Baby Chicks and a Plan Change

The girls are still not producing like they should.

So we have begun the "weeding out" process.

Last night I snatched 4 girls off their roost

(easier to catch that way)

and put one each in isolation

in the old rabbit hutches.

You've got 24 hours.

Lay, or freezer camp.

Your choice...

So far... no eggs.

Meanwhile, I had an order for

46 new chicks coming,

since the writing is on the wall

for these girls.

But then Rod and I re-evaluated

and decided maybe our egg selling

days are at an end.

The neighbor is transitioning over to

being a bamboo farm over the next 

two years, so we knew we were nearly done,

but we decided with Kyle leaving

(he's my backup when I'm gone)

and me being gone a LOT here in

the near future (I'll be out of town

EVERY weekend until mid-September

and then gone again the last 2...)

maybe we should just get out now.

So...

I called the chicken people and changed

my order from 46 hard layers

to 15 (minimum order) of a breed that

will lay every couple of days,

but continue to lay for 5 to 6 years.

We'll give a couple to Kyle

so he can have eggs,

and keep the rest for us.

That will give us enough eggs for 

us to eat, and also to give away

to the missionaries and a few

folks in the ward we like to help out.

The chicken people were really nice

and super helpful.

Happy to change my order.

And they arrived today!

Baby chicks are so stinkin' cute!

They were happy to check out the

water and feed.

And now they are all napping.

I have a chicken who has been faithfully

sitting on a nest for several weeks.

I grabbed her and put her in with 

the chicks, hoping she would think they 

all just hatched!

Look! Babies!

Nope.

She freaked out and pecked one on the head.

So I kicked her out.

They'll just have to be motherless.

But since it's WICKED hot,

they won't need a heat lamp.

We have 6 New Hampshires.

A large red chicken that lays well for many years.

And 9 "True Blues" who also lay well

for many years, but they lay a blue egg.

And who doesn't love a blue egg?

I told Brock today that I was winding down

and wouldn't be bringing eggs after next week.

He lost 25 chickens to coyotes over the

past week or two,

so he's actually thinking about being

done and just ordering his eggs

from a supplier from now on.

I'm sorry the coyotes are eating his chickens.

But I'm glad the coyotes are eating HIS chickens!

(grin)

I guess my girls will have to stay in their yard.

Of course once I whittle the flock down

to the 2 dozen who are still laying,

that will be easy.

And when the new babies come on board

(around Thanksgiving)

the old ones will go and we'll just

have our little family only flock.

End of an Era.

Take THAT Chickens!

When I first retired,

one of the first things I did

was repair the holes in the fence

in the chicken yard.

We have NEW holes.

Half the flock is getting out daily.

The rooster hops in and out at will.

My egg count is down.

I think...

Well, I don't know what I think.

I ordered new chicks that should be here

early next week.

I'll be rotating my flock in November.

Anyhow.

Today I got out there early 

(early being a relative term)

and did more repairs.

That's all new chicken wire.

And an annoyed flock of chickens.

HA!

Just went out again.

There are...

ZERO eggs in my nest boxes.

Guess they showed ME!

(Yesterday nobody laid until after 2:00...

I have seriously weird chickens.)

Independence Day

Still working on Kyle's Independence...

Today they are installing the last window

and the A/C unit.

If they have time they might also do the door.

But since it's already 3:30,

that might not happen...

There is going to be LOTS of light in there.

The open end (which will be closed off eventually)

is the "living room" and the loft.

The door will be where the black pole is.

Still lots of work to do.

But it's coming along...

This is the side the door will be on.

And this is the kitchen side.

With all the on-lookers.

Left to right,

Roxy, Beau, Bandit, Shadow.

And of course the neighbor's cows in the

background, always watching...

Beau and cows.

They like each other.

Maybe because they both have 

big, black, flat, rubber noses...

Meanwhile, it's Wednesday,

so I washed all my eggs.

They are ready to deliver.

I need about 5 more to make 

one more carton... so I'll wait around

for a little bit.

Lay girls, LAY!

And I made 8 individual servings

of a yummy no bake cheesecake Kyle loves.

They are SUPER rich, so a tiny portion is

very satisfying.

Kyle's version has full sugar blueberry pie filling.

Rod's and mine are topped with sugar free

cherry pie filling.

Kyle sometimes gets them confused. 

(grin)

This is a "double batch".

1 cup heavy cream.

Whipped.

Add a splash of vanilla, a splash of almond extract,

and 2 T stevia sweetener.

Then drop 2 bricks of room temp cream cheese

into the bowl and whip that in too.

This time I used 1 brick of 1/3 less fat and 

1 brick of regular cuz that's what I had in the fridge.

It's good with either or both!

Whip it till its well mixed and then

spoon it into containers.

You CAN just spoon it into one container, 

but if Kyle lives in your house, 

it's better to portion it out for him.

Otherwise he thinks the whole thing

is a portion.

He really likes this stuff.

LOL

Last night's meatloaf turned out really good.

My experiment with the baked / grilled

onion was a bust. I ended up leaving them

in the oven for over an hour to get them

even close to what they get on the grill...

Oh well.

This afternoon I chopped one up pretty small,

browned it in a fry pan with some butter

and then added a couple of diced hot dogs.

Steamed up some cabbage, topped with more butter

and put the hotdog / onion concoction on the top.

It was a yummy lunch.

(The guys opted out of the cabbage and just ate

the dogs and onions...)

Kitchen Stuff

Rod went back to work today

and Kyle went to work at the city farm.

(He now has OUR farm, Linda's city farm,

and in 2 weeks he'll be living at Linda's ranch...)

Not confusing at all...

This morning I got up and went out

to feed all the animals and then

came in the house and did a 15 minute workout.

(Day 2 in a row!)

Then I gathered up all the garbage from

the kitchen and garage and took the

can out to the street for pick-up.

Once I was done, Kyle and I headed over

to the feed store in his truck.

When he moves I'll have to arrange to 

switch vehicles with Rod now and again

(or I can use the Trooper, as long as I

don't need a round roll of hay...).

We picked up a beautiful smelling round roll.

Smells like fresh cut hay and is nice and green.

But it was TINY!

Sheesh!

Half the size of the rolls we have been getting.

I also got the rest of the horse feed to last

us 2 weeks.

They are getting OLD and need supplements

to keep them healthy and keep weight on them.

Anyhow.

I filled 3 metal garbage cans with feed.

(Rice bran, texture sweet feed and alfalfa cubes...)

Then Kyle hooked up to his big trailer

and headed off to the steel place to get more

steel for his house and then over to Linda's

to do some work over there.

While he was gone, I fired up my counter top

electric griddle (I LOVE that thing!) and made

a giant batch of on plan pancakes.

I ate three of them for breakfast (brunch)

and saved the other 6 for breakfasts for the 

rest of the week.

Then it was back outside to re-mow the grass.

I mowed the front and middle yards yesterday,

then Kyle came behind me and mowed the edges

*I'm not good at it yet and don't get close enough

to the edges... 

He also moved all the vehicles they were using

while working on his house, so he mowed under

where they all were parked.

This morning he took his truck and trailer,

so I got the mower out again and mowed

where those were parked.

Also the dogs were still in the garage in their

crates eating their breakfast, so while they

were gone, I opened up the dog run and

mowed in there as well.

Then it was back into the house to cut up

a watermelon I bought yesterday and

get it chilling in the fridge,

make a batch of "Skinny Chocolate" and

get that in the freezer,

clean up the kitchen and get the dishwasher running,

and then sit for a minute with my

books and figure out what's for dinner.

I'm trying a new meatloaf recipe.

It has caramelized onions and cheese on top

instead of the traditional ketchup.

We have some Vadalia onions in the fridge.

They are kind of like the Walla Walla onions

you guys are familiar with.

Flat and super sweet.

These ones come from Vadalia Georgia.

They are PERFECT cooked on the grill,

but its a pain in the neck to fire up the grill

just for onions.

So this morning I got two of them out,

put them in a little roasting pan with a bunch

of butter and covered them with some heavy

tin foil. Put them in my toaster oven

(I only use my real oven for Thanksgiving

and Christmas turkeys! My toaster oven is

big enough to fit a 9x13 pan! I love it!)

I'm going to see if roasting them in the oven

is a close enough substitute for grilling.

Probably won't be exact, but hopefully good enough.

(And I HATE cooking them on the stove...)

(lazy)

Yesterday I made up a big batch of pea salad,

we had it with country style ribs I boiled on the 

stove and then finished in the air fryer.

It was delicious!

But Kyle was looking for grilled onions to go with...

Anyhow.

Now I'm sitting quietly,

watching a couple of videos from the Trim Healthy girls

and getting inspiration for what we are going to have

for dinner tomorrow.

Probably T-Bones on the grill.

We are getting closer to butchering the cows

and I still have several steaks etc in the freezer,

so we'll be eating plenty of beef in the 

upcoming weeks.

*I cut WAY back on cooking beef for a bit there

because I was afraid we would run out...

Anyhow.

No pictures today.

They put in another window yesterday,

but the house is all closed up today and I

can't get the back door open by myself.

Looking More and More Like a Place to Live...

Amazing how much WORK goes into 

putting in these windows...

They sure do make the whole place

look bigger though!

I'm glad Kyle decided he wanted to

go with the giant windows above

the kitchen counters.

It looks AWESOME!

The bathroom vanity is under the back window

but only while they are putting in the

next window on the other wall.

(It will be above the toilet...

there will be a mirror above the vanity.)

The vanity is so pretty,

I almost wish it wasn't going in the bathroom

where you will only see it if you are in there.

He really is a talented furniture builder!

Next... the A/C unit.

I think...

I tried to stay out of their way today.

Mowed the yard.

And made a yummy "pea" salad.

Remember those?

Green peas, red onions, orange cheese cubes,

red ham bits, and yummy dressing over it all.

Delicious!

We are having that and country style ribs

for dinner tonight.

The guys have been working hard and are HUNGRY.

Windows...

The next step in the process is putting in the windows.

So first they had to measure and mark.

The guys cut and bent a piece of metal that follows

the contours of the walls so they could

mark where they need to cut for the window.

They already welded the steel frame that will

go around the window...

There is his new door, there in the back.

It's not going there though.

It's going on the right between the lamp and

the end of the cabinet... which is also

not where it will end up.

The cabinets will be under the giant windows.

Marking and cutting...

What it looks like on the outside...

And then it decided to do the afternoon Florida

thunder storm thing.

Good thing Scott has moved out.

We have taken over his bedroom to store

half of the boxes full of insulation panels.

The other half are in the living room.

They threw a giant tarp over the container

to keep the rain out.

And we all came inside for a quick lunch

while the thunder boomed and the 

rain poured.

Beau needed a nap.

He was out like a light.

The rain stopped, so they lifted the tarp and got back

to cutting the window hole.

And the tarp.

Kyle bought a new plasma cutter.

It's HOT.

It's our very own 4th of July fireworks show!

And yes,

Kyle burned himself.

On like the first cut.

A piece of hot steel fell into his boot.

He has a couple of nice little blisters

on his ankle.

But in true "man" form, he's "walking it off".

(At least he didn't "rub some dirt in it" - that was

Uncle Scott's response whenever they hurt

themselves at the shop...)

He did put some natural burn salve on it,

but its pretty uncomfortable.

Poor guy!

They are trying really hard to get the main

triple window in tonight.

Rod just ran to Lowes to get some caulk.

That should mean its coming along...

So much to tell!

As always I'm BUSY!

Who ever said you sit around eating

candy and watching Jerry Springer on TV

once you are retired was never retired.

Kyle has been busy working on his

new "tiny house". It is coming together.

Spending a LOT of money,

but it costs a LOT of money to build a house.

Tiny or otherwise.

Yes, its a shipping container.
What else would you expect a trucker to get?
LOL

He and Rod got it all laid out in chalk on the floor.
It's going to be just right for a single man.

Next he built a beautiful bathroom vanity
using old pallets and some of the wood
from the trees they cut down and cut
into boards.
It's BEAUTIFUL!
He picked out a square "bowl" sink
and faucets that look a little like an
old fashioned well pump.
We "dry fit" it, and it looks GREAT!
And since the sink sits up on the counter
he won't have to cut a giant hole in his
beautiful wood.

I'll take another picture once he gets it
all put together. We got it in the house
but without windows in there yet, its
pretty dark and you can't see its full potential.

Then it was a trip to Lows to get the kitchen cabinets,

he spent the day yesterday distressing, staining,

and then sanding / distressing them a little more.

He loves the old farmhouse look

and didn't want them to look like they

just came out of a box yesterday.

*even if they did... lol

(before picture...)
I haven't taken a picture of them yet, they were
still wet last night...

Next I think they are going to put in

the windows. This place is going

to be nearly ALL windows.

Which is awesome.

He might be a bit of a hermit, but couldn't be the kind

that lives in a cave - he would have to be

a tree house sort of hermit.

It is going to be nice and bright in there!

(We will put in blinds, but I doubt he will EVER

close them, his blinds in his bedroom broke

and he just pulled them down a year ago.

His windows (giant window seat windows)

face directly east so he gets the morning sun,

sleeps through it just fine, but revels in

the beautiful natural light.

Out here (and out there) you don't need

to worry about "neighbors" peeping in after dark.

Then the wall insulation should be arriving

early next week so they can get that installed

and put up the drywall, paint, and then do the

bathroom. Put in the shower, toilet and water heater

and then it's just those finishing touches.

The dogs think this is GREAT!
(the hole is for his stove)

**********************************************

Meanwhile,
yesterday I delivered my eggs and then
Brock called and asked if I would go back
over and unlock the front gate for the delivery
guys that come in the morning.
(Thursday is "farm day" next door...)

But I forgot.
So this morning at 7:00 my eyes
binged opened and I realized I forgot!
Tossed on some clothes and walked over.

Got the gate unlocked and walked up to the barn
but there was no delivery there yet so maybe I beat him?
By the time I got home and fed the horses, Brock
was back on the phone letting me know the delivery
guy was there at 4:30. Bummer!
Luckily the driver is a really good guy and he
said he would come back after the rest of his deliveries.

I kept an eye out and when the local guy
showed up, I walked back over and helped him
unload his watermelons so he wouldn't be in the
way when the BIG guy showed up.
(Plus I needed just one more duck egg to make
up a dozen - Daisy obliged, so I took those over too...)

We overlapped by a couple of minutes, but it was ok.
I apologized to the driver and we chatted for a minute
while he got everything unloaded and then I offered
to let him just drive away and I would walk back
up and close the big double gates and relock them.
(It's a pain in the neck to get out of the truck
and close and lock the gates...)

Anyhow.
It's all good.

And I saw a pretty little flower!

I cut around the front of our fence and this little
beauty was growing there.

Hope the rest of the day goes smoothly!