About Me

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I am a 42 year old woman that is about as happy and content as one person can be. My husband of 21 years and our 15 year old daughter live on five and a half acres out in the country. We moved from the city four years ago and never looked back. I homeschool our daughter. We also love our animals. Our daughter has a miniature horse and two rabbits. We also have a border collie, two cats (again), two pot belly pigs, four peafowl, three emus, 2 llamas and an undetermined number of chickens, lets just say ohhh about 200. I have many breeds, from layers to fancy chickens. I love poultry shows, I love fowl in general as I have come to find out through having more than just chickens. Chickens will always be my first love though. I do show some of my birds occasionally.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Thanks and Some Chickens

Thankyou all, so much. For making me feel comfortable and not so embarrassed. Your words mean a lot to me. In this country, these days being overweight is increasingly common, yet it is shunned like you have a disease and must do your best to get rid of it. No one wants to be overweight, its just the way it is. My Mama always says, just think, if we were all alike how boring that would be. So thankyou for allowing be to be me, visually.

So how hot is it? Its sweltering. I need to grow a set of gills to breathe outside. The temperature is 96, but the heat index is 115, and yes, it feels all of 115 to me. If your not in a pool, there is no reason to be outside. Its just brutal.

 

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This is the position most commonly seen during the first hour the chickens are let out. My babies, they are just so happy when I let them out. I am beginning to relax some now and not be so fearful of more attacks. I am not seeing any evidence of any predators left hanging around waiting for a meal since Ian shot that fox.

Our garden is a wash. I dont know what this weed is that you see, but it is prolific and grows like mad. The pigs like it, so I pull a lot of it up and feed it to them every day.

Down in the ground there somewhere are red potatoes. I want Ian to dig them up so we can at least have those. Last year we had such a bounty. I was canning and pickling like mad and had so much to work with. This year it was just not meant to be.

One of my sweet old girls below..they are my first babies I ever raised. She is a speckled sussex. Just hanging out with me while I take pictures. She is six years old now.

 

 

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A couple of weeks ago I took the americauna girls and the big yellow girl out of the grow pen and put them in with the layers. After a week cooped with the established hens and roosters everything has settled down and everyone is getting along better. Hank knows his breed, he is already mating some of these young ladies. They should start laying soon now. Its so hot they may hold off til September. They are very friendly and come right up to me, standing all around me while I took pictures so I sat on the ground with them and spent some time showing them to pluck the grass and eat it. Two of them caught on right away. They are used to being fed only feed, so they have to learn to forage now along with getting feed. Thats what makes the eggs so rich in the yolk.

 

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Caught in mid scratch there...putting her foot down.

I have a couple of pictures of my hibiscus. Two of the plants dont have an open bloom on them today, but here are the two that did. The first one is called a double dip. I have another plant that is a double dip that has red flowers too. The second is a more traditional hibiscus. Here are the flowers.

 

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Good old Hank down below. The white americauna is his best girlfriend. He loves her...too much sometimes.

 

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Chanteclear got a little too close to suit Hank, so he assumes the stance after running at him, warning him to keep his distance from his harem.

 

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More pictures loading...will stop this entry and make another with more pictures this afternoon. Try to stay cool wherever you are. Its not suitable for man or beast out there today.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love the pictures, it looks so green there!

Anonymous said...

Great pictures Kelly. However did you stand it out there in this heat? I went out to feed the birds and could hardly breathe. I hear some distant thunder. I hope some rain gets here. Hugs, Helen

Anonymous said...

Hey there!  Long time no talk LOL  any way, I loved your pictures and seeing your two roosters cohabitate gives me hope that I MAY just MAY be able to keep my blue Orpington.  I am not getting rid of Steele unless he turns REALLY mean and I really don't think that will happen since he is a cochin.  *fingers crossed*  Hank is such a man!  Cute one too!  Love your Ameraucana's

Anonymous said...

I feel like I'm back on the farm...is it time to feed the chickens yet?  Great pictures....thank you so much for sharing your kids with us.  Linda in Washington

Anonymous said...

I wasn't just trying to make you feel better...I mean every word I said.  You are a beautiful person!!!  It's so hot here too.  I can't wait until Fall.  The pictures of your chickens are very good.  I love to watch them scratch around looking for bugs.  My tomatoes are finished too.  They were used to being watered & while we were gone they didn't get watered.  I remember all the canning you did last year.  You had some good looking stuff.  The double dip is beautiful!  I can see rain drops on it.  That's a good picture!!!  Have a good evening.

It's thundering here...I hope we get some much needed rain.  Well I'm off to scrapbooking.

Love ya,
Hollie

Anonymous said...

I just love those chickens, I wish I could have some.  Linda

Anonymous said...

It is so hot here too. Not many hours fit to do anything outside. We are praying for rain from the hurricane but don't wish for anyone to have damage. The weather men can never make up their mind where it will hit. Paula

Anonymous said...

All those pictures remind me when I was a kid. I always had chickens, mostly bantums, but a pretty good mix. I always like it when Pete (the head rooster) and Whitey, his mate has biddies.

BTW, I ran a video of a group called 2nd Generation in my journal and they played "Mountain Dew". Check it out.

Jimmy

Anonymous said...

You really take good pictures. They are all pretty. Have a great week and don't work too hard. Janie

Anonymous said...

Kelly I love the pictures of your babies ~ glad you havn't seen anymore predators  about ~ and your flowers are beautiful ~ Hope the weather cools down for you that heat must be horrendous ~ Ally x

Anonymous said...

Hi there. Thought I would take a few minutes to stop by & see how you and things are going. I like you're picture. You look much younger. I am Fair, Fat & in my Fiftites....LOL all the things that make a woman a canidate for gall bladder surgery, but I had that done at 26 when I weighed 12o. LOL i've read a lot of your entries. You have so much going on. I don't know how you di it all in that heat & humidity. You birds are beautiful and I love the Emus. Made me think back of the 60s when I was staying with my grandparents on their farn and I "got" to gather eggs out of a little wooden chicken coop. Talk about a nightmare for and 8 - 10 yr old who didn't LIVE on a  farm. LOLOL  I have plenty to write aout so I  feel an entry coning on soon. Take care  and try to stay cool. Always, Barb

Anonymous said...

Chickens all look so cool. Like the new photo you added to the sidebar. Like you, I hate pictures of me.....those days of 110 lbs will never be seen again! I call it, HEALTHY....

I agree with you. I never stop moving, I rarely eat, and I lost NO weight. GO figure? Maybe it's my thyroid......ah, wel~

Hope you are having a great day and trying to stay cool. I remember all those days in Hotlanta

Angel

Anonymous said...

People can be very cruel but Kelly you have nothing to be embarrassed about, don't even talk that way!  I love the pics, I never get tired of seeing your gang and Hank is so cool!  They all look so happy & content to be out running free and foraging for goodies.  Our 6 day heatwave should break today or tomorrow, I don't know, they keep changing it.  Maybe they are just trying to make us believe it feels better. LOL  Stay cool & keep all the "kids" happy!
xxx
Lisa

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