Planting notes 31 Jan

Went outside and did up a bunch of seed planting.  In the eastern-most box, I planted (pre-soaked) beet seeds (Ferry-Morse "Ruby Queen" from 2013).  In the new box over the old compost heap, I planted "Purple Top White Globe" turnip seeds (Ferry-Morse recently bought, 2016).  In the original garden box, closest to the front door and starting to fall apart, I planted carrot seeds (Burpee "Scarlet Nantes" from spring 2013).  In the original salad box by the mimosa stump, I planted parsnip seeds (Ferry-Morse/Lilly Miller "Hollow Crown" from 2013) and white radish (Ferry-Morse/Lilly Miller "White Icicle, short top" from 2013).  If the old seeds come up, then they come up ... if not, I will plant something else.  I emptied those seed packets, sowing more thickly than recommended because I probably won't get a decent sprout rate from seeds that old.

I've been working hubby pretty hard, bringing home more compost purchased from Lynn's nursery as we made new planting beds.  Yesterday he emptied the truck bed in the morning, and I had it filled up again in the afternoon on my way back from Palatka.  I had asked if he'd feel overwhelmed or upset if I got more so soon, and his answer was, "Not if you bring me some beer to recharge after all this work."  So, I found the new variety pack from Samuel Adams and he announced the first new flavor he tried last night after emptying the pickup bed again to be tasty.  The homesteade runs on coffee, beer, and chocolate.

I still have a six-pack of "Bright Lights" Swiss chard to transplant, and then I need to move some sprouting trays out to the big walk-in greenhouse so they get more sun.  Then I want to start some "Red Burgandy" onions in one of the new trays.

Some pics of the guineas

As y'all may recall, I sold three guineas earlier this month, so we are down to twelve - five pearls and seven lavenders.  Hubby had the camera the other day, and got some nice pics of the constantly-moving monsters.

guineas' funny faces

guineas waiting at the fence for food

a pearl guinea posing

The guineas have the amusing habit of suddenly making a bunch of noise as they sprint around the enclosure.  Sometimes one or a couple will fly, and end up on the outside of the enclosure and then be unable to figure out how to get back in.  Then the whole bunch will run another lap, with the ones on the outside bouncing against the netting and sometimes the ones on the inside bouncing against the netting.  I guess they are lucky we don't have the fence turned on during the day!  We've been letting them out between morning and afternoon feeding times, and they seem to appreciate the opportunity to stretch their legs and wings daily.  They are also a little less annoying with the noise when they get their exercise time.

I'll still be glad when hubby gets the goat shed/guinea pen/rabbit cabinet area built in the back.

Setting eggs in incubator

Here I go, again ... wait, that sounds almost like a song.  LOL  Setting eggs in the incubator again.  This time I collected eggs from Azar and the Pretties (as in last hatch) and Spikey and the Broilers, which include a couple eggs from Feyd's daughter Bertha now, also.  The Pretties finished up the collection period with a bang this morning, so that bumped two Meaties eggs out of the turner.

41 eggs to be set in incubator

42 big fat Wyandotte and half-Wyandotte eggs

I discovered I can only set 41 eggs unless I am hatching little Silkie eggs - the larger Wyandotte eggs get stuck up against the motor housing and keep the first tray from rolling forward freely.  Ah well.  It started raining again, so I am not going outside to snag up a Silkie egg that will need time to dry before I can wipe off the sand and other shtuff.  It is plugged in and started.

Unless something goes wrong, I should have new chicks in three weeks!

Battening down

Alright, it's cold again.  Y'all up there need to quit letting those cold front wander down this far south, because we are really not equipped to handle it.  Hibiscus and lemon grass are back in the greenhouse, after being out yesterday for some warm rain.  Beds are covered again, although even with being covered the basil died anyway.  I still have a nice bell pepper on each of the two plants, so that bed gets the old comforter.  We gathered up all the eggs we could find outside, since it is forecast to get down to 28-30F and possible hard freeze (more than 4 hours below freezing).  Just not enough old blankets to cover the citrus trees, so here's hoping they do alright.  The Persian lime is dead down to its root stock, Lynn told me, so at some point will dig up the root stock unless I find someone who can graft.

I have sprouts now!  Both varieties of tomato - with a much better sprout rate in the Mortgage Lifter than the Old German.  Some of the Top Seven turnips are up, and last time I peeked into the pepper tray I saw jalapeno and pasilla sprouts.  That tray has a good bit of condensation in it.  Yesterday I planted two more trays: broccoli and spinach in one, and the other dedicated to Swiss chard.

chard tray, six varieties

broccoli and spinach tray

Now, about those hibiscus: one bloomed yesterday, and the other budded enough we could see the color, so I have one red and one yellow red-leafed hibiscus.

hibiscus and lemongrass out for some rain

red hibiscus flower

yellow hibiscus bud

Too cute!

Sorry for the exclamation mark here, but hubby managed to snap THE cutest pic of a Silkie dragon and "her" chicks.  I have named this image "ride the Dragon," as these cute fluffy Silkie pullets turn into raging dragons if you make any move towards their chicks.

Silkie chicks and their "dragon" mom

Next post will include a bunch of plant pics.  Later today, if I stay awake and the satellite internet connection holds.

Pleasant surprises

Today has been just full of pleasant surprises here.  For this morning's round of caponizing, I have one slip and three more pullets.  This time, since I suspected one or two of being a pullet, I checked for saddle feathers versus cushion feathers on the back behind the wings but in front of the tail.  I didn't expect three, but a, very pleased about the most colorful one.  She's a keeper for certain - size, width, and color on top of that.

Another pleasant surprise started yesterday when Lynn got hold of a fellow who expressed interest in buying eggs.  He asked for "15 to 20 dozen" last evening, and I sorted and wiped down 15 dozen just from our back table - his big requirement is that they not be refrigerated, and that is no big deal this time of year.  Lynn had gathered up at least twelve dozen when I took my box of eggs up to her, and must have scared up another five dozen because he wrote her a check for 32 dozen eggs at $3/dozen.  He would like to get 20 dozen per week, he says.

Just now, while out on a cigarette break (neither of us smoke in the house), I decided to clear a little excess vegetation around the Tree of Destiny, and then I figured since I was right there, might as well see if the two grape vines are still alive.  Not only are they both still alive, but they are doing much better than I thought.  Instead of growing upwards this past year, they went stealth mode and did the grapevine equivalent of a low crawl to each side.  I nicked the one I thought dead with the weed whip, and that is green wood fiber under its bark.  This just happens to be the time of year to prune such things back ...

I am collecting eggs from Spikey and the broilers (plus Bertha now) and another batch from Azar and the Pretties for hatching.  The farmer's almanacs I am using also give set dates for egg incubation, and the 28th looks perfect for me.

The two cockerels from yesterday's attempt at caponizing are sold, to be delivered on February 6th, which is New Year's Eve by the Chinese calendar.  Leo had asked about getting a Wyandotte for Chinese New Year back in December, and I had planned to have this crew caponized earlier than this.  This works out just fine - two for Leo and his family, and one for hubby and I.

Caponizing 0 for 3

So, I decided to brave the cold and caponize this morning.  Out of three, I have two slips and one pullet.  The pullet now has a nice red bracelet to identify her, and was truly a surprise pullet.  I had thought I might have two pullets in the cockerel tractor, but when I went to look over the weekend, I could only see one (who now needs a red bracelet and web snip to identify her) and not this one.  She certainly has good size to her.

I have four in isolation for tomorrow morning, which is forecast to be warmer than this morning was, with its noticeable frost.  Friday is supposed to be warmer still, but also a high chance of thunderstorms and rain.  Then it will get windy, and get cold again ... winter in the deep south.

Salad seeds started

I felt motivated to do some more planting this evening after hubby and I went out for dinner to celebrate the successful auction.  This time I planted two types of lettuce, some green English cabbage, and something called corn salad, which I have never tried but am quite curious to taste.

two kinds of lettuce, green English cabbage, and corn salad

So this tray, marked with a Heinz ketchup pack (what can I say?  The cat has not brought either of us nice colored twistie ties recently) consists of:

• Burpee "Salad Bowl" lettuce
• Burpee "Ashley" red lettuce
• American Seed "Early Green" cabbage
• Burpee corn salad

I guess I am really feeling the gardening urge so far this year.  Here's hoping the motivation sticks!

Oh, a short chicken note: We took six Wyandotte chicks from out underneath one of the "dragons" who was still on the ground with the chicks who did not figure out hubby's stairs of scrap wood from the deck.  After we got those six and put them in to cuddle up with Pollux, our capon chick nanny, hubby moved four more Wyandotte chicks up into the nest boxes with the other dragons.  My comment was, "It's a good thing chickens can't count, or I'd be in a LOT of trouble tomorrow morning!"

Planting again and great auction results

According to my "planting by the signs" resources, today is another good day to condemn ... er, plant more seeds, so I put in 18 seeds for Pak Choi, 18 seeds for "Top Seven" turnip greens, and 36 seeds for Anaheim peppers, which if successfully grow make great seasoning for hubby's chili and go well with pasilla peppers to make enchilada sauce.  This tray is marked with a packet of yellow mustard on the left, and placed on top of the back refrigerator.

Pak choi cabbage, top seven turnip greens, and anaheim peppers

Now, for the results of last evening's livestock auction, where I took in Silkie Boy and six laying hens: Beetle, Blackie, Greyscale, Funky, Little Girl, and one of the Pretties whose comb leader goes straight back instead of curving to follow the skull line.  Apparently, this is THE time of year to sell layers!  Holy cow ... ok, no cows went through the auction but a bunch of potbelly pigs went so cheap I was sorely tempted.  Blackie, Beetle, and Greyscale went for $19 each.  Funky and Little Girl went for $21 each ... and the Pretty went for $23.  Silkie Boy only brought $5, but the girls more than made up for him.  Greyscale even laid an egg before the auction started.  I think I have now broke even on the auction idea, overall.

I did not bring home any new critters, but I did snag two dozen duck eggs to try out ... lovely huge yolks that fry up nice and dippy.  Hubby likes, plus if Muscovy ducks really do taste like grass fed beef, I see a duck pond and ugly ducks in our future.

I also brought home some new plants: two lemongrass and two Japanese Maple hibiscus, which are edible as well as cool looking.  They can also be used for tea, and is the exotic flavoring on our favorite meade, Viking Blood.  I think if there is a plant I could love, it may just be hibiscus.  Pics when it warms back up, as the new plants are in the greenhouse up against the south wall of the house.  Someone has let one of y'all's cold fronts wander too far south today!  It was ten degrees warmer before the sun came up.

Meet Bigfoot

So, I was outside just a few minutes ago, watching the cockerels from the October hatch, and the choice cockerel I've nicknamed Bigfoot was beautifully obvious in the bunch: he was strutting, shining in the morning sunlight with his tail feathers spread wide looking big and impressive.  I had the thought, "If I can catch him real quick, then I can mark his comb with some Blu-Kote so we can tell him easily in the dark ..."  And I did, and Bigfoot was not exactly happy about the situation.  As I walked him back towards the enclosure, I had another thought (two in one morning!) and called to hubby to bring out my camera and get a couple pics of Bigfoot with me holding him for scale.  Remember, this fella hatched out on October 19th, which makes him all of 13 and a half weeks old right now.

Bigfoot's flight feathers are growing in uneven, but the color is THERE

front view of Bigfoot, with his tail spread showing

Bigfoot hatched on October 19th, making him on 13-1/2 weeks old

If Bigfoot grows to fit those clod-hopping feet of his, he will be huge!  He has consistently been one of the top three cockerels by weight, and the only one of the three with huge feet so I've known which one he is for a while now, and have been keeping my eye on him looking for a fault egregious enough to warrant caponizing.  So far, he has not shown me any reason to caponize him, so he'll be the lucky cockerel who gets to grow out as a cockerel from this hatch.  The October hatch were from Tiny and the Flashy Girls.

Rainy day notes

No pics today - while the rain has let up from the earlier line of storms, it is still dreary and grey and blah.  The chicks made it through their first downpour, with most looking dry and warm, unlike the "dragons" aka the broody pullets.  Anyone who does not think that an appropriate nickname for broody bantams has never tried to pick up a chick in front of one.  I have no idea what Dude did this morning, but he was getting his fluffy butt kicked all around the tractor by one of the black pullets.

I had the unpleasant chore of culling one of the splash Silkie chicks.  It was not using its lower leg or foot, but was walking on the end of the drumstick, with the rest of the leg and foot off to the side at an awkward angle.  It may have been stepped on, or that may have been a hatching injury we just did not see, but after a few days it became more noticeable instead of getting better.

I  have a new egg customer: the fellow that runs the smoke shop where I buy my tobacco and filters.  I need to get his name today, because it really is bad form to not know.  I took a dozen eggs up to the family at the Latin Italian Grill ... only to find out they have chickens even with a restaurant to run.  When I commented that I honestly didn't think they had time for livestock, Lee said the one who does the chickens "goes 90 miles per hour every minute he's awake."

I got some more planting accomplished: starting tomato seeds indoors.  I planted some Home Farmer "Old German" and some Burpee "Mortgage Lifter" in a 72-cell starter tray, with cool little 6-cell packs that I filled with the seed starter Lynn sold me, plus the egg shell fragments from the hatch.  Every single time I have moved a tomato volunteer from the compost heap, it has had its roots wrapped around at least one piece of egg shell, and usually several.

Tomorrow I will be selling some layers, plus Silkie Boy.  I am now certain I have at least one black cockerel, and suspect a second.  The Pretties have us very well stocked in eggs, so some of our less favorite layers will go to the livestock auction to be someone else's layers.  Not all culls end up in our refrigerator!

Nothing cuter than new chicks

Right now, there is simply nothing cuter here on the property than the newly hatched Silkie and Wyandotte chicks.  That may change when I breed the bunnies, or it may change when I get my goat and her kids ... or the chicks may just set the standard for cuteness that high.  A couple pics of the babies with their mothers and foster mothers.

chicks peeking out from under the Silkie pullets

a small group of Wyandotte chicks

I know both sister and Tammy have expressed a desire to see more pictures, and sister specifically mentioned the fix of the pic issue when she called for my birthday.  Of course, what was really fun was brother's reaction when he googled up what blue Silkies are supposed to look like ... one of the few times I have wished for a video phone since I'd loved to have seen his facial expression.  It probably looked similar to Dad's when he visited in October and saw my "furry" chickens for the first time.

I have decided to sell a few layers on Saturday at the livestock auction.  We are up to our ears in eggs, and not all the hens are laying yet.  So Greyscale (won't stay in the enclosure or out of my garden beds!), Funky (don't need the temptation to breed her with that funky comb), and Beetle and Blackie will go up for auction.  I'll take Silkie Boy also, as I am now certain I have at least one black Silkie cockerel.

Hubby counted up the chickens yesterday, and with this weekend's hatch we are at 108 chickens on the property.  Add in twelve guineas and three rabbits ....

Chicks hatched

After waiting most the morning for the last two eggs that showed signs of life, I finally admitted there was no more forward progress and "whistled the ball dead," as the football expression fits.  Overall, a decent hatch rate!  I am satisfied with the results.

25 of 30 chicks hatched and healthy

I have a total of 25 new chickens from inside in the incubator, and I am pretty certain there are four hen-hatched Silkies outside.  I tried toe punching for the first time, using the more expensive nail clipper style punch, and that was a mixed success.  I'll need to check the Wyandottes again in a few days, and I could not get the web between the toes on the Silkies yet due to small size.  I'd like to have the Silkies toe punched so I can compare which cockerel throws the largest offspring.

It was a bit of a trick getting the chicks under the setting Silkies, as I had to shield the chicks with my hands to keep them from being pecked.  This is even after I took away unhatched eggs and golf balls as well.  I actually managed to get all 25 from inside underneath Silkies.  Getting them back ... now that is a whole 'nuther ball game!  LOL

So of the five (plus two outside) that didn't hatch, two died trying, three died before pipping for whatever reason, and the two outside never developed.  I have read some chicken breeders will actually reduce the amount of calcium supplement (oyster shell usually) before breeding season so the egg shells are not as hard as normal.  I did not do this, nor do I intend to ever do it.  I want the chicks strong enough to kick out of a regular strength egg shell here.  Oh, my "regular strength" egg shell is a lot thicker and harder than what you'll find at the store.  It is the first big test.

Freeze warning now issued for tonight - my poor garden beds.

Pepper seeds planted

Here's a link to the video as well.

Hubby grabbed his digicam instead of hunting down a notebook and pen, so here are some planting notes:

• Home Farmer "Classic hot" jalapeno peppers for hubby's scrambled eggs.  I still cannot eat jalapenos at all.
• Ferry-Morse "Latin Flavors" pasilla bajo peppers ... fully ripened and dried, these make the BEST barbecue sauces.  They rock in enchilada sauce as well.
• Ferry-Morse Cubanelle sweet peppers.  Note on back says great for frying, which I interpret as fajita peppers.  I'll be experimenting on the pick green versus ripened to red difference.
• American Seed Marconi Red Italian sweet pepper.  I'll need to see how it stacks up to the Carmen sweet pepper from the other year, which I have not been able to find in seed or start since 2013 spring.  I may still  have some seeds from then, but last year when I tried planting some I failed.
• Burpee Tangerine Dream sweet pepper.  Short blurb on back says great fresh or pickled, so I think it may be comparable to banana peppers.
• Ferry-Morse Grand Bell pepper, mixed colors.  Everyone needs some bell peppers, especially now we have the recipe for sweet-and-sour from the 1968 Betty Crocker book.

I had a very pleasant birthday yesterday, and hubby took me up to Leo's for lunch, then we pillaged Wal-Mart to score seed starting trays and some more seeds, plus peeked in on TSC (needed a new bag of bunny chow) and Home Depot but neither has the spring gardening section set up yet.

Chicks are now hatching in rapid succession in the incubator, starting at zero-dark-thirty this morning.

The bunnies

The picture issue is resolved!  Now, for the anxiously-awaited bunny pics:

all 3 rabbits, in the cage

Brooke, somewhat Rex-furred part-Lop?
Her right ear always sticks out to the side

Gracie, all black probably Mini Rex

Brooke is the chow-hound extraordinaire ... if it's rabbit food, she's all about it.  She's now tolerating me petting her ... a little.  She certainly was not raised up as a pet bunny.

Gracie so far seems to be the most accustomed to being handled, and is beginning to act like she enjoys when I rub her head in between her ears.  She's pretty food-motivated as well.

George tolerates being petted, but he is much more about the food than the attention.  He also looks a LOT happier with companions.  He had been flipped his food dish and even using it as a litter box before I brought the two girls home.

Now my sister and Tammy can see the bun-buns.

Chicken soup and hot tea

Today is day two of hubby doing the hot tea and chicken soup "diet" plan.  The sinus crud hit him pretty hard yesterday morning, and he actually requested the chicken soup.  He had "meh"ed the idea the evening before, as the only time chicken soup sounds good to him  is when he's sick.  So yesterday morning I opened up a pint jar of chicken stock, popped it into a little pot with carrots, garlic, crushed red pepper, and spaetzle from the grocery, and dried Swiss chard and kale for his breakfast.  I figured he'd nibble on that all day ... instead he had that pot done before brunch time and was hungry for corned beef hash and omelette.  After brunch, I made him another pot using a pint of chicken meat from last January that had plenty of "juice" for broth, and a can of store-bought vegetable broth.  Since the chicken was far more chunky, I omitted the noodles.

Hubby says even though he doesn't care for chicken soup unless he's sick, when he is sick the chicken soup I make is the absolute best.  It's even better using birds we raised up ourselves, and canned up here.  The other day, while the man was unloading the lumber delivery, he chatted about chickens since we had a group out in the enclosure.  I found myself once again grasping for a way to describe the flavor of an older chicken, as compared to the little 5 or 8 week old fatty babies at the grocery.  While I still can't really say what it tastes like (other than CHICKEN!  LOL) I have made the comparison to the difference in flavor between veal and beef.  People seem to be able to wrap their minds around that analogy, although that still doesn't tell them what the wonderful flavor of an older bird is.

Hubby expressed a concern this morning about using up the chicken stock in the pantry, but I assured him we are not at that crucial of a level just yet.  If we do run too low for comfort, then I'll just harvest the October hatch cockerels earlier than planned.

Condemning seeds, aka planting

Yesterday, I decided to condemn some more seeds to being buried (hopefully!) alive.  I planted some beets and parsnips in the garden box where the chard used to be, until we buried it with a bed-load of compost from Lynn.  We cannot keep up on making enough compost here on property, so until I decide we have enough planting beds, we'll just supplement via Lynn's nursery.  She even has a couple Bobcats to turn the stuff easily (and load it into the truck).

Funny thing: I saw movement out the corner of my eye while planting, so looked up and there were ten of the twelve guineas, having hopped the perimeter and strolling over to see if I was doing anything interesting.  I was quick to brush dirt over the seeds, so my rows probably won't look very straight when they come up.

I have another bucket load of compost in the back of the pickup again today, and we are also waiting on lumber delivery this afternoon.  I had hubby make me a list, and went into town yesterday to pay and arrange delivery.  With 30 2x4s plus some 3/8" plywood and a couple 1x6s, he should have plenty of wood to build me broody/nesting bases for most of the tractors, plus a rabbit cabinet to get the bunnies' cage up off the two pieces of scrap 2x4 it is currently sitting on.  He used up the last 2x12s to make the current box awaiting fill dirt, which I think I may just fill up with carrot seeds.

Since my gardening attempts have had only limited success so far, I have decided this year I will plant by the signs ... yes, of the zodiac.  The feed mill up in Lake Butler was handing out calendars that have that info on them, along with sunrise/set times, moon rise/set times, phases of the moon, and notes for which days are favorable for not only planting, but working with livestock, including specific days to set eggs.  If conventional methods aren't working as well as desired by themselves, then it time to augment with a little magick.

I cut down one broccoli plant that had not given us even a little sprig yet, and cut it into three parts for bunny treats.

Final note: hubby ordered a computer thingy to fix my picture issue, so I ought to be able to do pics again by next week.

Sold some birds

Saturday morning was the farm swap in the Tractor Supply parking lot.  While I didn't get the Wyandotte pullets weighed and sorted for it, I did grab up two red broiler hens and three guineas: the white one and both pieds.  These three were having trouble fitting into the flock with the majority being either pearl or lavender, and I also knew the white and one of the pieds for certain were female.  The couple who bought them had two guineas of three at home, and when I explained how to tell the cocks from the hens, the wife said she is now pretty sure both those guineas are male, so they certainly needed a couple hens.  They made no attempt to haggle on the price of $15 per fancy guinea, unlike another fellow who came up after they went inside to get cash back and purchase some bolts.

Lynn came up with me, and that ended up being a very good thing as she watched the tailgate while I ran in to the bathroom a couple times.  Coffee works, ya know.

I sold the two broiler hens to a family that has a young blonde-haired girl, about 4 or 5 years old, who I could instantly tell loves animals as much as I do.  I had no real quibble when the father asked about a "two-for" price on them, and let them go for $20 for the pair.  I also remarked to the parents that girl will grow up to be just like me, and should always be somewhere where she can have her own little zoo.  They simply chuckled and agreed with my assessment.

I took up six dozen eggs, and sold three of them.  Overall, it was not a bad sale, although there were quite a few temptations on the rabbit front.  I did buy another set of cages: a quad, two over two, and the perfect size for the mini-Rexes.  The lady selling the cage said that is exactly what she had in it when she was using it.  Another lady had lovely pedigreed American Blue rabbits, a doe and her eleven kits.  All the Blues were hand-raised and thought nothing of being petted or picked up, and while they were indeed a lovely shade of blue-grey, they had normal fur and my heart is set on Rex fur.  Lynn asked me, "What's wrong with their fur?  They are nice and soft!"  I had to explain, "These fingers have touched Rex fur, and there is just no going back."  That got me an eye roll from Lynn, while the lady selling them nodded and smiled as if she understood.  Lynn had to really work hard to resist buying some of those rabbits, and claimed I "almost" got her in trouble, even though I told her I was about to go rescue her until I saw her walk away empty-armed.

Lisa (the lady who will sell me the dairy goat in the spring) was all excited to come over to my truck to look into the carriers, as she remembered I mentioned I intended to bring the cull Wyandotte pullets.  I think she was rather disappointed, but Friday we went up to Jacksonville and spent a few hours with hubby's nephew who is almost four years old, and was so bouncing off the walls with excitement because hubby is his favorite uncle.  We were just too worn out to weigh and sort the pullets, and I do need to weigh and sort them before hauling any to be sold, as I suspect there are three cockerels hiding out in that bunch along with my suspicion there are two pullets in with the cockerels.  If I don't have them sorted by the third Saturday for the livestock auction, then I will certainly have them ready for next month's farm swap.

Pictures from 2015

the "Star Trek" killer aloe in bloom

Tiny, from early spring

another pic of Tiny, from spring

smoked salmon and a sweet potato on the grill

Feyd and the Big Butt Girls

coop repair, all hardware cloth

coop repair, from the side

roof replacement on the banty house

detail of the nest box roof replacement

a smoked cull cockerel

young smoked cull cockerel in the big crock pot

hubby's pink nosed monster, Little Bit

cat on the windowsill

George the bunny

Brother, Feyd's crossbreed son

Brother's nice broad breasts (5 months at slaughter)

George on the grass

George the black otter colored looks-like a Mini Rex

stuffed slip at ten months

Bigfott, the one grow out cockerel from October hatch

Pollux the nanny capon

closeup of Bigfoot

Pollux's shiny tail feathers

Pollux the chick nanny