Chickens and garden!

...Yesterday I finished the chicken tractor and brought home three hens and a rooster. So far they seem to be great layers, already giving me 4 eggs (2 I had for breakfast!) the hens are barred rock hybrids and the rooster (Ike) is a buff orpington. They are all friendly and Sho seems to be alright with them. The tractor is done minus the wheels which I will put on this week. I also finished the garden beds and am going to plant my first crop tomorrow (peas and spinach). The beds are a nice mix of soil, cow manure and peat moss over a base of straw. Jess is going to build another large bed just for tomato production so we can can some. This summer I hope to have peas, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, spinach and peppers. Well, as usual...pics to come!

Staying busy....

The house is coming along nicely and I am getting ready for spring. I built a nice chicken tractor (pics to come) and this weekend I plan to get some birds. I am also getting the soil for the garden beds tomorrow and I might build a small greenhouse to start things a little early. I am very excited for fresh veggies and eggs....

The interior is slowly coming together. I built a counter top with the 3 burner stove and a small bar sink. Tomorrow, I am going to get the bits to plumb the sink with a faucet and a drain out to the garden. The counter is simple plywood and that came to me stained (recycled) and I still need to put a thick coat of varnish on it.

The shower has been working great except I need another propane tank for convenience. As it stands, I have to switch a propane tank between the stove an the shower when I need to bathe. Also there is a pretty serious voltage (amperage) drop when the pump runs but this will be fixed when I sort out the solar and real battery bank.

Here are some photo's of the kitchen.....