Theo and Astras first day out~

 Astra and Theo, the mini Indian Fantails...
first day out in the flight cage. 

Astra is bold as brass, no worries in her.  

Theo is not quite sure.

Astra wasn't sure about me with the camera 

making clicking sounds.

Newest pair of Mini Indian Fantails ~

Very, very long day Saturday.

Didn't help I had a headache from hell, but I couldn't stop the day.
DH kindly drove me every where I needed to go.

Went to the Pigeon show, really nice folks there. One of the judges that I bought the new pair from, in between working, kindly told me a lot of good info.
Spent some time listening and learning. OK,,, and drooling over a few more pigeon.
Look forward to showing my pigeons next year.

The two photos are of the new pigeons.

Then went on to meet up with Sara, so she finally could get Maggie's Hyperbike she purchased. Was really nice to talk to her, wish I had more time.

After that, went over and got that very large old oak cage. Will be able to use it to brood out chicks and so on, in the house without having to worry about the cats. Two levels, and lots of room.

Also have a new RCom Incubator..

New to Me Brooder ~

Raising chicks in the main part of the house is dusty and always had to worry about the cats.

Been looking off and on for the last couple of years for something I can make into a brooder.
Always the brides maid so to speak.
Until, this time.

New to me cage, cleaned up pretty well,

and used a wax oil on it.

 5' 2" long, two levels.

Will make it a lot easier to brood chicks out.
Now able to have it on the other side of the house,

and in the same room as the incubator.

Cages like this new are $$$$$ .

This cage is old, worn in places, but still very use-able.
Make of Oak.
Got it for a very,very good price.

Now the chicks will be safe and I don't have to worry about the cats.

The Green Bean experiment ~

 The Green Bean experiment is doing pretty well.

Even getting green beans. 

If I had extra light, think they would do even better.

Can you find the green beans? LOL

Is great to have a tiny indoor garden. 

Also nice to know, I still have a little bit of a green thumb.

(I did plant peas with them, however, they did not do well. I would need to add a fan for air, to help strengthen them)

Miniature Ribbon Indian Fantail Pigeons

 My young pair, not quite totally feathered out,

Mini Ribbon Indian Fantails arrived today!!
Photos taken, maybe, 10 minutes after they 

were put in their housing.

I am soooo in love! 

They are very curious and checking everything out. LOL

***Bit of an update.

Sadly, I have learned, the male piegon has a number of serious faults, so showing or raising offspring from him would be impossible.
Trying to find him a Pet home.

The Hen is a little better and can be worked with.


I will be picking up a new pair from a long time breeder and Judge soon.

Super blue Egg ~

So there is hope..... was wondering if my pure Legbar pullets from my darkest hen, would lay eggs as blue as hers.

Well, one did, the Bluest egg on top, is a new egg from one of the Legbar pullets.  Keeping my fingers crossed these eggs will be like the mother's and won't fade as the year goes on.

The bottom left egg, almost looks like a pale violet, is from one of my older Legbar hens.
Tiring to figure out how to get that color to deepen. 

Also got another Olive egg, a little darker than the first one.
Which is cool!

Photo taken in natural light, indoors, photo wasn't touched. 

 

First Green Egg ~

Last winter I crossed two pure breeds, in hopes of getting 

deep green Olive eggs.

This is my first Olive egg, its not quite as dark as I was

hoping for but its a good start!

Gardening Indoors ~

Miss gardening, 

but it is not some thing I can do in this State 

during the summer.
So, I planted some peas and bean seeds in a pot, 

by a very sunny window.
They are growing. LOL

Not sure how they will do, is an interesting test, to say the least.

Bird Netting going up ~

 DH and DS put up knotted game bird netting over two of the chicken runs...... Not pretty but it works. High enough I can walk under it without issues.
Major load off.

Above is the main pullet Bantam shed.

Couple more pens to go.

Thinking I want to plant some Service Berries and such in one area of the pens. 

So they can have snacks and shade.

Local nursery has 50 to 90% off plants in Oct.
Got the pretty Jasmine that is doing well, during that sale. Only cost me $3.00!!

 Below is the new Hen house.

The Tomato and Pepper Experiment~

As you know, I had some issues with the horse manure 

compost a few years ago.

So DH and I decided to do a small test run and see how things were going.

Put them in a couple of pots near the kitchen door.

The Pepper plant is doing pretty well. 

The Tomato plant.......

seems to be trying to Die and Live at the same time.

Slight improvement over the past couple of years.

Young Turkeys are Growing up ~

One of the Jakes (young turkey male) was fanning his tail,

 so I took photos of him strutting his stuff.

Everyone just ignored him, poor thing.... but I told him how pretty he looked.

Air and Space Museum DC ~

 Yesterday, we went to DC... and now I remember why we don't go up there unless it is a Holiday.  

Found a parking place
on the street right next to the museum we were going to. Normally it cost $22.00 to park, but on the street.. only $4.60!!

Was very interesting, the areas that used to be grass, are now  food gardens for the people that live there. The Pres Wife has done a lot to get food gardens growing all over DC.
Very cool.

Neat to see the Enterprise model.. ....

but folks in the museum were packed in like sardines.
Walked as much as I could, about an hour and then had to quit.

If it wasn't so hot out... would of gone to the stunning Botanical gardens they have.  

Could of used a wheel chair, as there
weren't a lot of people.
Ah well.. next time.

 Original USS Enterprise Model used in the first 

Star Trek TV show.

Baby Turkeys are growing up~

 Baby Turkeys are growing up.....  having a morning outing and loving it.
DS is taking a summer break from college and he makes a great jungle gym. LOL

 They blend in very well.

They love sunning themselves too.

New Drive Band for my Spinning Wheel~

It was driving me nuts to have a new drive band and not having it on my wheel.
Thought I would be brave enough to take it part, but I thought back to when I had to originally put it together... was a massive royal pain.

I just couldn't get the first cheap replacement drive band to melt together...
thought it was me, no matter what I did, I could not get it to work.

So I bought a Majacraft band. $$ But worth it.

 Practiced on the old band, with the video using the small candle to heat the band ends and to stick it together... it worked, not perfect but I could do it.
So I am thinking that first replacement drive band, maybe had sat too long?

Anyway, with the new Majacraft band, was quick and easy, let it set for 20 minutes and started spinning.

So now I am happily spinning again!

 

 

DS ~ Saved a couple of Hummingbirds~

I opened the garage doors so the lad could get the empty pallets put into the hay shed and two fighting humming birds zipped in.

One ran into a spider web and got stuck, so the Lad climbed all the way up into the rafters... to save it. Pulled all the webs off it before he let it go.
Very tiny male.

The female is still in there, so I went back into the house, after I set a number of bright red things just outside the garage door, hoping to draw her down and out..
DS crawled back into the rafters, and saved the female too.

This garage is very tall... can fit a super sized motor-home in it.

Did take a photo of the female, also covered in thick spider webs.. we cleaned her off before we let her loose.

She was not at all happy. LOL

Turkey Poults ~

Newest additions to the farm.

They hatched at day 25, which is pretty early. Had them under a Speckled Sussex, I feel bad, but I brought them into the house.
Need to raise them with some chicks.
Two are almost dry, the other two are still wet. More photos to come.

4 Turkey poults,  Bernadette/Cpt Morgan.   Who knows what color they will end up being.

Peony Flower~

   

My 3 Peony plants, managed to make it through last winter.

One gave me this beautiful flower to enjoy.

Hardy plants ~

 Well, at least most of my Rugosa Roses are doing well. One of the very few rose plants, I haven't managed to kill.
Moved to this State, and my very green thumb, turned brown.
Had DS put the chicken manure/shavings/straw around them all winter.
The Rose hips are a plus as the chickens and horses love them, so they make nice treats.

The very hardy, French Crab Apple tree, is holding its own, even with the damage to the trunk due to Rabbits. 

Added a Black Berry vine along the Hen house yard fence.

 It should be hardy enough to survive here, too. 

First Grape Vine I planted, has survive another winter, surprised but happy to see.

All three Peony plants also made it, and it looks like I might have flowers this year.

Flowering Dog Wood ~

Looks like the Flowering Dogwood has survived another year. 

Hopefully we will be able to put some more in around the property one of these days.

Flowers last a long time and are quite pretty.

New Tom Turkey, Captain Morgan~~

DH and I, went ahead and got a Tom Turkey for our Turkey hens.
Wasn't planning too and really didn't want one.
However....
They are in love with Stjarna and before one of them gets stepped on..... though I had better get them what they wanted.  One of them was also pacing the gate to get out, meant, if we needed to go some where, we couldn't.

I need happy guard dogs..... LOL

DH named him, Captain Morgan.

Had to fast tract him into the main area around the house because of the heat.
He lost a lot of chest feathers in the transport and when I had DS try to keep him still enough to de worm and dust him.
He is an impressive 45lbs, so hard to handle...not mean at all, just big!

So far, knock on wood, he is good with all the other poultry. 

 

 

 

First Double Rainbow ~

Took the photo a few days ago.
First double rainbow I have seen since leaving NW Oregon.
Was quite pretty.
You can even see some rain in the above photo.

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.