Make Hay While the Sun is Shining !

The old saying, May Hay While the Sun is Shining, is going on here.  We have a lot of Prairie grass and so we have been cutting it for the rabbits to eat and to also use for nesting material. 
First Brent got out on the tractor with the brush hog and mowed it down. Then he raked it up in rows.  He would go out once or twice a day and turn it so it would all dry. Then a few nights ago we went out there and with a large trash can and some twine made some grass bales.  Before that we just put it in feed sacks with a lot of holes in the sacks .

My garden did not produce the way I had hoped. The tomatoes are still growing well, as is the little bit of corn I planted.  Yesterday I got out and pulled out all the onions and all the garlic.  I finally have a great crop of Onions. I am so excited.  I have also been digging up new potatoes and picking some Zucchini.  The lettuce, Kale, Radishes, carrots and broccoli which I had been able to harvest from was eat up by the Grasshoppers.  UGH~~~~~~
An then there is the unexpected crop of turnips we have.  I am going to try and cook some to see if we like them.

We finally have all the fence put up.  Which is great because I noticed the other day that the neighbor across the street that has all the dogs took their fence down.  Now all we have to do is remember to keep the gate closed and then we also want to go around it and put down some stakes in the ground around the bottom part of the wire to hold it down.

The Grow out on the floor of the barn and their two buddies , Trampas and Betsey are getting along great as you can see by the photos below. The kitties are going out and exploring a lot more and going out farther than they had been. Yesterday they even made it out to the duck yard and were running around and playing in there with them.  But when it gets hot, they head back yo the barn where it is cooler and take their naps there.
The big brown Rex that lives on the floor out there has been breed and trying to decide where she is going to make here nest.  She dug one hole, but then covered it up. So not sure where she is going to have here babies if she is indeed preg.

The outside rabbits are doing great and loving their dirt pile we gave them.  They dig and lay all over it and play Queen of the hill.  One of their burrows has gotten much bigger by looking at the size of the dirt pile outside.
Billy the rabbit that runs around was inside for a few days and while he was his girlfriend came looking for him.  If you look close in the picture below you will see a little cotton tail out by the grow outs in the middle of the day. 

When we are out working both dogs usually come out with us by before long they end up just laying down. Robin said nope, This is as far I am going and Fred usually just runs back to the house to lay down on the porch.  Robin is loving the country life!

Until next week!
The 2 Moore's Ranch

Work, Work , Work!!!!!

     Lots of work this week around the Ranch.  With all the rain the yard has really been growing too fast.  So we decided we needed to get a riding lawn mower to help battle it all.  It has been great.  All the yard around the trailer has been mowed and looks great.

     We have been working on the grow out yard outside.  Put in a large pile of dirt for them to dig and burrow in. I bet they will love it as they have been making a lot of burrows in the ground already.  There are suppose to be all females out there. Either a few of them are having a false pregnancy or the sex change fairy has moved into the pen.  A few of the rabbits have been taking straw and pulling fur and taking into the holes.  Guess we will find out in a few weeks if we start seeing little bunnies.

What is this new pile of stuff?

Peek a Boo

     We are starting to dig a pond for the ducks and using all the dirt to put around areas where the ground has worn down/  The ducks yard use to completely flood like they were living in a pond.  Even the shelter that they have.  When it flooded it would just run into the garage.  So the north and the west side of the garage has had lots of dirt put around it to build it up.  

Going down!

Side of garage cleaned up and new dirt piled up.

Building up duck yard.

     Betsey and Trampas are getting along so well out in the rabbit barn.  Yesterday we put some new ones down on the floor with the other grow outs and even the kitties knew that there was new ones on the floor and they were rolling around on the floor with them.
     Also the sweet little bunnies can be mean.  Just look at my arm!

What?  We are not doing anything!

Hi Bugs!

Ouch!

     A few extra pics from the week.

Puppy time.

Just pretty/

Those greens we are growing are growing turnips also.

Yep! There is a tractor back there.

Bunch of eggs!

JUST ENJOYING LIFE!!!!

     Just enjoying life!!!  That's what we are doing. Even while working.  We had been putting up the stock fence around the property and have been teaching Fred To ride the tractor with us.  He is not to sure about it now. But hopefully he will come to like riding the tractor with Brent. We only have the north side of the property to finish putting up the stock fence and then it will be all fenced in.

     My flower gardens are taking off slow, but that is because must of what I planted is bulbs and seeds.  But finally starting to see some color.

Straw flower

Pink Cosmos

Baby's Breath

This is one of the barrels I planted with mixed flowers.

Peach Hollyhock

Pink Cone flower

     The grow outs that are in the outside yard are having so much fun. We have had to put rocks in some places where they had started digging around the fence.  They have started digging in the middle of the yard which for now is ok.  There are no males out there so no chance of  babies.  They have dug at least 2 holes that are getting kinda deep.  Most of them are being dug under all the greens that have been planted for them.  

One of the holes.

This is what it looks like out there now. Some almost knee high.

Find the chocolate bunny!

I had to get down and move greens to find this one.

     We finally have our first hen that has gone Broody.  She is one of our Buffs.  Started with 8 eggs, but her or another hen broke 2,  She is now in her own room so that no one else can get on her nest .  Also the other day I went into the hen house and found a Guinea on a nest. Later I went out to check. There was one egg in that next so I put it under the hen.  We Shall see.

Miss Broody

     We have a LOT of Grasshoppers since all the rain.  The ducks are trying to eat all they can.  The Little's go all over the back yard area chasing them up.  They are so cute to watch. Got a cute pic of the older ducks today.  We now have our Ducks in a Row!

      We have also been letting the rest of the birds out to free range in the afternoons to help with all the bugs.  The hens are been upping the egg count now. We get between 15-20 eggs most days.

The Little's and the chickens and turkeys out eating bugs.

More free range time.

     Here is the new breed we are raising . This is our Cadbury Chicken Billy.  The Ranches Mascot.  He runs the chicken yard and sleeps with the chickens at night.  He was a runt and so is not very big .  He is a boy so cant be with the others. He is having a grand time.  

Until next week!!  Y'all have a great week!
The 2 Moore's Ranch

New Note!!!!
Yesterday afternoon we had a storm roll thru which brought high winds and lots of rain.  We have a lot of low places here and when it rains , it floods.  The chickens, Turkeys and Guineas where caught out in it and had to go rescue them.  That was no fun. Had I not gone out some of them may have drowned.  So far today everyone looks ok.