Happy Harvest Blog
cool days, cool Moms
It's chilly in the mornings. The chicks are around with their shoulders shrugged up. The leghorn twins went back in the box. The cardboard is warmer on the tiny naked feet. Do you know what's really warm on the feet? Mom.Until she starts walking away - whoa! Ursa Minor surprised me with chicks this morning. She had that I've got chicks, ya know the face. And then there was all the peeping. Oh! there's a little leg, and it's attached to some black feathers! Yay, another black one. Oh, there's a whole little butt, already dry and fluffy.
Orphans
Speaking of things to feel sick about, Brown Bonnet is gone. I found her three chicks toddling around cheeping under the coop, and she just was gone. Eventually, I found a few feathers, but no evidence of what got her. Raccoons usually leave calling cards. This is only the second midsummer murder and second hen to be taken ever. The first was Cream Puff and Perchick's mother when they were small chicks. Fall is the season for high alert; in the summer there hasn't been a risk. Now two, in four years.
Piles of chicks!
In the wall tent, Cream Puff has chicks! Five of them!Three little tuxedos and two yellows (there was another dead). She's still covering four eggs. And then, in the other broodery, what's this? Perchick has chicks. Sisters to the day, going broody, and hatching. Fine mothers. These two just went to the top of my valued chickens "list" (there's no list). She has seven, in three colours. She likes to keep a close eye on me. The newest hatched is like Hey, I'm still damp, I just want to be under someone! She's still covering her remaining eggs too.
The Chick Cycle, and Hen-in-a-box
Now the mom will start to teach chicken life skills. Scratching, drinking. The beak sweep, the beak wipe. And of course, the dust bathing.
Instagram.
I may not make a blog post every day, but at least I Insta.
Bite size.
