Name the Chicken Breed

We call this little fluff ball Fluffernutter, she was in the box of broilers Jason brought home. We believe that s/he is a Buff Cochin Bantam. But we won't know for sure until she is fully feathered out. She is not as big as the other chickens and has feathers on her feet. She's so tiny! Can't wait to find out what she is!

Saturday Journal

• Planted seeds: beets, carrots, summer squash, zucchini, beans, and sunflowers
• Planted onions
• Strung up peas
• Bought more chickens (fluffy white ones), this time broilers and one mystery chick
• Thanked God: for the rain to water the garden, the coolness to help the cabbage and Brussels sprouts take root, and the overcast sky so that the tomato plants didn't get scorched.

On Monday Jason came home and said to me (Delia) in a mischievous voice: "I have something for you!" To which I responded, "It better not be a puppy or I'll kill you." He took me to the porch and presented me with a box of fluffy, yellow, peeping chicks. "They are broilers! Meat birds."

That night we constructed a new home for the ducks, a dog kennel wrapped in wire and cardboard, and put the new little chicks where the ducks once lived.

For a few days everything was fine. Then the Reds got bigger. Bigger and flapping. Flapping, jumping, and perching on the water jars. Flapping and jumping to get over the gate to visit the new chicks. I said to my Mom, "One of these days we are going to go on the porch and a Red is going to be with the Broilers."

Sure enough later that day Mom went out on the porch and a Red was laying down with the Broilers.

I worried that the Reds would get hurt trying to get over the fence, so I removed it. Everyone is happy, healthy, and getting big and strong!

This week in the garden we hope to:

• Weed the peas
• Mulch the strawberries
• Plant pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, potatoes, watermelon 

Rusty the Lawn Mower

Most of the time he just hangs around munching grass, eating scraps of tasty bits the daycare kiddos toss at him, and rolling around in the mud. This past week, when it was rainy, he moonlighted as a lawn mower in the daycare yard. It spurred an idea in us, well hey, he could mow other parts of the lawn where the dandelions are taking over by the gardens: where it is too wet to bring a mower. We asked Little Sister to move the electric tape to put him near the gardens. Mom and Dad suggested that she use some of the daycare yard fence to keep him contained.

On Saturday Little Sister decided to give him a bit of a work out and made him run around in his yard for a few minutes. I walked through the gate (see photo below of the closed gate) and left the gate open (because we were walking in and out of it a lot). It was open wide enough that he could fit through, but it'd be a bit scary for him (I thought) and so he'd stay in his yard when she let him into his new munching spot. He loves the yellow demon flowers! 

She opened his fence and a very happy Rusty zipped in, slowed down just enough to get through the gate, and started munching in the freshly mowed daycare yard. The yard strewn with daycare toys that I felt certain that he'd either a) break a toy or b) hurt himself on. "Quick!" I yelled to Little Sister, "See if you can get him out of there before he gets hurt."

Well, he had different plans. He wanted to play, to prance, to dance, to run in the other direction, to leave divots in the hard, to place hoof marks everywhere (have I mentioned the rain?), but not to obey. She tried everything she could, even tempted him with tasty grain. Finally we had to give up and let him be. "He'll leave, once he realizes there's nothing left to eat."

About an hour later we peeked outside and sure enough and he was munching on dandilions right where he was supposed to be.

Foolish Horse.

Chicks and Ducks

Previous Photos Courtesy of K.Sloma

On chick arrival day we called the feed store to see if they had arrived. We were told, yes the chicks had, but not the ducks. The ducks, they said, would arrive the next day. No big deal.We brought our little peeping box home, dipped their beaks in water (probably not necessary since they were all drinking water at the feed store), checked their vents, and then did a quick count. Wait, 1..2..3..14? we were missing one. No big deal, what's one chicken. 

The next day the feed store called to tell us that the ducks had arrived. But he was not a happy guy. Apparently where ever they got their ducks from took too long sending them and many had perished. However, the Peking's looked good. We picked up our four fluffy yellow Peking's and hoped for the best.

Three days later and we are in love! We have named two chicks one is "Twig" s/he had deformed feet. I went and checked some chicken forums and it seems that crooked feet is hereditary. As long as the chick is walking/running, eating, and not being pecked to death than all is well. Worse case scenario, we eat her. The other chick is "Piglet" and Little Sister said it will be the smallest, which ever on that turns out to be.

Saturday Farm Journal

yes, its fuzzy

Not much happened in the garden for the last two weeks. It's been raining and then there was a threat of frost, so we put off planting until yesterday. We planted four dozen different tomato plants: roma, beefsteak, and super sweet; two dozen green peppers; six green cabbage; six red cabbage; and six Brussels sprouts. We weren't planning on planting cabbage, but the new part of the garden is wetter than expected and cabbage supposedly likes it wet, we'll see what happens. This week the plan is to plant the seeds: pumpkin, zucchini, summer squash, other squashes, cucumbers, beans, sunflowers, carrots, and beets.

 The blueberries are looking great and so are the pear trees. The blossoms have all fallen off the pear trees and now it's just a waiting game. I tell the daycare kiddos each year that the pears will be ready by the time they go to school in the fall, but I wonder where everything has been a bit early if they will be too.

In other farm news, the chickens and ducks have arrived. I will dedicate a full post to them next week.

They're Coming

Tomorrow, tomorrow, they'll be here tomorrow!

15 Chicks and 4 Ducklings

We cannot wait!

Today

:: Some ducks have been visiting us off and on.

:: Plants were purchased: tomato, pepper, cabbage, Brussel sprouts

:: The blossoms on the pear tree have since fallen off and little tiny pears are not far behind

:: The blueberry bushes look like they have pale blueberries on them.

:: On Thursday the chicks arrive!

Farm Journal

It's been a rainy few weeks. Nothing much has changed around here in the garden. Nothing new was planted or fertilized. There was hope that the garden would be tilled one more time today and then potatoes planted on Friday, but everything is too soggy.

Instead of working in the garden the men are going to spend some "quality time together" working on a leaky roof and some more renovations in the bathroom. Jason has taken the upstairs bathroom mostly apart. They still need to rip off the walls and rip out the toilet and sink and then they will have a blank canvas to work from. Dad has picked up most of the parts over the past few years, at a deep discount of course, from his job at Lowes. The only thing left to do is to do it!

The pictures of the pear trees are all the same branch.  

Despite the rain and lack of sun the pears and blueberries are progressing. In the woods a little further north of us there was a hard enough frost to kill off the fiddle heads. Thankfully the trees and blues were not affected. I love looking out the window and seeing the pear tree almost in full bloom. I can almost taste the pear crisp, pear-sauce, and pear pie! 

 

I found some feral beasts outside warming in the sun on the one warm day we had this past week. I'm not sure if they are hunting rodents yet, I haven't seen any evidence. Henry has taken a bird out of the air in the past month (Mom saw him) but no one else has brought us any "presents".

Top Left to Right: Henry & Bullet
Bottom Left to Right: Jesse & Pheonix

Chicks will be here in a couple of weeks. I can't wait for that peeping box!