Settling In

I've had a new pen and coop built for my chooks.  The old one was pretty unsatisfactory....no protection from the rain or heat, or the wild birds that waited impatiently every morning for their free feed.  Dozens of them every day guzzling my good organic feed!  Not to mention the ibis that flew in and hoovered up porridge and scraps whenever they'd had enough of the rotten fare at the tip.   The coop was too low for me to get in and clean properly, and hot in the summer for the girls.  Time for a new abode.

I told the builder what I wanted, and he put the plan into action. 




Enjoying the early morning sun



Water tank is plumbed in

Girls exploring their new space



Shuttered window



Opens for a little breeze on a hot summer night



The ramp - new skills to be learned to get in and out




Edie - an Isa Brown, the querulous chicken, complains all day long 



Freya - a bantam and boss of the coop for all her diminutive size



Goodie, she's a quiet little bantam

and Big Juno - she's barely a year old, a buff Plymouth Rock, a gentle and sweet chicken

It's taken a few days of gentle coaxing and reassurance...and cake... to get the little girls to use the ramp, but they seem to have the hang of it now, and they use it at bedtime and in the morning, but haven't quite figured out they go back up there to lay....eggs left in all sorts of places so far.

And it's relieved a lot of stress for me, I don't have to let them out and put them to bed each day, or struggle to keep their space clean, and no worrying about the wild bird hoards descending.  They're let out of an afternoon to free range, usually while I'm working in the garden in the cool, as they sure do love my lettuce.

We couldn't be happier.

Stitching

............a quilt for a friend, her boy is due any day.

.... a challenge from the textile group I go to.  We were given an organza gift bag and had to make something from it.  We were also given a project to make a frog, so I used the organza bag....I unpicked it, cut it into strips, and wove it into a piece of cloth, with a contrasting shade of organza and a piece of the ribbon as well. No pics of that bit. Lots of tiny hand stitches later and he was ready to be cut out, stitched together and embellished.  Inspiration for cloth weaving and stitching from  Jude Hill .   He's about 12cm (5inches) long, and waiting for his eyes.

and lastly, a sneak peek at some Christmas ornies I made for a swap I joined at the Down to Earth Community Forum .   My partner, Rhonda lives in Sydney.....hello Rhonda, if you visit, I hope these little glimpses don't give too much away.  They'll be posted today.

Off to make this wonderful fellow building my new chook pen a cuppa!