Finding Contentment

Building the coop

Okay, I know everyone is probably getting tired of reading about the chickens but they are probably the biggest new thing in our lives right now. Two days this week Mark came home from work and spent the rest of the daylight hours building the chicken coop. The first day he had some help in the form of Adam, who insisted on staying with him the whole time and handing him nails, etc.

Then yesterday Alli was Daddy's big helper, with a little help from Adam.

Then we moved the chicks to the coop to see how they would like it.

As you can see, the chicks had a great time stretching their wings and Adam had a great time playing with them! We brought the chicks back in as Mark still has a few things to do to the coop in the next couple of days. Then we will probably start putting them in the coop during the day and bringing them back in at night, as I'm not sure we can get a heat lamp out to the coop. Right now the chicks are in that really akward stage where they have lost their down but don't have all their feathers in yet. I know it will be months, but I can't wait until they can start laying some eggs!

Nice

04:04 PM, Friday, May 11, 2007 .. Posted by Chas

Nice Coop!!! Great pictures! I hope you enjoy your chickens!
Blessings,
Chas

:)

04:14 PM, Friday, May 11, 2007 .. Posted by Jonash2004

I really enjoy chickens . . . .

When I say regularly (did I even spell that right? lol) I mean we got 2-3 white eggs a week and that probably tapered off as she aged to 1-2 a week. I don't think her sister laid the last few years we had her.... she outlived Lucy by several years. I always told my mom it was Lucy that was laying, but she didn't believe me until after she died and we didn't get any more white eggs. ;)

It sort of depends on the size of the flock. If you can only keep a few chickens, it might be best to replace some of them every 2-3 years.

I love the looks of your chicken coop by the way! Looks just lovely!

Ashley

Strawberries

04:19 PM, Friday, May 11, 2007 .. Posted by Jonash2004

I just noticed your post about strawberries. I try to "fail" some jam and make strawberry syrup - my dh is obsessive about it! (Recipes I've found talks about straining out the seeds but he is nowhere near this picky!!)

My mom used to wash and de-stem the berries, put them on waxed paper on a cookie sheet and freeze them. Then after they were frozen, she'd put them in a bag and they wouldn't stick together.

I plan to pick tomorrow morning, then again Monday. I hope to get enough to eat, freeze, make jam and syrup, and maybe, just possibly dry a few. We enjoy them in granola, although I have plenty of other dried fruit so that's a "back burner" option right now. :)

HTH!
Ashley

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11:00 PM, Friday, May 11, 2007 .. Posted by Rhen

Who can get tired of hearing about chickens!? I love hearing about them and talking about ours as well. LOL
All for His glory,
~Rhen

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10:29 PM, Saturday, May 12, 2007 .. Posted by meme21713

Never get tired of pictures no matter what they are of..This keeps us intouch with each other..I say this since I post lots of pictures of my grandbabies, flowers and chicks also. I would like to say to be very careful handling the chicks..We were told on the news the other nite that the baby chicks are carrying Salmanella...Just make sure the little one washes hands very well, would hate for him to get sick..As my hubby says, which is true...What about when ours were little, where was salmanella...He is right they would love on them all day..lol..Have a HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY>>>>>>>>>.Debbie