Cluck, cluck

I am going to have more babies.

2 little girls actually & I am so excited. I am already daydreaming about potential names.

I really didn't think that Duane would ever agree, but he is busy making room for our new arrivals. He seems more excited about it than I am, which is strange because he has been dead against it for ages. Today he wandered around, trying to work out in his head what had to be prepared for the big day. He measured & sketched out plans, trying to use all our space wisely. After a while he sat back and declared that he had a plan, everyone was going to fit in and have a comfy bed.











Yep....we are getting chooks! Not sure when, it all depends on when we can have their little house built.

I have been nagging for ages to get them, I dream about going out in the yard with the kids and collecting our own eggs that have been lovingly layed by our pampered hens. I have fond memories of feeding Nan's chooks, and always getting so excited when I found an egg. We'd then take them inside and Nan would soft boil our 'googey eggs' for breakfast. Pop would always finish his off then flip the eggshells upside down and put them back into the egg cup, then give them to us kids to eat. We'd go to crack the top then realise that it was already empty. He did this for so many years and I remember just pretending I didn't know what was happening, then always putting on a big surprised face.

Apart from the obvious bonus of nice, fresh eggs, I actually think that they will make great pets for the kids. Now I don't expect that they will be the touchy, feely kind that sleep on you lap, but they will be good for the kids to watch and also help feed, clean etc.

We are going to build a coop and run for them out the side of our house. It is an area that we don't use, so it won't be missed. The added bonus is that it will be right outside the kids playroom window, so they will have a good view of them even from inside. Duane has already dug holes and put 3 posts in for one of the fences. He bought some cement today, so tomorrow will be spent cementing them in. Then we just have to fence the other side and organise the coup.

I plan on keeping them in the run for the majority of the time and just see how the dogs react to them. I'll let them have an hour or so in the afternoon to fossick around the front yard. Good way to aerate the lawn and to also get rid of weeds.

The dogs have both been around chicken before and haven't really shown an interest. They do have a love/hate relationship with a magpie that visits daily though. The smart thing stands on the other side of the fence, strutting around the yard & flying up to sit on the fence. It drives the dogs nuts, but if the chickens don't fly I am sure that the dogs will be fine.

Also, as if getting chickens wasn't a big enough win for me, Duane has also given the go ahead for a huge vegie patch. It'll go beside the chicken run and will be big enough to have everything in it I want. I had a vegie patch before that I got lots out of, but then I grew some stuff in pots and it just didn't work. So not only are we going to have free-range (well kinda) eggs but also home grown vegies!

Now to have Duane not only agree, but be excited about these 2 things is H.U.G.E. He has never been interested in growing vegies, or trying to be more self sufficient. He has never shown any interest in fixing or improving things on the house, most things get initiated by me. So for him to actually show enthusiasm for this venture AND to start digging holes etc makes me so happy. Finally I feel like we are on the same page in regards to our home. I have been thinking for a while now how I would love to buy acreage, so I could do this and that. Unless we sold both houses and I started working it just wouldn't be possible though, but I am ok now knowing that most things I wanted (chooks & big vegie garden) we can have here.

I can't wait to get some happy hen's in and to start collecting some yummy eggs!