Oh hey there November!

Seems like October went by way too fast.  Halloween didn't have the party like I had thought about having but we did get all the critters and Rob moved in, got them all housed, and have feed. (Yes for Rob too).  The chickens are growing like weeds.

 Developing their combs.  I am still not sure how many are cockrels but I know my favorite grey one is, so he will get to live on and be the rooster of the brood.  I hope the hens produce more grey birds like him.  I need to find a good picture of him (or take one).

 Since the chickens were growing so well we needed to build them a bigger brooder. So we moved them into what looked like a work room in the garage (now more barn).  It let them spread out more and I could put in a bigger feeder and waterer.  They were going through their quart size ones every twelve hours.

 You see that little gap all pallets have?  Did you know that if you put the gate on the outside of it the chickens can get through that?  I need to learn to think more like a chicken.  Only two escaped (that I know of).  They weren't too keen on going far.  The red one was sitting on one of the iron girders the room is built on and I caught it and put it back in.  The black one walked out will I was feeding and all I could do was stand there and stare as it wandered under the floor.  If I reached for it I knew it would just run further, it was in the two foot gap between the hay and the brooder..  I hollered for Rob but he and Kevin (thank you for the help again) were in the midst of working on stuff.  I talked, asked, begged, cajoled, and eventually the chicken listed (it was chirping for its buddies) and it walked back in on its own.  And I learned a valuable lesson about chickens and pallets.

Everyone is getting comfy and snug for the winter and we are doing well heating the house with just wood so far.  We will need to get some more wood soon though.  We have a little left up in St. Louis that is seasoned we can bring down but it won't last through the colder weather coming.  I am trying to decide what would be cheaper, a few cords of wood or some propane.  I will be cutting down some trees to start clearing the land and so we can have the dry for next year.

More Workers

So I needed some brunch cleared....
This is the young buck.  I haven't thought of a name for him yet and I can still get him registered.  He was born in May.

 This is the doe. She is 3 and had twins the last time she was bred.  The lady who I bought her from said she stopped milking her about three weeks ago.

So for most of the fall these two will be my proffesional brush clearers.  I have a tie-out run put together for them (I will not have them on it unless I am home and can check on them fequently).  I also have a place in the garage set up for them.

The chickens are growing.  I am excited to get them outside in the next few weeks.

 

Also Allie and her girls came out to help paint the chicken tractor.

 

The rabbits tested it out but the little one escaped so once I caught her (wasn't a huge problem) I decided I need to redisgn the front opening that will let the chickens out.

 

 Action bunny shot!  (also were she escaped from - where I have the rope)

Sooo... very very busy month.  But now I need to make a priority of getting the bedroom done.  Next weekend is Deutsch Country Days (www.deustchcountrydays.org).  Allie and the girls will be going to that as well and it looks to be very cool.  Everything from beekeeping to blacksmithing to candle making to a gun smith.  I will take a lot of pictures.

carpentry

Been working most of the day on the rabbit/chicken tractor.  It will be the rabbits till I can build another one for them and move the chicks into it once they are big enough.

I plan on having chicken wire ove the wood and then in winter putting something to fully block the wind .  Likely some scrap carpet or whatever else is cheap.  The front will just be chicken wire - framed to be 2 feet tall.  The rear I will have solid plywood with 3 five gallon buckets for nests.
In all it is 10 feet long and 5 wide, the back five feet will be their weather shelter.
I will also put a drop down panel so they can walk out into the yard once I get my moveable fencing figured out.

Bunny don't care 'bout no dog!

This weekened is the draft horse and mule days in gerald MO.  It is only a half hour away so I plan on going.  I am excited to get back in amongst horses again, even if it is just for a day or two.  Hopefully next year I will have this place ready for a horse.  Both financially and with shelter.