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
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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.

Escape attempt

As  you can see one of the chicks has learned how to get to the top of the box so I raised the flaps to make it taller..... but then I realized I couldn't reach to the bottom of the box so I had to make tags and clip a flap so I can reach in when needed  :)

Baby Chicks are 2 weeks old

I try to take them out of their box once a day to hold, check their health and let them play in a bigger area. Today they were sun bathing, stretching out their wings and trying to nest in the folds of the blankets.


I clean out their water and food containers daily.  I change their nesting material twice a week and scrub their roost, rocks etc with water then rinse with white vinegar and water.


The other night I Reechipeep got tucked in for a nap while we were watching a movie.  She is the only one calm enough to do that with.


Sometimes I catch Mill holding them, he acts all tough but he's a softy  :~)

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Tawnya's Green Tips: Aluminum Foil

In the hunt for products that are Green & Earth Friendly, I looked at Aluminum Foil.  I know, it's not glamorous unless you make a crown out of it, but it is useful.

Did you know that Aluminum Foil is environmentally resource intensive to make?? So what do you do if you're one of those people that got to have it?

Well, there is an upside. Aluminum in theory can be reworked indefinitely without degrading its quality - 100% recyclable - AND it takes as little as 5% of the energy to remanufacture it.

Soooo, Reuse it, Recycle it  & buy Recycled aluminum foil which will Reduce the amount of virgin aluminum foil needed to be manufactured.  

For more information check out:  http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/reuse-recycle-your-aluminum-foil.html

Below are 2 brands that I found locally in Durango, CO while running errands today. Make sure you check out your local stores to see if they carry it, if not, make a suggestion.

Both have containers made from recycled materials & earth friendly inks.

• If you Care @ Nature's Oasis:   http://www.ifyoucare.com/product/recycled-aluminum-foil
• Reynolds Wrap @ Walmart:   http://www.reynoldsrecycled.com/index.html
• (Registered Trademarks)

My Babies are getting big!

They are trying to fly around, one likes to perch on top of the water jar and has gotten on the edge of the box, so I got a taller box.  Here is their new home for now.

I also made them a play area on the floor.  They flap around pecking on everything.













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Potatoes Made it Through Spring Freeze

Chicks are 1 week old!

It's amazing how much they have grown in one week!

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Chicks - Day 2

They all made it through their first night here. This morning we put Spooky outside and put the chicks on the bed to get used to us.  I named the brave one Reechipeep. I was meaning to say Reepicheep, but kept getting it wrong so Reechipeep it is!


I put the water up higher so they don't get so much bedding in it and it seems to be working.

We also made a small roost for them.  Also 2 rocks for them to climb on.  They are really curious & I was really surprised to see how much individual personalities they have. They definitely have bonded to each other.

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Phase 2: New Chicks!

The new chicks are here! 7 total - 2 Ameraucanas,  2 Bard Rocks, 2 Rhode Island Reds (They're black now), and 1 Golden Wyandotte.


They were initially all huddled together except the one I'm holding, she's the most brave.  Spooky was sniffing another chick and this one ran up to Spooky & pecked her on the nose!


Not too long after they got to exploring their new home & cheeping away.  They've been active all day it seems.


Spooky is only allowed in the room when I am there, but she is doing really well. I can tell she wants to get in the box with them, but that's a no-no :)


The 2 Ameraucanas are the brave one  and the one that chirps the loudest!

CFLs & Mercury Content

I've had some people ask me about the Mercury in the CFLs.

If you look at the loop of energy for CFLs, they use less electricity, last longer & thus less waste in the end than incandescent bulbs.

If you Break a CFL bulb

•  Open a window
•  Use a strong tape to pick up the pieces.
• *Do Not vacuum it up as that aerosolizes the particles.

Here is an article from the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) that LPEA has posted.    EPA article on CFLs