Since we're on introductions...

The very first farm animal we got after moving in here were our chicks.  Cute little fuzzy peeps, only a day or so old.  They are quickly growing into larger chicks and are running out of room in their two brooders (housing for young chicks) as they grow.  I started out with one medium size brooder and 9 chicks.  Very soon after I added 5 more chicks and moved them all to a larger brooder.  Later I needed to separate the 2 oldest chicks from the rest for more room and to stop some bullying that I think was happening due to the lack of space.  Chickens tend to be more aggressive in their "pecking order" when there isn't much room to spare.  So that brings us to where we are now- 2 good sized brooders in our garage bathroom... full of chicks!  We currently have 3- 4 1/2 weeks old, 9- 5 1/2 weeks old and 2- 7 1/2 weeks old, since we bought from 3 separate hatch dates.  We're about 99% sure the 7 1/2 week olds are pullets (females), but the others are still too young to tell, so we're playing the waiting game.  Some are easier to tell apart, others you just have to wait until they crow or lay an egg!  We'll keep our fingers crossed that we have lots of girls.  Here are some pics from babies to now.

The very first day-olds we brought home!

After we added the second group we brought home (which included 2 that were already 3 weeks or so)

Their first outdoor adventure!

Getting a little bigger!

And here they are now!

And, yes- this is in the garage bathroom.  The oldest girls are able to get out of their brooder when the cover is off, so when I'm in there changing out food & water, they like to explore.  Until today it had only been to the top edge of the brooder to look around, but this one decided she wanted to see more of the room.  

Oh, and they are all named.  You have officially been introduced to: Pixie, Trixie, Buffy, Layna, Belle, Tink, Dee Dee, Kiki, Sweetie, Dot, Rosetta, Rory, Lorelai & Apple Jac.

  

Introducing Dallas and Dixie

The newest members of the family.  They are 4 month old, Boer/Oberhasli goat twins.  Dallas is a wether (a neutered male) and Dixie is a doe (female).  They are very attached to each other, and quickly growing as attached to our family as we are to them.  They greet us as we pull up our driveway; the girls say hello, with a reply of "maaaaaa" from each of them.  They are excited to see us coming (usually with treats or feed in hand- which, I'm sure has nothing to do with their excitement) the few times a day we go down for a visit.  They love to be pet and scratched, but are still taking some time warming up to strangers and the girls when they move too quickly.  I think for having them just under a week, they're doing just fine.  We're happy to have them and can't wait to see them grow up!

Welcome to our farm... I mean home.

Welcome!  This is our home, which we are slowly turning into a tiny suburban farm, or sometimes it feels like just a plain old zoo!  Current count is myself (Alison), my husband (S), our 2 girls (B and O), one dog, 14 chickens and 2 new animals on the way... if you haven't already heard what they are, you can be surprised.  : )  We moved into this house earlier this year and have lots to do.  We are keeping plenty busy between getting settled and completely "moved in" (meaning unpacked) in the house, getting the girls to various classes and activities, and changing things around- mostly outside for now.  We have lots and lots of landscaping to do.  I'm sure we'll talk more on that later.  Our oldest, B, will be starting Kindergarten in the fall (I know, I can't believe it either!) and O will be starting preschool.  My oh my... 3 days a week I will be down to one child for most of the day and 2 days a week, for a few hours, I will not have either of them.  What will I do with myself?
I hope you enjoy following along with the suburban farm life of our family.  We're glad to have you!