Ice Skating, Halpern Homestead Style!

During the winter the webbed footed gang have been practicing their ice skating skills. The frozen pond was just what they needed.

Depending on the day, you could see all of them sliding around on the ice, trying to keep their balance.

They were getting pretty good.

Julies even got some practice. 

The pond has since thawed and the birds are back to swimming. The fish seemed to have made it through the winter as well. 

Thanks for reading!

Donald Duck

We recently adopted a new duck. His owner was headed off to the military, so we took him in.

His name is Donald and he is pretty cool! He is so tame, he doesn't mind being held and he usually doesn't freak out when you get close to him.

He is little, and has a small voice. So no noise from him

He tried to say hi to the webbed footed flock on arrival. The put their noses up at him.

Then pretended to be busy and not notice him standing there.

When that failed, they all ran!

All alone for the first day.

That didn't last long. Took a couple day, but now donald is a happy member of the webbed flock. Welcome to the homestead Donald!

What To Do With a Lettuce Tree?

We grow a lot of lettuce and sometimes they get away from us.

Like this one that Kelsi is holding. The only problem is that when lettuce gets this big, it gets really bitter.

So we give it to the chickens!

And ducks, and geese.

Big party! Everyone's invited!

They love lettuce! Even though it's bitter.

Look at what we found in the pond!

While working in the greenhouse on Friday I heard splashing in the pond. I assumed it was just Juliette again. She really loves the pond. 

 To my surprise I saw Pierre in the pond and Willis on the steps.

Then Sophie joined while Willis carefully observed from the steps.

Then Willis and Blue joined in too!

They seem so happy during swim time. Im glad they finally decided to go in!

Goose butt! Diving for fishes.

Pierre is sleeping. 

Even Henry got in on the action!

Thanks for reading!

The Chicken Coop Makeover

 I want to start by saying, I know that our coop with the dirt floor and cardboard over the windows for winter protection is no where near the nicest. Or even the cleanest around, but it's our coop and when it looks good we are so proud! Through our research into why our chickens are attacking each other we learned a few things. Bored chickens attack each other, the two young roosters are terrorists among the flock, a clean coop keeps the birds happy. Chickens get bored when it's cold outside and they stay indoors a lot(by choice, the door is always open).

We added some alfalfa hay bales to the coop today in order to add surface area to the coop, keep the chickens busy with new distractions, and to add new floor cover.

The chickens loved it right away. They went straight to digging and pecking for treasures.

 Pierre's nest got some extra straw.

 We made some nice holes and hiding spots in between the bales to offer extra living space.

 The one in the center there is going to be a major egg laying spot, I just have a feeling.

This is another spot. Nice and roomy. 

 If you have ever seen a happy chicken, then you know how the flock was acting when we put these hay bales in. They were crazy.

 Even this goose was happy

 Lots of happy curious chickens

Digging, scratching, and pecking for treasures.

It's amazing what 36 dollars worth of hay can do for the coop. It smells wonderful, the chickens are happy, and hopefully they will stop hurting each other now.

We also had a small memorial service for our chicken with no name. Henry and myself dug a large hole in the back field and laid her to rest. A cat is as good as another shovel around here.

Thanks for reading

Mousing, Halpern Homestead record, and winter madness.

Since the addition of a silly cat named Henry awhile back, the mice have been on high alert. He is a master hunter! We often find mousicles in the yard or see him throwing them around. He brings them to the house to show off, then him and Julies throw the mouse around for awhile. 

How about a play by play.......

He waits in the bushes before slowly creeping out.

Looks around for prey.

Licks his lips in anticipation.

He then enlists the help of his hired 'Muscle'

He marks the spot.

 She digs.

No luck here

 Hi dad.

Winter gave Spokane a huge blast this past week or so. It is so cold, the birds are reluctant to come out if the coop. Usually just the webbed footed ones are brave enough to test the cold. It was -8 degrees last week. Brrrr.

 The birds know how to keep warm though. They make big bird piles at night and huddle up together.

 They also set a Halpern Homestead record yesterday. A 20egg day! That's a lot. We have been getting over a dozen a day for more then a week, and the productivity keeps increasing. Each day another egg more than the last.

It's also Chanukah right now so we have lots of family dinners to attend. We hosted the family at our house last night. We served free range turkey and a vegetarian spaghetti. Everything was so good!

 We tried to take a family photo, but Henry wasn't having any of that.

 That's better.

 Grandpa and Grandma Halpern.

 Some photos of the snow mess.

 We bought this 300gallon stock tank on CL for $125. We plan to us it as a bigger pond for the webbies this spring. Just need to flatten some ground for it. We will also use it for livestock when we move to our forever home.

That's it! Thanks for reading