We've spent the entire weekend, so far, laboring! We bought the lumber we needed, built a small chicken coop, cooked, had company, went back to the lumber store to get a few more things and pay a bill, picked up our mess from yesterday's building only to make it all over again building a small chicken runout pen! All this for a few eggs. Hahaha Those chickens have it made!
We're trying to separate the younger chickens from the older ones. The young ones get picked on unmercifully by the older girls and I think it's effecting the laying of the younger ones. They should have been laying 3 weeks ago according to their breed specs, but I think the stress has just been too much for them. It's okay tho because they are now in their own chicken condo. I'll bet I'll be getting eggs from those chicks soon!
Today we will build a separate small runout pen for them. It will have a sheltered area for the food and water and for them in case the weather gets bad while they are outdoors and a nest box just in case they happen to be out in the runout when the urge to lay hits them. And it will have an area for them to be in the sun and be able to scratch in the dirt, like happy chickens are supposed to do.
Then we're going to build a set of shelves to go in the chicken shed to store all their feed, grit, and cosmetics. Chickens use a LOT of makeup!!!
I have to find time to go shopping for a fish locator. Yeah, sounds weird, eh? Well my son Jon's best friend Mike, the one Jon lived with for the last 10 months of his life, is an avid fisherman. Mike is a poor hard working family man that doesn't have any extra money for stuff like this, having three kids, a mortgage and all that goes with it. I decided that when my son's insurance came in, I was going to do something nice for Mike that he couldn't afford to do for himself. Now if I can just find a good one in my price range! I know NOTHING about fish locators and even less about what a good one is. My dad's is a Lowrance brand and that's what I'm shooting for...Dad was such an avid fisherman in his day. He doesn't fish anymore, but he always bought the best, so Lowrance it is!
Well, we are going to get busy on that chicken tractor (runout pen) and heaven only knows what else today!!
We get the odd mini-me egg everyonce in a while. I've tried to research a cause but have never found a conclusive anwser. Just one of god's mysteries I sup. But their pretty dang cute.
ReplyDeleteLove to Rosie, say's the Bear.
I hope you can take some time for yourself this weekend.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love what you're doing for Mike. You're good people, Ginni.
Brad, I didn't think there would be a yolk in that tiny egg...but there was...just a teeny tiny yolk. I blew out the egg so I could paint on the shell.
ReplyDeleteRuth, no matter what I do for Mike, I could never pay him back enough for what he did for Jon. I had the day off today. It ended up being too hot to work out there building, so we spent the day inside. I blew out some eggs so I could paint on the shells and I did some painting! I always feel so relaxed and fulfilled when I paint...so I definitely did something for myself! :-)