Summer is Here 2023

 So this week, the majority of the pullets are 19 weeks with a few that are 20 weeks. We had one pullet start to lay fairy eggs a few days ago, but has since stopped laying. The three older girls continue to produce well, and are close to 12 months old now. The two Comets produce extra large eggs and are a hit with our customers. The one remaining Black Copper Marans is only laying about three eggs per week that are medium large... a little larger than medium but not quite large. 

The ducks are over 12 months old and also are producing very well. The eggs are mostly large, with an occasional medium and an occasional extra large.  They like to hide their eggs in the tall grass so it feels a bit like an Easter egg hunt every morning. 

Weather has been typical June. Some rains, some thunder storms, but mostly sunny days with temps in the 80s.  It's been very nice. 

Garden is started albeit very minimal.  Not sure we will get much this year, but better than nothing, I guess. I have planted about half of what I planted two years ago.  Didn't do a garden last year. Less work, I guess, but that means less produce, too.  

Two years ago, we planted 50 Christmas trees out in the back part of the field. Only three survived the drought.  I didn't have any watering system set up.  We are going to install a drip system this year. I purchased 600 feet of hosing to get the water all the way from the house to the trees this year. So far, so good.  This year, I only purchased 25 Norway Spruce starts and plan to purchase 25 White Pine next year.  The three starts that did survive were White Pine.  Mowed a path between the two rows of trees but, the grass is so tall now, can't really see the trees.  They are marked.  The pink and white ribbons are the Spruce while the white only are either the remaining Pine, or will be the Pine next year. A lot of work goes into planting them, and to end up having 95% of them die last year was disappointing. Anyways, we will just keep adding 25 each year until we have a decent area covered and the wild life will have a bit of extra protection. 

Until we have the drip system install, I walk out across the field to water the trees.  While I'm out there, I look for nasties... lupin and ragweed.  I pull them and I am hopeful that one day they will be totally gone. The ragweed is the worst 'cause it is sticky and makes me itch. 

April's Cold Start turns to Summer Temps in the End

The April temps have fluctuated downward then upward over the month.  We should have three days in 80 degree (F) temps then back into the 60s.  Personally, I like 60 degree temps. I can get so much more done on those days, as long as it is not raining sideways or thunder storming with hail. 

So we are finally dwindling our 59 chicks (which all survived) down to 12. We still have 18 pullets today. They are 10 weeks old.  Two will leave this weekend (Silver Laced Wyandotte and Easter Egger), and four more (2 Barred Rock, a Silver Laced Wyandotte, and an Easter Egger) will leave later next week. 

We don't have a Tiny this year, but we do have two runtish pullets that need to have special care at the moment. Those two are in a safe-zone in the big pen. The "smalls" can fit through the larger openings on the dog crate while the bigger girls cannot. So those two are, at least, outside with the pullets, but still safe from the "mean girls."  It took almost a month for the feathers on the Cuckoo Marans to "start" to grow back. The Rhode Island Red was not picked down as much on her back or neck. But, yah, they are a duo and do everything together. They do venture out of the crate, but don't go far.  Keeping food and water in their crate is necessary.  They are sleeping together on the roost in the crate while the big girls all sleep up to the house, overhead.  So this is going to take some adjustment time where they, eventually, can sleep with the bigger girls. 

When it is all done, we will have the following pullets/breeds:

• 2 Rhode Island Reds (1 smallish)
• 2 Splash Laced Red Wyandottes
• 2 Black Australorp
• 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte
• 1 Easter Egger
• 1 (small) Cuckoo Marans
• 1 Lavender Orpington
• 1 Olive Egger
• 1 Cream Legbar

Once we have the sold six sent off to their families, we will start to integrate our three remaining hens into the pullet flock. We have two Gold Comets, and one French Black Copper Marans hens that are doing a decent job supplying us with eggs. For now, the pullets are enjoying the weather before their numbers dwindle again.

Last weekend, we had one bird get returned as a rooster. A Lavender Orpington came back to us as an obvious Roo, so we had to part with one of the remaining Lavendar Oprpingtons as a replacement, that I was hoping to hang on to.  Big Sigh.... But I think this is our only roo.  If the one gal who took 15 two weeks ago has a roo, I'm thinking it might be an Easter Egger, which is another breed that is difficult to "gender" at hatch. But the family is likely to keep that roo as flock protection since their birds free range on their farm. But, at most, I think we only received two roosters out of 59 day-old chicks.  That's much better than last year! Last Spring and Summer, out of a total of 50ish chicks, we ended up with three rooster, several of the chicks died before maturity, one (Tiny) was severely deformed and was not able to survive the winter cold.  So the better ratio this year of survivals and roos is a "feel better" start to the year. 

We are done starting chicks for the year.  No chick plans for the summer and we can focus on hens, eggs, and garden. 

At Seven Weeks and In the Big Coop

We moved the left-over new flock outside into the main coop. Put our three remaining hens into an A-frame coop which they are none too happy with that move, but will put them back out in the main coop when the others are big enough to stand their ground in a few more weeks.

Today, we planted 25 Norway Spruce trees. Of the 50 we planted last year, only 4 survived. Ugh. These trees are taller than the ones I bought last year. All bare root and in the ground. Hoping we don't have another summer like the last two summers. These long, hot and dry summers are hard on our attempts to get the Christmas Trees a going.

One of the ducks is limping today. Will try to catch her tonight when it is bedtime. Easier than chasing her and the others around the field in the middle of the day. By putting them to bed in the coop, we can then grab her in a confined space. Need to check to ensure that she isn't getting a sore on her foot.

Meat Chicks will be arriving on Wednesday, and then we will be a step closer at getting our chicken meat raised for the year.

And that's the update for the first week of April, 2023.

The New Chicks Are Coming, The New Chicks Are Coming!

Just now starting the new chicks for spring, 2023. I did some special order chicks in addition to the ones that I ordered from the hatchery a couple of months ago.  I picked up a couple Olive Eggers, Cream Legbars, and four Lavender Orpingtons. With the temps still fluctuating in the garage, we decided to start the chicks in a large box in the house. We have two more large boxes ready to be used when the other chicks arrive next week. Normally, I use a smaller red water base (non-drowning) base, but I didn't have ready access to them and needed to get water going.  These little girls have done just fine with this base. 

The chicks are now three days into being at the house, and seem to be doing well.  They will be a week older than the rest of the chicks that arrive next week.  We will merge them based on the situation and health of the newer chicks.  If the newer chicks bounce back quickly after they arrive, we will quickly merge this little group with the larger group.  On the other hand, if the new chicks don't bounce back quickly, we will assess the strongest chicks that we can merge with the first batch and work to nurse the weakest back to health as quickly as possible. 

Am very excited to learn more about the new breeds that I requested.  The chicks that I listed for pre-sale were reserved very quickly this year. Now to just wait and see what arrives. 

The meat (Cornish Cross) chicks won't be arriving until April 12th. I was much more careful about timing this year so that we have plenty of time to ensure that all the layer chicks can go outside before we start our batch of meat chickens. The only bad factor here is that these chicks will need to go outside while there is still the chance of freezing temps near the end of March. I try to ensure that the temp in the garage is kept a bit cooler so that they will feather more quickly this year.