Happy Harvest Blog
From farm to spa
Two hens went for a long drive in a box (they made hardly a peep), and got a major lifestyle upgrade. I got a text late in the day reporting that the hens had loved every minute of a shampoo and
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.
Starter Egg
SOMEbody's a late bloomer.One of the "new" red hens, just coming online. The Silkies lay bigger eggs (but not by much).
Two more chicks!
Yay! Three chicks from the white hen (although two are from stolen eggs)- far better than I expected, and equal to her productivity last year. I'm pretty sure that will be it for chicks from her, although I'll leave her her eggs a few more days. I'm pretty sure that will be it for chicks from her, although I'll leave her her eggs a few more days.
Second broody hen
Ah, yes, the little brown hen is now officially broody. She has five or six under her, a nice reasonable number, unlike someone else we know. What's been very amusing is that she's been shuffling her eggs from place to place every day.
One chick!
I knew it immediately when I looked at her: Head up! There's something alive under her:)Phew. One is way better than none. Perhaps, maybe, there could be another too.
Due date dubious
A few days ago the white broody got really deep into it, no longer leaving the coop in the morning, and assuming a very deep meditative state. Her due date has come and gone, and I expect the worst, that she's lost them all for being too ambitious. Yet, I hope for some hatching.
Thievery in the hen house
I responded to an altercation at the henhouse. The red hen was complaining vociferously, and this is what I found: TEN eggs! So much for leaving her a comfortable number that she can cover completely (four). She's been taking the eggs as the brown hen lays them.
First broody hen
The white Silkie hen went broody today. She was way too ambitious, though, sitting on a pile of eggs she couldn't even cover, like nine of them. They were spilling out all over
MJ and the Silkies
MJ has taken to hopping over the fence and hanging out with the Silkies.She's like, I'm white, too, this is obviously where I belong.
Nearly hatch time (?)
It’s getting exciting! The red hen is almost due. In the interests of continuing to let the white hen do her own thing without interference, we did not look at her eggs.
Broody hen embroilments
In the night I set her onto her clutch. Exciting! When I lifted her up I felt another egg under my fingertips in her belly feathers; I moved it with her. She’s deep in broody chicken trance, motionless and flattened out wide over her eggs.
Itty bitty bantam eggs
I notice that they shift some nesting material and the plastic eggs from box to box; H.W. reiterates wish for a night-vision chicken cam. “What do they DO in there when no-one’s looking?”
Chickens, continued
I take off looking for the sunburned hen, and find her deep in the woods. She’s cunning and it’s a long, scratchy chase through the undergrowth with her little tail disappearing far ahead of me, to get her back up to our civilized area and back to the flock.An hour later, she’s gone again, and I can’t find her.
Instagram.
I may not make a blog post every day, but at least I Insta.
Bite size.
