warm till rice is done.
Step 6 - Add in cooked rice, stir well. Keep warm until served.

Happy Chickens and Baby Eggs

2010-11-29T09:17:00.006-05:00

There is no good excuse for the lack of updates other than time flies really really fast. Lots has been happening around Windy Acres (especially the wind...always the wind).

A crazy wind storm came through a few weeks back. Everything got tossed around. The pen was pulled away from the coop. We lots some trim, a trash can and a cushion. Poof! Off into never never land. The trim ended up at the top of our biggest tree in the backyard - wrapped around some limbs. It took a tree guy climbing up into the tree to get it down.

We lost Mama Cass two weeks ago. Remember the roosters that the hatchery had sent along for warmth? Well, they got big and were starting to get aggressive - causing all kinds of daily drama in the coop. Chickens running and squawking. I kept saying "we have got to get rid of those roosters". We came home from being gone all day on Saturday, only for Keith to find Mama hiding in a corner of the coop all torn up. She was still alive but her wing had been badly torn and you could see muscle - there was no saving her. Keith had to put her out of her pain. It broke my heart. I know I shouldn't be so attached to my chickens - but I am. Mama ruled the roost and I am sure that a fight happened that day. So Keith killed the roosters. The coyotes had some extra meals courtesy of Windy Acres that night.

The one good thing that has come out of this is that harmony has been returned to the coop. The rest of the girls seem much happier. No more feathers flying every which way, so more squawking and girls fleeing in every direction. The new chicks are about 21 weeks old now and I think there are at least three new layers - judging by the color and size of the eggs (itty bitty baby eggs).

Sandy is getting bigger and bigger - she's 61 lbs. and only 7 months old. We're hoping she's nearing the end of the growth spurt. The general craziness seems to lesson a wee bit with each passing week. Although she did leap clean over the end of the couch onto Keith the other night. I only saw a flash of fur out of the corner of my eye and heard Keith yelling "SANDY...NOOOOO". I turned to see our oh so giant dog sitting on top of Keith with a proud look in her eye - "look what I just did". Puppies - you gotta love 'em.

End of Summer Updates

2010-10-01T08:16:00.007-04:00

It's been a little while since our last post and we have much to catch up on.

The new chickens are growing and now integrated with the big birds. They are about 12 weeks old and we figure we might see some eggs by mid-November. The big girls rule the roost (literally and figuratively). They run the smaller ones out whenever they want to eat. They have been allowing a couple more of the adventurous young ones sleep on the roost at night. For the most part they all seem to get along. With the lack of rain, we are going through tons of chicken feed for 17 birds. There are at-least three roosters and soon they will be going away to a meat market.

The vegetable garden was mildly successful this year, definitely better than last year. We harvested plenty of cucumbers, habaneros, sweet peppers, tomatoes and squash. The season started out rainy and ended in a drought. I was able to do some canning this year - five pints of salsa, five pints of tomatoes, and seven jars of pickles. The funny thing is - I really don't like pickles. But, what else was I going to do with all of those cucumbers? I also did some dehyrating for the first time that seemed to work very well - squash, zucchini, red pepers (1/3 jar) and habaneros (1/5 jar). I'm eager to see if the rehydrated squash will make a good casserole.

We fought bugs all summer. I don't like to use pesticides but the Japanese beetles seemed to think the natural bug repellent was merely a yummy candy coating for the pole and long beans. They completely covered the beans. Then something else all together ate every leaf of the broccoli. So we had to resort to some of the stronger stuff if we wanted any chance of eating from our own garden. One of these days I will be successful at growing something other than tomatoes and peppers. We have definitely decided to go back to raised beds next year. It is just too much to try and keep grasses and weeds out while at the same time attacking the bugs. I really don't mind the thought of doing it all over again next year. It's like wiping the slate clean.

Last but not least, meet Sandy our new dog. We picked her up on August 28th from a family in Nashville, Indiana. Their dog had 12 puppies and they thought they would keep one - soon realizing that they really didn't need two huge dogs. Sandy (formerly known as Nannerl - Mozart's sister's nickname) is a Great Pyranese/Flat Coated Retriever mix. She is 5 months old and already 51 lbs. Sandy (renamed for Sandy from Grease) is a super sweet dog. The problem is that she is all puppy in dog size. She does all the normal puppy things - chewing, stealing, jumping, etc. in a really really big size. How big will she get? Great Pyranese get anywhere from 85 - 100 lbs and Flat-coated retrievers anywhere from 55 to 75 lbs. So probably pretty big.

So far, Sandy's antics include:
- destroyed five rolls of toilet paper and one roll of paper towels
- stole and ate a bag of potato chips
- attempted to eat english muffins (don't think she likes them)
- stole and devoured various hotdog and hamburger buns (an entire bag of 8 hamburger buns disappeared two days ago)
- ate a brand new roll of bread opened yesterday
- stole a spatula out of the sink
- stole socks, t-shirts and underwear out of the clothes hamper
- ran away with my stuffed animals in her mouth
- destroyed a favorite hat
- chewed a hole in a pashmina shawl
- ate a packet of Swiss Miss hot chocolate
- stole two potatoes out of the potato bin
- ate a packet of instant chocolate pudding

You get the picture. our days and nights are filled with "No Sandy", "Give that back Sandy", "Drop that Sandy", "what is in your mouth Sandy", "Sandy, come back here", "No Sandy, that;s gross" "Sandy No", "Sandy No", "Sandy noooo". In the end, she is just so darn cute that we don't stay mad very long. She rolls over on her back, showing her tummy and wagging her tail with the "I'm soo cute" look. We just need to get better at puppy proofing everything.

6 weeks old and getting Big!

2010-08-16T14:58:00.005-04:00

Too big for the brooder but not big enough yet for the coop! It was time to get the girls out of the garage and out into the open. They were sneaking out of the brooder anyway as there were telltale signs (i.e. chicken poop) around the brooder. We had been told that the the chicks need to be at least 1/2 the size of the other chickens before introducing them to the flock (although technically the chicks are the "flock"...there are more of them than the grown-up hens). So the weekend before last we bought an exercise pen and a dog crate as temporary housing. Of course it was one of the hottest days of the year...trying to catch the chicks and move them outside. I am pretty sure we got the worst of the experience.

The New Chicks on the Block

2010-07-09T14:46:00.002-04:00

So, I had to stop by the post office today to pick up some chicks. No, I'm not dating again, we have new arrivals here at Windy Acres.

Since we were down to 3 hens, we wanted to increase the flock size. We're also branching out with two other breeds (3 other if you include the spare chicks sent for warmth.) We should have 4 Buff Orps, 4 New Hampshire Red, and 3 Dominique. The hatchery wrote that it included Rhode Island Red males in for warmth. So, we'll be getting rid of those when we have them identified.

New Chicks are on the Way

2010-07-01T13:10:00.004-04:00

We've been searching Craig's list for anyone selling chickens locally. Last week we found a woman in Mooresville selling some Buff Orpingtons. Her only requirement was that we had to buy two roosters as well. She had way too many chickens and needed to get rid of some birds. I did some calling around and found a local meat market that would trade the roosters for a couple of cut-up chickens.

We agreed on a price and day/time that we would pick up the chickens. As you can imagine, we were pretty excited at the thought of finally building our flock back-up. The night before we were set to pick-up the chickens, she emailed to say that someone stopped by that day and took all of the "buffs". Arrrgh!!! We had an agreement and she goes and sells the chickens to someone else. Why? I was livid and wanted to report her to Craig's list, but "being a jerk" wasn't an option for flagging the post.

So we decided to go ahead and bite the pullet (like the pun), and get more chicks. This time we're ordering from a hatchery in Cameron, Texas - Ideal Poultry. They do not require a minimum number of chicks, just a minimum order of $25. We're ordering Buff Orpingtons (4), New Hampshire Reds (4) and Dominques (3). They will ship on July 7th and should be here the next day. The Reds and Dominques should start laying eggs faster than the Buffs. Since Dirty Harry (our cat) is living in the east wing, we plan on setting up the brooder in the garage/workshop. It will be fun to have chicks again.

First Blood

2010-06-24T23:07:00.005-04:00

We drew first blood tonight. It was around 10:30 or so, when we returned home from a night on the town. Had a nice Italian dinner, and saw Jersey Boys. Excellent show. Not your typical musical, more a concert with narration.

Anyway, I let Abby out to do her business and go to close up the chicken coop. I hear her barking, but I collect the eggs, and check on the girls first. Everything looked fine in there. So I close up the door, and swing the light over to where Abby is barking. I can see she is barking at something, but I couldn't tell what it was, or which side of the fence it was.

I swing around our shed and see that she is barking at a rather large possum. I scream and yell at her, INSIDE, INSIDE, IN, IN. She does her normal, I hear ya, but I want to bark at this thing. When the possum bared it's teeth, I hit the fence with our Maglite. That got Abby's attention off the possum and onto me. She reluctantly followed me inside. I ran to my office and got my wife's Ruger 10/22. I had just loaded some magazines yesterday in hopes of getting the rabbit that's been hanging around our tender, tasty garden.

So, I roll onto the deck, pop the magazine into the rifle, and, holding the maglite with the fore-end of the rifle line my shot up. The first crack didn't seem to effect it. I lined up carefully then, let my breath out, and CRACK. The possum went skidding end over end, landing under the sheds door. I put another one into it, just to be sure.

Shelly came out and held the light as we made our way over to the shed. I poked it with the end of the rifle and it seemed to squirm. I backed up, and put two more shots into it. It was dead now, and muscle contractions caused it to do a little dance on the ground. Gloves, a shovel and a rake later, and it was deposited into the corn field. I'm sure something will complete the cycle of life.

So, here is the scene of the crime:

And the nasty intruder:

One less critter to worry about getting the chickens, or causing problems for Abby. My first thought upon seeing those nasty teeth was, I hope it doesn't have rabbies. We've washed down the shed and shovel with bleached water. Hopefully, that will keep Abby from sniffing and licking the crime scene.

It's 11:23 PM now, almost an hour since the shots rang out. No knocks on the door, no sirens, no signs of the county sheriff, yet. I love living in the country.

What a way to end a date night with my wife. Dinner, a show, and first blood.

I've Taken Up Jogging

2010-06-22T17:11:00.008-04:00

...and I can't say that I had intended to start jogging mind you. I guess it really would be considered more like running in short bursts. In the last few weeks, there have been several times when I have found myself running after a dog (Abby) who in turn was running after another animal - chickens, cats, chickens. You get the picture. Monday night was the latest sprint, this time 'round and 'round the chicken coop we went. I am sooo glad there were no video cameras rolling. Keith and I had recently put up a small fence giving the chickens access to more parts of the yard. We had been letting them have the run of the entire backyard until they shredded my hostas. Come to find out hostas must be like crack to chickens. So we put up this fence so that everyone could be happy. We felt quite proud of ourselves. Until...

I was in the coop doing a little clean-up - adding some bedding, getting clean water and adding more food to the feeder. All of a sudden I hear Abby barking and see a chicken flying by. Abby had jumped the fence and was going after the girls. My girls! I ran out of the coop and tried to catch Abby. I would have had better luck catching a wet pig. She zigged, I zagged. All the while I was screaming at her. Of course, I've been enjoying a summer cold so all that screaming wasn't really doing a whole lot for my already sore throat. She seemed to be in a totally different zone - oblivious to anything other than the chickens she was chasing. There was a cacophony of screaming, barking, squawking and howling coming from the backyard. I finally caught her for a moment and she wrenched out of her collar. Ugh! She had been groomed on Saturday and they hadn't put the collar on tight enough. This meant more running and screaming to finally catch her - grab her head, hold her between my legs so I could get her collar back on and drag her butt back to the house.

Then I ran back to check on the chickens. All three were in a corner of the coop - staring wild-eyed yet quiet and traumatized. Short a few feathers, they seem to be fine now. So much for thinking that Abby and the chickens could share the yard together in harmony. Oh well, lesson learned. Off to get taller fencing.

Rainbow after the storm

2010-05-13T13:32:00.003-04:00

Another reason why i love living out in the country...

This is the view from our side door looking just south-east -
across the street at our neighbor's farm after a recent storm.

The girls enjoying a spring evening

2010-05-13T13:15:00.008-04:00

Mama Cass

Grace Slick

and Elvis

We lost another chicken

2010-04-29T16:04:00.007-04:00

Tuesday night, we lost another chicken. Blondie - one of the survivors of the Windy Acres Chicken Massacre of 2009. As with Janis, she seemed fined. Eating and scratching with the other hens. When I went to check on the girls after sunset, she was lying on the coop floor obviously in distress. Within 15-minutes she was gone.

After losing two birds within 3.5 weeks, we decided to try and find a vet that could do a necropsy. We wanted to make sure that we didn't have some disease running rampant through our little flock. Odd that although Indiana is a large egg producing state, there seem to be few vets that deal with chickens. We ended up at All Wild Things Exotic Animal Hospital. They have been extremely helpful and kind throughout this entire ordeal.

The vet just called and said that Blondie died of polycystic liver disease. She had basically bled out into her belly. Chickens, especially layers, can be prone to fatty livers. The vet said if you have to go, this is the way to go - quick and painless. This was really shocking. Fatty livers can develop from too much fat (and corn) in their diet. For the most part, the girls get the feed designed for layers. I had only introduced some scratch into their diet within the last month or so. We may decide to have some blood work done on the other girls, checking their liver enzymes and cholesterol. but the truth is, if they already have the cysts there is nothing that can be done. if they have fatty livers, it can be reversed with changes to their diet. So, the first change is no more corn!

We had been hesitant about adding more chickens this year. Now that we are down to just three birds - we will definitely be adding more soon.

Janis - Gone but not Forgotten

2010-04-05T13:56:00.005-04:00

We've had some wonderfully warm and sunny days in the last week and so we have been able to let the girls run around the backyard enjoying the grass on days when we're home to keep an eye on them. They love the fresh grass and the new found freedom. Easter was a gorgeous day even with the non-stop wind. We had practically the entire family over for dinner and an Easter-egg hunt. 19 people getting together under one roof. I cherish those moments with my family.

So it was very disheartening to wake up this morning to find that we had lost one of our hens sometime during the night. All the girls were fine yesterday and when I locked up the coop at 10pm. When I let the girls out this morning, only four chickens ran outside. I opened up the coop door and there was Janis dead under the roost. There doesn't appear to be any trauma. I am very concerned and sad. We did have some heavy storms roll through the area around 2:00am. I don't know if she could have been startled and fell off of the roost - perhaps breaking her neck? Chicken heart attack? I just hope that the other girls are ok when I get home.

Janis was one of the bigger hens and definitely one of the loudest. She just loved clucking up a storm when I came to clean the coop or give them treats. Perhaps I shouldn't have named the girls after dead or troubled rock stars. Should I be concerned for Elvis and Mama Cass?

6 eggs???

2010-03-16T14:37:00.007-04:00

We're not sure how it happened, but somehow we had six eggs from five chickens. Either someone was being an overachiever or one of the girls layed an egg later the day before - after we had already collected the days' eggs. We are a bit stumped. Generally the girls have been producing anywhere from 2 to 2.5 dozen eggs per week. We truly enjoy the surprise that each day brings with our eggs. Which hen will be laying? What size and shape will the eggs be? Where will the eggs be? The farm fresh eggs have become a hit with our co-workers with more people requesting to be on the "egg" list each week. We may have to really think about getting more chickens.

I haven't posted anything in a while. After losing Bogey, I didn't feel like writing much. We miss him so much. I made the huge mistake of watching "Marley & Me" last weekend. Not the movie to watch if you have ever had to make that ultimate decision for your pet.

But life does seem to go on. Spring is in the air. The weather has turned a bit warmer. Keith said that one of the girls was outside lying in the sunshine. It's time to start thinking about garden planning and spring cleaning. I am actually one of those weird people that almost look forward to the idea of cleaning everything out and starting fresh. I want to open the windows and let the stale winter air out of the house. I even want to clean the chicken coop (truly weird). Knowing Indiana though, I have to temper my enthusiasm with a dose of weather reality. They are calling for the possibility of snow showers next Sunday. So for now, I will treasure each moment above 50 degrees, enjoy the feeling of the sun shining down on me, and gaze in awe at the garden and seed catalogs piling in the mailbox.

Goodbye Bogey

2010-01-22T08:08:00.015-05:00

Last night we had to say goodbye to the best dog in the world. Bogey was 15 years old and was suffering from arthritis and hip dysplasia. The pain just became too much for him and his ability to get up or down by himself was almost completely gone. Bogey aka Bogart had been a loving, gentle, and proud dog. He would look completely mortified when we had to help him get up after a fall. As the vet told us, we had to know that he no longer looked forward to each day. He only had peace when he would finally fall asleep and even that proved difficult in the last couple of weeks, as the mere act of lying down would cause him great pain. We knew we couldn't let him go on like this but I just found having to make this decision so difficult. My heart was breaking at the thought. But I know he was no longer happy.

In 1995, Keith headed out one day to get cat food for our old cat Whiner. About 30 minutes later, he came home saying "you have to go back to the pet store with me". They were having animal adoptions that day through a foster care group. Keith had seen Bogey and fell in love. He was a Black Lab/German Shepherd mix and his original name was "Rock". The agency said that his owner had given him up for adoption because he wasn't getting big enough. We brought him home and Keith renamed him Bogart (Bogey for short) after his favorite actor Humphrey Bogart.

Bogey was solid black and awesome. Bogey was easily trained. He was the perfect mix of loving dog and protector rolled into one. He could jump and catch Frisbees and probably could have competed in agility training when he was younger (had we had the motivation to be that agile along with him). We used to take him everywhere with us - even camping when we went four-wheelin'. He would always perk up and get excited if we asked him if he wanted to go for a ride. He always looked more intimidating that what he really was. He used to scare the delivery men quite a bit - especially the Chinese food delivery.

We have always had dogs in my family, but this was Keith's first dog. Anyone who knew Bogey knew what a great dog he was. We couldn't have asked for a better dog and I sincerely feel we will never find another like him - he was truly special. We love our other dog Abby very much but we have known she was crazy from day one. She is named after the movie Young Frankenstein (AB Normal). She misses Bogey very much too. Last night she sat by the front door looking out the window and pretty much moped all night. It will take a long time for our family to heal from this loss.

We were blessed to have had Bogey in our life. I know that now he is in a much better place where he can run all day chasing rabbits. Old man, you are loved soo much and we will miss you every day.

Brrrrrrrr...

2010-01-15T14:15:00.005-05:00

It's been a little while since our last update. The holidays and the extreme cold had us hibernating inside the house - trying to avoid having to venture outside at all costs. Keeping the coop warm has been a challenge. Many days we kept the girls inside as they didn't really like the cold and snow anyway. A water bowl with a warmer has definitely helped. All the girls started showing a bit of damage to their combs, so we tried to protect them with some petroleum jelly. They just loved being chased around in freezing temps (think it was 10 degrees that day) just so I could glop some Vaseline on their heads (yeah right!). We really should have video taped the entire endeavor. Even the eggs were freezing because we couldn't grab them till after we got home from work. BTW, a frozen egg looks like an Egg Slushy on the inside.

Elvis has been returned to the flock. They other girls still pick on her a bit and so she tends to stay off on her own. Away from trouble I guess. Egg production has increased despite the winter chill. Once we moved Elvis into the Hen Hospital, all the girls started laying and they have stayed that way with her back in the flock. We are getting 3 to 5 eggs everyday. In fact we have had 22 eggs since Sunday. I think it might be time to start thinking about selling them and not just giving eggs away to friends and family. I started keeping a daily journal on egg production and coop conditions. With feed and bedding costs, maybe we can get an idea as to what the price should be for a dozen eggs.

Elvis Has Left the Building...Again

2009-12-11T08:47:00.007-05:00

This time, we had to make Elvis leave the building by moving her to our "hen hospital" in the shed. Yesterday Elvis had blood around her comb. I don't know if it was caused by an accident, the cold or the other chickens. I was able to get some anti-biotic ointment on it and hoped things would better in the morning. When I went outside today, she was worse and there were drops of blood all over the coop. I knew we had to separate her if we were to have any chance of saving her and keeping the other chickens from pecking at her. So we set up our old dog cage in the shed and moved her out of the coop. I have read all the chicken books and I haven't seen any mention of comb injury or what to do about it.

One of these eggs is not like the others

2009-12-01T08:31:00.012-05:00

The hens have been keeping busy since the premier of the First Egg. We are generally getting about one egg per day. I imagine this conversation between the girls...."no, today is your turn, I made one yesterday". These are eggs #2 through #6 and as you can see, the 6th egg was a DOOZY! And yes, it had a double yoke. We had a very nice breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon the saturday before Thanksgiving.

The girls just don't like their nest boxes. We have moved them around and yet they still they lay on the floor. So I guess we will try to rework the boxes to something they might like better (no roof?). While away for Thanksgiving, my great-nephew took care of the chickens. They layed another three eggs plus another soft one. That's three soft-shelled eggs so far and 12 good eggs in a little over two weeks. I hope that means that another hen is laying now and not an issue with their diet. I have added more oyster shells but may have to add more vitamin D too. We also added a light to the coop to increase their daylight hours to 14 as winter draws near. We have the light come on at 6am and off at 8am, then on again at 6pm and off for the night at 8pm.

Our First Farm Fresh Egg!

2009-11-13T10:45:00.003-05:00

It finally happened! I went out to the coop last night to put the chickens up for the night. As I have been doing every morning and night for the last week-and-a-half, I took a look around with the flashlight. There it was on the floor under the roost - a small brown egg! I think I actually screamed with delight - We have an Egg!!! I was so excited that I actually ran back to the house (with curious dogs in tow) yelling like a school girl. Keith was not that happy to have to head outside into the cold with the camera to take a picture. Upon picking it up, I realized that the shell was very soft - so not an egg we could actually eat and keep. The books say that sometimes their first eggs are soft. It can also mean they need more Vitamin D and calcium. It didn't matter to me - I was soooo proud of that egg. They did it! My chickens actually laid an egg.

No Eggs Yet

2009-11-09T14:31:00.003-05:00

The girls are 25 weeks old today - but we haven't seen any eggs yet. I placed some fake eggs in the nest boxes hoping to entice them to their laying spot. I know that they have been in there - moving the eggs around - but that is about it. Yesterday I decided to take out the fake eggs as I was worried that they were trying to hatch those instead of laying their own. I hope finding a new home for Stevie hasn't thrown them off their game. This is all new to me...so I would appreciate any input as to whether we should be worried or not.

Nest Boxes and a new home for Stevie

2009-10-19T09:28:00.008-04:00

Much has been happening at Windy Acres. As usual, there is plenty of outside work to do even when the temperatures start to drop. Last week we were able to get the chicken coop insulated for winter. I can definitely feel the difference inside - nice and toasty. The chickens have been spending much more time up on the roost - working their way up the ladder. The night before last five rather large chickens (including Stevie) were all squished together on the top roost. I guess they help keep each other warm. The sixth chicken has been making herself a little nest on the floor and we were worried that she is getting ready to lay.

So Keith got the next boxes built this weekend and they look great. So far it doesn't look like anyone has used them, so I'm going to see about getting a couple fake eggs. The book says that can help get them into the box. The girls are 22 weeks old and should start laying anytime.

We are also happy to report that we have found a new home for Stevie. This has been a very hard decision as Stevie is one of the two survivors of the great chicken massacre of 2009. We only wanted pullets so we would get unfertilized eggs and Stevie ended up being a boy. He is a beautiful bird and we hate to see him go. We have been in a quandary as to how to find him a new home. Everyone just kept telling us to kill him and roast him. We could never do that to Stevie!

Last Saturday we took a drive to Tractor Supply as we knew that Nancy from P.A.W.S. was going to be there. She runs a local animal rescue and figured she would be the one person that would know how to put us in contact with someone either in need of a rooster or willing to take him as a pet. We were right! She knew a woman in the northern part of our county who also has Buff Orpingtons and needs a new rooster as hers is crippled. We were so happy. So tonight, we are going to meet at Tractor Supply for the great Rooster hand-off.

Stevie - we will miss you and your crowing but we know that you will be happy.

My Favorite Time of Year

2009-09-25T14:57:00.003-04:00

I love fall...Love it! I love everything about it - smell in the air, fall foods, fall festivals, the colors, the feeling of going back-to-school (and the need to buy school supplies), and the holidays. It is absolutely my favorite time of year. I don't even mind that it means Winter is right around the corner. I especially love Halloween. Halloween is my Mother's birthday and so it has always been 2nd only to Christmas in my family. My husband and I even got married the day before Halloween. I am trying my best to hold my enthusiasm in check and NOT get the Halloween decorations out until at least October 1st. I did started burning some fall scented candles - just to get a little "fall fix". My plan is to get some cleaning and organizing done this weekend (no excuses) so that we will be ready for all that fall has to offer. A trip to Tuttle Orchards for some apples might be in order.

Windy Acres Up Close

2009-09-18T14:52:00.005-04:00

Our oldest dog, Bogey - 14.5 year-old Lab/Shepherd mix; Stevie and the Girls.

Dogs days of summer

2009-09-14T15:18:00.002-04:00

The dogs days of summer tend to make everything run a little slower - including my blog updates. We picked the rest of the veggies yesterday (peppers, some carrots, the last cucumber and head of cabbage) along with a pile of parsley and basil. Then we mowed down the entire thing. This was not my best garden year. The weeds grew beyond my control. In addition, the tomatoes were hit hard by blight - never ripening just rotting on the vine.

The girls (and Stevie) are 17 weeks old now - quickly approaching laying age. Buff Orpingtons are supposed to start laying sometime around 24 weeks. Developed in the UK, they are a hardy bird that should continue to lay during the winter months. We still have many items to complete on the coop's "to-do" list in the next few weeks: insulate the walls, build the nest boxes, finish painting the west side, put board around the base (keep little critters out), and do something with Stevie. I wonder if the local pet adoption agency takes chickens.

And then there were two...

2009-08-25T14:43:00.004-04:00

I think we mentioned that when Harry showed up wet under a car...he had a sibling in tow. Well, said sibling (gender unknown as it never lifts its tale) has become quite the noisy little kitty - hanging around the house and meowing non-stop. Needless to say, the dogs are in quite the tizzy. We've been feeding him/her at night and each day it seems to trust us just a tiny bit more. Keith has named it "Gizmo" after the movie "Gremlins". I still call it "Scaredy Cat". As I filled its bowl the other night, he/she almost let me touch him/her. At the rate we're going, he/she might let us actually pet him/her by New Year's.

Foggy Morning at Windy Acres

2009-08-25T14:37:00.005-04:00

This is why we moved out to the country - the beauty, the serenity and
sometimes creepy country fog. But this morning, it was lovely.

It's official...Stevie's a boy

2009-08-14T13:33:00.005-04:00

We had been waiting for it..maybe even dreading it a little. We didn't want it to be true...but this morning all doubt was erased. As we do every morning, we let the dogs out and then let the chickens out of the coop, saying "Good Morning Girls (and Stevie)". As I walked back toward the house..there was a sound that stopped me in my tracks. Stevie started crowing. Just short bursts at first and he sounded as if he were horse. The almost childlike crowing even made the dogs stop in their tracks and stare at the chickens. I guess that's it...we really need to find him a home. I just can't bear the thought of killing him after all that he had been through. I want him to live a happy, quiet chicken life.

Meet the newest member of Windy Acres

2009-08-04T12:50:00.006-04:00

Looks like we have adopted a kitten. Last Thursday night, Keith (and the dogs) heard a crying outside. We headed outside with a flashlight, and followed the sound - which turned out to be a small kitten sitting under our '61 Ford Falcon. He was all wet and crying non-stop. He came right up to us and let us pet him. We brought out some dog food and boy was he hungry! We don't think he is more than 8-9 weeks old. Well, we fed him the next morning too and decided to try and bring him inside the house Friday night. We also found out he has a sibling which is currently living under our deck (what is it with our deck and critters?). This one is a true scaredy-cat and flees at the slightest movement or sound. He will come up to feed but then he is gone again as soon as we move. We haven't fully decided on a name yet, though we are leaning toward Dirty Harry (Harry for short). We started with the Cat with No Name (after the Clint Eastwood character "the man with no name" in some of his westerns), then Clint which didn't seem right for a kitten. Dirty Harry seemed a better name - plus he sort of squints like Clint. We need to get him fixed and over to the vet for tests. For now, he is enjoying the lush life in our spare bedroom.

10 Weeks old and Gettin' Even Bigger (More pics)

2009-07-28T08:23:00.004-04:00

That's Keith holding Stevie. Once they have been picked up - they seem to become more at ease with being handled.

10 Weeks old and Gettin' Even Bigger

2009-07-28T08:13:00.005-04:00

I don't think we can really call them chicks anymore - they are officially chickens! There is plenty of cluckin' going on in the Little Deuce Coop (our now officially named chicken coop). You can see how big they are - probably about 3-4 pounds each. It also seems to be clearer everyday that Stevie really is a "Steve". That's Stevie in the front - struttin' in the yard.

What is that animal under the deck???

2009-07-16T09:25:00.006-04:00

Our 2 dogs have been going a little nuts the last couple of days when we've let them out. Scratching and whining at something under the deck. Last time it was a cat, and the time before that a raccoon (yes we think that was the one that committed the massacre.)

Not so lucky this time.

And not just 1 small skunk, but a whole young skunk family. I went out to take pictures and thought that the skunk had started getting loose from the cage. It's been gnawing at the wire.

Nope, I shift positions and it's 2 other small skunks on the outside. They notice me and meandered back under the deck.

So, I'm calling around to various animal rescue & removal services (phone book title,) since the county Animal Control doesn't deal with wild animals.

Exploring the World Outside

2009-07-06T17:18:00.006-04:00

Last week the chickens were moved to the new coop and had their first big adventure outside. What fun for their birthday - today they are 7 weeks old! BTW - the big one toward the front is Stevie our first...and...we're pretty sure that Stevie is really Steve.

Working on the Weekend

2009-06-29T11:11:00.004-04:00

Chicken door built...posts up...gate/door to pen is up...ready for the fencing!

The Coop is Coming Along

2009-06-26T08:09:00.005-04:00

The coop is almost done. The shed is built - next comes the pen. We also have to cut the doorway for the chickens and add the roost. We can build the nesting boxes later as we have a few months before they are ready to lay egg. Now if it would only cool down! It has been so hot after work that we not starting work until 7:30pm or later. Gotta love this Indiana weather. As Forest Gump would say...it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

They grow up so fast

2009-06-16T08:53:00.002-04:00

Stevie - already the Mother hen!

The Coop is Coming...the Coop is Coming!

2009-06-15T14:12:00.006-04:00

We finally decided the easiest (and quickest) way to get the coop built is to order a shed and then add in the access door, ramp, roosts and nest boxes ourselves. We will also build the pen. We decided on the 8x8 Explorer from Five Star Industries. We ordered our first shed from them a couple years ago and were very happy with the speed and quality of the construction. In fact, the shed will be built this coming Wednesday! It's about time we got moving on this as the chicks are getting really big. Saturday morning I uncovered the brooder to change the water and fill the feeder. When I got back with the fresh water - a chick was out and about again. I can't turn my back on them or they are up and out of the brooder. I really don't want to be chasing chickens around our the house.

There's a storm a brewin'

2009-06-02T14:12:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, and just about every day since, we've had late afternoon/early-evening storms blow through. Typical Indiana weather for this time of year, storms feeding off the heat of the day, which can turn violent and nasty at any moment. One interesting aspect of our weather is that there is often a sharp dividing line between an area where there's foul weather, and a clear area. The following 2 pictures are from our back deck.

The first looking North West, shows a neighboring farmer and his tractor, with stormy weather in the background.

The next is looking South West, where you can see one of the side benefits of these storms, cool looking storm clouds and sunsets. This particular storm was nasty, with some reported tornadoes a few counties north of us.

Elvis Had left the Buidling (well...brooder)

2009-06-01T13:27:00.005-04:00

I knew it was only a matter of time with the chicks growing so fast and flapping their wings. Well, it finally happened. One of the chicks got out of their new and bigger tub that Keith had picked up last week (a trough really). With more space, they almost seemed to be running and trying to take off. Friday evening, I went back into the spare bedroom where the chicks currently reside.

There was Elvis sitting on the carpet just outside of the tub .

She seemed exhausted. her little face looked like "I don't know how I got here...so I just decided to sit down and wait for help". She sure didn't mind being picked up and placed back with her sisters. Needless to say, chicken wire now covers the top of the tub to prevent further adventures. (pictures coming later)

Shake your tail feathers

2009-05-27T13:02:00.009-04:00

It is amazing to see the chicks growing! The massacre survivors - Stevie and Blondie - have been with us for just over a week and the other four for only one week. We are already seeing tail feathers, real wings, and even a small comb on Stevie (the middle chick in the top photo). You can also tell by their weight - Stevie and Blondie have a few ounces on the other four. They definitely feel heavier when you pick them up (something that definitely gets their wings flappin').

Keith picked up a new tub today as we are quickly running out of room in our current housing. We had better get busy on getting the coop built!

And then there were 17

2009-05-20T14:53:00.005-04:00

After the trauma of the massacre, Keith contacted the hatchery to let them know what had happened. Come to find out, the USPS is not supposed to just leave live chicks on the porch in plain view of chicken-eating-varmints. Who'd a thunk that...anyway the hatchery said they would ship out a new batch at no charge. That was yesterday. This morning as Keith was on the road to work - he got a call that our new guests had arrived. He quickly turned around, headed back home and was able to get the chicks settled in their new temporary quarters before heading back to work (again).

They are sooo cute.

Now I can't tell Blondie and Steve from the rest of the flock. Alas, we are only going to be keeping 6 of them as the rest are going on to new pastures.

The Windy Acres Chicken Massacre of 2009

2009-05-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

As I was driving a co-worker home, in my new 2006 Dodge Charger R/T, the phone rang, and I saw it was my husband. I quickly called him back, and after I said hello, all I heard was, cheep cheep, cheep cheep, cheep cheep, cheep cheep...

He gave me the news that our new chicks had arrived, but the good news was followed by very sad news. Out of 15 chicks that we had ordered, only 2 had survived. Something had gotten into the box, 4 chicks were found dead, 9 were gone. The scene of the crime was a mess of blood and feathers.

The only clue left was a tuft of chicken feathers sitting near the deck behind the house.

Upon investigation of all the facts, it turns out that the hatchery had transposed 2 numbers of his cell phone, so the post office never notified us that the chicks had been delivered.

So, we are left with two traumatized chicks, that I have named, Blondie and Stevie. Two dogs that are excited about our new arrivals. In fact, Bogey our older dog, decided to pick Stevie up for further examination. He quickly dropped the frazzled and now somewhat slimy chick upon command.

After getting them temporarily situated in a safe place, we went to Tractor Supply and got the supplies we needed to host our new guests.

They have been fed, watered, and given some tender loving care. They quickly went to sleep with bellies full, and a warming lamp over their heads.

DH has already set a trap for the suspected perpetrator of the massacre, a raccoon we had scene the night before. After putting up the chicks, he went to let the dogs back in. Our intrepid hunter Abbey was sniffing, whining, and scratching at the deck, as if there were something underneath. He later saw the same raccoon sniffing at the trap. Hopefully, we'll catch the rascal in the next night. What we'll do about it then is anyone's guess.

Where We Are

2009-05-18T21:35:00.001-04:00

2 acres nestled in between New Palestine and Greenfield, Indiana.