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!) 

Happy Jack

Happy Jack is the reason we already have these marvelous creations on our ranch. A true sweetheart, always alert, quirky, a big goofball, foodie, huge love, and lots of fun! Rachel absolutely adores this big boy. If I have his history correct he's done ranch, police and, of course, therapy work. The loss of sight in his right eye and being at the bottom of the pack doesn't seem to bother him. He often takes off across the pasture and the other guys happily follow along. His smiley face marking on his shoulder makes me smile and beautifies this otherwise multi-scarred babe.

Reading

Classics were my choice of reading material at the beginning of 2015. The Great Gatsby, Wuthering Heights, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, among others. Some were really good and I will to get back to them... at some point. Currently my reading is focused on the ranch - all the things we hope to have, or at least try out.

Anyone that has ever discussed reading with me knows I do not read how to books. Yep, these are how to books but they're not quite so boring as how to organize your life, how to make and keep friends, how to pray, how to blend oils, how to eat right, how to deal with (fill in the blank), how to raise your children, how to budget, how to make money... 

I read a couple of chicken books back when I got my first girls. Lots of great websites and blogs as well. I'm on my second horse book. Donkeys come next, then I'll go back to the guinea book I was reading before the move. Two Farmer's Almanacs for next year, and an Acres magazine are on the trunk in the great room. Oh! There's a book on canning in the pantry as well ;)

Okay, I'm off to deliver breakfasts and start today's project which is finishing yesterday's project, power washing the windows and cedar posts on the house. Next comes staining the slates Michael cut yesterday for the coop! Oh, and cleaning the inside of the windows I'm currently cleaning the outsides of. 

Before I sign off ~ I realized yesterday I left off a couple of things seen all the time here: crickets and daddy long legs.

Always and Sometimes....

So, we've only been here just shy of 6 weeks but these are things I've observed that you'll see or hear on the ranch, outside and likely a few inside:

Always:

quiet **
dust
dirt
sand
chickens
feathers
grass
bluebirds *
dogs *
hair
horses *
stars *
beautiful sunrises *
boots
beautiful sunsets *
cardinals
pinecones
pine needles
chicken poop
gopher mounds
scissortails *
spider webs
dirt dauber nests
trucks
flies
trees
tractors
cows
fog rising off the pond *

Sometimes:

piles of feathers
cows mourning the separation from their babies
smoke from burning brush piles (or trash)
random dogs
cattle trailers
squirrels
woodpeckers
deer
hogs (although we haven't seen any yet and they'll be eliminated when we do)
people
frogs *
toads *
lizards *
trucks hauling chickens

Someday *:

a donkey
goats
our own cows
a cleaner version of the acreage
trails in the back 70
more trees
planted garden
rockers on the front porch
swing on the back porch
visitors
barn cat
who knows ;)

* denotes favorites
** denotes most favorite

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 :)

Who needs a pasture?

The "yard" from the boys point of view:

Troy:

Went on a field trip today. Actually it was a walk around the house in the "yard". Quite a bit smaller than our new pasture but interesting none the less. Some other animals are up there but I was just interested in observing. The dogs were nice once the two of them stopped barking.  Pi was being a goofball and Happy, as usual, only wanted treats.

Happy Jack:

The chicken coop was very interesting. Such a disappointment since the food was all securely contained. Never saw the girls. Rachel says they were avoiding us because we're so big. I walked along the front porch until Rachel shooed me off. Oh, hey! Got any treats? No? I'll go shove my nose in Letha's face again. Maybe she has some.

Pi:

Well, apparently the really good smells at the coop aren't for horses. I'll have to find a way to get in that container some day when nobody is watching. The dogs kept barking like we were aliens. I got interested in Sierra but she just turned tail and ran. We finally became friends. She comes out to the pasture to check on us and hang out for a while now. I think we'll be good friends.

As for photos...

Troy

Troy

Pi

Troy and Pi