A Week on the Ranch!

     We have queen of the hill or stump out in the grow out yard and let me tell you.  They sure are growing.  Also when you walk out there you never know where you will see. one.  If you look close in the top picture you will see one playing peek a boo also. 

 
       Billy our little guy that's gets to run around hangs out a lot by the girls looking for a way in.  You can see him and one of the girls playing kissy nose a lot of times. It can just lift your day when you walk outside and see Billy out running around. He is a great little pet and knows to go in most of the time without us having to go look for him.

      We have been having some really hot days here.  I guess the Dog Days of Summer have set in.  We usually take frozen water bottles out to the buns.  Not all of them use them, but they are there if they want them.  Usually it is the mommies and babies that want them.  Do you see the 2 liter bottle in this picture?

     I let the mommy hen and her 5 babies out this past week.  The first couple of days she brought them right back where they had been staying.  Then one night she decided to take them into the big chicken house.  She gathered them all up into a nest and that's where they stayed.  Next morning was no fun. Everyone in there runs out so fast they all get separated.  The next night I put them one by one back where they were suppose to be. 

     She has been taking them a little farther out each day free ranging.  She has been such a good mommy.

      The chickens have been really good to us and we have been getting a good count on eggs almost every day.  Our egg sales have also been picking up.  (If you live in the area and need some chicken or duck eggs just let us know.)

     This morning when I headed out to do the egg hunt for the duck eggs , there were 10.  That is the most we have gotten in one day so far.  When I say hunt, well sort of.  They don't really lay in a nest.  I  think think when they decide they need to lay an egg they just sit down.  Egg here, an egg there.
We have also been getting some large eggs that have turned out to be double yolk eggs.  More protein with each egg~   I have had some and our oldest son says he cant taste the difference.

     What can I say!  Another pretty sunset pic.  There was a storm coming in and I thought it was pretty.

Until next week,
The 2 Moores Ranch

Old MacMoore had a Ranch... EIEIO

     Everyone is growing up so fast on the farm.  It seems like just yesterday that we brought the first ducks and the turkeys home.  That was the middle of March. Look at Mr. Tom.  First he started getting some color on his face and head and fanning out his feathers.  Then I noticed that his wattle was bright red.  Yesterday I saw that now it gets blue in it.   Also his little black beard on his chest is growing bigger now.  Now the people we bought them from are saying they are Beltsville Turkeys. A smaller breed which is good for small farms.

     The mommy hen and her babies are doing really good.  Them little guys are growing fast and they can all probably be let out soon to do some free ranging.  First will be going out into the duck yard or moved over to the chicken yard.  Will have to see.

     Last week I was able to get my fish pond all cleaned up and put a small fence around it to keep the ducks out of it. I had needed to change the UV light in it and what a difference several days make. I can see to the bottom of it now.  Also something I did not know. There are several baby fish in there about the size of my small finger.  I never knew they were in there.

Small white fish by lily pad leaf.

     Rabbits, rabbits, rabbits that's what we got.  These will be our last four litters for awhile. Just getting too warm and going to let them take a rest.  Also the males do not like the heat.  We will pick the breeding back up in the late fall.  Everyone else is doing great and the ones we put outside seem to really be loving it.

Hershey's 3 babies

Maxine's box load of babies.

Brownies babies

Cadbury and her babies.

     The ducks.  Well , what can you say about the ducks.  They are clowns and like to live on the wild side, as some would say.  Fred has to be put on a chain while everyone is free ranging or he chases them. As you can see he does not pay much attention to them when he is tied up.  They and the chickens eat his food and swim in his pool.
     They have started laying and this morning I brought in 7 eggs. Not bad.  The pic. below was a few days ago when we got our first Peking egg.  Now we have about 5 in the fridge.  All total about 15 duck eggs in there.

Ducks in Freds area.

 Until next week,
The 2 Moore's Ranch

     A few parting shots.

Large orange Dragon Fly

Zinnia bed is getting very pretty.

My first Cactus Zinnia bloom.

What we see when we start out the back door.

Trampas watching bunnies.

Betsey just being cute.

Work, and here Chick, Chick, Chick . It's All Just Fun!

Finally , after being here since the middle of February, we have gone through all the boxes and they have either been unpacked or repacked and put in our store room or in tubs up in the loft of the barn. There is only one left in the garage for the contents to be put in a tub.

A lot more room in the garage.

The family was all over yesterday and we all had a really good time.  Brent wanted to take our oldest grandson out to the barn area to feed the chickens, turkeys and all the others some bread.  He was not so sure what to think of all those funny looking birds.

What are those big birds?

The kitty did come up and wanted some loving.  He liked petting the kitty better than the birds I think.  It is good having the kitties being so loving so now we will not have to worry about them hurting the grand babies.  They just want to be loved and petted.

Love the kitty.

I planted 2 different kinds of Zucchini this year The first kind I planted was 2 plants and the other was seeds. I had not paid attention to the kind it was.  I started noticing that they were growing rather big.  Even went so far as to ask if they were Zucchini.  Seems I planted some that are just big varieties. 

We got out today and did some work out front.  There were several trees that needed limbs cut off before I ended up knocking my head off while mowing.  All those limbs were either cut if they were big enough for firewood or taken out to the shooting berm.The cute pic below is of the two ranch rides.  My trailer was carrying all the smaller branches and Brent's had all the big ones.

His and Hers.

After that we worked on the last little eye sore that was in front. We pulled another old tree stump out and pulled up the small fish pond that was there as it was only breeding mosquito's.  Yuck!!! All the rocks, cactus and two flower pots that were there were all taken out. Then the holes were filled in and we tried to level it out a little.  Should be easier to mow now.

Before

and After

The sunsets out here are awesome.  There is nothing to block our view of it and I just love being outside at sunset and seeing them.  Wish everyone could see them with us in person. But the pictures will have to do.

It is so wonderful that everyone out here,  Cats, chickens, turkeys, Guinea's, ducks , rabbits and one of the dogs so far get along together..  Here is Billy the Ranch mascot getting along with the hens. He still runs in to the house most of the time by himself now at night.

Until next week,
The 2 Moores Ranch

Lets go to the ......Country!

  

 This week end was spent cleaning up some of the buildings.  The rabbit and chicken house got much needed cleaning.  It has been in need for some time so we decided to get it done since we had a few baby rabbits die.  We think they may have eaten some mushrooms I found growing on the floor and got sick.  It bothers me so much when something happens to them.  I try to take such good care of them. 
     All the old straw that was on the floor. plus some of the top soil was dug up and was put in the compost pile. We let in about 10 chickens to scratch around in there for a while to get any bugs that were on the ground. Then brought in 3 tractor buckets of dirt and put down and then new straw.  We then moved some of the cages and shelves around in there so we could move around better in the barn and better see under stuff.

Front of Rabbit Barn.

Back of Rabbit Barn.

Grow outs chilly on the floor.

Grow outs chilling on the floor.

Grow outs chilling on the floor.

Cadbury and her 8 babies are doing great.  The babies are growing like the weeds we have coming up everywhere.  Brownies and her babies were moved to a cage so that her babies would not be hurt.  She had 5 but one died earlier this week. The other 4 seem to be doing great. 

A few of Cadbury's babies.

Brownies babies

     While the chickens were in the rabbit barn we went to the chicken house and pulled all the straw out of there and cleaned the nesting boxes.  We moved out some boxes that were on the floor and put them on the north side of the shop building so that there would be a place for then to lay while out free ranging and not have to run back to the chicken house.  It is off the ground so that we can see what is under it and also be able to make sure that nothing bad is in the nest. Today was the first day we have gotten some eggs out of it.

Outside nesting boxes.

On of the hens using the boxes.

Billy took advantage of the new straw on the floor of the chicken house and chilled out in there this afternoon.

Billy chilling.

The Chickens, ducks and turkeys are getting so big.  The ducks are mating up and it is so cute watching the male or females waiting for the other.

A Male Peking and a Harlequin female.

The Tom turkey's head has gotten all his color and now when he ruffles up all his feathers his head is so pretty

Tom Turkey in all his beauty

. The chickens, well they are just crazy.  The other day they all followed me up to the house and up the side walk to the back door.

My following.

Earlier this week it seems either someone backed into out driveway fence or it was hit by a drunk driver that went into the ditch.  Don't guess we will ever know which.  Just so sad that someone will do that and not have the guts to tell the homeowners.

So sad!!

Was able to get a really cute picture of my sweet Betsey.  Both cats are so lovable and just go limp in your arms when you hold them.  I think they are going to be really good mousers also.  We found a few babies yesterday and they did kill them.

Betsey

Until next week,
The 2 Moores Ranch