Runaway

This week we gave Nando to a new farm, in hopes he will fertilize many eggs and keep some hens in check.  The same day Dumpling went missing, probably found a new home to live in, where they feed her canned chicken food and give her an inside bed.   Or she's in the belly of a fox/hawk/owl/coyote/dog/cat/eagle/vulture/snake.   I'd like to believe the first one instead.  Popcorn and Nugget are all out of sorts, they don't know what to do without their friends. 

 I took the new chicks out for a little bit yesterday, to get used to the fresh air and dirt.   It's been only in the mid-60's and raining, so they didn't get as much time as I would like.   Rosemary seems to have a runny nose and is not as active as the other chicks.  I hope she didn't catch something.  It could be my imagination too,  I keep looking for things wrong with these chicks.

15 days turns fluffy chicks into scragglemuffins

15 days old and all 6 chicks are still alive and healthy!  They are developing very fast and their feathers are coming in quickly.

  I changed their feed last night to Natures Grown Organic Chick starter and they went CRAZY for it.  They loved it.  I love it too, it actually smells and looks like real food, not just pellets.  I am so happy with these chicks.  They are much healthier, and even though Townline doesn't have any fancy breeds or a huge selection, healthy chicks is what's really important.  And we drove by Townline today!  I was probably more excited than what is normal.  My only regret is I wish I could have gotten 6 different breeds.  It's hard to tell them apart!  They all have names, but it's impossible to tell them apart.  The 3 barred rocks are: Rosemary, Patty, and BarbieQ.   The Isa Browns are Peanut, Paprika, and Coconut.  

Flyers

The chicks are 10 days old today and they have started jumping/flying up onto the food and water dispensers and hop up like they want to fly out of the box.   Because they're so healthy.  I added hardware cloth over the top to prevent any runaways.  They have wing and tail feathers growing in and are not in the "cute" chick stage, but more like the "Gangly" chick stage.  They're still cute though.   And alive!  I put the stick in for them a week early, and they've figured it out already!  It's been over 90 everyday so I've been leaving the brooder lamp off, and they seem fine with it.  All their poop is foamy every time and I'm not sure why.  I added some ACV to the water, but I'm wondering why. 

I have been taking care of a friend's 29 chickens, 8 of them are meat chickens.   They are so awkward, and HEAVY.   She also has two silkies which I see no point in at all.   They are flighty and I have had to chase her around the coop both nights just to get her in. 

It has been so hot and the garden is not thriving.  My broccoli from Weesies has not grown at all, but yet it's not dead either?  Squashes are growing good and then of course the beans that the rabbits have gorged on.  I think I will get some tomatoes, and the pumpkins are still quite small.  Surprisingly, all the seed plants I started inside are not thriving near as well as those direct sown into the ground.   A lesson for next year. 

The big chickens have been free ranging all week, they are like my guinea pigs to see how it goes.  So far they've done great, follow me around and stay close to the house.  Nando has a problem finding his way into the coop at dark, but the other cluckers got it down!  They seem to really like being out all day. 

 

Dumpling is still the calmest, Popcorn lets me hold him everytime but gets nervous once I have him.  Dumpling is so calm and likes to roost on my arm.  

So Easy

I am so surprised at how much easier taking care of the chicks are now the second time around.  Maybe it's like a second child, where everything's more "Meh."  They are thriving and I feel like I haven't spent near the amount of time with them as before.  All 6 chicks have their wing feathers growing in and a couple have tail feathers coming in too.  I added sawdust to their box today and elevated the water, since they're almost a week old already! 

 We named the other two Isa Browns Peanut and Paprika.  Paprika has the stripe by her eye and browner wings. 

It's been so hot, that the garden has really taken off.  The squashes especially have had a growth spurt.  I found another chipmunk in my garden, climbing the tomato plants.  I chased him out and hit him with a soaker hose.  Maybe I've given him enough of a scare he won't come back. 

The old girls are suffering through the heat, I made a tent out of their old brooder box to stay under the shade, but then they kept getting out of the garden, so I haven't put them back in.  I know Nugget, the Marans, is a rooster, but I'm still on the fence about the other 3.  Maybe they just have developed combs.   I don't know what to look for! 

14 pounds of potatoes!

It's been 24 hours and our chicks are still alive!   They are so precious, still very lively and doing great.  Here's some 2 day old pics from their photo shoot.  We've named one brown one Coconut and a black one Rosemary.  They've all lost their egg tooths and none are suffering from pasty butt.  One caught a moth yesterday and they were all chasing her around to eat it. That's pretty healthy!  

I also harvested over 14 pounds of potatoes yesterday, and got more from Marty to plant another succession.  Haven't eaten any yet, but they sure look good.   We found many grubs in the dirt and threw them to the waiting chickens.  Soon they hopped up and started pecking them right out of Youngest's hand!  

The big chickens are doing well.  Still deciding if this one's a roo or a hen. 

Nugget had his first attempt at a crow tonight.  We were putting them back in the coop and he was the first one in, as I was wrangling the other ones we heard a weak crow from the coop.  Everyone stopped and looked at each other.  He's so handsome, I'm sure he'll find his voice soon.  

Another shot of Dumpling.  Still the tamest one, but her neck feathers are confusing to me and she holds her tail up straight when she's walking about. 

New chicks, New beans!

Today I picked up 6 day old chicks from the feed store in town, they get them from Townline Hatchery in Zeeland.  3 barred rocks and 3 Isa browns.  That's all the hatchery had available at this time.   I just hope they're all pullets. I already have too many roosters!   I'm beginning to think Dumpling, the ameraucana, is a rooster as well.  Wouldn't surprise me any.  I'm already impressed because Marty, the owner of the feed store, called me right at 8:15 and told me my chicks had arrived!   The first thing I noticed is how little and fluffy they are.   Like they all got dry cleaned before they came to me!  I don't remember the first chicks ever being this little.  Their wing feathers are not developed at all, which I distinctly remember the guy at Cedar Creek showing me two layers of feathers on the "sexed" chicks.  So far, everyone's eating and drinking and peeping a lot.  They are also obviously pooping a lot.   They seem much livelier than the first batch ever were.  You should have heard the girl's squeals when I opened the box!

I'm starting to think the first batch of chicks were not a day-old, as I was told, but more like 3 or 4 days old.  These chicks are SO SMALL and their wings have no feathers.  They just have fluff.   They also have egg teeth on their beaks, none of my other chicks had those! I bought leg bands for the chicks to tell them apart, but unfortunately their legs are too small and they just slipped off.   I guess there will be no way to tell them apart until they grow a little bit. 

My big chickens look absolutely ginormous next to the chicks.  They are doing fine.  They are roosters.  I dusted them for lice again tonight.  Hoping they don't spread it! 

After the stem fest my beans were having, they have now sprouted new leaves and flowers, so I'm still hopeful!   I'm thankful for all the rain and heat we've had the last week, it has really sprung everything into high growth.  My pumpkins are spreading, along with all the varieties of squash.

Grubs, Rabbits, and Peas

I feel bad for my last post blaming my chickens for eating my crops when really it has been old fluffy tail.  The other night I went out and a rabbit was frantically running around the inside of the garden, trying to get out.  Finally it slipped under the fence and got away.  I put a log down where I saw it get out, but the next day all I have are bean sticks.  It's like a bean stick forest :(   I also found a chipmunk hole right underneath the bean bed, so I figure they are a lost cause AGAIN this year.   Mouse traps may have to be called for. 

 The chickens are 9 weeks old today!  No one has crowed yet, but I'm certain the big three are roosters.  I'm even wondering if Dumpling, the Amerucana is too.  I did the wing test, where you hold up their wings and let their feet hang, pullets are supposed to tuck their feet up, and roosters will drop their feet down.  All 4 of mine dropped their legs.  Dumpling has no noticeable comb or wattles, but I'm not sure if Amerucanas are supposed to!  Other than that they are doing well.  I'm keeping them in the coop and have decided before my new chicks (6 days!) get put into the coop I will completely clean and paint the interior.  It may be a good thing my run is not done, that way I have no contamination between the two batches.   My new chicks will not be foraging in the garden this year, maybe next.

I did find some nasty grubs when I was weeding/raking today.   There were pockets of them throughout the garden, but mostly where I had the cardboard down last year over part of the garden.  I got over 20 grubs out into a bucket, and the girls helped me find them in the dirt.  They were nasty, and from what I found online they appear to be Japanese Beetle larvae.   Which makes sense, but not something I am happy about.  I put DE in the bucket with the dirt and larvae, I hope that takes care of them, otherwise I will pour boiling water over them tomorrow.  

 We harvested 3 peas today, the girls fought over them, hopefully more soon.  The potatoes never flowered, but the stems have fallen down and turned yellow, so they should be ready to harvest soon!