Treats On The Porch

Kristine said the cantaloupe burned her mouth. I have had that happen to me when the cantaloupe was ripe all the way to the rind. The chickens didn't mind it at all, and they had a lot of fun running around with the tomatoes playing keep away. I think the hens like to have their treats on the porch rather than in the pen. They seem to huddle close and eat together on the porch. When they eat in the pen they are more likely to grab stuff and run away with it.

I got the doors ready to prime after I ran the sander over them. I still have some sanding work to do in the kitchen and I need to nail a cabinet in position tomorrow. I cut, sanded, and rounded the edges and corners of a board to cover where the drawers used to be in the front of the island. The cook top took up the space where the drawers used to be, but I had to figure out something to cover the holes.

I thought I would prime and then paint the board first to make sure the paint covers the latex primer. I have had problems with paint not covering some things and then I had another oops to fix. I enjoy painting. The only thing I don't like about painting is having to worry about getting paint on stuff. If I can empty the room first, or push everything into the middle and cover it, then I can have fun and enjoy the painting.

I would like to put some vinyl down on this floor and paint the walls. Something else that needs doing. I think something ate the potatoes I planted, because they are gone. I have to go to the dentist tomorrow and I'm not looking forward to that.

[5 eggs today]

Smiles

~:>

Cool'n Under the Porch

The hens have found a nice cool spot under the porch on the east side of the house. Pretty smart chickens. I wondered where they went off to during the hot part of the day. I spotted the girls leaving their cool spot this evening when I went to make another check for eggs. I bet there are lots of eggs under the house. If so, there must be critters coming around for eggs.

Today I worked in the chicken coop and pen. These are the tall nest boxes. This used to be a bookcase that I found at a flea market. I added the roosts and boards to hold in the straw. Since I would like the hens to lay their eggs in a nest instead of in the dirt I am going to turn this around against the roost area and hope they will lay eggs in a nest.

I love power tools! I took the roosts off and cut away

the chicken wire over the bottom open area

so the hens will have access to the nests.

Then I cut an opening so the hen can get in the bottom nest. Hopefully, the hens will not stop and lay their eggs in the dirt. I spent a long time with a pitchfork and shovel getting chicken poo and dirt cleaned away from under the roosts. And I took the branches away. They didn't work to stop the hens from laying their eggs in the dirt. I hope the girls will be lured into the nests by the comfy straw. Maybe?

Here it is turned facing the roosts. Tomorrow I need to make an opening of some kind so I can reach in the nests and search for eggs. And figure out something to block the light from leaking through that opening. One reason I think the hens are laying their eggs back there in the dirt under the roosts is because it is dark. Well, it was dark. And it is cool back there too. So, I need to block the light. Or not. If the light is on the dirt, that should be a good thing. I need to make the nests dark. Duh.

I hope I can come up with some great ideas tomorrow. Maybe I will even turn the gate in the pen around. Maybe? If I can figure out how I can remove the hooks that the gate hangs on. I'll need to find a really big pliers or wrench or something like that. I would like to be able to get the wheelbarrow in the pen to remove the old chicken stuff and to bring in some new dirt to make a new clean surface for the hens to scratch around on. Taking the chicken poo and dirt out a bucket full at a time is great exercise, but boring. I would much rather use the wheelbarrow.

[9 eggs today]

Smiles

~:>

Chicken Stroll

Here are some of the girls going for their daily late afternoon stroll along the deck. They will end up in the little rock garden for a while and will then advance to the front slider where they will congregate. They group in front of the slider in hopes of kitchen treats. Smart chickens!

So what is with the cleared area around the tree!

I have been going out every day for a while raking leaves off my paths. The chickens have been covering them up with leaves when they scratch looking for stuff. I kept telling Morgan to stop with the squirrel barking thing. It is arf, pause, arf, pause, pause, pause, arf, repeat. Arg! So I went over to see what her problem was. There was a dog behind that tree. She is a herding dog and they are hardwired to stay opposite of me on the other side of whatever is there.

I wonder what Morgan thinks is in the tree?

Squirrels?

Yep! There she is. We played ring a round the rosie. Me trying to get a photo of her and her trying to stay on the other side of the tree from me. This behavior makes it almost impossible for me to shoo the chickens in their coop, because Morgan will stand in the doorway since the chickens are in the middle. It is like a strange game of keep a way.

Kristine picked up a darning foot for me today. I am going to have to call the store again tomorrow because I have a bad feeling that it might be the wrong foot. But then again I am the one who couldn't find the feed dog button, so maybe with some better directions than those on the back of the package I will be able to figure out how to put it on the machine. We'll see...

[9 eggs so far today]

It has been hot so egg production slows down.

Smiles

~:>

Snow and Decks and Porches

Today, as you can see in the photo below, there are patches of ground showing where the sunlight can reach. As I sit here typing I can hear the sound of snow sliding off the roof and hitting the deck.

Speaking of "deck" I have a story to tell. When I was putting this blog together, I was stumped for a name. In my first post I told how my daughter yelled, "the chickens are on the deck," and I thought, ah, ha, there is my blog name.

I was raised in the olden days when decks were on the high seas and people had porches, so when I went to type "deck" somehow, my fingers typed porch... and that was that. It was too complicated for me, a brand new blogger to figure out how to change my URL, so my blog became chickens on the porch.

And now that we need a new deck, I have been wondering about the differences between decks and porches. I remember porches with swings, railings and overhangs/roofs. Friendly porches vs large flat decks. I'm going to have to check them out. I would really rather have a porch. I'll post about that someday.

The snow is melting

with a forecast of rain tomorrow.

Will there be more snow?

Yes, I do believe we may have more snow

because there are a few stray flakes coming down.

More snow?

A white store bought extra large grade AA egg.

One of our hen's eggs.

And a small Cochin egg.

Don't know why she lays such small eggs.

Must be a Cochin thing?

Time for bed.

Some of the girls hurry to roost.

To get the best places?

And some of the girls stop for a bedtime snack

before retiring for the night.

"Sashiko and Other Stitching,"

is one of the blogs I check everyday. 

Today, here

she posted some wonderful Japanese quilts.

I especially like the last one.

It has chickens!!!

And there is even a quilt with my tree idea.

My idea is in excellent company.

"Yamagata" are, I think, quilts made by the

Peaceful Heart Quilt Group

I'm still trying to come up with a quilt design for my Japanese fabric.

And I'm realizing that most of the problem is trying to come up with something to please someone else. (even though she says do what ever you want) If I was making the quilt for myself, I would be much more at ease and free with my ideas. OK! How about I make two quilts. One for me and one for my daughter. I'll make the first one for me. Let's see if that decision kick starts my brain or sets it free or something like.

My sore throat feels much better today

but I'm still taking it easy.

Smiles