pretty pastured hens

goldie

checking out some cantelope

fresh grass = happy hens

the red twins really love our fruit and veggie scraps

and the ducks (the white ones are our two males, unfortunately)

We have been setting up a small chicken wire fence outside of the coop and letting our birds out during the day to get a little more open grass and feeling of freedom. We can't let them truly free range because the dogs would eat them, so this is a small step in a better direction. We are in the process of ordering an electro poultrynet which will give them MUCH more room to roam. They love fresh grass, bugs (we watched red take down a huge praying mantis today), their swimming pool, and our leftover fruit and veggie scraps. 

Caring for this small flock of poultry gives me a lot of joy, 

you can't be in a bad mood watching them. 

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

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Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

making chickens happy (and ducks too)

little yellow is always the most photogenic of our flock

pecking through the forest of grass

all the birds checking out their new nest box

The chicken coop got a few fancy renovations this weekend. We had planned to cut the five gallon buckets that were in there in half to make them more accessible as nest boxes now that they have begun to lay eggs, but that plan turned out to be entirely too much work, and a secondary plan was executed instead. We had two old closet doors lying around, so we took one, wired it up like a trough, and hooked it up inside the coop. Instant, free, repurposed chicken nest box. Success. We also set up a small chicken wire fence outside the coop, clipped wings, and let them loose. It's not a huge pen, but it does double the size of their space, with new fresh grass to scavenge through. This means lots of supervision for a few weeks, because we do not fully trust the combination of flimsy fencing, first time wing clipping, and ever curious puppy dogs. 

They seem to approve.

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan