Duck House

As you know we have three little ducks but right now they have been cooped up in a brooder in our dining room. Except for an occasional outing. They really love it outside, they are ducks, and I feel bad not letting them out more, however recently the mallards have figured out how to get out and run around the house. I came home to them sitting on the couch the other day, so I am wanting this project over sooner rather than later.

We didn't really want to put the babies out to totally fend for themselves especially with the predators around the property, I really wanted them to have some kind of hutch or something.   

We found a blog that a lady made of a floating duck house. We decided that a floating house would be a wonderful idea and decided to give it a go on our own. 

Cutting the boards down to size.

Patrick and Gabe putting it together

We made the front higher so that the rain would run off. 

We wanted to keep it as waterproof as possible when we painted it so we bought Rust-Oleum Deck & Concrete Restore, and we we thought that olive green would go nicely on the pond a little camouflage for the ducks.

Chicken Fact

Did you know that in Houston, Texas you can't have chickens unless you have a permit? Even then you are only allowed to have up to 7 hens on your property. Do you know what you need to get this permit? Just guess, I bet you can't. OK are you ready.

You need a note from a doctor saying that you need to eat fresh chicken eggs, for health reasons!  I just couldn't believe it, I mean it is Texas.

Little Blessings

So I have this need, well I guess it is more of a want, for everything to happen faster. It just seems like everything homestead related has been happening so slow, probably just because the move hasn't happened yet. I think this blog is good for me, it kind of makes me realize and appretiate the little things because after going through my pictures so I could make this update I realize that there really is more than I had realized, even if they are little things.

So here they are the little things, that make my life a little better.

we got our shed moved over

Everything has been sprouting :)

We are officially producing now! The strawberries are taking off, I can't wait to have other fruits and vegetables!

the boys found a turtle



We took the ducks on an outing in the yard to the little pond. They thought it was fun but I just thought it was bath time. After they got all clean and dried off you could see that hey they actually have a few feathers now! They aren't just little balls of fluff anymore.

Clean Duckies

The Chickens continue to get bigger. I cant believe that they are almost all feathers now. I think it is about time to put them outside but I don't really want to do that until the move, so we can check on them and feed them easily.

Homesteading 1-2-3

The hubby has been all about homesteading lately. Which is what we are calling it by the way "The Homestead". He's been reading this book. 

It's all about being self sufficient. Trying to grow your own food and not have to go to the store or at least not as much. It also talks about how to can food and dry/keep seeds for the next growing season, and a ton of other stuff. He keeps telling me that we could replace one of our incomes, which would be cool, but it all seems like a big dream at this point in the process.

Well you already know that we have chickens and ducks, this is the book i read before we bought our friends that taught me all about them and what to expect in the early days. it was a fun read and had a lot of good info. 

Boy have they been growing fast. Honestly I can't believe how big they get in just a week. Here are the three flightiest birds perched on the side of the brooder. Patrick thinks that our chicks are probably 3 weeks old. They have been really growing lately and getting their wing and tail feathers.

Well like the book says you can farm on less than 1/4 of an acre so we have 4 this should be easy right. Well here is our little start we have two garden beds and a chicken coop. It's a work in progress. 

The funny thing is we really aren't all that big into the veggies however I will say that as I get older I am trying to try more things. Ok so what are we growing in our little gardens? Tomatoes, peppers (all sorts), lettuce, spinach, dill, strawberries, cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, corn, peas, green beans and okra. I think that's all for now but I'm sure Patrick will come up with more to plant soon. We have started some from seeds and some from plants we bought at the store. I cant wait for little plants to pop out of the dirt!

When Patrick talks about everything he wants for the homestead, this is what I picture, me ringing the dinner bell with the chickens around my feet. We found a dinner bell in the barn and now Patrick just needs to make me a stand, and it could happen. He does tell me that if he's in the field I have to ring the bell not use his cell phone, I think it's neat, and the boys will love it if I let them ring it.

Cluck Cluck Quack

As I've told you before, I see feathered friends in our future. Well it's happening we are venturing off into the world of chickens, one step at a time. I have read books and done research online. That is how everyone does things these days right? Well it is all coming together, we bought chickens, ducks and a coop! They are to small to stay in the coop all the time but they do like it when we take them out with us and they have a chance to explore!

I had no idea how fast ducks were until we put all of our little feathered friends in the coop together and they just ran circles around the chickens. Zoom Zoom.

Some of our chickens have a lot of their adult feathers already and are trying to fly around. It's fun to watch the little balls of fluff flap their wings.

Our coop! OK OK I will admit it we didn't build it ourselves we bought it in boxes and put it together, sure it cost us a little more this way, but hey it saved us a LOT of time, and it is going to work great.

They love the new digs and the boys love watching them!

I can't wait to watch our gals grow up :)

A little piece of heaven

Recently Patrick and I have come across a great opportunity to finally have some land. We both have wanted some land where we can just let the boys go out and play. In the neighborhood that we are in now that just isn't feasible at least not with the two younger ones.

 My grandmother lives on 4 acres of land and wants to have us live on it with her (different house). I have been dying to have some more space. So this way we will be gaining a bedroom and a bathroom! I wont lie the bathroom is a pretty big plus in my book, me and four boys all sharing one toilet is not my idea of fun. The house is a fixer upper but hey that just means I will have home improvements to Blog about.

I think Patrick is just in it for the pond and chickens lol. We are just looking right now but I do see some feathered friends in our future.

We are out there on a regular basis anyway so it all just makes since. It all has happened pretty fast, and we aren't exactly sure when we are moving but some time soon I think. There is so much to do.

Can you tell that they love it?  :)