Oh! Yard Updates!

We've been busy the last few weekends. We built a big ol' run for the wee baby chicks and ducklings so they are NOT in the garage any more! (And the peasants rejoiced!)

It's got a giant piece of cardboard in there on either side with a heat light in there to keep them warm at night since it suddenly decided to go all "below freezing" here in April.

It's about 8 foot long and about 3 foot high. And freaking heavy. No one ever listens to me about assembly closer to final destinations. But the 35 chicks in there have MUCH more room than the 2 Tupperware containers they were in before and... They aren't in my garage.


We did this:

It's a 2 gate entry way. The kids kept letting the animals out when they were helping feed everything. It's not as much "help" if you have to go retrieve a puppy, goat, duck, chicken every 3 minutes because it ran through the gate (and they were getting crafty). So, we got a play yard with an auto-close gate and zipped it up to the other gate and Viola! A double gate system. Oh my goodness it makes it SO much easier. 

These 2 big boys have certainly earned their keep today too! I heard them barking - rather oddly - so I went out too see why. 2 big stray dogs were getting close to the fence with the birds. Their barking scared them off. At the same time, a hawk had just discovered the baby chicks. And while they *should* be safe in their new run.. I'm all for a giant ol goof barking at the huge hawk.


Now, while these big boys were doing their business, this little guy was certainly watching:

Little Adams is just so small. He's just not going to be any help until he puts on at least 30-40 pounds. He's so tiny. But he's cute! Even better? He sleeps in the dog house. With the goats. And Doris. Yes, Doris of Doom, Lambie, Jack, and Adams come piling out of a medium sized dog house like a clown car. Never Gets Old. EVER.

Lambie is getting bigger. I can't say "Big" because.. She's a pygmy goat. But still. Bigger. Oh, another thing that Never Gets Old?? Watching goats run! Not the *I'm horrified* run. But the All 4 Legs at a Time run..The just bound along in their odd goaty way. Even better? When they start flipping their back legs sideways with excitement while they do it. I'm still trying to figure out how to record that one.

The birds are maturing nicely from our first batch. The Reds are maybe 2 months from starting to lay? I don't really have any idea, but they're getting fat.  We also have these crazy ducks that are currently making better watch dogs that the poor undersized puppy. The white ducks are HUGE. Giant, massive, enormous ducks.