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. 

April Snow Showers bring Cold Temps!

The weather the past few years has been so unpredictable. Last year, on April 11, we had over 6 inches of snow on the ground, killing some of my freshly planted berries and almost killed the grape plant I had planted the first of April (2022) on the assumption that the freezing was behind us. It also killed  a few of the baby trees I had planted. I was none too happy.... but, then, the heat in the summer killed most of the rest of the trees. Ugh.  

This week, the temps yesterday were pretty typical and wet.  We even ventured out a few days ago to replant some of the tree starts.  But today, we are likely to have freezing temps again, and some snow flurries. The Day Old Cornish Cross that we ordered in February, arrived today, and yah, this is what we are dealing with. Have them in garage with a space heater under their brooder and towels over the top of the mesh, trying to hold some of the heat inside. It has helped to warm the inside of their brooder warmed up to 65F, so that's not too bad. Using the large brooder warmer to ensure that everyone (25) have a place to get warmed without needing to feel distressed. Have pushed the feeder and the waterers up close to the warmer so that they don't need to get too chilled in order to eat and drink. Normally, at this time of the year, we are warmer, but, yah. This seems to be our new normal.

Oh, update on the duck. Brown duck (Diega) has been limping the past few days. I did end up catching her yesterday and she has two calluses on each foot. I brought her inside the house, which obviously was stressful as she pooped down my coat and onto the kitchen floor. Then pooped again when I put her in some warm water to soak her feet in epsom salt solution in the laundry sink... ugh! I don't see any redness or black, so that's good. Have put some grass hay on the ground in their coop to hopefully help minimize the foot stress for her at night. Don't want this to turn into bumblefoot. May try to catch her again in a day or two, to put some oil on her soles to help with healing.

Ahhh... Spring!

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.