Quiche made from our fresh eggs.

Quiche made from free range chicken eggs... YUM!!

Compost help

We took the food scraps from the winter, mixed in dirt and aerated before putting it all back in the bucket.  We didn't have a lot of scraps between the dog & chickens!

Spring!

 We let the girls out throughout the winter, but they sure are loving the fresh grass and bugs!

Winterized Coop

We moved the coop before the first snow fall and added a run for them to have more room to range and dust themselves since their free ranging time was decreased.  Straw was added to insulate and so was durable plastic to protect them from the elements.

All items for expansion were recycled/reused materials!

Fresh Eggs!

Hello everyone!

It's been awhile but our Pullets have been doing great! They've been laying since they were 5 months old and we've identified who is laying which eggs.  It's been so much fun!

Chicken waste

So what did I do with all the shavings and waste from their chicken box?

We had a flower bed at the top of the driveway that was pretty gravely so I used the shavings to raise the bed a bit and also putting stuff to compost in there to add nutrition to the area.

I pour whatever left over water they have each day on the flower beds.

First time in their chicken condo!

The girls spent their first night in their new home 7/1/10.  They are 2 months old now.

Of course Reechipeep was the first one to venture down.  But I goofed and took the video sideways -  oops.

They all came down within 5 minutes which is faster than I anticipated, but I should have known.  They like to be together and Reechipeep tends to be the mother hen.   I let them outside the ark for a bit and was able to get them back into their grazing area the usual way with their food.  I am still going to let them graze loose when I and Spooky are home to keep an eye on them.

We've got more work to do on the ark, like hanging their new food and water containers, but I wanted to use the ones they were used to for their first day.  More pics to come!

Chicks are 6 weeks old

The chicks are getting so much more confident.  They still move en mass but wander around most of the yard now.  They love soft foods such as bananas, eating out the inner rinds of melons and I cut grapes in half for them.  They don't do well with hard stuff like crusty bread though.

First Potato

My potato plants are doing great!  I got my first fingerling this week & it tasted Great!

5 weeks old

The chicks are spending most of the day outside now.  Spook's pen is their temp pen until Mill gets a larger tractor made.  He calls it the "chicken ark" I call it their condo.


It was pretty nuts trying to catch them all when I let them out in the yard.  At least 2 of them are pretty spazzy, but now I've taught them to come on their own into the pen when I shake the rattle I made.  They used to crawl through the links in the fences, but now most are too big so they had to figure out where the door is. It's pretty cute to see them all running across the yard.  We'll have to get a video soon.

Tawnya's Green Tips: Greening up your Tea

Fresh brewed tea anyone??

It's so refreshing to have fresh iced tea in these hot days. Did you know that your choices of tea that you buy and how you make it affects our environment?

For our environment, the best tea to buy is an organic, sustainably harvested loose tea that you purchase in bulk. You can strain it out with a reusable strainer and put the tea leaves into the compost when you're done.











The next best option is using tea in an unbleached tea bag without string, staple or tag.  You can put these in the compost also.
  



Glass containers are reuseable and better option than plastic.
    

Seal your container and set out in the sun for several hours.  I leave mine out all day
 .

When you come home from work, you have fresh tea that night and for the next day. Better yet, the energy from the sun is free, not a penny out of your own wallet.

Enjoy!

1 month old!

The chicks are 1 month and have been spending time outside for about an hour in the evenings with Pook and I.  Today they are spending all day in a reinforced dog run until Mill makes a bigger Tractor for them.

Their beaks have gotten hard and hurt now when they peck at me, but it seems to be an affectionate thing.  They  look around when I call them and I'm training them to come to the sound of rocks in a water bottle being shaken.

They all have different personalities still and do well outside.  Mostly stick together, but Tula will wander off on her own more than the others.

They are also learning to roost more!  

Green Grilling

Yummy! Tis the Season for BBQs and outdoor fun!! We can all have fun yet be good and healthy to ourselves and the environment at the same time


If you like quick & easy - Propane grills produce about one third of the green house gasses as charcoal grills.


However, if you love that charcoal method which has a slow relaxing feel... I have some options for you. 


Use - Hardwood lump charcoal or Briquettes that are natural and made sustainably

Use - Chimney to start your charcoal, wood or briquettes instead of flash fire lighter fluid which is "Controversial as the substance is highly flammable, toxic, and may impart an unpleasant flavor to food cooked upon fires lit with it" Lighter fluid


Use remnants or recycled wood pieces to start your chimney with those newspapers you have laying around.

Check out your local stores for Green supplies.  All Pictures were taken at Kroeger's Ace Hardware in Durango, CO which is locally owned and operated.

3 weeks

The chicks got their first trip outside & now enjoy being outside quite a bit as long as there are at least two of them.  I leave them outside for about 2 hours with water & shade.  They are really good @ catching ants.  Only Tula can catch flies yet.

They also got upgraded to a chicken "condo".  It will be nice when they have enough feathers to be outside all the time.