It's officially summer, and it's been about 21 days since my last post...to say that things have changed and I've been a bit busy would be like saying "it's been a little warm". It's 30 C today, and not a cloud in sight! I have been talking for months about all the things I want to do this year, and now I can tell you, we ARE doing them!
CHICKENS
My most exiting project to date, we just came into possession of 400 baby chicks! As you can see in the remaining two pictures, they are living in a large-ish sized shed that I just finished building the day before they arrived. I have two breeds, Red Sussex Cox, and I can't remember the full name of the other. They're crosses, but they're dual purpose breeds, good for eggs and meat, and they are they type that will forage some of their own food. That was VERY important for me.
The chicks arrived yesterday just as I got home from working the night shift. I zipped back into town, expected several enormous boxes which I would need my wife's SUV to carry. Imagine my surprise when I was given 4 boxes, each about the size of a very large tray of summer fruit, about 1.5 feet x 2.5 feet. I could have carried them in my car easily.
I brought them home, and frantically tried to finish setting up the brooder heater. The heater did not come with the proper fittings to connect to a propane tank, and I've been trying to figure out the best way to do it. Of course, the heater did not work properly, there was a leak in one of the fittings. I abandoned it, and got the chickens out of the box. They were packed in pretty tight, but they were so very tiny and light, I was able to scoop out 5 or 6 at a time. I realized that they might be able to slip under the door, so I had to create a barrier that they couldn't jump over.
After a few hours, I noticed that the chicks were trying to cram together in the few little beams of sunlight streaming into the shed, and I realized that they were cold. I ran to town, and bought the heater you see on the top of the propane tank in the picture below. I had it tilted as you see, facing down to the dirt of the shed, a mistake which cost me 3 crushed chicks overnight...
Of course, I have secured it now. The three dead birds joined one more that was crushed by accident earlier to make 4 casualties, which out of 400 birds isn't too terrible! I am expecting more deaths, but it would be super amazing if all the birds survived!
My daughter, who initially did not seem to interested in the idea of chickens, has de facto been made the guardian of these tiny birds. She spent about 4 hours in the shed yesterday, and has given them water, food, and entertainment. She got up at six to check on them, since I was at work overnight.
The chicks will spend about a month in the shed, give or take, and then will graduate to the great outdoors, where they will have all of nature to eat, chase and peck at! My hope is that 50% or better of their diet will come from natural sources, giving them a tremendous nutrient and taste advantage over the "normal" grocery store chicken.
The shed with the non-functioning heater.
Black and yellow! So many chicks....
My baby boy's first exposure to farm animals. He got a bit panicky, but calmed down quickly. The birds hopped on his legs, and he laughed!
GARDEN
Since it is so very, very hot outside, the garden has stalled a bit, but all of my plants have germinated and look pretty healthy! I haven't had a lot of time to weed, and I have neglected watering terribly, but they have held up quite nicely even so. I am working nights right now, which means sleeping all morning, and very little time to do much else except eat. I have an hour until I have to leave, which means I will be watering as soon as I finish this blog post!
OTHER STUFF
My brother and his wife are moving to another town (boooooooo), so unfortunately we won't see as much of them as I'd like. They've been some of the most supportive people in our lives, and I wish them the best in whatever they end up doing!
My employment with the Census has been extended, surprisingly, and I will now be looking for a different survey from people in my area. Since I have 7 days off coming up, that will fill part of my time, and earn a bit of extra cash to pay for these chicks, and a root canal I unfortunately had to get the other day...
If you like this blog, let me know by commenting. I will try and respond to all comments, good or bad. My general idea is to have you journey with me, experiencing the good, and the bad of what we are trying to do out here!
Oh, and belated happy 4th of July...
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2 comments:
Sorry about your brother moving. I'm glad most of the chicks have survived so far--are you worried about predators out there? My parents had something get some of their chickens and the remainder were so spooked they took to nesting in the rafters of the barn, which made egg collecting interesting.
Hope you get some good stuff out of your garden, and that the heat doesn't affect it too much.
Predators are a concern, but at this point in the year, not a big one. Coyotes have plenty to eat, there aren't many dogs within a mile of us, and hawks can't get into the shed. We are in the enviable position of being fairly low on predators, especially in mid-summer.
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