Garden Update 4/5/10

We are exhausted around here from working all day in the yard and garden.  We got a ton of work done on the coop, and it's almost done! It primed the front, sides, and inside, and all that it needs now is the door, the chicken wire, tiles down on the coop floor, and a coat of paint.  I even made a swell sign for it...

 I did some weeding, rocked in the altar area for beds and it's ready for some plants (roses maybe) and Jilly and I got some planting done in our square foot boxes.  Jilly was very excited to plant the sunflowers that grew in the peat pots she planted at the Children's Museum water program.

Then we had chicken/duck play time with both our and the neighbors flocks.  The big chickens in the pic are the neighbors chickens from last year.  They are "mutts" from the hardware store and they did not get a single egg from them.  That is why we went in of the Plymouth Barred Rock chicks this year.  There is really starting to be a difference in the hens and roos, and I think now we have 3 of each.  We just have to decide if we want to replace the roosters we will butcher in July with new chicks this year or next.  Square foot wise the coop and run are big enough for 6-8 birds, and I don't think the ducks are going to be staying unless the stop being so cranky to us and the chicks.  They may go when we butcher the roosters.

I told the Hubs today, we may be crawling there, but I feel like we are heading to where we want to go as far as the yard, garden, and general homestead goals.  The coop I am especially proud of, because we have all worked on it as a family, Mojo out there with us in her stroller, and that really means so much to me.  It seems like in the past years when I have been working on the garden, it was just me with some help when I had something specific I needed a hand with, but this year I have everyone on board and pitching in with both physical work and ideas.  Hopefully we will get that last little bit on the coop done this week and get it moved our from the carport into the yard.  We moved the chicks and ducks out into the shed, into bigger crates, and put the heat lamp in there last weekend.  The ducks especially were getting stinky and it is hard to groom dogs who are obsessed with trying to eat the tasty chickens across the room.  More soon, as things develop!

P.S. Time is running out, enter my give away for the Spencer Lapidary prize pack!!!!!!

H.W