In the Process Earlier - Potato Sprouts

We took the current flock of Cornish Cross in to the "processor" a week earlier than normal. They grew fast.  It might be due to having more roos this time and they grow faster than the pullets. We had six roos and three pulls... we lost one pull last week.  Not sure why, but she was dead in the morning last weekend when we went to let them out into the run. I may have mentioned it when I talked about the yotes... Anyways, eight to the processor and to be picked up tomorrow by noon.  Quick turn around. Then in the spare fridge for 48 hour cure, then a quick chop chop and ready for the freezer.

It's been a few weeks since planting but the potatoes are starting to sprout out of the dirt! Our temps have been wonky... briskly cool more days than usual... I have the onions planted too. I way over planted the onions in hopes that we get more throughout the summer. Fertilized the fall garlics last week.  We are off to the races on the "under ground" plants. 

Pesky Coyotes

This weekend, a young pair of coyotes were scoping out the Cornish Cross. During the day, they were right up to the pen, trying to figure out a way in. They quickly ran off as the back door opened with the guys walking out there, clapping loudly. This was pretty gutsy of these rascals. The guys reinforced the hinges on the pen door to make it hard for them to get in, but who knows? We do close up the chicks at night in the coop so even if the coyotes were to get into the pen at night, we would know it before releasing the the chicks in the morning. 

The chicks are about ready to process, and then we won't have to worry about this factor in a week or two.

Potato Starts and Nine Cornish Cross Outside

The nine Cornish Cross have been in their "outdoor" coop for two weeks in the garage. So they are sufficiently acclimated to it and will be easier to herd back to it in the evenings.  Three are pullets and the rest are roos so most are quite large already. They are five weeks of age, and we will process them in about three to four more. With the extra mouths of "over eaters" we have gone through more feed than I anticipated.  Looks like we will be going through over a 100 pounds of feed this spring! 

Today, we moved the coop outside and they are all outside in the day run enjoying the sunshine, lots of bugs and worms and, generally being all chicken like.  I wish we could have moved them out sooner, but our spring, truly, is just now setting in. 

It pushed our potato planting time back by two weeks.  We planted California Whites (12 starts) and Pontiac Reds (24 starts). This is double the amount of potato starts we normally plant. I plan on planting the onion starts tomorrow. I have not yet started the spinach.  We had some mold issues in the greenhouse over the winter with the crazy mix of a hot January, and a freezing frosty wind-whipped February. January did in my carrots that I had wintered over in the greenhouse.  I was pretty disappointed to be throwing out a beautiful looking bunch of carrots into the compost pile! I should have harvested them as soon as January started to warm up. Garlic is doing okay. I was worried with the January.  I threw a bunch of leaves on, as mulch and frost protection.  I need to get more fertilizer on them. And I guess that's about all I can report on, for now. It's TRULY Spring 💗❤💗💝😁

Marching on in Snow - Winter 2019

So we seem to be stuck in the winter despite the groundhog signaling an early spring. 

January was pretty warm, and even one (or maybe) two of the Welsummers started to lay an egg, now and again. But that's stopped by mid February as the cold snap settled in and we started getting snow. The Rhodes continued to do their best, with at least two eggs every day. But this crazy weather is wearing on them, as well.  We are almost to 12 hours of sunlight per day, but it sure does not feel like it. Yesterday was another round of rain, sleet, hail and snow. Then we received another half-inch on top of that, last night. All together, it was a little more than a dusting, but not much more than. 

We only have 11 more days until the season changes over to spring, and I can't even plant potatoes yet! What a Mess! I may have to start them in the green house to minimize the freezing. I'm hoping that my garlic starts have survived that were started last fall. 

Some More Snow 3-9-19

Not Much, but More Than We Wanted

Five Day Cornish Cross - Start of Wing Feathers

It is always amazing to me just how quickly Cornish Cross chicks develop and grow. When they hatch, they are, for all intents and purposes, the same size as any "normal" sized chick. Bantams are smaller so I don't include them in the group. And within days, they are outsize their peers, and start to grow feathers on their wings. I have already needed to raise up the warmer because of height/growth. In about a week, I will need to put in the other brooder warmer because they will be too chunky to all fit under the one. 

I can't remember if I indicated that we have no plans to get more layer chicks this year. We will deal with the hens that we have and will probably get more layer chicks next year. We did get nine meat chicks this spring since we are eating more chicken due to health/diet restrictions. Can't get any healthier chickens than the ones I raise myself. No hormones, antibiotics or other stuff added because we keep the environment clean and we raise our chicks as humanely as possible. That means that they get to go outside when mature enough and will get to act like chickens, even if they are a bit lazier than the layers.

For the photos, I tried to only use natural light (without flash) but that means that the speed of the picture (lens is open) longer to capture the image. Of course, these little guys are not inclined to just sit and wait for the photo. Out of 15 tries, this was all I could get with only a little blur. 

We are supposed to get snow again this weekend. Brrrrrrrr.... Winter can't be over soon enough for my tastes. We have a space heater that blows some warm air into the small cage that we have covered with an old sheet to minimize drafts. Otherwise, it is simply too cold in the garage and the chicks will not get out from under the warmer to eat and drink (and poop). They are way too stinky to start out in the house.We had this issue last year too. The typical purchase time in the spring for Cornish X is April. But, if we wait for that time, then we tend to have to deal with the hot temps of June and July, which is stressful on them just prior to process time. I'm hopeful that they all survive through to next week.

You can't see me!

Dinner Time

Litte Fluff Balls Don't Hold Still

So then he said. . . 

Pre-Spring Chicklets Arrived

Nine little fluff balls arrived this morning.  We have them in our small cage with high sides for now, to make it easier to control the environment.  We have the brooder warmer at the low height and they are all piled under there as they adapt.  Since the garage is on the cool side right now, we have added a space heater to blow a little warm heat in there.  Of course, we also have the cage covered with a sheet to cut down on drafts with the one foot wide opening at the far end of the cage (away from the chicks) to ensure that they are in a warm, but not too warm environment.  If it is too cold, they won't leave the brooder warmer for the food and water. It can be quite the task to find just the right temps on these cooler winter days as we head into spring. 

These are only the Cornish Cross - meat chicks.  No layers this year.  We will replenish the layers next year. So, it's the start of the new flock. 

Cornish Cross huddled under the warmer.

Late Winter Arrival 2019

So it has been a while since I last posted last fall.  We had an incredibly warm winter with a lot more sunshine than normal. We did something different this winter. Rather than put lights in the coops, especially while the Welsummers were recovering from moult, we decided to wait to see how long, in the shorter light days, the Rhode Islands would lay eggs.  Unlike our previous pullet breeds, the Rhode Island Reds continued right through December 21st laying two to three eggs per day. So we never bothered to install the timers and lights.  We wonder if a part of that was because of the warmer and sunnier winter.

The first of the Welsummers just started laying an egg every other day on January 28th. She seems to be the only Welsummer laying. 

The last part of January, the Mid-West and East Coast started dealing with a Polar Vortex, while we continued with our warm weather. Then, the last few days of January, we got some colder nights with snow and ice. Not much to speak of. About two-three inches of really wet snow, and I didn't even bother taking pictures because it was mostly gone within a day.  The ice stayed, and each morning was a little too cold to keep water out in the coops. We have been pulling the waterers out of the coops each night so that they don't freeze.  At night, temps have been dropping down to the low 20Fs. 

Rhode Islands are still laying every day, unfazed, so far, by the cold nights. 

Tonight we are supposed to get significant snow for the weekend and possibly into Monday or Tuesday. Because all of my coop covers are iced over, I could not move them into place. OY Vey. I cobbled together some covers with plastic, canvas tarps, bricks, and even a folding dog pen.  I just hope they all stay in place. This could prove to be the wrong strategy.  Hoping it lasts at least through the night until I can get the rest of the family members to help me pull in in better covers.

Update - Last night's snow accumulation. About 5 inches of snow.

Looking Northwest at Coops	Changed Light Filter
My Magnolia Top	Magnolia bottom
Greenhouse looking Southwest