4's an even number.

Down to four chickens.  Blueberry passed sometime last night, after being sick for only a couple days.  I would say nothing else could go wrong, or all the other ones seem fine, but we all know that's not true. 7 weeks old today and  I'm seriously considering getting rid of all of them, healthy or not, before my new chicks come on the 9th. 

I really need my run up, the chicks are eating all my beans and peas and spinach and lying on my potatoes.  Soon?   Next week I hope. 

I installed my new feeders this evening.  I hope the chickens learn to use them, they are very functional!  I also screwed in the roosting pole, and it has already been put to good use.  

Grower feed

I started the chicks on Grower feed mash today from the feed store.  They were so excited!  It's broiler non-GMO feed and it was $12 for 50 lbs.  They devoured it tonight, like it's a special treat!  They have also been devouring the spinach and lettuce in the garden, which is fine since I'm growing it for them, but they've also been helping themselves to bean and pea leaves.  I'm not so excited about that part.  I hope during the 4th of July break we can get the fence around the coop up.

I have some bad news too, Blueberry is taking after her sister and started gasping for breath, and not having much energy nor appetite.   I've been dosing them all with Fenbendazole for worms, and they're last dose will be tomorrow.   Everyone else is doing fine.  I dusted all the chicks for lice and mites Sunday and the lice were just pouring off Blueberry.  I'm not sure if it's because she's white and I could see them, or if there were just that many more on her because they prey on the weak.  So far I haven't seen any more, but the dust is still stuck on their skin. 

Yesterday I used the sprinklers for the first time this season, and today it rained a bunch again, so the summer has been nice and wet for the plants! 

Blue Racers

Last year, we had a hognose snake stuck in our garden fence, which the neighbor freed for us.  Sunday, we found another hognose stuck in the fence, and Husband and I freed it (cause we're so tough.)  Tuesday night the neighbor texted me they came over to play, we weren't home, and there's a huge black snake by the chicken coop!   We went to check it out and found a Blue Racer dead caught in the fence.  It had been dead for a couple days.  Husband googled it and they are hard to find in Michigan, not rare but secretive and sneaky.  They eat small birds (like chickens?,) rodents, and reptiles.  This one was probably about 3 feet long.  Oldest and Youngest were pretty impressed with it and how they could touch it.

My little chickies are loving being outside every day, and Wednesday morning I went to put them in the garden and was moving their food and water and what is under their water jug?  A huge Blue Racer, at least 4 feet long.  Stuck in the fence.  They are definitely after my chickens.  This one was still alive so we carefully freed it.  It was weak and not aggressive, like they are supposed to be.   And it definitely didn't do any racing when it was free.  So, we have seen two Blue Racers in two days. They are beautiful snakes, I'm worried about them being aggressive to the girls, but I have warned them to stay away if they see them.   I'm also worried about them eating the chicks, but they are growing fast and the deer fences are stopping more than deer!

The garden is growing so good this year!  My double fence is working perfectly and the weather has been amazing.  Rainy every 3 days and sunny and mild the rest of the days.  The beans are growing good, squashes are great, and even the broccoli is thriving. My chickens are pooping in the dirt, and eating a couple leaves, but mostly bugs on the leaves.  They're such good chickens.

New Home

After a beautiful sunny day playing in the garden, meeting a snake, and staying cool in the shade of the potatoes, the 5 chicks are sleeping in their new home!  

They didn't seem to be upset or confused when I put them in, but I could tell they were really tired.  They piled up and tucked their heads under to sleep, not eating or drinking at all, not even touching their corn grits!

The potatoes are growing so big, and the squashes are beginning to flower, I wish the poppies and borage would start to flower too, I like more color in the garden.

This morning chickens were adjusting well to their new home, eating and drinking and pooping everywhere! 

They seem bigger already compared to yesterday morning in the brooder.   What a difference a day makes!

Live and Learn. Cedar Creek Hatchery will never get my business again.

Here it is, 4:30 in the morning and I can't sleep because I'm coughing and feel awful about these chickens being sick.  I come downstairs to get water, go out to check the chicks, and Orange is lying dead.  She was getting better, eating, looked fine!  Waffles can barely move, hasn't eaten in days and can't even open her eyes.  I will be relieved when she dies just to get her out of there, even though it's so sad.

So, I go online, do some digging, why are all my chicks dying?   Every book I've read, every article I've read, all the guides, I have to be doing something wrong.  Until I find this.  And I think, maybe it's not me?  Could it be the chickens are somehow conditioned to die?  Weak genetics, is that even possible?  And yes, I guess it is.  Also, Cedar Creek Hatchery gets an F! in the better business bureau.  I should have done my research, they have terrible reviews all over the internet.  I learned my lesson.  I was so impressed with them being local and having such fancy, organic, non-GMO breeds.  Apparently they also don't sex the birds properly, so the ones that do live will probably be roosters.  Awesome!  I should have known they were skitterbag when I went up and they wouldn't let us behind the barn. And I should have known with blueberry's wonky feet.  Next year I am getting normal chickens from Marty at the feed store.  His are from Townline hatchery in Zeeland, and that is close enough for me.  

I guess the next step is getting the big chickens into their coop, the 4 big girls (I hope) seem fine.  Popcorn, Nugget, Nando, and Dumpling were outside in the garden all afternoon today and had a great time, it was perfect weather for them!   We went to Lowe's last night to get PVC pipe to make a feeder for them, and I am excited to get it installed.  I felt silly and awkward cleaning sewer pipe with the dishes tonight, but it needs to be done!

Sprouting Garden

Everything in the garden has sprouted, even the tomatoes and peppers!  And so far, no critter damage!  I have two squash plants that I started indoors, one is flowering already and the other is about to.  It seems like the stems and leaves on the plants are very small and yellow compared to the same plants I started from seed outside.  I wonder why that is.  I am going to plant a couple more zucchini plants tomorrow, the seeds are soaking tonight.  My transplants from Weesies are doing well, they make the garden look fuller too! 

Even the edamame is growing this year!  Maybe I'll be able to harvest some? 

Potatoes are thriving, I think I will get two harvests this season, an early and a late.

Chicken Update:  Waffles got sick again Sunday and I started the antibiotics in the water.  She has not gotten any better, progressively worse.  Gasping for breath, won't eat, and I have to force her to drink.  When I picked her up tonight she didn't struggle, and I can feel all her bones under her feathers.  I kind of hope if she's going to die, she does it soon to get it over with.  I am a terrible mother.  This is them Friday, and everyone was fine and pecking outside.  I don't know what happened. 

 Here is Nugget, my Mini-Eagle French Wheaten Marans.  She is so pretty, and the biggest one, and the definite top of the pecking order already. 

How fast one month goes!

The chicks are 4 weeks old today!  They are still alive!   My gift to them was an adult feeder, and I raised their waterer on a box.  They don't seem too impressed.  Spoiled Chicks.  We went to Family Farm and Home to get shavings and the feeders.  It was cheaper than amazon, so that's saying something! 

Today I also dug up a lilac bush that is growing next to my work.  It used to be a beautiful tree until it was chopped down completely last year.  Now the suckers are growing up all around and taking over the lawn.  I removed a section of suckers and transplanted them into my garden.  I plan to take another section after I put the chicken run in so I can plant it by the coop.  To make it smell pretty. 

Because Husband weed-whacked my pumpkin plants dead I also went to the garden store and bought started pumpkins.  Yes, I'm a cheater, but it's way too late to start pumpkins from seed and it's not my fault He doesn't know what a weed isn't.  I also bought 2 Broccoli and 2 tomato plants because I'm paranoid mine won't grow, and I can't live without fresh produce!  What kind of gardener would I be with no tomates?  I happened to be wearing my Grateful Dead shirt to the store, and so I had to pick up some Scarlet Begonias.  They were on sale.  It was a sign.  They will be planted in the two barrels at the entrance to the garden.

It was cold and rainy today, so no pictures of the chicks on their birthday, hopefully this weekend they can get out and scratch!  These are pictures from 3 days ago, and they are already so much bigger than this! 

Placing of the Coop

The Chicken castle is finally here, and it was very hard work to get it in place!  I'm glad I decided to put it next to the garden, it makes it look Farm-y and the chickens will have plenty of room to roam.  We angled the castle so the big window faces the East, and the chickens can see the rising sun.  It seems to get a lot of morning sun, and afternoon shade so that will be good for the chicks too! 

 I'm so lucky to have good friends and neighbors to help me with the hard work.  Hippies are very good at moving/building chicken coops :)  We still need to level it and add the fence and plank. 

 Nugget and Dumpling checking out their new house.  They seem pretty excited.  In better news, all the chickens seem to be thriving.  Waffles is back to her pecky self, Orange's eyes are fine, and even though there's a few sneezes here and there, they seem to all be healthy!  The vitamins are working!  I stopped giving them antibiotic after 10 days, but there's plenty left if I need to start again. 

One last shot.  Look at my potatoes!  They're out of control!