...but we've been busy with our new project - chickens! Since we changed our diets last summer to grain free and no processed foods, we eat a lot more eggs. So we converted our kids' old bus shelter into a chicken coop and now we're working on a fenced in run. The chickens currently play outside in a cobbed together "playpen." Unfortunately, several have figured out how to get out so the fence is an immediate priority. Once the fence is finished we will paint the coop and our shed and move on to planting the garden. All of that means less mini time for awhile but I do have a project in the works. I've been commissioned to make another stone cottage for a family member. So when the outdoor chores are caught up I will be back with minis. In the meantime, here are a few photos of our newest additions to the menagerie.
Meet Aurora (on the left), Gemma (front right), and an as yet unnamed Buff Orpington. We have five and I can't tell them apart yet. Once I can they will have names, too. That's half the fun!
Esther is the white Easter Egger. Fred and Wilma are the Golden Polish chickens with the black feathers on their heads. Dovey is the beautiful gray bird. Electra is the Red Star just under the "veranda." The last chicken is another of the five Buff Orpingtons that I haven't named.
Here's a closer shot of Wilma, the female Golden Polish. Her coloring is so pretty. Eventually her tophat feathers will close into a bun sort of shape. Fred, her partner, will have feathers that droop down on either side of a center part. They are really fun to watch.
All together we have 15 chickens. Four Red Stars - Aurora, Bellatrix, Electra, and Gemma. All are named after real stars in our galaxy. Two Golden Polish - Fred and Wilma. Three Auracana/Amerecaunas - Houdini (she was the first to escape), Dovey (beautiful shades of gray with copper edged feathers), and Henny Penny (the smallest chicken with black and copper feathers.) One Easter Egger - Esther. Five Buff Orpingtons who are waiting for names, lol.
I did not expect to enjoy watching the chickens as much as I do. It's a very relaxing way to decompress after a crazy day with elementary kids who just want to be finished and enjoy summer break. :-)
