Lot of visits in the last few days, not complaining, just wondering! Always enjoy visits to my pictures, thoughts and gripes.
Busy, busy, busy around this little farm. New kits (bunnies) born on Easter Sunday and Star is a good mother. My rabbits seem to be a bit temperamental and sometimes behave in most unsavory ways. Pinky's babe has developed into a beautiful little thing, but is still a bit hyper and not comfortable as yet with being handled.
Chickens are so very happy to have the sunshine and warm weather return and the egg production has once again increased. The brood has to be thinned but it is hard to do when they are all your babies.
My daughter's farm, Blessed Acres Farm, is growing and developing quite nicely. She has spring onions ready to sell and they are beautiful! Too much rain on the strawberries, but that can't be helped. Maybe just a message that strawberries don't belong on her farm - she is allergic to them! Greenhouse is filled with sprouted seeds and small plants almost ready to go in the ground. The spinach patch is coming right along.
The large field has been twice plowed and harrowed; ready for the rows to be laid and plants or seeds put in the rich ground. In the next 90 to 120 days we will be feasting on beans, tomatoes, peas, spinach and all the good stuff and all GMO free and natural the way it was meant to be. Chicks and ducks are thriving in their new space and should come right along in the next few weeks. By August the chicks should be producing eggs regularly. Buff Orpingtons are good layers if on the broody side. She also has Arucanas which I know nothing about, but they are really cute chicks!
It is unbelievable how many people do not know they can not just travel across other people's property. Many 4-wheeler's cutting through the woods and fields and when confronted are very aggressive as if the property owners are the offenders! The lack of respect for other people's property and belongings astounds me, but I was raised in a different era. A few years back we came home to find a man riding his 4- wheeler in the woods next to the house. When ask who gave him permission, he said he didn't need permission - nobody lived there.
The few problems encountered will not stop my joy at such a beautiful Spring! So glad to have all the trees and shrubs budding out and blooming. The rain has even come at good times to wash to excess away and help keep my sinus' free from irritation!
Many changes occurring in our world - both local and worldwide. Praying that God protects us as we are forced to accept these changes and that He guides our leaders in their decisions that will so greatly affect us.
Thanks for dropping in and until next time . . .
Happy Reading!
Belle
Showing posts with label chicks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicks. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Thursday, October 25, 2012
My Feathered Friends
The newest of the brood!
This hen shared the laying rights with another hen. There were twenty eggs in the nest when she started brooding and she hatched 17 of the 20. Half are Sextons and half are Round heads. At three weeks, she has managed to keep them all alive except one. Now the Sexton is setting on another batch of eggs, so we will see what her rate of hatch is going to be. Wonderful watching these little ones learn the survival techniques they will need to survive. I can't believe how still they can be when the hawk flies over.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
A Bit of My Spring
Blondie with her babies!
Promise
Patience
Photography by my grandson, Joseph Head!
Good job Joseph!
Friday, May 14, 2010
My week at a glance
I will start with an update on my chicks - growing fast and trying to settle into their "pecking order". Some days I have gathered a half dozen eggs, most days I gather 4 which keeps us full of eggs. My son's duck was beheaded by some creature from the depths of his lake, so I am now incubating 4 duck eggs. Wish me luck!
The garden is beautiful! I had a wonderful salad from the lettuce out of the garden and yesterday I fixed up some beets. Hubby and I do like beets. The green beans are blooming which means beans are not far behind. Same with the tomoatoes and yellow neck squash. Haven't had a problem with insects so far, but I am well aware that they will soon be flocking into my paradise. The broccoli, bell peppers and egg plant look very healthy, now if they produce I will be extremely happy. I wish I had some onions planted as their price has sky rocketed over the last few weeks. Never thought I would see yellow onions reach $4.00 for a 3 pound bag! My asparagus bed is shaping up nicely and I am pleased with all the new shoots. All ten crowns of asparagus survived my ignorance so I am blessed!
My rosa ragosa is spreading and blooming and looking lovely. Roses are at their prine this year and the beautiful pink bloom was a little over 6 inches in diameter and smelled divine! I received two rubber trees for Mother's Day and they are coming right along. I have to do some research on these babies as I know absolutely nothing about them. They have made a lovely addition to my garden, however and seem to fit right in to the landscaping I already had going!
I have encountered a few more little black snakes than usual this year. I don't know if the chickens are luring them into the yard or the lushness of the plants. With all the rain we were blessed with this year, the foliage on shrubs and plants alike are thick and beautiful. The little snakes are driving my chihuahuas crazy and we are experiencing a lot more barking and whining than usual. The two little redneck dogs just can't understand a snake.
I have enjoyed the search for fellow classmates this week. I am trying to locate some hard to finds from our graduating class as hopefully we will have a class reunion this summer. We have lost so many from our class and we really need to get together soon. It has been exciting to find these people and talk to them. Most I have not seen or talked to for 40 years. It is strange to be so close to someone during school and then lose all contact. I look forward to seeing these friends and re-establishing contact.
Haven't done much writing for the past several weeks, but plan to get back to it soon. My quiet time has been short and interruptions frequent, but things will settle down again soon.
I would like to thank those of you who have offered up prayers for my cousin injured in Afghanistan. He is stateside for now, but it looked pretty serious for a few days. It looks like some surgery will be needed before he returns to his unit, but for now he is safe and healing nicely and spending some time with his wife, kids and dad. Keep praying that his recovery will be complete.
The lettuce must be picked (mine isn't on the recall list), so I will leave you for now. Thanks for dropping by and until next time . . .
Happy reading!
Belle
The garden is beautiful! I had a wonderful salad from the lettuce out of the garden and yesterday I fixed up some beets. Hubby and I do like beets. The green beans are blooming which means beans are not far behind. Same with the tomoatoes and yellow neck squash. Haven't had a problem with insects so far, but I am well aware that they will soon be flocking into my paradise. The broccoli, bell peppers and egg plant look very healthy, now if they produce I will be extremely happy. I wish I had some onions planted as their price has sky rocketed over the last few weeks. Never thought I would see yellow onions reach $4.00 for a 3 pound bag! My asparagus bed is shaping up nicely and I am pleased with all the new shoots. All ten crowns of asparagus survived my ignorance so I am blessed!
My rosa ragosa is spreading and blooming and looking lovely. Roses are at their prine this year and the beautiful pink bloom was a little over 6 inches in diameter and smelled divine! I received two rubber trees for Mother's Day and they are coming right along. I have to do some research on these babies as I know absolutely nothing about them. They have made a lovely addition to my garden, however and seem to fit right in to the landscaping I already had going!
I have encountered a few more little black snakes than usual this year. I don't know if the chickens are luring them into the yard or the lushness of the plants. With all the rain we were blessed with this year, the foliage on shrubs and plants alike are thick and beautiful. The little snakes are driving my chihuahuas crazy and we are experiencing a lot more barking and whining than usual. The two little redneck dogs just can't understand a snake.
I have enjoyed the search for fellow classmates this week. I am trying to locate some hard to finds from our graduating class as hopefully we will have a class reunion this summer. We have lost so many from our class and we really need to get together soon. It has been exciting to find these people and talk to them. Most I have not seen or talked to for 40 years. It is strange to be so close to someone during school and then lose all contact. I look forward to seeing these friends and re-establishing contact.
Haven't done much writing for the past several weeks, but plan to get back to it soon. My quiet time has been short and interruptions frequent, but things will settle down again soon.
I would like to thank those of you who have offered up prayers for my cousin injured in Afghanistan. He is stateside for now, but it looked pretty serious for a few days. It looks like some surgery will be needed before he returns to his unit, but for now he is safe and healing nicely and spending some time with his wife, kids and dad. Keep praying that his recovery will be complete.
The lettuce must be picked (mine isn't on the recall list), so I will leave you for now. Thanks for dropping by and until next time . . .
Happy reading!
Belle
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I have been down and out for a couple of days with allergies. How could something so small be the cause of so much pain? It is an ongoing problem, but I am on the mend and ready to get back to it.
The chicks are progressing wonderfully. We had a scare on Sunday when the daughter-in-law found a "huge" chicken snake in the barn. We all went running, but the thing out smarted us all and escaped. I am keeping a close eye out for him as I know he is eating my eggs and will continue to do so until he is dispatched to other terrain. I knew something was amiss when production dropped from 5 eggs a day to 2 eggs a day.
The garden is growing by leaps and bounds. The rain has started everyting to growing including the weeds. Suppose to get more water today, so the weeding will have to hold until tomorrow or Thursday. The ground is too wet to be tromping through the rows.
My oldest grandchildren are coming for a short mid week visit and I will be busy "absorbing" for a few days. Who knows what we will find to get into, but I have a couple of ideas. I need to keep them here for a week at least to finish some sewing I started. They grow so fast they will have outgrown everything before I finish.
Until next time,
Happy reading!
Belle
The chicks are progressing wonderfully. We had a scare on Sunday when the daughter-in-law found a "huge" chicken snake in the barn. We all went running, but the thing out smarted us all and escaped. I am keeping a close eye out for him as I know he is eating my eggs and will continue to do so until he is dispatched to other terrain. I knew something was amiss when production dropped from 5 eggs a day to 2 eggs a day.
The garden is growing by leaps and bounds. The rain has started everyting to growing including the weeds. Suppose to get more water today, so the weeding will have to hold until tomorrow or Thursday. The ground is too wet to be tromping through the rows.
My oldest grandchildren are coming for a short mid week visit and I will be busy "absorbing" for a few days. Who knows what we will find to get into, but I have a couple of ideas. I need to keep them here for a week at least to finish some sewing I started. They grow so fast they will have outgrown everything before I finish.
Until next time,
Happy reading!
Belle
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Diary of Hatching an Egg
As I related before my ever inspiring and adventurous husband purchased 10 dozen eggs at our local livestock auction. After much research he gathered the parts for an incubator (thermometer, thermostat, water container, egg racks - we had all these items on hand) and proceded to put one together. The trickiest part was keeping the temperature between 99 and 100 degrees. The incubation process will not start until the 99 degree temp is achieved and held for several hours. However, much over 100 degrees will fry the eggs and burn the embryo neither of which was our desire. We want baby chicks!
After monitoring the temperature in our incubator for 24 hours, we felt we were safe in adding the eggs. During the loading process, a egg carton tumbled to the floor and we lost 5 eggs, oops!, but that is just the first accident in this process. We were able to load 7 dozen eggs in our incubator and felt we were on our way. At 50 cent a dozen, hubby and I feel this is an inexpensive trial run and if we get baby chicks, so much the better. On Monday, one egg crack during the turning process. Tuesday produced the same problem. If it continues, we will have to investigate further, but soft shell eggs are more difficult to hatch. Soft shells is the result of the lack of nutrients in the laying hen. Now in Day 4, we are anxious to see if we have learned anything in this process and if successful to celebrate the little hatchlings.
When a setting hen sits on her eggs, she turns them with her feet several times each day. If the eggs are not turned, the clear fluid (known as the egg white) will adher to the inside of the shell and the embryo will not develop properly resulting in physical deformity. Nutrients are contained in the egg white to nourish the little chicken embryo until it is developed and ready to hatch. So, we started the process and turn the eggs at least 3 times a day. It takes only 15 to 20 minutes. The hatching process will take about 20 days depending on - well a lot of things! I think I am getting into this process of egg hatching.
None of our hens will sit on the eggs we put in the nest. I know there could be several reasons, but maybe I just don't have a brooder. I wish for a broody hen right now.
Meanwhile, the new baby chicks are hungry little buggers and are taking in three bowls of food per day. I guess they are making up for the time lost living on egg whites. They are all over my hands as I fill their bowl and devour the food like they are being starved! Black with some light feathering of down on the throat to their front legs, they are beautiful. They are growing rapidly and in a few weeks we will get them ready to go in with the other hens. They are confined for now in a nice roomy pen safe and sound, except when the grandchildren come for a look. At this stage they are not allowed to handle them, both are too young to understand the need for restraint or the power of their little hands.
I was sad to see that one of the Metro Atlanta cities banned pet chickens from their city limits. Chickens are not noisy, make great pets, and teach children responsibility among other things. There was much discussion on the fecal matter causing an unpleasant odor, but unless you have a lot of chickens, there is no odor. I am afraid for those who perfer the smell of vehicle exhaust and smog over the natural odor of people and animals.
The baby chicks are waiting on me and I have chores to tend to. Sound like a farmer again, don't I? Thanks for dropping in and come back soon as the Diary of Hatching an Egg continues.
Happy reading!
Belle
After monitoring the temperature in our incubator for 24 hours, we felt we were safe in adding the eggs. During the loading process, a egg carton tumbled to the floor and we lost 5 eggs, oops!, but that is just the first accident in this process. We were able to load 7 dozen eggs in our incubator and felt we were on our way. At 50 cent a dozen, hubby and I feel this is an inexpensive trial run and if we get baby chicks, so much the better. On Monday, one egg crack during the turning process. Tuesday produced the same problem. If it continues, we will have to investigate further, but soft shell eggs are more difficult to hatch. Soft shells is the result of the lack of nutrients in the laying hen. Now in Day 4, we are anxious to see if we have learned anything in this process and if successful to celebrate the little hatchlings.
When a setting hen sits on her eggs, she turns them with her feet several times each day. If the eggs are not turned, the clear fluid (known as the egg white) will adher to the inside of the shell and the embryo will not develop properly resulting in physical deformity. Nutrients are contained in the egg white to nourish the little chicken embryo until it is developed and ready to hatch. So, we started the process and turn the eggs at least 3 times a day. It takes only 15 to 20 minutes. The hatching process will take about 20 days depending on - well a lot of things! I think I am getting into this process of egg hatching.
None of our hens will sit on the eggs we put in the nest. I know there could be several reasons, but maybe I just don't have a brooder. I wish for a broody hen right now.
Meanwhile, the new baby chicks are hungry little buggers and are taking in three bowls of food per day. I guess they are making up for the time lost living on egg whites. They are all over my hands as I fill their bowl and devour the food like they are being starved! Black with some light feathering of down on the throat to their front legs, they are beautiful. They are growing rapidly and in a few weeks we will get them ready to go in with the other hens. They are confined for now in a nice roomy pen safe and sound, except when the grandchildren come for a look. At this stage they are not allowed to handle them, both are too young to understand the need for restraint or the power of their little hands.
I was sad to see that one of the Metro Atlanta cities banned pet chickens from their city limits. Chickens are not noisy, make great pets, and teach children responsibility among other things. There was much discussion on the fecal matter causing an unpleasant odor, but unless you have a lot of chickens, there is no odor. I am afraid for those who perfer the smell of vehicle exhaust and smog over the natural odor of people and animals.
The baby chicks are waiting on me and I have chores to tend to. Sound like a farmer again, don't I? Thanks for dropping in and come back soon as the Diary of Hatching an Egg continues.
Happy reading!
Belle
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday Night Date
My Friday night date was very special. My husband took me to the local livestock auction featuring 350+ cages of rabbits, chickens, guineas, turkeys, pheasants, ducks, and geese and then throw in the goats, calves, emus, and sheep. It was quite a night at Buggytown Auction Barn!
We arrived a little late for the miscellaneous sale which usually starts at 6:00, but must have started around 5:30 on Friday night. Anything goes during the miscellaneous sale and we have seen some really good buys during this sale. Advertising signs, truck parts, tractor accessories and parts, cookware, handtools, work gloves and so much more are included. Some people come for this sale only and then others stay for the livestock.
On Friday night, there were not as many goats as from previous weeks and prices on the goats were higher. The price of calves on the otherhand were down - small (two week old) were selling between $16 and $22 per head compared to $65 a head a couple of weeks ago. There were also several nannies with babies that I would have bought in a minute if I had a good spot to put them. One little family of black goats stole my heart for a little while, but I got over it and waited patiently for the chickens.
Some of the auctioneers tend to dawdle over the livestock and attempt to draw a higher bid out of the audience. The owner of the auction will move right along and if you want to bid you better be on your toes and make sure you are seen.
Usually, hatching eggs are sold between the miscellaneous merchandise and the small livestock. Friday night however, all the eggs did not get sold during this time so were presented before the poultry and rabbits. As I walked back into the bidding area from reviewing the poultry in the back of the building, my dear hubby was saying $.50 a dozen, that's a deal and ask me what I thought. Well, this is what I heard out of all the commotion - from the auctioneer "50 cents a dozen but there is only 10" from my hubby "that's a deal, what do you think?" My response, "whatever you want dear" - big,big mistake. Well, 10 dozen hatching eggs are now on my kitchen table waiting to go in the incubator my hubby has rigged up. Okay, I now know to keep my eyes and ears open and to never, ever leave my hubby alone at an auction. Well, it doesn't matter whether he is alone or not, because not more than thirty minutes later with me safely at his side, he was calling out his number again and had bought 5 baby black giants for $1.50 each.
At this point I gave him my sternest look and said "No more!" He has the most innocent smile - he never committed to the "no more", but I did get a "we'll see." We have increased our flock by 120 eggs (which if estimates are correct we should get 60 chicks, but it will take 21 days once the hatching process is started) and 5 chicks. Oh my, we are now chicken farmers. I will admit our chickens have made wonderful pets, are no trouble to care for, and bring many hours of joy. They enjoy a good game of race when we give them scaps of lettuce or celery and compete for our attention in a friendly manner. Some of them are real show offs.
Whether it was the seller or just the turnover of the buyers, the price of chickens were up and down. Some beautiful roosters went for $3.50 a piece early on then the price quickly jumped to as high as $15. The same with the chickens, but the highest price I remember was $18 a head for a pair of black copper morans. (I know that is probably not what the auctioneer meant to say, but that is what these ears heard. Beautiful long tail pheasants brought $26 a head while one big tom turkey sold for over a hundred. I can't figure out the logic, but it is always interesting to see what draws a persons interest. I learned there is a chicken/turkey mix called a turken. They described them as turkey neck chickens.
We left at 11:45 with the sale still going strong, but it was a little late for me (it was past my bedtime). There were still cages and more cages of poultry and we were told later it was around 1:30 before all was over.
That is the best $12.50 date I have had in a long while! Every time we go I learn something new and see something unusual. And everytime I make the trip the kid in me comes out and I get that "daddy please?" syndrome. I love animals! And yes in a couple of weeks, I will have another Friday Night Date, but this time I am taping hubby's hands to his side.
Next week maybe you can have an exciting, educational Friday Night Date. Try a visit to the Buggytown Auction on Highway 341 south of Barnesville. In the meantime, thanks for dropping by.
Happy Reading!
Belle
We arrived a little late for the miscellaneous sale which usually starts at 6:00, but must have started around 5:30 on Friday night. Anything goes during the miscellaneous sale and we have seen some really good buys during this sale. Advertising signs, truck parts, tractor accessories and parts, cookware, handtools, work gloves and so much more are included. Some people come for this sale only and then others stay for the livestock.
On Friday night, there were not as many goats as from previous weeks and prices on the goats were higher. The price of calves on the otherhand were down - small (two week old) were selling between $16 and $22 per head compared to $65 a head a couple of weeks ago. There were also several nannies with babies that I would have bought in a minute if I had a good spot to put them. One little family of black goats stole my heart for a little while, but I got over it and waited patiently for the chickens.
Some of the auctioneers tend to dawdle over the livestock and attempt to draw a higher bid out of the audience. The owner of the auction will move right along and if you want to bid you better be on your toes and make sure you are seen.
Usually, hatching eggs are sold between the miscellaneous merchandise and the small livestock. Friday night however, all the eggs did not get sold during this time so were presented before the poultry and rabbits. As I walked back into the bidding area from reviewing the poultry in the back of the building, my dear hubby was saying $.50 a dozen, that's a deal and ask me what I thought. Well, this is what I heard out of all the commotion - from the auctioneer "50 cents a dozen but there is only 10" from my hubby "that's a deal, what do you think?" My response, "whatever you want dear" - big,big mistake. Well, 10 dozen hatching eggs are now on my kitchen table waiting to go in the incubator my hubby has rigged up. Okay, I now know to keep my eyes and ears open and to never, ever leave my hubby alone at an auction. Well, it doesn't matter whether he is alone or not, because not more than thirty minutes later with me safely at his side, he was calling out his number again and had bought 5 baby black giants for $1.50 each.
At this point I gave him my sternest look and said "No more!" He has the most innocent smile - he never committed to the "no more", but I did get a "we'll see." We have increased our flock by 120 eggs (which if estimates are correct we should get 60 chicks, but it will take 21 days once the hatching process is started) and 5 chicks. Oh my, we are now chicken farmers. I will admit our chickens have made wonderful pets, are no trouble to care for, and bring many hours of joy. They enjoy a good game of race when we give them scaps of lettuce or celery and compete for our attention in a friendly manner. Some of them are real show offs.
Whether it was the seller or just the turnover of the buyers, the price of chickens were up and down. Some beautiful roosters went for $3.50 a piece early on then the price quickly jumped to as high as $15. The same with the chickens, but the highest price I remember was $18 a head for a pair of black copper morans. (I know that is probably not what the auctioneer meant to say, but that is what these ears heard. Beautiful long tail pheasants brought $26 a head while one big tom turkey sold for over a hundred. I can't figure out the logic, but it is always interesting to see what draws a persons interest. I learned there is a chicken/turkey mix called a turken. They described them as turkey neck chickens.
We left at 11:45 with the sale still going strong, but it was a little late for me (it was past my bedtime). There were still cages and more cages of poultry and we were told later it was around 1:30 before all was over.
That is the best $12.50 date I have had in a long while! Every time we go I learn something new and see something unusual. And everytime I make the trip the kid in me comes out and I get that "daddy please?" syndrome. I love animals! And yes in a couple of weeks, I will have another Friday Night Date, but this time I am taping hubby's hands to his side.
Next week maybe you can have an exciting, educational Friday Night Date. Try a visit to the Buggytown Auction on Highway 341 south of Barnesville. In the meantime, thanks for dropping by.
Happy Reading!
Belle
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