Hard to believe it, but my 3rd trimester in the Great Baby-making Production, the Sequel, is already here. And boy howdy, is it ever. If I say that the world trembles at my approach, I'm sadly NOT being metaphorical. Back-to-back pregnancies are definitely not kind to the figure. I can only try to resist that bag of M&M's in the vending machine downstairs (you know you want 'em!) and pray that I bounce back from this as quickly as I did the first time. There is some comfort in coming back from the hospital weighing 20 pounds less than you did 2 days before.
So, with the birth of baby # 2 looming and my nesting impulses firing like mad, I've been working on a lot of projects as part of my whole "waste not, want not" campaign, and I'm hoping to develope some things that I can add to my Etsy repertoire when I finally get my site back up and running. This week, I learned how to make rag rugs - so ridiculously simple, and so many applications!- and dish soap from scraps of bar soap and lemon juice. I've also been working like crazy on making my own kitchen dish scrubbies from crocheted hemp twine, which I have left over in abundance since I outgrew the hemp jewelry phase. I think they came out pretty nice, and when I can find my camera cable, I'll post a picture.
This past month, I also took my first stab at pressure canning. Nothing exploded, so I'm calling it a success. We now have 18 jars of stewed tomatoes and 9 jars of green beans in the pantry. I'm hoping to get a chance to do some more soon. I'd really like to try pickles, though I'm doubtful that I could ever top the tasty deliciousness of Claussen Koshers. I love those things, pregnant or not.
I don't know that I actually saved a lot of money by canning this time around (I bought the green beans from the farm market) but it was definitely good learning experience. And now that I know how to use the pressure canner, nothing can stop me.
Next on my list to accomplish - homemade bread, the rag rugs I mentioned earlier, and crocheted cotton kitchen towels. I'd also like to play around with soap flakes and essential oils to see if I can make a scented soap concentrate that I could sell in dry form (to save on shipping). A 'just add water' kind of thing. I might have to learn how to make my own bar soap for it. Oh darn. AND - I still need to find a good, cheap, sulfate-free shampoo.
Oh, and also reusable food storage bags. I haven't had a chance to research yet, but I'm going to start looking for a waterproof, washable, food-safe fabric that I can make bags out of that can be washed and reused. I hate throwing out plastic bags all the time. Such a waste.
(Though now that I think about it, could you run the higher grade plastic bags (like ziploc or something) thru the washer and reuse them? How long would they last? or would they just fall apart? I may have to test this.)
In the end I hope to come up with enough cute, creative and thrifty products that I can make at home and sell to other people who are interested in that sort of thing, but maybe don't have the time or resources to make them on their own. Maybe it's all just one of my crazy Ideas that will end up not amounting to much. But it sure is fun to try, and I'm learning so much about being self-sufficient in the process, so it's a win any way you look at it.
Note: since I posted this, oh... 2 hours ago? I've found the answer to my plastic bag material question, and it is (drumroll please): ripstop nylon! I'm definitely not the first to realize that plastic storage bags are a total waste. These things are all over Etsy. Now, to get some fabric (it's surprisingly not that expensive) and make me some food storage bags!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
simplifying life
So. After spending a week this summer at camp in a beautiful hand-built cabin, researching Mennonites after discovering the farm market , and finding out we're having another girl in November (hooray!), I've been doing a lot of thinking about the farm and ways to save money and live cheaply (and maybe even make a little money, too).
When we first moved to the farm, we were fresh out of a rental that had been brand new when we moved in, and for a while I really wanted that newness back. I wanted to drop a fortune on a custom kitchen, new bathrooms, wood floors, etc. But the reality is that we don't have that fortune, and aren't going to any time soon. Somewhere along the way, living in the house with it's ramshackle kitchen cabinets, crappy paint and dirty carpet, all of which are still functional, if not asthetically ideal, I've experienced a shift in the way I look at things. Sure, the cabinets suck, and I don't think they're attractive, but they get the job done. Paint is an easy fix, it just takes a little time. The carpet, well, there's no saving the carpet, but rather than going with laminate flooring that looks like wood, we've decided to use real wood boards. Not the kind you buy at Lowes with it's pre-fabbed Brazilian cherry or whatever, but pine that we can get from a sawmill locally, for dirt cheap. It's not really meant for floors, but we saw it used in the cabins at camp, and it looks and feels earthy and natural and homey. I love it.
As far as the kitchen goes, I do want to redo it, but not with manufactured cabinets, with cabinets we build ourselves out of real wood. And maybe the kitchen won't look perfect, but it will be ours.
So, now I've started this whole "waste not, want not" campaign at home, saving fabric from old clothes, pickle and baby food jars, tin cans, and trying to figure out nifty things I can do with them. Just yesterday I discovered the log cabin quilt block pattern, and I'm addicted. And I'm also wanting to learn how to make rag rugs and other things instead of throwing scrap fabric away. With the jars I think I'm going to try making little hanging lanterns with beads and wire. And with the cans, I'm thinking pierced tin lanterns, pencil holders, or whatever. I'm also scheming a way to turn all of Davey's empty beer cans into tin tiles to redo the backsplash in my kitchen. Sounds crazy, I know. But just crazy enough that it might be totally awesome. AND, who knows, maybe I'll come up with some stuff that's cool enough to sell and make some extra income. Hey, it could happen.
Also on my list now are angora rabbits and cashmere goats, so I can spin my own yarn and dye it with vegetables from my garden. Not to mention the extra meat, milk, and animals to sell. (Hello, goat cheese!)
Some of this sounds crazy, I know. Maybe to some people this doesn't sound like simplifying.
But I don't care. I'm ready to live a different kind of life, and we have this amazing place and all these resources. It just seems wrong not to use them. So, all we can do is try, and we'll see how this turns out!
When we first moved to the farm, we were fresh out of a rental that had been brand new when we moved in, and for a while I really wanted that newness back. I wanted to drop a fortune on a custom kitchen, new bathrooms, wood floors, etc. But the reality is that we don't have that fortune, and aren't going to any time soon. Somewhere along the way, living in the house with it's ramshackle kitchen cabinets, crappy paint and dirty carpet, all of which are still functional, if not asthetically ideal, I've experienced a shift in the way I look at things. Sure, the cabinets suck, and I don't think they're attractive, but they get the job done. Paint is an easy fix, it just takes a little time. The carpet, well, there's no saving the carpet, but rather than going with laminate flooring that looks like wood, we've decided to use real wood boards. Not the kind you buy at Lowes with it's pre-fabbed Brazilian cherry or whatever, but pine that we can get from a sawmill locally, for dirt cheap. It's not really meant for floors, but we saw it used in the cabins at camp, and it looks and feels earthy and natural and homey. I love it.
As far as the kitchen goes, I do want to redo it, but not with manufactured cabinets, with cabinets we build ourselves out of real wood. And maybe the kitchen won't look perfect, but it will be ours.
When it comes to food - we're going to try to grow as much of it as we can, and what we can't grow ourselves, we're trying to buy locally. We've got the land. It's time to use it.
When we need a new bookshelf, why not build it? I read in Countryside magazine about a guy who was doing amazing stuff with wood pallets he got for free- taking them apart and making outbuildings and shelves. Why can't we do that? So much better than buying a piece of particle-board crap at the store. Why have I never done this before?!
So, now I've started this whole "waste not, want not" campaign at home, saving fabric from old clothes, pickle and baby food jars, tin cans, and trying to figure out nifty things I can do with them. Just yesterday I discovered the log cabin quilt block pattern, and I'm addicted. And I'm also wanting to learn how to make rag rugs and other things instead of throwing scrap fabric away. With the jars I think I'm going to try making little hanging lanterns with beads and wire. And with the cans, I'm thinking pierced tin lanterns, pencil holders, or whatever. I'm also scheming a way to turn all of Davey's empty beer cans into tin tiles to redo the backsplash in my kitchen. Sounds crazy, I know. But just crazy enough that it might be totally awesome. AND, who knows, maybe I'll come up with some stuff that's cool enough to sell and make some extra income. Hey, it could happen.
Also on my list now are angora rabbits and cashmere goats, so I can spin my own yarn and dye it with vegetables from my garden. Not to mention the extra meat, milk, and animals to sell. (Hello, goat cheese!)
Some of this sounds crazy, I know. Maybe to some people this doesn't sound like simplifying.
But I don't care. I'm ready to live a different kind of life, and we have this amazing place and all these resources. It just seems wrong not to use them. So, all we can do is try, and we'll see how this turns out!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
less chemicals = healthier hair. who knew?!
I'm one of those people for whom clean hair is a really Big Deal. As a teenager wallowing in the throes of puberty, my hair was super-oily and I could just never get it clean enough. At one point, I was washing it with dish soap (!) to get it clean and non-greasy feeling. (oh yeah. I was that girl. The one with the stringy hair). Anywho.. over the years I've had a love/hate relationship with my hair, trying to keep it feeling clean and product-free (well, except for that short affair with hairspray and huge bangs in the 7th grade...) and healthy. I always, ALWAYS had split ends. Baaad ones. Trimming my split ends just meant that my hair got shorter and shorter every month. Seriously. It was ridiculous. Then came pregnancy and the birth of my darling daughter. For all the while I was pregnant, my hair was relatively thick and healthy, thought I still had mad split ends, but then came the post-pregnancy hormone crash (and the ensuing whoopsie, I'm pregnant again! hormone rush) and literally, my hair was falling out. And I was freaking out. Seriously. Bald patches. I'm not even kidding.
I remembered once a long time ago that a guy friend told me that certain chemicals in shampoos actually caused hair loss, so I decided to do a little research. What I found was that the main ingredient in most shampoos (sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate) is actually really bad for your hair and causes split ends, and can cause hair loss. So I went in search of a shampoo that didn't have any of that nastiness in it. I ended up trying Burt's Bees, because, well, I'm a huge sucker for those bees, and because the price was actually less than I was paying for my 10-11.00 shampoo and conditioner that was wreaking havoc on my hair. I noticed a difference almost immediately. It doesn't foam up as much as regular shampoo, but my hair is clean and smells nice, and I haven't had a split end in months. AND, I stopped having handfuls of hair come out every time I washed! Hallelujah!
Sadly, my beloved Burts and most other natural-ish shampoos are hella expensive, and what with our upcoming economic downturn (aka me staying home to be a mommee) I'm going to need to come up with some way to get clean and healthy hair that doesn't cost me 30 bucks a month. I know of one friend who washes her hair with baking soda and vinegar, with great results, she says, but I'm just not ready to go that hippie... yet. So, off to research ways to make my own shampoo. Anyone got any suggestions?
I remembered once a long time ago that a guy friend told me that certain chemicals in shampoos actually caused hair loss, so I decided to do a little research. What I found was that the main ingredient in most shampoos (sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate) is actually really bad for your hair and causes split ends, and can cause hair loss. So I went in search of a shampoo that didn't have any of that nastiness in it. I ended up trying Burt's Bees, because, well, I'm a huge sucker for those bees, and because the price was actually less than I was paying for my 10-11.00 shampoo and conditioner that was wreaking havoc on my hair. I noticed a difference almost immediately. It doesn't foam up as much as regular shampoo, but my hair is clean and smells nice, and I haven't had a split end in months. AND, I stopped having handfuls of hair come out every time I washed! Hallelujah!
Sadly, my beloved Burts and most other natural-ish shampoos are hella expensive, and what with our upcoming economic downturn (aka me staying home to be a mommee) I'm going to need to come up with some way to get clean and healthy hair that doesn't cost me 30 bucks a month. I know of one friend who washes her hair with baking soda and vinegar, with great results, she says, but I'm just not ready to go that hippie... yet. So, off to research ways to make my own shampoo. Anyone got any suggestions?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A trip to the Delano Farm Market
Last Sunday for the 4th, Davey and I were feeling a wee bit on the lazy side (we had celebrated his 30th birthday the day before with good food (STEAK!) and lots of good friends) so we decided it was a good day for a drive. We'd been meaning to get out and do some exploring of the area, to get more familiar with what's nearby, so we struck out towards Benton and the Ocoee river to see what we could see.
A few weeks ago at camp we tubed the Hiawassee (well, some of us tubed. I mostly got stuck on rocks in a raft. But it was still fun!) and I caught sight of something I had been wanting to check out ever since: a sign for the Delano Farm Market. I love me some farmer's markets and this was 15 minute from the house, so definitely worth checking out. DEFINITELY. When we turned at the sign, the very first thing I noticed was a road sign warning of horse and buggy crossings. What the hey? Turns out this little portion of Tennessee is Mennonite country, and the farm market is run by the Mennonites, selling the produce from their farm. The Farm market was closed on Sunday (naturally), so we decided to come back the next day (hooray for 3 day weekends!) and check it out.
This place has got to be one of the best farm markets I've ever been to. The produce is FRESH - as in, they just literally picked the crops, loaded the wagon and drove them up here 10 minutes ago kind of fresh. From the parking lot, the farm spreads out in this gorgeous panorama, and it's fascinating to watch all the horse drawn wagons and buggies go by as the Mennonites go about their daily business. It's so serene and simple. Davey and I just sat there and watched them working in their fields for about 20 minutes. But then it was time to get down to the business of shopping (heck yeah, baby). The market has about 8 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, and the same for chiles and peppers. Tomatoes run 1.25 lb, bell peppers were .75 each, and the hot chiles were all 3 for a dollar. Cabbage was .40/lb, and some of the cabbages were bigger around than my head. They had red and white potatoes (8 lb basket for 4.00), all sorts of melons (which made me cry because the smell was divine and I couldn't have ANY!), eggplant, beets, beans, okra, squash, zuchinni, onions, garlic, sweet corn (3.50 a dozen), plums, peaches, and a few quarts of blackberries. I read in an article I found online that they have amazing strawberries in the spring (though I'm pretty happy with what we got from the Mayfield farm), but of course, those are out of season now. They also sell sorghum (no honey though, bummer), jams, jellies, soaps, etc.
I was also excited to see that they sell seeds that they have saved from the crops they grow - which means that they're local and proven for our area. I'll be trying those out next year.
I managed to get out of the market with only a sampling of some tomato varieties to try (since Davey and I have never really eaten anything but your status quo red tomato from the grocery store), potatoes and a few huge bell peppers. I plan on going back next week with a lot more spending money and pretty much going crazy up in there. Yeah.
If you want to visit the Delano Farm Market - take Highway 411 S past Etowah to Delano Rd. You'll see a sign for the Farm Market on your right. Turn at the sign and then turn right again on Needle Eye Ln. There's a one lane underpass at the train tracks, so watch for oncoming cars (or buggies!). The farm market is just on the other side of the tracks. They're open M -S 9am to 4pm, and only take cash. Also, they ask that people (women especially) dress respectfully. Mostly they don't want to see your boobs. Fair enough, I think.
Oh, and just a heads up: there is no electricity and so no air conditioning. And not a lot of deodorant-wearing. By either the Mennonites or a lot of their hippie-ish patrons. Just sayin'.
A few weeks ago at camp we tubed the Hiawassee (well, some of us tubed. I mostly got stuck on rocks in a raft. But it was still fun!) and I caught sight of something I had been wanting to check out ever since: a sign for the Delano Farm Market. I love me some farmer's markets and this was 15 minute from the house, so definitely worth checking out. DEFINITELY. When we turned at the sign, the very first thing I noticed was a road sign warning of horse and buggy crossings. What the hey? Turns out this little portion of Tennessee is Mennonite country, and the farm market is run by the Mennonites, selling the produce from their farm. The Farm market was closed on Sunday (naturally), so we decided to come back the next day (hooray for 3 day weekends!) and check it out.
This place has got to be one of the best farm markets I've ever been to. The produce is FRESH - as in, they just literally picked the crops, loaded the wagon and drove them up here 10 minutes ago kind of fresh. From the parking lot, the farm spreads out in this gorgeous panorama, and it's fascinating to watch all the horse drawn wagons and buggies go by as the Mennonites go about their daily business. It's so serene and simple. Davey and I just sat there and watched them working in their fields for about 20 minutes. But then it was time to get down to the business of shopping (heck yeah, baby). The market has about 8 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, and the same for chiles and peppers. Tomatoes run 1.25 lb, bell peppers were .75 each, and the hot chiles were all 3 for a dollar. Cabbage was .40/lb, and some of the cabbages were bigger around than my head. They had red and white potatoes (8 lb basket for 4.00), all sorts of melons (which made me cry because the smell was divine and I couldn't have ANY!), eggplant, beets, beans, okra, squash, zuchinni, onions, garlic, sweet corn (3.50 a dozen), plums, peaches, and a few quarts of blackberries. I read in an article I found online that they have amazing strawberries in the spring (though I'm pretty happy with what we got from the Mayfield farm), but of course, those are out of season now. They also sell sorghum (no honey though, bummer), jams, jellies, soaps, etc.
I was also excited to see that they sell seeds that they have saved from the crops they grow - which means that they're local and proven for our area. I'll be trying those out next year.
I managed to get out of the market with only a sampling of some tomato varieties to try (since Davey and I have never really eaten anything but your status quo red tomato from the grocery store), potatoes and a few huge bell peppers. I plan on going back next week with a lot more spending money and pretty much going crazy up in there. Yeah.
If you want to visit the Delano Farm Market - take Highway 411 S past Etowah to Delano Rd. You'll see a sign for the Farm Market on your right. Turn at the sign and then turn right again on Needle Eye Ln. There's a one lane underpass at the train tracks, so watch for oncoming cars (or buggies!). The farm market is just on the other side of the tracks. They're open M -S 9am to 4pm, and only take cash. Also, they ask that people (women especially) dress respectfully. Mostly they don't want to see your boobs. Fair enough, I think.
Oh, and just a heads up: there is no electricity and so no air conditioning. And not a lot of deodorant-wearing. By either the Mennonites or a lot of their hippie-ish patrons. Just sayin'.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
farm life
So I just looked at my blog and realized that my last post was in April, and this is freakin' JUNE already. And it's not like I can use pregnancy as an excuse, because the truth is that I've felt pretty awesome this time around. Which is nice for a change. No, I don't miss puking my brains out. Thanks.
Of course, all that means that I'm actually able to get out and DO stuff again, like work in my garden, which is lookin' totally sweet right now, if I do say so myself (which I do, so there.). Only problem is there's these pesky green caterpillars raining death and destruction on my greens. Collards - gone. Turnips - nothing but stems. Now they've moved on to my kale, and I'm not too happy about it. I'm trying to do this garden all organic-like and stuff, but I'm really not sure what to do about these caterpillars. So far I've just been pulling them off by hand and feeding them to the chickens. Fun times.
Speaking of the chickens, we should start getting some eggs here soon. I can't wait to cook my first saturday breakfast using our very own eggs. Awesomeness. I also got me some fancy new chickens that lay blue eggs (or will, when they get big enough). Call me a dork, but I find that totally exciting.
So, life on the farm is good. We're slowly trying to accumulate more understanding about things we all should know already, like how to grow our own vegetables, and how to be less consumer-driven. Hopefully all of this will be a big help when I quit work in the fall, because we're gonna have to start cutting back on our spending in a major way. Self-imposed "poverty." Yeah, baby, yeah!
Of course, all that means that I'm actually able to get out and DO stuff again, like work in my garden, which is lookin' totally sweet right now, if I do say so myself (which I do, so there.). Only problem is there's these pesky green caterpillars raining death and destruction on my greens. Collards - gone. Turnips - nothing but stems. Now they've moved on to my kale, and I'm not too happy about it. I'm trying to do this garden all organic-like and stuff, but I'm really not sure what to do about these caterpillars. So far I've just been pulling them off by hand and feeding them to the chickens. Fun times.
Speaking of the chickens, we should start getting some eggs here soon. I can't wait to cook my first saturday breakfast using our very own eggs. Awesomeness. I also got me some fancy new chickens that lay blue eggs (or will, when they get big enough). Call me a dork, but I find that totally exciting.
So, life on the farm is good. We're slowly trying to accumulate more understanding about things we all should know already, like how to grow our own vegetables, and how to be less consumer-driven. Hopefully all of this will be a big help when I quit work in the fall, because we're gonna have to start cutting back on our spending in a major way. Self-imposed "poverty." Yeah, baby, yeah!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
big changes on the farm
So this past month has been kinda crazy-like. We went thru about a week and a half where critters were dying on us. First we lost a chick - he figured out he was small enough to hop out of the fenced-in chicken run, and the dogs figured out that he made one tasty little snack. (The dogs also got a lesson in not eating the chickens, one which I hope they learned well.) Then we lost Steak to causes unknown. Just woke up one morning and he was a goner. THEN we lost a duck when they tunneled (totally 'Great Escape' style - I think they had little WWII helmets and everything) out of their enclosure and made their way down to the pond. We were planning to move them to the pond anyway, they just got a wee bit ahead of us, and now there is only one. Still -so cute to watch him? her? paddling around the pond in the morning. I named him Plucky. Plucky is NOT for eating.
But, we learned some lessons in all of this. Like - we need more ducks. Ducks are fun. And chicks are way smarter than we gave them credit for. And one cow cannot possibly keep our front pasture under control alone. We either need another cow, or some goats or llamas or something. For realz.
We also found out this month that there will be a new baby critter added to the farm sometime this winter. Of the human persuasion. Wait. Didn't we just do that? Oh yeah. Here we go again.
So funny how the reaction to this announcement differs from the first one. My parents: "Are you kidding me? What are you going to do?" My brother-in-law (to Davey): "Way to go, dumbass."
Me: "Oh no. Again? All summer? You've GOT to be kidding me." and then to Davey: "This is all your fault!!! I was going to go KAYAKING, dammit!!!"
Seriously, though, it is a good and happy thing, even if it's waaaaaay sooner than I would have planned. I just hope these kids are at least a year apart (I'll find out for sure on May 11th). If this one is born before Punkin's first birthday, that's like whoa of Neo proportions. I just cannot deal.
Now, if I can just stop puking long enough, it's time to get the garden going. I built a couple of small raised beds a few weeks ago before the icky-fest of pregnancy sidelined me. Hopefully this weekend I'll be getting a few things started in them, and getting a few other beds built. Last time gardening and pregnancy totally did not work for me, but I'm hoping that this time will be different, and I won't be sick for 8 or 9 months straight. Hope springs eternal, and all that.
Speaking of - that's what we decided to name the farm- Hope Springs Farm. Hope is kind of a big thing for Davey and me, so it seems like the perfect fit.
But, we learned some lessons in all of this. Like - we need more ducks. Ducks are fun. And chicks are way smarter than we gave them credit for. And one cow cannot possibly keep our front pasture under control alone. We either need another cow, or some goats or llamas or something. For realz.
We also found out this month that there will be a new baby critter added to the farm sometime this winter. Of the human persuasion. Wait. Didn't we just do that? Oh yeah. Here we go again.
So funny how the reaction to this announcement differs from the first one. My parents: "Are you kidding me? What are you going to do?" My brother-in-law (to Davey): "Way to go, dumbass."
Me: "Oh no. Again? All summer? You've GOT to be kidding me." and then to Davey: "This is all your fault!!! I was going to go KAYAKING, dammit!!!"
Seriously, though, it is a good and happy thing, even if it's waaaaaay sooner than I would have planned. I just hope these kids are at least a year apart (I'll find out for sure on May 11th). If this one is born before Punkin's first birthday, that's like whoa of Neo proportions. I just cannot deal.
Now, if I can just stop puking long enough, it's time to get the garden going. I built a couple of small raised beds a few weeks ago before the icky-fest of pregnancy sidelined me. Hopefully this weekend I'll be getting a few things started in them, and getting a few other beds built. Last time gardening and pregnancy totally did not work for me, but I'm hoping that this time will be different, and I won't be sick for 8 or 9 months straight. Hope springs eternal, and all that.
Speaking of - that's what we decided to name the farm- Hope Springs Farm. Hope is kind of a big thing for Davey and me, so it seems like the perfect fit.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
chickenhaaaawk!!!
(I just love me some WDVX in the morning.)
We got our chicks from the co-op last night, and they are so cute! Thirteen pullets (that's girl chicks) and one lonely rooster. Hopefully when he gets bigger he'll protect the ladies from the aforementioned chickenhawks. It just so happens that we have a pair of hawks that have a nest on our land, so we'll have to be extra vigilant. Although, I don't know if they're chickenhawks or not. I figure any hawk would think these little gals would be a tasty snack.
We got our chicks from the co-op last night, and they are so cute! Thirteen pullets (that's girl chicks) and one lonely rooster. Hopefully when he gets bigger he'll protect the ladies from the aforementioned chickenhawks. It just so happens that we have a pair of hawks that have a nest on our land, so we'll have to be extra vigilant. Although, I don't know if they're chickenhawks or not. I figure any hawk would think these little gals would be a tasty snack.
Even at this very young age (3 or 4 days old) they show all the stereotypical characteristics of hens, pecking and clucking (well, more like peeping right now) and then picking up their skirts and running to the corner when they're even the slightest bit scared. So cute to watch.
Right now they are living in our guest bedroom in a brooder box we built out of a plastic bin:
It was pretty simple to make, just cut the top out and then we put a piece of chicken wire on top, secured with craft wire (so I got to practice my rusty wireworking skillz a little) to keep the kitties out and let some fresh air in. Speaking of the cats, they've set up a base camp outside the bedroom door and are currently plotting the best way to get into this strange and magical box with all that tasty goodness inside. Dream on, suckahs.
Once they're big enough and/or the weather is warm enough, we'll move them (the chickens, that is) out to the coop to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, and hopefully start getting their egg laying on.
I still can't believe we have chickens. It's waaaaay crazy. But in a good way.
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