Saturday 12 November 2011

My Hobby Farm

My house.
My friend, Chris, took this picture from an airplane!  Very cool, hey!  This is where all the hobby farming takes place!

Around the yard during Fall.

Silkie trying to hide from me.

As I mentioned earlier, Mitchell, my nephew, just showed me how to transfer photos from my camera to the computer!!!  Was doing it on the old laptop before, but that one is broken now.  Anyway, here are some photos I took a week ago when I was out farting around the yard.

The silkie tried to run away from me.  Not very photogenic at all--not like Rodney!

Below, they were hiding under a shrub next to the house.  They are like archeologists, the way they have the ground scratched up!
Let them out for a while, and they hide under the bushes.


Added some hay from the hen house, to the middle garden.

Rod is such a poser!

Just hanging out around the back yard.

Burning excess wood scraps (and secret documents).

Enjoying freedom.

Introducing.......for the second time........Rodney!

My beautiful cockerel, Rodney
This is Rodney, everyone.  Graham must be a chicken whisperer, because when we first got Rodney as a chick, we didn't know if he was a he, or a she! Graham would pick the chicks up, cuddle them, talk to them, and he took a liking to this one and called him Rodney.  I don't know much about roosters, but this one, to me, is a real show bird.  His colours are so vibrant and healthy looking.  His claws are very healthy-looking and perfect too.  He IS a rooster though, and wild with the women!

I just learned how to transfer photos from my camera to the Mac, thanks to my tech-savvy nephew, Mitchell! So, I will go mad now taking pictures and posting them.  Like the molting hens, I am through with my dry spell, grew some new feathers, and I am back in business, posting on my blog.

Yes! We have Eggs!!

I am happy to report that the hens are now laying.  Whew!  I was really getting worried. Started with two a day, then three, then four, and now, I get about six a day, out of 8 layers.  The young Ameraucana is laying because I sometimes get two blue eggs a day! The other Ameraucana, as you know, is a rooster, and what a gorgeous rooster he is.  He's a bit wild though!  He was "on" one of the hens today, as a matter of fact, and I thought he was just doing his rooster duties, but he started plucking feathers out of the hen!  I was horrified.

The Silkies, I am not sure are laying yet.  Their eggs were supposed to be beige, I thought, but I will have to do more research on that.  They are very timid birds.  I read that they were more cuddly and good pets to have, but my two, I can't look at them the wrong way and they are gone like a shot!  I suppose the two roosters in the pen have their nerves shot!

Anyway, just glad I am getting eggs again.  I have been opening the pen gate and letting them free-range all over the yard so maybe they are repaying me!  When I go outside, they come running at me just like a bunch of velociraptors in the Jurassic Park movie!  You'd swear I never fed them ever! I think they are enjoying their bit of freedom though, before the winter comes and they are hen-house-bound.

Stay tuned. Going to winterize the henhouse a bit more before too long.