Chickies are here......

Our chickies arrived this week!!

I've already forgotten what kind these are!! We ordered 10 different varieties!!!

Here they are in their shipping box.....

Here they are in their brooder. This will suffice for a few days. We ordered 5 meat birds this time. I mainly order layers, but wanted to try a few for meat. The meat birds will stay in the smaller brooder for a while, while the rest are put in the larger one.

Here is the full set up. Once I move the chicks to the pack-n-play, I'll take off the top brooder and add a lamp for the second brooder. I have a battery powered digital thermometer that gives me an idea of the temp. in the brooder. Chickies like it warm...95 degrees the first week!!

The first few days I clean the coop 2 times a day. The kids take the opportunity to hold the chickies!!:-)

In My Home......

Spring may actually be here!! Oh, I do hope so.....it's been a long dreary winter!!

GARDEN NEWS
Hoping for a few good days to get planting. Hubby has worked tirelessly to get manure spread on the garden, and it all tilled in so I can plant my tators, onions, and peas.

Today I cut up the Yukon Golds!! I wish I had looked ahead at the forecast....I so want to plan these today, but I forgot to cut them ahead of time. It's a good idea to cut the tators, then let them get a "skin" on the cut part. Supposedly it helps eliminate the seed rotting in the moist Spring weather.

HORSES & CHICKENS
Although we've had horses for about 4 years now, I am not too fond of riding the beasts!! They scare me, and they know it. I do love watching them in the field, though. And seeing my girls ride...what a thrill!! Last week, however, I think we broke new ground. I decided to get on Jet, our gentle trail horse. I gained some confidence in the round pen, then took a ride with Jason. I actually galloped!!! I think I had such a better time because I was using my 10 yr. old's saddle. It's a little smaller, so the stirrups allow me to stand up which makes me feel like I have more control. I hope to ride again, since it's something my husband really enjoys doing.

Yesterday the girls went on a horseback ride with friends and neighbors. I went on a bike ride, and when I came over a hill I noticed a posse a quarter mile ahead. The scene reminded me of an old Western. I wished I had my camera...what a sight....all 6 girls lined across the road!!

We ordered another batch of chicks, due to arrive May 20th!!! We (read I) are sooooo excited. It's been 4 years since I've ordered chickies!! Our hens are getting pretty old, so it seemed like a good time to get a few fresh layers. We added 5 meat birds to the order, so we'll see how that goes. We've never raised any for meat. I'll post pic's when they arrive.....I'll be a proud Mama again!!:-)

Speaking of proud Mama.....I'll add this little bit of "seriousness" to the middle of my post, so ya'll don't focus on it!!:-) Last week hubby and I watched a movie together that ended with the lead character giving birth. It hit me hard. With J.J.'s diagnosis coming on the heels of the miscarriage I had all but forgotten about it......not entirely, but seeing that scene and knowing my due date was to be in a couple of weeks, it hit hard. I had a good cry about it, and was a little bummed the next day, but I suppose I needed the good cry......for the miscarriage anyway!!

WILDLIFE
On the way back from my bike ride yesterday I noticed a humongous turtle in a field and pointed it out to the girls who were a quarter mile back. I kept riding, but when the girls got back my oldest had stopped to pick up the turtle. It was huge!!! We took it with us to Bible study, and when we got there one of the men said it might be a blanding's turtle. We had no idea what that was, but he was saying it's endangered, and we probably did something illegal. YIKES!!! So when we got home we checked the DNR website and sure enough we were supposed to leave it alone. I had Jess release it near the pond, so hopefully it will continue on with it's journey, and still lay eggs!!

YUMMY EATIN'
I had to get my wheat order ready today.....the price of wheat nowadays just about made me choke!!! But I still love having the fresh baked smell in the house, and having a piece of hot bread just out of the oven!! YUM!!!!

WHAT's UP AHEAD
May is shaping to be a very busy month around here. May is always busy with the plantin' and preparin', and repairin', but on top of it hubby will be gone quite a bit!!:-( Always a bummer, but we survive. Gma and Gpa are coming up for a visit....hoping to get a new swing set built. Plus we have multiple doctor's appts. Seems like every day on the calendar has something on it. I suppose that's good, keeps us always on our toes. It's definitely pushing diabetes into the background....oh, it's still there, but I have so much to do with other things, no time to really stop and think about it.....well, that's not all true....I think about it a lot, but not as much as I did before...make sense? No? Didn't think so...doesn't make much sense to me!!

Hope Spring has Sprung in your neck of the woods!! Ya you betcha!!!