Newest additions ~

 Blue Wheaten Ameraucana went broody on me 21+ days ago, so I gave her some eggs to hatch out.
After DH was finished with the other side of the new hen house I put her in there and she stayed on the eggs.
Thought I heard soft cheeping the other day but I did not want to push in.
Since my move to this State, I haven't had much luck with full sized hens raising chicks.
Knock on wood so far... she is doing well. Of course it had to be my BW AM hen.
Only have 5 of them. Had planned on raising a lot more of that breed, but its kind'a hard when my best goes broody.

Chicks are from Welsummers, one Buff Orp egg and I am pretty sure the huge lighter chick is that one and two pure bred BW AM eggs.
Saw 4 chicks, sure there are more under her some where. I hope any way, as I put 9 or 10 eggs in her nest.
I know pretty sad when I can't remember how many. LOL
I let her and her eggs stay in the hen house until about 3 days before they were due to hatch, before I moved the nest box with the hen and eggs in it.. lock stock and barrel, to their new home..... while I tried to keep and eye on things I am sure other hens added eggs.
Am hatching out bantams every 21 days in the house and just put a number of eggs under a Welsummer who has also gone broody.

As she starts taking them out, will make sure to check.
Here are 3 of them.

Hopefully, when they grow up, they will lay a nice 

dark Olive green egg.

Newest Bantam chicks ~

 Belgian d'Uccles and 1 d'Anver. Just 5 in all again.

Since I had an issue with the d'Uccles and I had to cull 4 of my hens.
Set aside their eggs for the last week, so I stuffed the incubator full of eggs and will have to hand turn 5 to 6 times a day for 21 days.

My incubator is so small, it can only auto turn 7 eggs

at a time.
That way, I will hopefully have replacement stock.

Bantam chicks ~

First batch of bantam chicks are growing up.

They have their first feathers.

White Quail d'Anvers, a Blue Millie d'Uccle and a Silkie.

 

The newest chicks, two splash white d'Anvers, two d'Uccles and two Easter Eggers.

I do wish I had a bigger incubator.
Have another batch due to hatch in a few days.


One of my large Blue Wheaten Ameraucana's went broody, so I stuck some full sized eggs under her.
 Mostly to add Olive Eggers to my flock.

 

Dyfra

Dyfra is badly allergic to many of the bugs in this State, so this year, she is going to wear a full fly sheet, a mask and lower leg protectors.
Along with being covered in fly spray. Plus her allergy meds she is fed twice a day.

She had No issues in the Pacific NW.

Peach Tree~

At least one of the fruit trees are blooming 

and looks quite pretty.

Hoping to have some peaches this year.

New tiny Hen House~

 The small Hen house is slowly getting done.
One side is mostly finished so I moved some of my d'Anvers in there.
The other side is for my Blue Wheaten AM's, so we should get it finished, I hope anyway, by next Sunday.

Yup, lots of SNOW ~

 Okie dokie....

 this is officially the most snow I have seen since 

I moved here. 

You have to shovel to get any where.

Also very glad, DH and DS are home.... would of taken me half the day to feed and water everyone.

Icelandic's are super happy. LOL

 The snow drifts in the round pen, would be at least to my arm pits.

Very glad the wind scrubbed in front of the hay shed, other wise, that would of been a bear.

 Getting to Maggie was really hard, most places I walked, snow was over my boots. Maggie's gate, I couldn't get it open, but since it is a self gate, was able to bend it so I could squeeze in. She was ok.. still had plenty of food and water.

 Glad we have a good snow shovel... DS digging out a much needed path from the hay shed to the main horse pasture.
Thank you DS!

  The horses and animals packed the snow down around their shed. Less work there.

DH will try to get the long driveway opened up to the road.
The plows finally came through, and the snow is piled up at the end of the drive,... would say.. at least to my arm pits. Should be fun.

Wee bit of snow piled up, as DH tries to get in front of the garage doors cleared.

DH trying to get to the road.

Snow ~

 Mostly taken from inside, hard to see how deep. 

Depending on where the snow was blown around.... any where from 5" from where the wind has blown it away to nearly 16" as per my boots.
Some of the area's the wind hasn't gotten too is about 20"... which meant snow inside my boot.
:P

(now compared to Donner Lake, CA, NH, even some years in Oregon... this is nothing.)
Though I might revise that, if we get the another 12" of new snow today, the News Channels, are saying we should get in this area.

And a little later in the day, snow getting much heavier.

If this keeps up, this will be the most snow I have dealt with in this State.
Is over the tops of my farm boots.
That and the very high winds make it tough going.

Eggs ~

Beautiful color eggs.

On the left, we have a Blue Wheaten Ameraucana egg, in a deep turquoise color and 

to the right, is a blue/blue egg from my 

Crested Creole Legbars.

 

Chicks have been moved into the Play Pen ~

 First batch of chicks have out grown the guest bathroom.
OK, should say the Silkies are massive, and that's the reason they had to move out.
Normally I would have them out of the house well before now, anyway.
But with the cold weather... haven't been able too.

So the playpen is back up and now they are in the living room.
Silkies, couple of d'Uccles and my White Quail d'Anvers.

I do have 4 more smaller chicks in one of the bedrooms and I have more in an incubator due to hatch out in 10 days or so.

 Belgian d'Uccle Bantam.... with some wild colors going on.
Very friendly too.

Propagating plants ~

First snow of the season... so what do I do?

 

 Well, I decided to try propagating a Parlor Palm, the Ficus and a Jasmine I have in the house.

Keeping my fingers crossed, in a few weeks I will 

see some roots.


Hopefully, I will get my green thumb back.

Meneries and Tinnitus !

Close, mine can vary from a little lower, to a little higher... some times it does weird tones. 

Mostly the right ear ...for now.

Its 24/7.

Why I can't handle even the most simple, every day noise... 

and loud noises are just painful..

Meneires is not deadly, but it will change your life.

Newest chicks ~

 First batch of blk chicks and the latest hatch from the 

white Ameraucana bantam hens and Belgian d'Anver roosters. 

5 black chicks in all.

Hatched only the clearest, very blue eggs.

One of the mothers.

 Excuse the dirty beard, gave them messy treats earlier.

You can get black chicks from a white parent that has a recessive white gene, and another parent that has come kind of color.
You will always end up with black chicks.

Just had two more White Quail d'Anver hatch the last couple of days..

from a different area of the property.
Different parents from the Blacks.

There is one d'Uccle in there, can see with the off color.

 These are the ones I had under the broody Welsummer hen.
But I had to take the unhatched eggs away from her, because the one egg she hatched, she killed the chick.
She has now been double banded, so I know she can't be trusted with chicks.

White Quail chicks are growing up

White Quail d'Anver chicks are growing up and getting 

their first feathers.

About half are roosters again, but I found an auction house I can take them and plan

 on doing that next month.

I really need a grow out pen for roosters... or some place I can put them until I find them homes.

Rose sitting on my lap, while I watch the chicks.
She has been very good about it.

The gawky pre teen chick stage. LOL

Bread ~

I "think" I figured out what I need to do with my bread to get it to rise like it did in the Pacific NW.
I added one small Bantam egg for the first time. 

Seemed to make a difference.
Hamburger buns, are a normal size!! Yes!!

Think I will have hamburgers for dinner tonight. 

 

 

First Blue eggs

This Cream Crested Legbar pullet, is a little dark for the standard

but she is the one that laid the first blue, blue egg.
Two small eggs at first and now her first large blue egg.
The brown egg next to the blue eggs is from a Welsummer.

Me and a Pullet ~

DH took this photo of me, sitting with Buttercup, ,

 on my lap.
(Buttercup is one of my Blue Wheaten Ameraucana pullets)
She loves sitting with me, and talks about her day.

Everyone else moved on, after all the treats were gone.
Man, my hair is getting grey.

Apple Cinnamon Cake ~

Apple Cinnamon Cake....    

I did it a bit different and stuffed it in one cake pan. 

 My cake pan was bigger than what was called for.

Supposed to have caramel sauce to go with it..... 

 but it should taste good without it.

 

For the recipe...

Go Here