my green lawn is coming back

When I was going back and forth to Seattle with Sasha my lawn and gardens got neglected. Not too long ago Sasha and I came back from Seattle to find my lawn dry and golden brown with maybe a few specks of green here and there. I cut it way back and began watering. Although there are still brown spots the green is starting to come back.

looking south-east across the front yard

looking north-east across the front yard

the side yard to the north of the house
(where there is a little more shade)

When I planted my lawn I used a "contractors blend" that adapts to sun or shade. I have been really happy with the results. Even with this hearty blend of grasses the areas of the lawn that have a little shade are greening up faster than the areas areas fully exposed to the sun. I guess I might have to re-seed some of these hot spots.

I am happy to report that , while I am by no means finished, I am starting to make a dent in the weed population. At least now I am starting to be able to tell the difference between what I have planted this year and the weeds.

squash plants in the front of the house

grape vine and rose bushes in the front yard

tomato and cucumber patch in the back yard

All of the garden areas pictured above were knee deep in thick weeds so much so that the vegetable plants and the little rose bushes were hidden from view. The grape vine was going all over the place, (it has grown quite a bit this year). I started by pulling the weeds directly around the plants and tying up the grape vines. I haven't had time to really get in and just pull weeds. I have been literally picking away at the weeds every time I walk by. It is working though and I am starting to clear out away from the plants farther and farther. I know this weed thing is a never ending battle and I will just have to keep at it . . . I guess it keeps me out of trouble, eh?

TTFN :)

Keno loves water

Last night about 9:00 p.m. the temperature cooled down from 104 degrees to about 90 degrees. I decided to clean out the big trough that I had taken out of the chicken coop and put it in with the horses so Keno wouldn't empty it so fast. Keno plays in his water. He nearly empties 2 troughs a day by sticking his big old head in and splashing water around and blowing bubbles. This trough is quite a bit bigger around than the other two so I thought maybe Keno would be able to play in it longer and still leave the other animals something to drink.

So, I rolled the new trough into the coral and Keno was all a twitter. He wouldn't leave me alone. He kept pushing the trough around then run off only to come back for more. I finally was able to position the trough in a nice flat, stable position and started to fill it. When it was about half full Keno, (who had been splashing in it with his great huge head all along), climbed right into it with both front feet (LOL), seriously! I wish I had gotten a picture of this but by the time I got my camera Keno had moved to another activity. He had gotten out of the trough and was now playing with the hose. I need a camcorder on that animal 24-7. He is sooo... animated. I am definitely going to try to get some of his antics on camera but I never seem to have my camera at the right time.
Anyway, here is a picture of Keno and Buttercup next to the new trough. Can you see the dark spots on his legs and chest from the water?

I love the way he looks at me like "WHAT!"

TTFN :

Finally a work day at Almosta Farm

I have finally started feeling a little better and my cough is seldom bothersome now. I woke up this morning feeling like I might actually be able to get some thing done... and I did!

I cleaned out the chicken barn and built some new and improved roosts. My baby chicks are getting really big yet they are all still trying to huddle in the dog house. The baby babies have started trying to roost but the babies just haven't seemed interested. So, I made some makeshift roosts and went to work teaching the babies about roosting. I would go in at bed time and pluck them out of the dog house and put them up on roosts. This morning I was pleased to find that the majority of the babies were still roosting so I decided it was time for some real roosts.

The new roosts were well received. The older hens claimed their regular spots while the babies experimented with the newer area.

older hens settling in

babies checking it out

mama hen teaching the baby babies all about roosting

It was especially fun to see the chicks settle in for the night. Even though the mama is letting her babies experiment with roosting she still crams them all in the nesting box with her at night. They just barely all fit in there now that they have gotten so much bigger.
I guess the last couple of nights of putting the babies up on roosts at night paid off. They got the idea right away when they saw the new roosts. They jumped right in (or on as the case may be). A few of the girls got pretty ambitious and decided, "If we can get this high off the ground, why not get even higher?" and up they went!

Who do you suppose are going to be the more assertive hens in this bunch, eh?

I couldn't resist posting just a couple of more cute pics. I LOVE MY CHICKENS :) The older hens still pretty much stick to their little mob. Often the mama hen and her chicks will join them but just as often you will find the mama hen off with just her chicks... teaching them something important I am certain.
Even though the babies are getting big, (more like teenagers really), Rusty just can't get enough of them.
If he isn't breaking up a group of babies by running through them, (all the while acting like he doesn't even see them), he is stalking the baby babies.
Even though he has learned the hard way to keep a safe distance he can't resist getting as close as he can. He will follow this little group around endlessly! It really is a hoot :)

TTFN :)

Good Morning Weiser

sunrise from my back porch at 6:14 a.m. with a pleasant temperature of 72 degrees

Chicks' Day Out

I found the chicks out and about in their little pen today... but not for long. As soon as I walked into the coop the hen started clucking and trying to gather them up. Lucky for me curiosity is not just for cats. The chicks seemed interested in what I was up to and hesitated going into hiding long enough for me to get a few pics.
My poor little hen was getting anxious as the chicks scurried about. She was very diligent and soon got the chicks attention. Once she had them all gathered around her they began scooting back under her protective wing.
Still, some of them could not contain their curiosity. Even though they did not come back out they kept poking their little heads out to see what was going on. This little act of rebellion didn't seem to bother the hen as long as the chicks stayed tucked away next to her body beneath her fluffed up feathers.
I imagine these 6 curious chicks are going to give this little hen a real workout as they get older and bolder. We shall see :)

With all the excitement of new chicks I haven't forgotten the chicks I bought and still am having a lot of fun with them. They are growing so quickly! If you saw Sasha's blog post or Cerra's blog post about the chicks I bought you will remember how little they were and how cute they were all huddled up under their heat lamp. Well, they aren't so little anymore and I just discovered that now they use their heat lamp as a toy, pecking at the shinny rim.This is no good! They may fry their little noggins! So, since they are nearly fully feathered and the weather is not sever, I took the heat lamp out. This will give them a little more room too. Now that they are getting bigger they are starting to get a little crowded. It won't be long before I will have to let them out of their trough into the real world. Not just yet though :)
My plans are to put my little hen and her chicks in the trough once the older chicks have been let out. I probably don't need to do this but I want to keep them contained until they too are feathered. We will see if the hen will put up with that or not.

TTFN :)

New Chicks

I mentioned in my last post that I had a hen setting. I knew the chicks were due to hatch out on or near after the 12th so on the 11th I sneaked in while she was sleeping and transferred her and her eggs into a secured pen.

I don't know if you know it or not but when a hen sets they go into a deep trance, almost like hibernation. They will turn their eggs several times a day but that is the extent of their activity. A good setting hen will not leave her nest for anything, not even to eat or drink. The hens comb begins to look dry and pale and the hen will get glassy eyed as she sets. Well, my little hen is a good setting hen. She was so deep in her trance that I don't think she even knew I had moved her.

I don't think there were any chicks hatched out on the 12th. I could not hear any cheeping and my hen looked just as dazed as ever. As I put feed and water in the pen in preparation for the chicks I thought to myself, (true to form), "what if after all this work none of the eggs hatch?". I began to worry how that might affect my little hen. I had to remind myself that, even though I had seen her nesting on the 22nd that she may not have actually started setting that day. There was still time for chicks to hatch out but I knew I would have to keep a close watch, just in case they didn't.

The next day I went in to check on my little hen and was met at the door by a crazed rooster! I have a little, scruffy, white bantam rooster that I keep around because he never causes any problems, (except maybe one time with Cerra), and he is cute and the girls seem to like him. Anyway... I walked through the door to the chicken coop and the little bugger jumped me! Seriously! He was all puffed up and hurling himself at me over and over again. When I realized he wasn't going to quit I decided to give him a lesson in humility so I grabbed him, (no easy task), and held him down until he quit struggling. Then I held him a little longer while giving him some sage advice, (like, "knock it off or I will make stew out of you"). When I finally let go of him he scurried off to attend to his hens. Then I thought I heard something!

Not quite sure I listened intently. My hen was clucking quietly and I was sure I could hear the muffled sound of cheeping chicks. Then I saw one little brown head pop out from under her wing and quickly disappear again. What a thrill! I have to tell you, no matter how many times I get the opportunity to discover new chicks, and whether or not it is expected, I always get that little rush of adrenaline that makes your heart beat a little faster and makes you catch your breath. Even though I was supposed to be getting ready for work I had to stay watch for a while. I discovered two little brown chicks and one little black chick that day before I had to give up and go to work.

When my hen began setting I had left her 6 eggs. When I transferred her to her pen there were 10 eggs. You can bet I was anxious to find out how many more chicks would hatch out. As soon as I woke up this morning I went out to count chicks. Let me tell you, the hen was not cooperative. I could tell she had been off her nest to eat and drink but now she was cemented back in place. My curiosity demanded that I find out what that hen had up her skirt so I put on my gloves and took her off the nest. I discovered 5 little brown chicks and one little black chick and 4 very carefully positioned eggs. My hen sure didn't want to give up those eggs. As soon as I put her down she settled back on her eggs and collected the chicks under her wings. She is SOOO... CUTE!
I am going to leave her for a few more days to see what happens. Maybe these late eggs will hatch out chicks in a day or two. If not I hope the hen will loose interest and go about her business of raising the chicks she has. If she doesn't loose interest I will have to steal the eggs, which I have had to do before. When this happens the hen seems to forget about the stolen eggs as long as she has chicks to focus her attention on. Only time will tell.

Once the chicks start to venture out from under the protection of the hens wings I will try to get some cute pics to share.

TTFN :)

Monday update:
My hen gave up her eggs today. Of the 4 eggs that were left there was one that was cracked open enough to reveal a chick that hadn't made it. The others were intact. The 6 chicks that hatched successfully are doing well :)

Weiser Weekend

It was great to have the kids all in one place even though it was for a short time. Thank you Cerra for your post "A Weiser Good Time". It really was a good time wasn't it? I can hardly wait until we can do it again.

Thank you Sasha for your post "the newest addition to almosta farm". Sasha's pictures of the chicks were taken only a few days before Cerra's. Isn't it surprising to see how quickly the chicks grow? I got 6 more chicks from the time Sasha took her pictures and the time Cerra took hers. Also, I now have a hen setting on several eggs. They should hatch some time between the 22nd and the 24th. Then I will have maybe 3 to 6 more chicks to add to the collection. No telling what kind of chicks they will be though.

TTFN :)