scrambled eggs???

the coop at our old house, the fences removed. the girls were accidentally let out of the coop on the morning of the big move. so we had us a little chicken chasin' party to get them all back in the coop. what a fiasco!

the coop being loaded onto the trailer after the the stilts had been cut and the skis attached.

successfully loaded onto the trailer

the chickens takin' a joy ride! LOL!

the coop in its new, temporary location .

and i am happy to report that there was no noticeable decline in the egg count.

everyday gift: adventures in moving

wordless wednesday

everyday gift: a wake-up call

thank you, chickens!

oh, i love these colors! i think i will take these eggs to the hardware store, have them mix up some paint to match, and redecorate my kitchen...no, really.

i. am. serious.

everyday gift: pale shades of blue, green, and tawny eggs

first blue egg!

we found our first blue egg this afternoon laid by one of our araucana chickens, the easter egg layers. well, mom. i guess all you had to do is ask!

eggs in my basket

one of the most rewarding projects since moving to our little farm has been to raise our own flock of laying hens. i was not prepared for how incredibly wonderful farm fresh eggs really are! i always thought an egg was an egg. not true! our fresh eggs are so rich and thick, the yolk is a brilliant yellow. they also make my baked goods so much better.

this is our chicken coop which i call the "taj mahal"! when mark agreed to build me a coop, i think he had something else in mind. the plans i choose ended up being quite costly and involved, but it is really nice with a separate feed storage room, a door to the nesting boxes, windows, side flaps that open for easy cleaning, and of course, a window box, that was my idea. ;o)

this is part of our little flock consisting of 5 old layers, and about 25 new chicks. i love seeing a lot of color out in the yard so we always keep a variety of chickens: rhode island reds, plymouth barred rocks, buff, white, and partridge rocks, silver-laced wyandotes, and araucanas.

nesting boxes with fresh straw


we are beginning to find a few small eggs in the nesting boxes, about 2/3's the size of our regular eggs, so we knew they were from our new spring chicks...but which ones? B solved the mystery when she came in yesterday holding the still warm egg against her cheek. she had witnessed it being laid by one of the silver-laced wyandotes!

one of our faithful layers, showing the chicks how it's done

silver-laced wyandote

oh, look at the beautiful feathers!

everyday gift: eggs in my basket

around the farm

B balancing on the edge of my raised vegetable beds.

potato blossoms

i am growing potatoes for the first time this year. i can't wait to harvest them and give them it a try. it will be like digging for buried treasure!

mark captured this beautiful dragonfly with the camera the other day.

we have had so much fun watching the baby ground squirrels this year. there are at least 4, but it is hard to count them when they are popping in and out of holes around my gardens! S snapped this picture of one of the little guys munching a seed in my herb garden.

our feisty rooster...i don't remember ordering him, i think he was a wild card thrown in with our order from the hatchery this spring. anyway, he is beautiful and quite entertaining.

an old faithful layer!

everyday gift: simple pleasures around the farm

jeepers creepers...

where'd you get them peepers...

a few sundays ago we were dashing out the door to go church, when we got "the call." it was the post office distribution center, "ummm, we have your...ummm, package here and it's...peeping."

so after a quick change of clothes, i was off to pick up our new babies. the hatchery ships them within 24 hours of hatching and we need to pick them up from the post office ASAP to get them under their warming lights. i rang the bell at the back door of the warehouse and waited for the worker to bring my package out, 48 fuzz balls in one box!

already the feathers are replacing the fluff. they are trying out their wings and learning to roost. those chicks are eating us out of house and home but in just a few months they'll be earning their keep and giving us wonderfully fresh eggs!

this year our coop will be filled with:

rhode island reds

white rocks

partridge rocks

silver laced wyandottes

and araucanas (the easter egg chicken laying pastel colored eggs!)

everyday gift: peeping chicks!