Good Company

I woke up at six this morning so that I could get some gardening time in before the humidity made the work unbearable.

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I had had good company.

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Comments:

  1. Good morning. I signed up for your workshop July 27th. I look forward to meeting you and your girls then.

  3. I was outside at 6am as well. Less mosquitoes and not as hot. Except my girls had to stay in their run for the day. Your yard is gorgeous!

  6. Love the view!! can really get the feeling and perspective of your property now ….thanks for sharing this

  7. A tip: when I want to weed between stones or on a gravel pathway, I simply spray the offenders with undiluted, inexpensive, simple household vinegar. I don’t know if there is plant material between the stones you want to keep (like creeping thyme, etc.), but if it all can go, just load a spray bottle (or pump sprayer) with regular vinegar and give it a very light spray. Weeds are killed completely by the end of the same day and if you’re careful not to spray to within about 6″ – 9″ of plants you want to keep (lawn grass, etc.), nothing else is harmed. I learned this tip from a landscape architect who swears by it and says it’s very safe and doesn’t harm the environment. I’ve been doing it about 2-3 times a year on extensive gravel paths for 22 years.

  8. The pond, the barn and chickens. What a beautiful place of serenity. I like how you don’t overdo. Thanks for the tip Tracy. I have a few weeds I want to get rid of between stones.

    • PS- I guess what I’m trying to say, is you add just enough decoration while maintaining the natural beauty. A great talent.

  9. Terry, I took your advice and watched my hen lay her egg this morning. That was SO cool. Thanks for making a blog entry about it!!!

  10. The “Gems” are looking great. Recovering going well, that’s awesome!

  12. Beautiful! Isn’t it fun and relaxing “work”?!!! It is even worth getting up early for! Thanks for sharing the view with us!

  13. Off subject: Yesterday it was hot. I got a plastic dishpan and put about three inches of water in it. I then added a bag of frozen peas. I took this to the coop. I then added a half gallon of frozen water in the jug to the pan. I don’t know what happened in that coop, but later in the evening there were water splashes on the walls, sand in bottom of pan, most of the water was gone, and all but about six peas were missing. I guess I’ll go on wondering, but my girls lived through the heat. :)

  14. Wonderful photo’s of the “girls” being curious! And thanks for the idea of using string for your vines. I’m going to do that with my morning glories! I really enjoy your website!

  15. What great pics. You’ve really raised some special hens there, Terry. They are always a joy to watch. Thank you for sharing your sweet morning moments.

  17. I just checked your temperature at 4:45 p.m. your time, and it said 95 degrees! Plus humidity! I saw old girls Buffy and Twinkydink wallowing in the distant corner where they’ve dug a place–seemingly ok! I imagine inside that the coop must be humid. Saw Buffy’s beak open early today, wings out, but then she went over to drink. Imagine wearing all those feathers. So sorry for the widespread heat wave.

  18. I’ve been watching your hens whenever I get a chance today. I have been worried about mine all day in this 93 degree heat. I’m running a mister, putting frozen water bottles in their waterers, gave them watermelon at 4:00, but I think I still have a hen that is in trouble. She went under the coop for shade and cooler temps, but she won’t come out for water or melon even when called. She is moving around under there. I’m just hoping that she will be ok!

    • If really desperate like with heatstroke, maybe inside somewhere with a fan (not directly on her) or with AC–Maybe a cool service porch or bathroom with a tile floor, or in the bathtub (no water) with ice packs. I’ve tried variations of that with a couple of hens and other small animals, too. And cool water, of course, to drink…Gatorade?

      • What wonderful advice! What about giving her an ice-
        pack to lean against? I’m not an expert, but I think that if it works for me, it’s worth a try.

        • Rabbits usually appreciate a frozen water bottle – there’s been one in Phoebe’s spot all this week. Candy, though, did not like them.

    • Heat can be a killer for hens. Last year when we had record heat (in the 100’s for several weeks) I would shut the coop door, drag in the garden hose and turn the nozzle on shower and give the hens a good “shower”. It immediately stopped the heavy panting and wings spread wide. Now, they did not like it one bit and to this day they run for the coop when I come around them with the garden hose. I didn’t loose one hen so it worked for me.
      If you have a small number just a like dip in a bucket up to maybe the middle of the wings.
      Good luck.

  19. Your yard is perfect! I love the pictures ~ Thanks for sharing.

  20. Is that Florence by your feet? She looks so tiny. You were saying that she had lost a lot of weight before the respiratory illness hit. They all look like they are doing very well now. Are they still on the antibiotics?

  21. Wow, Little Pond Farm is just beautiful! I hope maybe next year I can fly out for a weekend or so and take in your workshop and tour some of the historical sites around there. Such a wonderful photo of you with some of the Gems. Thank you for sharing Terry. The hens look absolutely gorgeous with the new camera. Amazing!

  23. A vet assistant friend told me to sprinkle poultry dust on ants or ant trails. It seemed to stop them.