3 hens a layin'

We have some fine ladies this year. 7 days .. 19 eggs. Not bad considering we were told they weren't laying!They are super super friendly hens now too. Quite the characters. They are easy to tell apart but I haven't named them yet. I'm sure something will come to me but ideas are always welcomed!

Won't you come out and play today?

Poor little chicks are so hot today - they moved to slightly larger accommodations and lost the completely solid sided walls on their brooder as they are just getting too hot. Can't wait to get them outside on grass I think they will be very happy. I hope so.

The new ladies are doing their job already - three eggs in 24 hours! They can slow down a bit if it suits them! They seem terrified to come out of their coop. Although one was letting me pet her and being quite calm so hopefully the great outdoors won't be so scary soon. (Yes, that's one of the ladies peering out at the great wide world.

Hay was cut yesterday. The annual YAY HAY shot!

Chicken Summer ...

If 2009 was the summer of Rabbit and last year was the year of the Great Garden this summer will be chicken summer!

We have 21 white rock crosses (if I buy grocery store chicken and hate doing so how can we not try raising ethical food- at least once?). We got 2 week old started pullets for our first adventure and so far it's going OK. The chicks are taming down nicely and growing well too. Alone they would be an adventure.

 

We also have three laying hens. Like the first summer we got chickens we have little to no story on them. They were basically dumped at a local feed store. I happened to ask if they knew anybody with laying hens that needed homing when they had boxes of hens about to turn to stew. We got three hens and despite being quite sure they wouldn't lay for awhile (they are nearly naked at the moment) they immediately rewarded us with an egg. If I get an egg a day from them that will be way up from last years production and I'll be happy. These poor ladies have been debeaked so I hope they can get bugs etc as well as the girls the last two summers.

busy busy time of year ...

Moved most of the rabbits out into summer accomodations ...they seem quite happy to be out in the fresh air and getting time in a huge run instead of being in smallish runs full time. I need to juggle groups a little but so far so good! They certainly have enjoyed the increasing amounts of fresh food they've been getting through the spring. We are up to nearly full diet now - apple branches, Jerusalem artichoke, strawberry leaves, clover, alfalfa, dandelions, plantain and blackberry or raspberry leaves form the bulk of the fresh with herbs, carrot tops and Queen Anne's lace thrown in sometimes.
The weeds grow faster than we can pull them.
We walked to the far back corner of the farm to assess a field we are considering land leasing for solar power. There are some serious pros and cons .. it is a field we have no plans for so it would be great to see it used .. yet do we really want crews and strangers on the farm?
The squash garden is already THICK and lush; all the veggies look great at the moment.
I thought I had planted all the onions but I found about 150 sets in bags in the garden shed. Whoops. I basically dug a few trenches and threw them in in the hopes at least I'll get a few green onions from the group. I had been wondering why the onions had been doing so badly in one bed. Seems I hadn't planted that bed fully.
Work is BUSY too. Really busy but that's ok - the end is in sight!!

how does your garden grow?

Brody approves of our new squash garden. The squash approves of the new space too!
Peas, beans, corn, onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, lettuce, beets, radishes, potatoes all seem to be growing well - along with pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, and zuchini!

a neighbouring piece of property is for sale

just a beautiful site- that "finishes" our farm in some way ... honeysuckle, raspberries, wild strawberries, ridges, HUGE shag bark trees, cherry trees ... lovely

need to win a lottery 

weed, weed, read, weed ...

planted tomatoes, peppers, various squash, an eggplant a couple of weeks ago and corn, pea, pumpkin lettuce seeds

everything is coming up well with weeds at the head of the pack ...

so I weed

... and I weed

... ... and then I weed

some more ... feel a little guilty as lots of the weeds are black eyed susans, and daisies ... it was easier when I didn't recognize what the weeds were


squash bed seems to be working well ... fingers crossed we don't get long hot dry days on days I can't get here to water ...

how does your garlic grow?

ours is doing very well :)

also planted potatoes and lettuce and peas this weekend  (and Big T planted sunflowers along the front fence - I really hope they work for him!)  We are way behind last year but what can you do?

Ordered the chicks for June 29... woooo booy

Need to decide if I'll just add 3 layers to that mix or trust fate to land some chickens in my lap again ...

Too wet to plant .. but never too wet for a quick trip to Paradise (aka Point Petre). Had the big dogs with us .. and we were about the only life forms there! Lovely!

planting and gardening in the rain ...

Yup .. .that was me today .. and Big T too.

Planted beets, radishes, carrots and got 4 beds ready for planting.
Peas tomorrow I hope.

It was very very wet. The lack of a lawn mower is making it even wetter as long grass hold water like nothing else! At least the leak hasn't started up. I'll take whatever blessings where ever I can find them. Tulips are lovely at the moment.