We let the chicks out the other day and in only 4 days, they’ve grown and are losing their fuzz and getting their feathers.
April 1
They shed the fuzz and the feathers are slowly coming in so they are starting to look a bit bedraggled.
April 4
It is amazing how quickly they grow. In just under 2 weeks, they are easily double the size they were when we moved them from the incubator to their new home.
At 15-22 weeks they become pullets until they start laying eggs. Then, they graduate to hens.
March 23
We aren’t sure if these girls will be good layers or not. Their Pearl White Leghorn mom(s) are one of the best laying breeds. But they also have DNA from Pecky who is a Blue Cochin.
Cochins are really more of a show bird and lay around 1…per week. Yikes.
I came in the school room the other day and one of the chicks was walking around outside the tote.
At first, I thought that it had jumped on top of the waterer to get out. But when I looked in the tote, I saw the chicks jumping on each other and then trying to jump out. I guess they were giving each other a boost up.
Teamwork at its finest.
Go team chicken go!
Give each other a boost up!
Don’t poop on the floor!
Today, Joe and I walked around the homestead and heard buzzing, chirping, croaking and singing.
Spring is here, softly waking everything up and gently pushing back on a very determined winter.
We tried to sneak up on the croaking frogs, but before we could sneak all the way to the edge of the pond, the croaking stopped and we heard the plip plop of frogs diving for cover.
We heard the birds talking to each other and the rustle of critters in the grass. Joe was very excited to find worms and other crawly critters.
Buds are forming on trees and the majority of the autumn olive Ray and the boys transplanted last weekend are doing well.
Cherry blossoms are opening. We ended up with a handful of cherries last year that were a bit too sour for my taste. Maybe we will get enough this year to can.
Due to all the rain, our swales are full and overflowing.
The sun was shining and there was only a slight breeze, so we brought the plants out to stretch and bask in the sun and fresh air.
I plan to plant my cabbage and broccoli in the garden today. I may also throw some lettuce and spinach down and replace the carrot seeds the chickens ransacked.
They can withstand cooler temperatures.
The chicks also got to spend a few hours outside. It is still too chilly to leave them out at night with no mama to keep them warm though.
Yep. Spring is definitely here…now if we could just get it to stay put.
Winter, raging and railing
Holds tight to the cold
It roars into March
Pushing with rain and snow
Spring, sighing and shushing
Quietly stands against the cold
It whispers soft sounds
And stands determined and bold
Sleepy plants are slowly waking up, uncertain of the sun and warmth.
Dare they sprout?
Dare they bloom?
Dare they grow?
The boys and I took a walk around the property today hoping to find green leaves and buds blooming.
We weren’t disappointed.
Easter lilies were peeking up through the mulch.
We dug these up at Ray’s grandma’s house and brought them to the homestead a couple of years ago. I didn’t think they’d make it that first year, but they surprised me and have come back stronger every year…putting up with all kinds of abuse from cats, kids and lawn mowers.
Strawberries were spreading under the roses. We missed the main part of the season last year. We were vacationing in the Smokies. But they didn’t go to waste! Ray’s dad got a few gallon bags for the freezer.
The lilac bush I planted several years ago has the more growth on it than it has had in the past two seasons.
The blackberries have buds on every vine. They have been loaded down with the delicious fruit for the past two years. I still have a few gallon bags in my freezer just waiting to be made into jam or cobbler or sauce.
The aronia bushes are all covered in tiny black buds. We have a couple of volunteer runners from this one, so we may try to move those back to the swale.
All three honeyberry bushes have dusky green leaves starting to bloom. I am really hoping we get fruit from at least one of these this year.
There are seaberries everywhere. I counted at least 5 volunteers while we were out scouting the fedge. We’ll need to transplant these to the swales this year too.
And of course, the most exciting awakening…the chicks are hatching. Since this morning, we’ve heard a few cheeps coming from this one. The boys are beyond thrilled. Joe checks on them at least once every 30 minutes.
Spring awakens all
With sunlight and bursts of warmth
Plants, trees, chicks and birds
Tall, green, springy too
Stretching toward the sun
No longer tiny seedlings
Stout ‘maters every one
Cabbage seedlings, brussel sprouts
Tiny but still strong
Careful when we water them
Stems may get too long
Lettuce? Well, it’s doubtful
This batch will thrive anew
Water both, hope for the best
It grew to fast it’s true
Two lone peppers growing
The smallest seedlings still
Never had much luck with them
I hope this year I will
Gently water, softly breathe
Feed them all with care
Turn them daily to the sun
And say a little prayer
A variety of heirloom tomatoes and two brussel sprout starts. ROCKING IT!
Lettuce is wilty and not looking good, but the cabbage and amaranth are still going strong. The poor broccoli isn’t getting enough sun and got a little too leggy.
This week, we will start incubating the fertilized eggs we’ve been collecting.
Pecky and 5 hens have been separated for just 2 weeks. We gave them about a week to get settled and then started to collect the eggs for incubation rather than eating.
Once we have 12 and I’ve tested the incubator, we will be ready to start the process.
The incubator I ordered holds 9-12 eggs, automatically turns the eggs and keeps the temperature and humidity at the right spot…at least that is what is advertised. I’ll have to report back on the success.
The boys and I are very excited to get this started. Every time I collect the eggs from “Pecky’s Girls”, they ask if there are baby chicks in them yet.
We’ve talked about the life-cycle of a chicken, but we will delve deeper as we go through the process.
Pecky and his girls
Separated from the flock
A science project
Nice enough to spend the morning outside wandering around the homestead.
Nice enough for the boys spend time digging for worms, playing tag and practicing hockey.
Nice enough for me risk it and start sowing seeds in the garden.
The last frost dates for Central Illinois is somewhere between the 14th and 21st of April so I probably should have waited.
But the soil is ready!
The worms are squirming!
The birds are chirping!
Since everything else on the homestead is confused by this weather, I’m throwing my hat in the ring and taking a chance.
I planted cabbage, lettuce and carrots. These are cool weather tolerant, so even if it does freeze again, I’ll be able to take measures to protect them from most of the cold.
I hope.
Warm, sunny, breezy
Birds chirping and worms squirming
Did I hear a frog?
a pinch of homestead 