New Life...Plants and Chicks

Garden Seedlings and Baby Chicks

First Year of New Daffodils Planted In Orchard Grass

New Mama Chicken Sitting on 2 Just Hatched Baby Chicks

It's a time of new life here right now and we're trying to steward this new life as best we can.

We ordered a layer mix of 12 new pullets that were picked up 4 days ago. So far, they are doing well in their big tub set-up. We've got to wait about 6 weeks before we can move them into their transition coop outside.

In addition, our hen that's been broody for what seems like forever just hatched her 2 eggs (yesterday). She's got one yellow chick and one black one. So far - she's been a good and protective mother (she had those chicks outside today and appears to be teaching them to forage; she has stood guard and kept them warm as needed here on day 2). The other chickens and roosters appear to be respecting mama and her chicks.

Because we've got two indoor/outdoor cats and a big goof of a dog, we need to figure out how to protect mama and her chicks from said pets. We're still noodling this - we want to respect the devoted mama (it would be too easy to add the two chicks to our basement brood - but not fair to mama). Until we devise a better game plan, we're not letting the cats out when the chickens are out (our chickens have full range of the property) and keeping the dog well away from the coop and from where mama and the little ones are hanging out.

Our garden seedlings are all growing and we've been up-potting and transitioning to the outdoors (i.e., we're hardening them off). We have to keep them all alive until it's time to plant at the very end of May.

Ed also ordered and planted about 100 daffodil bulbs last fall in 3 different patches within our orchard (they look wild in the grass - but that's what we're going for...we just need them to spread over time...lots...).