Wonky Toes

Dolly with her SUPER stylish brace

We noticed that Dolly had crooked toes. They weren't bothering her but you can't take a chicken with crooked toes to the fair. After some research, we learned how to make her little "chicken shoes" to fix them. We formed a pipe cleaner to fit her feet then wrapped her toes with medical tape into the correct position. We choose a yellow pipe cleaner because the other chicks would peck at them if they stood out. We will probably keep them on for about a week before we check her toes again. Check back next week for Dolly's update!

Chicks!

Mambo

Bonnie

Sunny

Yesterday we went to Orscheln and got some new chicks! We got three Black Australorps and three California Whites. 

We are hoping we will be able to show them in the Johnson County  4-H fair as pens of three.

Pip

California Whites are white egg layers and is also the breed that Poppy was.  They will grow to have black flecks.  

We chose Black Australorps because they are excellent layers and we don't have any yet.  When they are mature, they are black with a greenish sheen. Very stylish! Both breeds are cold-hardy,  very good egg producers and great additions to our flock.

Come over and meet them sometime. They are peepin' up a storm!

Frannie

Dolly

FIRE!!!!!!!!

While we were getting our haircut Thursday morning we got a phone call from dad; he said there was a problem with the fire at home. Dad had been burning some trees when the wind blew the flames. We raced home to see that there were about five fire trucks.  Luckily it was just the prairie burning, not the barn! Everyone was fine just a little tired, except dad, who was just a little scorched. Luckily, it only burned about half an acre. Thanks Tiffin and Oxford fire departments!

Fire trucks tend to fire

We're famous!

Check out who was on the front page yesterday! 

Here is the link:

 http://www.dailyiowan.com/2012/03/07/Metro/27369.html

A Natalie Original!

Our Mom bought this fabric at the Dreaming Bear in Marion last fall. She cut out the fabric to make a skirt. It laid there for months until Natalie got her hands on it...
TA DA!!! An apron! Johnson county fair- here she comes!

February Farm News

Zelda

Ivy

Last week we went to the vet for Zelda, Ivy and Hugo to get spayed and neutered. After their surgery, we got a phone call from the vet saying that Zelda was actually a boy, not a girl like we thought!!! We are still keeping his name Zelda though, because apparently Zelda can be a boy name. Today we did some vet work with Ivy taking out her stitches. 

Hugo

 

Fergie in the nesting box

Our chickens have been slacking off on laying eggs. Their egg production has been almost cut in half! We think that they might need a little bit more sleep. Don't we all? We are going to reset their timer to go off half an hour later. Elliot needs his daily double egg breakfast wrap.

Energy

We have been studying alternative energy and made a video that we thought you might like...