Darn this rain!

So...I've made VERY little progress on my pallet building projects!  We keep getting more and more rain...and quite frankly, I'm a little tired of it! LOL  I keep telling myself it could be worse!  My heart goes out to all those lost in tornados this past week!

The chickies are all growing super fast...and stinking super much!  It's only been 11 days, and I seriously do not remember them stinking THIS bad!  I've changed out the litter, but I still smell poo!!!  I'll have to do SOMETHING real soon, as we're having Easter dinner here, and my super "clean freak" sister will have a conniption if there's even a faint sniff of chicken!!  I'm hoping that this next weekend, I can move the chicks (at least the meaties) out to the run outside!

I did score a used shed for $100!!!  I'd planned on making it into the new chicken coop, but some friends of mine are selling me a milking goat and a new kid whether, so I'm thinking that the shed will have to be shelter for the goats!  I'm going to meet the goats tomorrow and watch my friend Susan milk her!  Apparently she's a great milker, and I'm looking forward to having my own goat milk! (...cheese...yogurt...cream...soaps...lotions...)  My hubby doesn't know it yet, so I'm sure I'll face some big argument with him...but I'll win! ;)

Well...that's all that's pretty much been happening here...the rain has really put a damper on my plans!
  So till then...toodles!

Let the pallet building begin!

Began work on the garden shed today...and I gotta tell ya, building with pallets is NOT as easy as it looks!!! Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if we didn't have gale force winds out here!!! Hopefully we'll be able to work a little everyday between our sons baseball games! Not sure what I'm going to side it with? I suppose it'll be whatever I can find for free or cheap on Craigslist! Lol but it WAS a beautiful day outside! Went from chilly and rainy to over 80, so yea...I'm a little sunburnt! Heres pictures of what we accomplished today! Mostly it was me and one son at different times, (whoever was home to help!) and then when my hubby got home, we finally had a third set of hands!

The Chickies have arrived!!!

My first batch of chickies arrived on Tuesday!  35 Meaties and 7 Rhode Island Reds (5 hens-2 cockerels)  They're just the cutest little things!!!  I spent the day preparing by building and modifying 2 broody boxes since you can't broody the two breed together.  Yes...I'm SURE it's been done before by someone...but I chose not to!!!  I've already lost 1 meatie chick on the 3rd day. Not really sure why??  I figured I'd lose about 5 total based on the mortality rate of the Cornish crosses, so I didn't get too upset this time! lol

Here are the two broody boxes.  The smaller one on the left is for the RIR's, and the larger one for the meaties!  I built hinged lids covered with chicken fence to keep out my cat Cutie, and Rockey.  I had to invest in a second heat lamp, feeder and waterer...but they're items that'll come in handy again I'm sure!

and here's Rockey, babysitting all the little chicks! He's so sweet!!!  He paces back and forth crying, like he's so worried about them!!!  I've found Cutie sitting on top of the smaller one just watching them!  I'm SURE out of appetite more than concern! LOL  I'll continue to post more pics as they grow!  Toodles!

Pallets!!!

Here's the first load of pallets me, Deb and Tammy loaded up!!!  All FREE!!!

and here's the awesome 12 footers Deb scored from Craigslist!!  I kept 6 (for a 12x12 yard shed) and she'll use the rest!  Unfortunately, our weather up here hasn't afforded me the luxury of trying out my pallet building skills...but hopefully this weekend we'll have better weather!  The place we got the 12 footers is suppose to call us when/if they get any more!!!  Can't wait to finally have some outbuildings!!!  I'll post some  pics as the structures go up!! ;)