Summer update!

So I started writing this post in April... ago and never finished! Spring and summer has been a lot of work, and I do mean a lot! From getting new babies acclimated to the rest of the flock, to cleaning up after these dirty little creatures I love so much! My garden is growing amazingly, I've already harvested a lot of squash! We lost some chickens and gained some. (We ended up with 3 handsome roosters and well 3 is just too many! I had to rehome my favorite roo, Einstein because he was the biggest and I was worried he could hurt our bantams trying to mate.) The day he went to his new home, our 3rd roo Koala started to crow! Little Roo kinda just stays away from Koala and the girls much prefer Koala (Or at least tolerate him!) lol. Little Roo should be going to his new home today too where he can have his own flock of girls just for him! We also gave away some hens so Einstein would have some of his own girls and now we have 19 chickens!

 Here is the flock hanging out under their favorite tree! 

I did pick up a new baby welsh harlequin duckling about a month and a half ago, and a tolbunt polish chick. I've been trying to get a welsh girl and well, this one turned out all  boy! our Magpie male ended up just hating him. After 6 weeks nothing changed and he just wanted him gone. He was re-homed Monday to a great home with his own private lake and his own girl! The new owner has shared some photos with me and he looks really happy as the only boy, and we are happy he found a great new home! After some searching I now Have our male Welsh, 3 Khaki girls, an ancona girl and FINALLY I have my girl welsh! Oh and how much I love her, she's just gorgeous! Even the girls are less skittish now that the other boy is gone! I'm just really happy they have all done so well together and got along from day 1!

All of our ducks together! 

Our 2 Welsh Harlequin ducklings together!

Here are some photos of our 2 rooster! Here is Little Roo!

 And Mr Koala! 

Sadly we lost our white turkey muffet to sour crop :( Genji got it as well and with a lot of babying and help she pulled through. They had to have gotten into something they shouldn't have eaten. Maybe some Tomato leaves? Or maybe some bad water? I just don't know. But those two loved eachother and hated eachother every other day so at least now Genji can live in peace. Her limp is still pretty bad after her knee infection. But as long as she's happy we want her around to live our her life with good food and lots of dust baths! Because they were meat turkeys, we knew they may not be with us long, but we sure love having them and pray Genji has a nice life with us!

The last photo I have of Muffet dust bathing. How I miss this girl so much. 

 Miss Genji. My sweet girl!

 Muffet today eating a treat!

The goaties are doing AMAZING! Those girls though. They are just like little toddlers. Getting into everything and eating anything they get a hold of! We did have to separate them from the chickens and now there is a nice separation in the pen. Now the chickens can have food available all day long and be able to get in and out as they please when we open the door. They seem much happier now and are laying more eggs. The goats don't know what to do with their new found separation but can still see their friends through the fence and won't be walking around stepping in chicken poop! Everyday they would jump on us and get it all over us and now, that doesn't happen so that's a plus!

Here are some photos of the girls! Brooklyn and Bailey! 

Miss Bailey! She's so pretty!

 Brooklyn had an itch lol!

Anyway I hope you all enjoy hearing about our flock and seeing how they are doing! This new journey  has been really fun, but also so much work. I'm slowly learning how to cure, help, treat, feed, and oh so much more as the time goes on! I have  new found respect for the work that goes into owning farm animals, and the love i have for this little group of mine!

Here is our newest chick. She ended up with a vitamin deficiency and I am treating her each day. I pray she starts to walk again :( Here's a photo of her before she got sick. The kids have named her Cookie and Ethan is really good about watching her each day!

Thanks for reading! ~The Vela Homestead