Happy Fall!

It's officially fall around the homestead. There are leaves on the ground, we have pulled our sweaters from the backs of drawers, and we have had soup and cider for multiple nights now. We have a lot to do before winter comes, so this fall will be a busy one.

THE GARDENS: Nana and Marcus worked hard to strip the gardens before the expected frost tonight. We have lots and lots of delicious basil- now just to decide what to do with it.

Not everything is completely barren- we still have a few beautiful fall flowers left.


THE CHICKENS: We are still slaving away at the run. We are just finishing doing wiring around the top and then we are DONE! It even has a giant dust bath and roosts. The girls are getting fancy new laminate flooring beneath their shavings. We asked for seconds so we got a good deal on them, and laminate flooring makes it SO. MUCH. EASIER. to keep the coop totally clean and smell free. It also protects the floor from water damage, because the chickens are quite prone to roosting on top of their waterer and knocking it over.





We added some sweet fall decor to the coop because it was inexpensive and makes the coops seem that much more awesome. There is a sunflower sign that matches the sunflowers and a new egg buying station (we will put out a jar and eggs and write the cost on the board).

Aroura (one of our bantam rooster) successfully bred with Crooks (one of the big, older girls). This is a task because all of the chicken are terrified of Crooks as she is the top of the pecking order, even above the roosters. For a hilarious size comparioson, Aroura is on the left and Crooks the right. All of the girls and guys got to enjoy the leftovers from the garden cleanup- yum, squash! 


TURKEYS: The Turkeys are getting HUGE! We definitely have two toms at this point. They are funny little creatures and always very curious. Mind you, their very curious nature makes them nearly impossible to photograph. They think the camera, or my pants, or my body, is some strange thing that must insistently be pecked at. At least they are gentle with their beaks.


DUCKS: Godiva and Ghirardelli are settling in quite nicely. Marcus finally agreed to let the ducks borrow his pool for a little bit. They had a blast! I can't wait until we have a nice pond for them. They also finally were brave enough to wander from their little enclosed pen. They look stunning waddling about in the fall leaves!

RABBITS: We color coded the rabbits! This has made things way easier already in terms of getting all of the waters done at the same time and not mixing anyone's up.


We found an awesome little pen. It is collapsible and perfect for letting the bunnies get some grass time while still being able to keep a close eye on their feed/health. Carina is the first to get to run about and she loved it. I love my sweetest girl! Obviously they will be supervised at all times while in the pen. We plan to use it for breeding and showing baby bunnies to prospective buyers.



I hope you all have a splendid fall and I can't wait to see what our homesteading journey brings!

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