Happy Harvest Blog
The latest chicks
I had a whole passel of Silkies go broody this summer. Some of them give up, two more go broody. The usual, in other words. I’m not letting them reproduce this year- I have so many Silkies. I did give them five of Cheeks’ eggs between them though. Drama central! If any of them stood up to adjust themselves, another one would rob an egg. Every morning most of them would go out for breakfast, and then there would be lamentations when they came back and their eggs had been swiped by another hen.
A nice nest
One doesn't think of chickens as being nest builders per se, but they definitely do nest construction. Guineas, ground nesters like chickens, craft quite beautifully careful nests, if extremely minimal ones, out of a few blades of grass. It's more of a saucer than a bowl - a slight bank to keep the eggs from rolling out, I suppose. When I set the Silkies on eggs, I think I form a perfect nest in advance, but no.
unseasonal chicks
Who has chicks in winter? Ursa Minor does. Ursa’s got four little chicks (living). Two were already dead. The future is not bright for chicks hatched at the beginning of winter. But I’ll do my best to help her. One piece of cardboard and she’s got a student apartment now. That’ll be enough space for a few days, as they’ll spend most of their time under her. I moved her back from the kitchen so the chicks would tumble out so I could get some pictures.
Havoc in the henhouse.
Ok, it’s officially December now. It’s not time to be broody. But I’ve been having a battle of wills with four broody hens, the most determined of which is Ursa Minor, and the peckiest is Fiesty, predictably. Then I open the coop to this. This. And this.Not ok! That’s seven. Seven. Seven broody, growly feather pancakes sitting on eggs. I didn’t have seven broody at once all summer. This is bad. Maybe it’s contagious. They win. They are sitting on eggs, and since they’re not going to give up, they can keep them.
Close call and a happy ending
I had a rough-ish day and came home wanting to just eat and go to bed, but then had unexpected visitors that disrupted my usually smooth bird closing procedures. With the delay and tumult, Galahad and his keet fleet failed to get back into the greenhouse! That they spend nights in the greenhouse is the only thing that allows me to sleep - it's a hard-won habit, as guineas usually want to roost outside, and inside is what keeps them safe from owls and foxes.
A fleet of broody Silkies
Everyone is outside today! First day out for Foxy and her full-size chicks. She's overdue for it, but it's been rainy. Cotton and Daisy know all about out but have also been in for a bit due to weather. Ten to one one of these hens (Cotton) is going to fly out and go big world today. And tonight, one set of them has to go to the big house - move in with the other hens in Silkieland. That means the hens will all scrap to sort out their order again, but the chicks will like that a lot.
Big day
It was one of those days, where I get up for the hens, but am not ready to commit to being awake, so I bargain with myself, Well, I'll just wear my sweat pants to do the chickens. It's like, bringing the comfort of the bed with you. Then the next thing, I stop for "lunch", and it turns out it's 5 pm, and I'm still wearing my sweat pants. And of course, I'm full of ticks because I haven't been dressed appropriately. All-day. Those are good days, though.
Broody or laying an egg?
The chicks are ready to play, but mama is not giving up on her eggs quite yet. They all came out periodically to eat and scratch, but she went back on her eggs. There was almost a third chick, but it didn't make it through hatching. At least these two will have a friend. I love it when they do this. Broody? Or laying an egg?:(It was B. Laying an egg.)
Guinea crisis II
I moved the pigs in another direction, after a long and laborious session cutting out alders and buckthorn. Then, of course, a pig slips out, right by the nest! The pig fence is about four feet from where she decided to brood.I kept the other pig in, but the free pig, not caring about togetherness for the moment, started romping around the field, and ran right over the nest.
Near tragedy
Anyhoo, he was driving around, mowing, and once, right when he came to a stop, I saw the weeds rustle directly in front of his front wheel. As he backed out, I ran to the spot, fearing that a bird had been hit (I'd been paranoid and been tramping through all the weeds in front of him trying to flush out frightened chickens that were used to the tall weeds being a safe zone).
Oreos and the Cobra mom
The guinea hen is definitely setting.No idea how many eggs she´s got. Easily 20. Perhaps a chicken egg got in there too. In fact, she could be due any day. I don´t know about guinea terms, but she´s got to be close.And since there´s only three birds walking about yet, I suspect those three are the boys, and the other hen has found her own nest site somewhere in the woods. May she walk out healthy one day with a trail of chicks.
Dispatches from Silkieland
It's a bit like 101 Dalmatians around here now. Chicks everywhere. In the greenhouse, in the chickeries - I've lost track of how many sets there were this summer. Some hens went broody twice. There are a lot of chicks scampering around.
Broody hen egg poachers
My Silkies are trying. Very trying. First they all went broody one after the other, in March. A little early, Missy’s, but, if you must... Then, the egg-thieving began. It’s an ongoing problem.
Instagram.
I may not make a blog post every day, but at least I Insta.
Bite size.
