Photo Post Due to good planting weather

Well we are dealing with the heat so far and getting a lot done. We decided last fall not to get AC unless we had to and we would try managing the temperature. So far we find going out into heat and humidity much easier than when we had AC running. This upcoming week of high 90's will be a test.

The hens are brooding and chicks are  hatching. I have been finding lots of things to do with eggs.  The house chick keeps us very entertained and does his part by keeping the ants under control!

The garden needs more weeding and the Colorado Potato beetles have found our potatoes so I get to put on the latex gloves and squish them about every second day. In other words life is pretty darned good.

 The turkeys were not successful in hatching turkeys but did hatch chicks and ducklings. We wonder if the Tom's were not mature enough to produce fertile sperm?  This Palm hen loves these chicks and you see the odd little family together all over the place.

 In the heat of the day we do inside chores and I have been sorting out things from the move. I found a Target tote bag FULL of seed packets. It was like Christmas and of course we now have more to plant!

 Our oddest little family, an Australorp hen hatched one chick and adopted this pale colored duckling. We have no idea what color it will be as none of the original ducklings were this color.

 The Oak tree is in full leaf and a joy to see every day!

 Our only Khaki Campbell drake having his morning swim...he has calmed down and is turning into a mentor for our one duckling who is with the ducks.

 Yes they sleep on the gravel and seem to quite enjoy it. Here is a Cayuga drake and his Khaki wife.

And to finish off the tour, one of the sweetest things to see.....chicks in the grass.

They are growing like weeds and run everywhere, the entire flock of all the poultry keeps watch and the other day we heard and amazing ruckus and found the turkeys, guineas and roosters, ducks and hens chasing a stray cat out of the yard while the hens with chicks headed to the trophy room at high speed with chicks in tow.

God Bless all of you and stay safe....

Photo Update for June 3rd

Whew its been busy and the weather  has kept us hopping! Rain, sun, rain sun and then of course super humid. However it has bright moments like the hay getting up without rain on it!

They raked with two rakes hitched together and that made a good heavy windrow for the round baler. 15 bales from the field which was quite good and it is very nice hay.

 The poultry is happy the hay is down as now they can go further out into the field to forage and catch bugs!

 The exciting news is the hens are going broody. Not a large number but enough to give us interesting crossbred chicks. There are three buffs who are seriously broody, one that hatched 5 on her own and adopted 3. One Buckeye hatched 4 of her own and adopted 2 more.

 

This buff is just snarly if you even look her way....when I took this photo she was making a growly kind of noise the entire process. 

The turkeys have hatched ducks.....this little fellow is a Cayuga X Blue Swedish and the turkey didn't want him so he is in the nursery pen with  a heat lamp and other ducklings and a couple of chicks.

I am not in your flower bed....really....a Cayuga Drake and his Khaki Campbell better half sleep here in the afternoon sun and always act like if they don't move I won't see them.

They are quite funny and don't hurt anything but they do have to hop quite high  to get over the railroad tie border.

 The  Broad Windsor beans are a massive wall and are setting beans everywhere. I suspect with the onset of heat they will not set much more but we should have a good harvest and be eating them fresh next week.

And to finish up this farm tour...our Super Hen. She is a marvel with her 8 babies. They are fearless little things and the miles they put on in a day is surprising. She has taught them where to dust bathe, to sleep in the shade under the steps and to go back to the trophy room/ brooder room at night. They know where the best bugs are and how to scratch like crazy. They even catch earthworms that are bigger than they are. I somehow doubt we will have any issues like pecking with these but of course there are other dangers. The chickens keep an exceptionally close eye on the sky and they just hate helicopters!

There is another Chicken evaluation post in the works. There are some interesting characteristics to these breeds when it comes to motherhood.

Supper sees us eating fresh from the garden, peas, salads, beets and tatsoi. Irish potatoes very soon.

We shut down in the evenings sweaty and tired and watch the fireflies and plan the next day.

Take care and be safe this summer.....