Relocating a Rooster to Old Goat (Relocation) Ranch and other misc. ramblings

One of our chicks developed into a rooster despite the sexing tests they did prior to sending the chicks to us.  It is not 100% accurate. The tester will mostly determine the sex of the chick by careful observation of the chick.  Some breeds are easy to test and others are not.  The testers may look at wing feathers, the vent, or the color of the chick to determine the sex of the chick.  This is not the first rooster we received from a purchase of girls chicks and it probably will not be the last.  We have a friend that lives in the country and we re-locate our roosters to his ranch.  In Wichita, we are not allowed to have more than 12 hens and roosters are allowed.  (To have 12 hens, you need a special permit and yes, I have one.)  Roosters do not only crow in the mornings and they can be quite loud!  The kids were asked take pictures of the rooster in his new home environment and show his beauty.  Most of the real pretty chickens are the roosters.  A hen at the ranch just hatched two chicks a few days ago.  A pictures of the chicks are included with the photos.  The mother hen is not in any of the photos.  She must be hiding from us.  LOL  She is a Golden Laced Wyandotte.  The daddy is a Buff Orpington.  One chick is light and one is dark.  It will be interesting to see how they turn out as they develop into big hens or roosters.  Here are pictures of the country and the animals.   

Unfortunately you get to see Daddy Long Legs in the container we used to transport him in.  The next picture shows a sliver of him, but you can't see his true beauty.  The red on the comb is a very vibrant red and the black tail feathers shine with blue and green colors when the light hits them just right.

The girl to the left was raised with the rooster for a couple of months.  I think they will remember each other.

Proud papa.....missing a few tail feathers in a mishap.

Young female cow

3 goats

Dylan and Amanda

I have been trying to develop little ways to use old decorating magazines.  I strip many of the magazines and keep the good idea pages.  What do you do with the rest??? I have decoupaged with cut out photos of flowers, gardens, and other nature from my magazines.  I made little boxes to use as gift boxes with magazine pages.  With the enormous amount of magazines I have, these ideas are not too helpful at eliminating my stacks.  I tried making paper roses and placing glitter on the edges.  This works OK too, but I still need to find more uses for my magazines.  The landfill is not really where I want them to end up.  In my latest attempt, I used scrapbook cutting gadgets and I cut circles with a decorative edge.  I cut 3" circles and placed a 2" circle of another color inside.  Most of the center circles were made from scrapbook paper.  In the center of these two papers, I placed a brad.  I used fancy schmancy brads, but plain or hand painted would work just as well.  Mine were purchased from: http://www.eyeletoutlet.com/.  This is an easy way to decorate a plain sack -- just punch a hole with the brad or use a paper punch and attach the decoration through the hole.

Granny Square Chair.  Do you have a wing that needs a new look due to the uglies or worn upholstery? Try this idea: http://www.novita.fi/public/File/isoaidinnelio_tuoli2.pdf   
You could adapt the idea to fit most any chair. This is not my idea, I found it on the internet.  

I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

New Chicks

We received the replacement chickens today.  Everyone arrived healthy and alive!!!  I have a few pictures to show you.  The pictures are of the new 2 day old chicks next to a chick that is about 2 months old. 

The older chick is examining poo dropping.  Look at the size difference of the feet.

The one on the right will be a real chatterbox.

The chicks look like one chick with two heads.  LOL

Thanks for viewing!   Dawnie

Updates on Clucks and Christmas Eve Activities

I am almost as tall as the recipe notebook!   Eat Beef!

I am too big for the pot, so it is now a perch!

Our Kettle Of Red --- Overflow!  Here are the Custer Clucks....

I want you to see the progress or the chicken growth.  The kids and I are anticipating these 5 hens going to "the Big House," or "the Chicken Mansion."  We should have more little ones coming next week.  The new chicks are replacements for the chicks which did not arrive alive in the last shipment.  We paid extra for the replacements to arrive quickly, so we hope there are no losses this time.  


On Christmas Eve our family volunteered at a local shelter serving food to the homeless.  Son D had been there before, so he knew what to expect.  Daughter A wants to go back again and volunteer.  Son G has decided it was a good thing, but it is too depressing and he wishes to never return. 

A on the left and G in the hood on the R

Proof that they worked.  LOL

G

G

G

See the bad habits the kids are teaching the chickens.

Wow! Look at the size of these girls!

Wow!  Look at the size of these girls.  Get your head out of the gutter, I am talking about my chicks.  They are eating so much.  They are still skittish with me, but all of the kids are chicken wranglers and they let them pick them up.  I think they are chicken whisperers.......

All About Her Women's Show, The Victrola, An Organic Cotton Hat, A New Pink Tulip Crochet Hook, and Chicks

I was a vendor at the All About Show here in downtown Wichita.  I made some sales, but it was a little slow.  Toward the end of the show, we started trading merchandise among the other vendors.  This is so much fun!  We were able to have a variety of gifts this way.  LOL  I wanted to show you how I decorated my booth.  Most of the people had no idea what the large item in the front is, but some of you Chicken keepers will know.   I also put cedar shavings in the nesting boxes along with a few colored feathers.  (Note: Cedar is a good moth repellent and I sell many wool items.  I do not use Cedar with my chickens.)  I have also found a need to surround myself with egg baskets.  I like the old and the new.  I plan to line some of them with pretty fabric and use them in my studio and/or in the home.  They tend to give me a nostalgic feeling and fond memories of both grandmothers raising chickens.  I don't know if I will use the large nesting box in this way again, but it was a fun element to the booth.  My helpers are in one of the pictures.  

It seems like a long time since I have blogged.  The week before the women's fair, we went to visit my mom.  She purchased an old Victrola at an auction.  Look at the width of the records.  What a find!  One of the songs was Way Out West in Kansas.  We had to listen to the song since we are from Kansas and mom lives much further West than I do.

In Salina, I purchased more of the Kertzer Down to Earth Organic Cotton yarn I love.  Apparently they do not make this yarn any longer.  It is a soft cotton yarn that is colored by the spray method.  The paint is not totally saturated in all of the fibers.  It has a wonderful soft texture.  Not all cotton has such of a soft feel.  I made a few wash cloths this summer in the peach color to go with my peach soap.  I picked up some green, black, and the last blue colored skein this time.  I thought the blue looked so much like denim jeans.  I want to show you what I did to give a little cotton hat some life.  Yes, I up-cycled a piece of blue jeans and wove it through the stitches.

Not long ago, I talked about crochet hooks and which ones I think are the best.  I now have a new favorite or close to favorite.  It is made by Tulip and it is not available here in the USA.   It comes in other colors and is in a limited addition in pinks at this time.  I did not want to order a high priced set if I would not like the way the crochet hook felt.  It is wonderful!  I still like the blue cushion sleeves to put over a Boye hook, but in this case, no work is needed and it is my favorite color; however, the cost is about double the amount for a similar hook when you include the shipping.  In the picture, I show the new hook next to a hook from Clover.  It is also in pink, but it does not have the comfortable grip.

To find a set, use the following location:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/360509896954?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

The bottom one is Tulip.

The top one is Tulip.

The chick is next to 2 tangerines.

See how big the baby chick is getting.  This chick is about 2 weeks old.  Also the 3 new pullets we have are so different than the older pullet. (Note:  A pullet is a young hen and usually less than a year old.)  Ruby, the older pullet, has been laying eggs for us about 2 months.  She gives us about 5 large brown eggs a week.  The new pullets just started laying eggs.  We have received 4 this week and I don't know which of the pullets are laying.  The eggs look alike in size and color, but the pullets are all different breeds of chicken, so they shouldn't lay eggs that look so much alike.  I am so thrilled to listen to chicken cackles and have fresh eggs daily.  Today, I made apple pancakes and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with fresh eggs!

I hope you are having a good December.  I wish you and yours many blessings!  Dawnie