Growing pains

Coop activity is at a high these days with the guineas almost full grown and practicing their future guard duties. Frequent alarm calls are the norm these days and it's becoming more and more apparent we have a lot of girls. I'm hoping we have at least one boy! I thought we heard one a few weeks back but the girls are known to mimic the boys...  The male's call is a single syllable, "ki-ki-ki", and the female's a double syllable, "buck-wheat, buck-wheat". Over, and over, and over, and over again. When the males sense danger they start their call and the females will join in unison mimicking it and they proceed to provide a very loud alarm. You can't miss it. They'll likely be your initial welcome to the ranch because you "don't belong" ;) As for now they just like making noise. In January they'll be allowed to experience life beyond the coop. It'll be interesting to watch as they explore and learn their new surroundings.

When the keets were only a couple of days old.

One of them right after they moved to the coop at about 8 weeks of age.
(They were actually rather cute at this point but this one is just plain goofy looking in this photo.)

Guineas have really pretty feathers but their heads are bald - a reason I seriously hesitated to get them. Ours have lost their head feathers they had as keets and have started developing their 'helmets' - a rather stark contrast to their feathers. The neck feathers are a nice iridescent purple that I'll attempt to get a photo of one of these days when the light is just right.

I'm keeping an eye on you...

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Now for chicken updates...

Due to my paranoia the girls are allowed out on sunny days anytime we're outside. They're much happier free ranging around their yard in search of bugs, seeds, and whatever else they find. They'll be ecstatic to return to a normal routine once the guineas join them. And, I'll feel better because they will have added protection from the hawk. The itty bittys have joined the coop crowd, although they haven't figured out where to roost yet.... They get to join the girls most days as well. 

Not there first time out foraging but this was their first time to hang with the girls without wire to protect them from the inevitable establishment of their pecking order.

The itty bittys are about grown and developing beautiful fluffy curly frizzle feathers. 

Lucy, Carol, and Phyllis will not be providing us with adorable little bitty eggs... 

However, Lou, Carl, and Phil will be providing added security to the yard. Normally we'd have to re-home these guys but they have been raised together and there's not a hen (their size) in the equation to give them a reason to fight. Not that the boys don't dance around and spar once in a while. Hopes are they'll just do what roosters do ~ act as flock security and alarm clocks. 

Once upon a time the little bittys, Phyllis, Lucy, and Carol grew up to become...

Phil, Lou, and Carl!

Quietly discussing how they can escape back into the yard.

Phil pretending to sleep on his back.

Apparently this is Phil's best side...

Lou foraging in the grass.

A close up of little Lou's big eyes.

Carl is Rachel's favorite. He's got very bright alert eyes and is very sweet.

It was time to add more siding to the coop since the weather started cooling off and we had some rain. Here's the promised photo of the completed coop as well as a close up of the sign.

I'm looking forward to early February because we'll be adding to the flock and raising chicks is fun!!

Sadly, before I got this posted we lost Carl and this sweet handsome boy will be missed.... 

Needless to say, I'm very leery of letting them out before the guineas are ready now. I'm hoping they're good at their jobs...

Happenings of the past month

Getting sick really throws one off one's game, especially me! The stomach flu hit us and after about 3 weeks we're all finally healthy again. That meant catching up and getting back to a regular schedule. Daylight savings happened which always throws off my sleep and morning routine. I'm a mess! I've got so many things to share! Rather than overloading you with blog posts I'll spread them out over the next few days/weeks. In this post I'll just point out a few things that have happened (not necessarily in order). Let's go back to the end of October....

Our first ever trip to Canton for Trade Days was rainy and cool so it was actually a nice time to be there. Didn't get to see much outdoors but hit everything inside. I'm not really a shopper unless I am looking for something. I was. A very specific something. So, after maneuvering around slowly browsing Christmas shoppers, overflowing carts, and an abundance of scooters all day long we drove home in pouring down rain with a truck bed loaded with my finds:

Once these are transformed I'll let you know, promise. As for me, I don't see Canton anytime in my future, but I never say never because I just might need something very specific again.

Then we lost Lillie Mae. She was almost three years old and her feathers were coming in beautifully after this year's molt. It was rather difficult to lose one of our original girls but it wasn't the first and won't be the last. Finding her was the hardest part. I'm looking at the bright side though... yes, there is one ~ she wasn't laying many eggs anymore due to age and health issues. If you're not producing on the ranch you're just another mouth to feed and an unnecessary expense. That may sound harsh but it's reality. No, the dogs have nothing to fear.... yet ;)
As for Henrietta and Reba, they are cooped up most of the time with the guineas for now. Good thing it's a roomy coop! I've researched protection from red tail hawks. One of the feeders has been moved close to the yard to attract crows. They may chase off the hawks. Once the guardian guineas are ready for free ranging and we've added various other things to deter them everybody will be super happy again. Honestly, I don't think they're all that put out and it's only for a little while longer.

The new run in was delivered and built on one of my roughest days. Not that Rachel was feeling any better but she met the guys at 6:20 in the morning to show them where to build it. Due to a miscommunication what was supposed to be tan with brown roof and trim turned out all brown. S'okay, we got a 5% discount for the inconvenience. Now the boys have somewhere to go when it's raining (like this weekend) and if we ever need to separate somebody for any reason we can do so with panels that we have lying around. Yes, we have a barn but it's more of a hay barn and on the other side of the property. We'll eventually use it for cattle and maybe a hog or two. This is just for the boys in the boy's pasture.

Troy staying dry from the rain. Happy is probably behind him out of sight and Pi in the stall on the other side.

We have multiple huge slash piles from when they cut the pines out back we're thinking of shredding them into mulch rather than burning them. Being outside city limits we sometimes burn our trash. After moving the firewood to a more accessible spot and out of view we decided to burn the remaining pieces that had started to rot and fallen branches in the yard. Gave us a good excuse to make s'mores :) Had to make sure Merlin didn't attempt to pick up burning sticks!

I discovered some cool fungus out under the trees....

• Somewhere along the way Hazel was released from her transitional quarters. I'll update you on this sweet cat in her own post. 
• It has rained somewhere in the vicinity of 25", give or take, this autumn so it's like a swamp around here. But, hey, the grass is green and the pond overfloweth! 
• Rachel has killed 4 mice found in the coop. The guineas didn't have access to that side at the time or they should've taken care of them. 
• Feral hogs have found the second feeder near the bottoms out back. I see smoked hog in our future! You may contact me if you're interested in one of your own. We have plenty! Three bucks and several does also visit it regularly. The does visit the one up close. No venison will be harvested from Lazy Dog Ranch. They are for visual pleasure only.
• More trash and junk has been discovered (rolling my eyes over the ridiculous things that were dumped in the most random places) that'll eventually be hauled off.
• At some point the farrier came by and entertained us with stories of hog hunting while getting the boy's hooves in shape. 
• I learned what part of the house is powered by the generator after some strong winds blew through. We can cook, watch TV, and stay connected to the internet but showers have to be taken by candlelight... Very romantic!
• My room is no longer in boxes. Not that it's done and ready for me to make anything yet, like Christmas cards, sorry....
• We dined at the local winery and it was delicious! A really nice treat tucked away in the middle of nowhere that's just down the road.
• Sierra discovered ticks in her regular beyond her border security checks ~ UGH, I DO NOT LIKE TICKS!!! She does seem to wander less outside the property and for shorter periods of time these days and I'm very happy about that. Have to keep an eye on Merlin so he doesn't follow her. I can't have them traveling 4 miles away that takes me 10 miles to get to. That was nerve racking!

It's good to be back!

Craft project?

Definitely the largest, but not most time consuming, craft project I've ever worked on.

Since we got our first chicks in March of 2013 I've talked about building a coop. We had a small cute prefab coop in the backyard but small is the key word there. When I first saw the dog kennel here, that would never be used as a dog kennel, I new that would become The Coop.

First came security. Done. Roosting done. Next came nest boxes. Done. Clean auto filling water done. Finally, they needed protection from winter weather. Michael built channels to slide stacked fence boards into. These can easily be removed in the sumer to allow for more ventilation or even spaced for partial coverage as seasons change. Of course this was my cue for fun ~ paint! I then kept going back and forth on what I wanted it to look like. Two trips to Home Depot and lots of little sample cans of stain. One and a half days of painting. Rachel and I are done! Well... for now. I dream of an automatic door so the girls don't have to wait on me if I'm out feeding the horses at dawn or in town at dusk and a myriad of other reasons.

You've previously seen photos of the nest boxes, coop, and so forth. Here are a few of our painting. Now, the finished project isn't posted here because it's not cold yet. I only put a few boards up to get an idea of what it's going to look like. You'll get a photo of it when all the boards are up. Promise!

There will be space left at the top for ventilation ~ always need ventilation no matter the weather. There won't be boards on the doors but there will be year round boards above the doors. It's not at all what I've been thinking of for two and a half years but I love what we came up with! Can't wait to put all the boards in and show you!

And, one last cute touch, lanterns:

Now I can concentrate on an enclosure for the turtles. No, I'm not posting a photo of their current habitat because it's just not aesthetically pleasing. Just be assured they are well fed and comfortable :)

If I were a chicken in Autumn....

I'd stay in the coop all day! Unless I was Henrietta, then I'd be okay. Here are photos of the poor girls strutting around with no tails and half naked. 

All lined up. Henrietta still has her tail feathers and hasn't molted much. Or she just hides it really well.

Lillie Mae spends a lot of time preening, pulling the old feathers out to make room for new ones.

Look at all the pin feathers coming in on Reba's neck! Looks really silly when she stretches it out.

And, poor Lillie Mae...

I think her coloring makes it look worse than it really is, but, no, it's not a pretty sight.

And, another shot of skinny neck, tailless Reba.

Just a few more weeks, girls, and it'll be over. You'll be full of new fluffy feathers and a warm pretty coop to call home! (Better get back to painting!) 

Moving day for the guineas

Today was exciting for the itty bitties. The guineas are 6 weeks old and growing faster than weeds! They're already larger than the Bantams that are just over 7 weeks old. They've been in the run from our old coop since we moved here. It was getting a teeny bit crowded in there so it was time to move the guineas on up to their permanent living quarters. There was lots of carrying on during that process! I guess that means they'll make good security birds :)

The three chicks, Lucy, Carol, and Phyllis (think comediennes) will stay in the run until they are close to fully grown, somewhere around 5 - 6 months of age. Bantams are a smaller breed of chicken so it is necessary for them to be fully grown when introduced to the flock. The initial establishing of pecking order can be rather rough. Another reason I like my docile breeds ;) As for now, they are either feeling a little lonely, or relishing the extra wing room! My money is on wing room. 

We converted the old dog kennel to a coop for our girls. It is divided down the middle with a rather large pass through. One side is for night time roosting and the other is for eating, drinking, and nest boxes for laying eggs. I'm sure there will be changes made along the way as we observe and learn what works best for our flock. It's been secured from large critters. Next step is to add removable siding that will provide warmth and protection from the winter weather. We can then remove them to allow good ventilation during the hot summer months.

Guinea fowl roost up high while chickens roost on lower branches. I've arranged various branches found around the yard at different heights to accommodate everybody and keep the bottom girls poop free. The guineas will be confined to the roosting side of the coop until they are about 6 months old. This will help reinforce the coop as their home so they will return every night after foraging in the yard. I placed the guineas on the top branches and they were maneuvering up and down on them in no time. All my girls are brought up on water bottles because it prevents messy water bowls that can also cause health issues. You get a glimpse of our new Chicken Fountain toward the bottom right. It automatically fills and I'll be able to add apple cider vinegar to it also!

Currently the pass through is closed off because my older girls need access to their next boxes during the day so I keep that side open. We then let them in the roost at dusk. 

There are 6 pearl and 2 lavender guineas. They've just been put in their new home and aren't quite sure what to think. They're keeping an eye on the lower one who has decided to check out the food and water I've shown them. They'll all follow her once they figure out what she's found. BTW, she seems to be top guinea. The lavenders also seem to be the smartest. It'll be interesting to see which ones are girls and which are boys as they mature.

And, here's one last silly shot of a guinea :)

The Girls Have Nest Boxes!

The girls have been rather confused about where to lay eggs. Being stressed they can hold their eggs for up to 48 hours. I imagine a few are out in the scrub but the dogs haven't found them so... maybe not.

They're very comfy in their new digs even in this rough unfinished stage. They aren't eating their food but are getting plenty because I am checking their crops. They have been very full so I wasn't in a hurry to let them out. I want them to accept and know their new coop as home. Earlier this week I finally let them roam free after being cooped up - pun intended :) Within minutes all three were heavily engrossed in dust bathing, throwing sand everywhere and getting thoroughly covered. No need to provide sand and ash anymore. They now happily wander all over eating to their heart's content - crops overflowing with all natural bugs!

Nesting boxes were made yesterday. The girls were introduced, a slight design adjustment made, and I figure I'll soon find eggs where they belong. Happy girls! Yes, I have plans to paint after the coop is enclosed and I decide on colors. As for now you get a shot in the bare. In order from left to right, Henrietta, Lillie Mae, and Reba. 

You may be wondering if we'll build more for the newbies and later additions that I plan. Well, no. I don't want THAT many and they'll all use the same box anyway. These three nests will service about 24 just fine. 

Working it

Lots of vision for this place! So many ideas and we've got lots of time to get 'er done.

Besides unpacking, the first project was to secure the kennel for the girls. That'll be the first step in converting it to a coop. Michael worked on that most of the weekend. Nest boxes and roosting will be on the agenda next weekend.

The mower arrived Monday. That's was a lot of fun as I've never been on a zero turn mower. I highly recommend it! The "yard" is just under 2 acres so it took about an hour. They originally tilled and plugged it just like the pastures. Makes for a rather bumpy ride. 

We're having the "yard" fenced and Sierra will be so happy to be allowed off leash again. Of course, 36 feet isn't enough and she's managed to back out of her collar 3 times so far. It's now tighter... That's going to take about a week. Normally it wouldn't but there was a death in the family and they're working around that....

It's so nice working with family owned businesses even when they take a while to get to it. One of the a/c units wasn't cooling so I called the company that installed them (Guess I should explain the history of this place... That'll be for another blog.) After having a nice chat with the receptionist, who actually answered the phone, the owner shows up about an hour later. I get the whole story of his 6 brothers laying bricks and him the only a/c guy, daughter moving to Dallas, his ranch, his cattle, his son-in-law actually owning the business now, his knee surgery and needing another, but he still makes calls.... All in about 5 minutes. Love being around people that are sincere, real, helpful, friendly, aren't in a hurry, say "hi" and ask how you're doing today, look you in the eye, hold the door open, wave as they drive by, etc. It's just so very nice....

Until next time....