Happy Harvest Blog
A chick!
The first chick of 2020 has hatched! These eggs had a rough go. I had a barred rock hen broody, which was exciting - those two are the sweetest birds. But she got off of them! She's done it before; it's like she's got a calendar in her head and when she's sat too long, it's over, instead of being connected to the life in the egg. So I put the abandoned eggs under this little lady, who I'm between calling Little Mama
The loaners
Two hens are on loan to another family who needs some chicks. They are sitting on eggs and will return when their chicks are grown enough to not need their moms like Cream Puff did last year (with a boyfriend in tow). Broody hen rental service. The hens, one Silkie, and one standard got boxed and transported at night, installed in their brooding accommodations, and after a day to adjust, they have settled in extremely well. I visited.
We're goin' to China, kids
Ursa’s first day in the chickery: she celebrated her first day out of the broody box as the hens always do, with a vigorous dirt bath. I placed her in the former location of the peat bag (the overflow spot), for premium dirt bathing. The kids start to come around, Hey, I’m kinda cold, can I get under you? Stand back, kids, mama’s getting her bath on! She’s like a round fur tornado, spraying everything down with dirt. Evidently, it feels incredible.
Chickyback ride!
There are now an astonishing TEN unseasonal chicks. Ursa has four, and the other hen has six. Only the two of them stuck out broodiness to the end; all the others gave up (thankfully!) Ursa has graduated to spending days in a chickery, so the other mama is in the bigger corner coop suite, for a few days, as her chicks are more freshly hatched. A couple are brand new out of the egg. I think this is Chocolate, but I’ll have to check photos to be sure:)
Every morning I have an exploding box of chickens
Every morning I have an exploding box of chickens. Most have them have pushed out of the cardboard boxes they so tranquility spent the night in, and are jumping, and pooping, and scrapping all over the top of the boxes, frantic to get out. We're all cooped up! The broody kennels too (now night occupancy for the greenhouse chickens).They all come busting out, scratching and fluttering, and then vanish, absorbed into the jungle. They love a good hay bale. Brown Bonnet has three little chicks, including the chick that Apples hatched. This was a terrible hatch for her.
Apples and corn
I had the first cob of my corn tonight - ever! I haven't been able to grow it before, but next to the greenhouse, it worked. Bit of corn earworm, yuck, but good. Sometimes the bees spend the night stuck on the sunflower heads. They hang down, sheltering like an umbrella. Apples the house chicken is broody! I keep almost saying "pregnant". Not pregnant. Sitting on eggs like a perfectly normal hen (how far she's come)! Just one of her own.
Broodies and brooderies
The first order of business: a broody box for Perchick (smaller than a chickery, but big enough for a big hen mom - wow! I have broody layer hens!)While I was making a broodery, I made another chickery, because I'm sure I'm going to need one real soon. Cream Puff is still freakin' out! She's being good, diligently staying on her eggs, but she's on high alert and looks very concerned like she thinks she's losing her mind, and no one told her this could happen. What's happening to me?! I'm feverish!
Where there's life, there's cheeps.
This morning on chicken breakfast rounds, I discovered tragedy in the broody box. A chick! But it was spilled out in a corner of the box, belly up, wings and legs splayed out, eyes closed, beak open. Very bad. It was still alive, barely, and I stuffed it back under her, immediately. Its legs stuck out straight. A minute later, after tidying up, I rearranged the chick to tuck the legs in. Its eyes were still closed and beak open, gasping. This is usually the sign of imminent death.
Eggery
Most times when a hen goes broody she sits on the eggs and doesn't get up. I can put them in a cramped box with a water cup and snack bowl and they don´t budge until the eggs crack.This hen is different. I was sure she was broody, but I kept seeing her outside every mid-morning for an hour or so. I gave her some eggs, and thought that would change, but six days later, she was faithful to her eggs...as long as she had a breakfast break. Different.
Chickery II
Well, the chickery is definitely occupied, by the mom of seven, but the chicks of the mom-of-three are coming up, and they must go outside.I thought Well, I have this big box, I can turn the flaps out and set it on the grass...
Instagram.
I may not make a blog post every day, but at least I Insta.
Bite size.
