New Chicks!

Our chicks finally hatched!  It took 21 days, but the chicks are out and running around.  Only two out of six eggs  hatched, so I got four more chicks from the farm and put them under her.  She has taken to all of them, except the smallest.  That one is named Cookie, and is younger than the rest.  Cookie runs around behind all the other chicks trying to keep up.  The mama will tolerate Cookie to sit under her to keep warm, so we don't need the heat lamp.  They are out foraging in the yard and digging for grubs. The mama digs up dirt and shows them how to get food.  They are really cute and we are having a great time watching them and playing with them.

Goats!

My sister Tanara is living the dream life in an old farmhouse on a 7 acre apple orchard in Winthrop, WA.  She recently got some baby goats, and calls frequently to give updates on the babies.  I haven't met them yet, but the goats seem to have great personalities.  She says that they are like dogs in that they follow you around and want to be near their people.

Since I can't have goats here in the city where I live, I have to live vicariously through her pictures and updates.

 This is her son, Hawke bottle feeding his goat.

Tanara's husband Zach bottle feeding his goat.

More bottle feeding:

Ear nibbles!

A boy and his goat

It all looks like a lot of fun to me.  Also, it looks like a lot of work.  I think that I need to make plans to go visit them this summer while the goats are still babies.  

Squash and Zucchini

I got to planting 3 Zucchini's and a Carnival Squash (from the Proctor Farmer's Market) yesterday amidst intermittent sprinkles.  We will be full of squash this year!  I ended up planting them in the ground, rather than in pots as I had originally planned. They are right outside the chicken yard and the chickens were eying them greedily.  I sectioned off the squash plants and I might let the chickens in there to eat the weeds, if I can keep them from eating the crops.   That requires standing there and watching them so we will have to see if time permits.

I would like to grow pumpkins but I am not sure about this, because they take up so much room.  They are fun to grow, but I need to find a place for them to run.  I have always wanted to grow one of the giant varieties that you see at the fair, but I really don't have room for that!