Chicken brooder

We used this as a brooder for the first time last year and it worked so well. This was just a koi pond that was sunk down in our front yard of the first house we bought 12 years ago. It was ugly and very impractical, so we dug it up. It is about 5 feet across and 22" or so deep, so lots of room!

We eventually started using it as a swimming pool for the kids. It was a GREAT swimming pool, but as the kids got older (and there are more of them now!), it just didn't seem big enough any more. I really did love it as a swimming pool though!

I also noticed a crack in the bottom, so we decided maybe it would make a nice brooder. All I can say is, if I was a baby chick, this would seem like a mansion! I'm sure they love it, and it could hold probably 50 chicks pretty comfortably for a short time, if we needed to.

This pond/pool/brooder cleans up very easy and really nicely (we've had to clean it out so many times over the years), so I think I'm going to turn it into something else this summer.....a sand box! How fun will that be?!?! And then maybe over the winter we can have it over a garden area (we've had some really nice grass/weeds in winters past!) before using it as a brooder again next year.

But for now, our new little chicks can run and play in their little huge chicky mansion.

It was a little chilly out, so it took a few minutes to warm up the place. I wish I had a picture of them when we first turned the heat lamp on. They literally stood up tall, stretching toward the lamp, and closed their eyes, just basking in the warmth! Haha! It was adorable!

Notes on what we used: The tire was just there so the 15 month old could see inside. :) The big black thing is a platform type structure built of wood and covered with some kind of rubber. We found it (and several more) in a huge dumpster. That is to keep in heat and keep rain and animals out. We took some chicken wire (also free) and attached it the edge of the black platform, attached the other edge of the wire to a 2x4 (also free), and this serves as a vent during the warmer part of the day and also to keep out predators. Then we have a board covering it, which we can remove to release heat, when needed, and a tarp over all that to keep the rain out. This is all angled as well so the rain will run down and out. It should work very well, and we are very happy with it, especially since it was all free. Oh, and the stepping stones we have the feed and water sitting on, and the cinder block the light is attached too......also free. :) Yep, every bit of it was FREE. Hey, even the eggs the chicks hatched from were free! We just had to buy a new heat bulb, water and feed trays, and wood chips. :)

Fun at Zimms Zoo!!!

We had such a fun day today! We haven't really gone out much lately, so when my friend over at Zimms Zoo invited us over, I jumped right at the invitation! She had invited us to swim, but it was rainy this morning. She called to tell me that we could still swim if it stopped raining but the girls were planning a tea party and the boys could play with Legos if it didn't let up. So, I just sort of settled on the tea party and Lego idea since it wasn't very hot.

By the time we finally got over there though, it was bright and sunny and starting to get pretty warm! All the girls immediately started serving food and making tea for their party. They were so cute! They had made fancy cucumber sandwiches, shortbread cookies, cantaloupe balls and some marinated tomatoes with mozzarella cheese. Jayla and "Parrot" were all dressed up, ready for their fancy tea time together. :)


The boys were so excited to play with Legos, and "Brown Bear" has a TON of them! His personal collection is nearly as big as our homeschool group's Lego Club collection! They made some boats and then were ready to test them out in the pool. (Christy has some really great pictures of the older boys flipping into the water that I will add on here when I get them!)





So we had fun watching them swim for quite a while, then went back in for a little more Lego/tea party/Wii fun and some more chatting. It was nearly FIVE HOURS before we left, and I had no idea! I guess time really does fly when you're having fun!
Oh, and how could I forget to mention this beautiful little girl?! Koala is about 6 months old now and really lights up the room! She is so, SO CUTE! :)


Another great thing about our visit today is that I got to see two other friends who I have not seen in quite a while. A single man (Rocky) from the church we used to attend came over as well as Mrs. Troop, both of whom I have not seen in over two years! I only saw Mrs. Troop for a couple of minutes, but it was still good to see her. I have missed her a lot! She is so sweet and easy to talk to. Lots of wisdom! Her kids are all adorable too.

Rocky.....silly guy!
Thanks again for having us over, Zimms! I'm sure your house is a lot more fun than mine, but we'll definitely have to return the favor soon! And Jayla kept begging me to let her spend the night soon, so we'll have to have a couple of your girls over for that sometime too! :) Fun times!

Catching up on photos -- May

Playing outside

Jayla has recently learned to ride without training wheels!!!!!

bringing the outside IN

Puppies at 2 weeks


Smokie the day before she had her kitties

The kittens are FINALLY born!!! (Don't look too closely at this picture or it might make you sick. I just thought it was funny.)

Jonathan pointed out the one "long" puppy, so I had to get a picture. :)

Ladybugs in the process of transforming....so cool!

Jonathan's first time to mow!!!! He did great but said it was harder than he thought! (Check out his face. He was crying! He actually enjoyed mowing, but when I got these pictures he had just accidentally popped his jaw with the pull when he tried to start the mower. :( He allowed me to get a couple of pics and then stomped inside. LOL!)

First crop of the season! :) Very tasty!

Our two cats

I keep saying I need to weed the garden.....

Several other plants growing. I'm not sure what I planted and what just fell here, so it's ALL staying for a while!

First "swim" of the season.....we had to clean out the pool first. The boys never have enough mud to play in. Seriously! And it's hard to get completely out of there too!

Spidergirl

My new haircut.....it's basically the same on the top but longer in the back since I am growing it out AGAIN. I wish my hair would stay this curly (sides and back) as it grows out, or at least be completely straight!

I made the older two kids a baby sling when I was pregnant with Jack. He quickly got too big for them, so it's nice to know they can still use the slings for live babies! :)

Bath time for puppies

Five weeks old already!!!