Ring around the sun: Little lizard guy enjoying that sun on the back of the house:

The chicks with no neck feathers are Naked Necks, also known as Turkens for their resemblance to turkeys.

Got some new babies today, an experiment with full-size chickens. Two Welsummers (patterned ones) and three Turkens (aka Naked Necks). With any luck, tonight I will slip these under the broody hen whose eggs were all duds, and she will accept and raise them. Without luck, we’ll have chickens in the living room for the next month or two. The “Turkens” are not actually turkey-chicken crosses, they’re just called that because their naturally bare necks, which tend to turn red as they age, make them look a bit like turkeys.

Braided Bower Farm, animal population 31 36 37*: * I missed a hidden peep the first time I saw them

We’ve finally brought our website into the 21st century, with an updated design and some new features! One of the reasons we have this blog is to share what we learn with others who are choosing a “simpler” life, just as we’re constantly learning from other homesteaders’ blogs. With that in mind, we’ve changed a few things around to make it easier to find what you’re looking for – while keeping the blog format so people making similar journeys can go chronologically through our doings, which places the whole thing in context. If that’s not enough for ya, I can probably put a button on the site which when clicked will launch a random slideshow of cute livestock photos =) Please let us know if anything about the new look & layout is/isn’t working well for you!