Two Acres On A Dream

I planned great things when I started my blog this summer. And then…. Life. So much life happened. There were tons of projects that I wanted to do before the summer ended, that I just didn’t get around to. Like this one:

You can see the skeleton for the PVC chicken tractor I wanted to finish before fall was over. Clearly that still hasn’t happened. Unfortunately, it isn’t big enough to house all 8 chickens at the same time. This is what homesteading is about though right? So I’ll count it as a homestead lesson learned.

 

Complete side note: This winter sunrise is beautiful right? The warmth in the sky is completely juxtaposed by the snow speckled ground. The oranges, pinks, and blues really stand out as a result. I’m kind of an early riser anyway, but the chickens ensure that I get up at the same time each morning.

 

Speaking of them, the ladies seem very happy that the snow stopped falling. I have noticed that they do really well as long as precipitation isn’t falling from the sky.

Our newest hens, the Buff Orpingtons, finally have integrated into the flock. The Zippers (the three Barred Rocks) have stopped picking on them, for the most part. My three-year-old has dubbed the Buff Orpingtons The Hei Hei’s :-). I have learned quite a few lessons from the lady chickens this year.

 

The main one lesson: I should have placed the coop toward the middle of the yard. The ladies don’t go very far from the coop, just like I read. However, I placed the coop fairly close to the property line, so they go into my neighbor’s yard all of the time if I let them roam for too long! I want to expand our coop to accommodate 12 hens next year, and I think we are also going to need to move it. Although, I do plan on having a bigger chicken tractor for them, so maybe not!

We have a timeline for getting our goats! We will try to have everything in place (fencing, goat house, milking stand, etc.) in the spring, and we will get the goats in the late summer or early fall, so we have a good selection. Goats would grace our homestead in the making sooner, but….. I’m expecting my own kid in April 2018!

 

Do you have any projects that you didn’t get to start or left unfinished this year? What do you have on the roster for next year? Any homestead lessons learned? Let me know in the comments!