Maine

[quailtrail]

Ok so one pipping away. One of ours too oh I hope we get more than one

 

[quailtrail]

Yay!!! I have a baby chick out. Hope the others decide to join her.

♡

My son, who's 14, was quite grossed out about it being wet, gooey, and with part of shell attached.

 

[ashandvine]

Hi Ash, it's me, the one with the duck in the roasting pan. Ducklucky from Monroe. Your friend did send me a message, but unfortunately, I don't think it would be healthy to break up my little flock, they are pretty tight and afraid they would pine for their sisters just as much. But have a mess of eggs in the 'bator, so will be offering them up in May. Also getting a mess of guineas if you are interested, the ticks are real bad here and it is out of necessity to have them. And maybe some RI reds too. Just letting you know, and will stay in touch with your friend if she is interested. Good hearing from you again! Jill

Yes, I did finally find you but it took some searching through posts. I knew you were closer to the woman looking than me.
Well... I have a pair that I can sell that are adults.

I found myself running and yelling, "Chickens in the garden!" for the first time [out of what will be millions] this year today. I also found myself chasing the neighbor's rooster away from my yard for the first of what will be many irritating times this year. We have acres. Our birds stay here. He has acres. There is a big road in between. He still comes over here. Jerk. He's actually a really wonderful NH Red but my ability to like him ends at the road's edge. My fence posts are still frozen in snow. I will not put anything in there again for winter storage. Many of the seedlings my chickens ate have re-sprouted. Its an up down ride, this life of farming.

 

[lazy gardener]

I finally have some sprouts up. Basil, petunias, and a single variegated, striped mallow from a seed pod that I pinched from a public flower planting last summer... it then spent most of the summer repeatedly baking in my car... it's a wonder that anything sprouted at all from that pod. Some tomatoes and peppers needing to be transplanted. Everything off to a very slow start this year.

my trees came yesterday, and got potted instead of being planted in the ground. we're having someone (hopefully) come to harvest trees around our property. It'll leave things very open, and very much in need of fill, so not going to plant anything until he's done tearing things up. I planted 2 shrub cherries, 2 Siberian pea tree shrubs, an apricot, and 2 elderberries.

chicks are growing fast. They are sprouting new clumps of feathers every day. I just love their little tail feathers. a lot of chest bumping and leap frogging going on when I change the lighting. Any spider that happens to fall in the brooder becomes the object of a relay race.

 

[quailtrail]

I finally have some sprouts up.  Basil, petunias, and a single variegated, striped mallow from a seed pod that I pinched from a public flower planting last summer... it then spent most of the summer repeatedly baking in my car... it's a wonder that anything sprouted at all from that pod.  Some tomatoes and peppers needing to be transplanted.  Everything off to a very slow start this year. 

my trees came yesterday, and got potted instead of being planted in the ground.  we're having someone (hopefully) come to harvest trees around our property.  It'll leave things very open, and very much in need of fill, so not going to plant anything until he's done tearing things up.  I planted 2 shrub cherries, 2 Siberian pea tree shrubs, an apricot, and 2 elderberries.

chicks are growing fast.  They are sprouting new clumps of feathers every day.  I just love their little tail feathers.  a lot of chest bumping and leap frogging going on when I change the lighting.  Any spider that happens to fall in the brooder becomes the object of a relay race.

I have seedlings in need of transplant badly in my kitchenough and craft room. And more to plant. I have the planting bug lol!!! And am now planning whats going around the run for my fluffy friends.

 

[MustardTiger]

I transplanted my tomatoes to bigger pots (aka solo cups) yesterday. I hate transplanting when it isnt into the garden. It was cold and yucky boring work! anyhow I have now run out of room under my one grow light. I really need another. I cannot plant or transplant anything else until I have more light or it gets warmer! I have the fear that I go ahead of myself yet again this year and will not be able to plant these out as soon as they will want to be. Sigh, Its a hard lesson to learn when you are yearning for spring after a really bad winter.

We got 25 gallons of sap from the 3 trees we tapped! I dont know if that is normal or not but it seemed like a ton to us! we boiled it all down and ended up with some very delicious (and expensive) syrup. We used the turkey fryer to boil it. Next year we will devise a wood fired stove for this outside. Propane is way too expensive and we have a lot of downed pine to split and use.

I took a look at some of my eggs yesterday. It looks like they are fertile! I have a broody so... I think I will see what happens. These will be olive egger chicks. BCM roo over Am. Not sure which am...could be blue black or lav. Cause of course...I dont have enough chicks on the way! hehe

Penny the hound pup is now 5 months old an a little over 40lbs. She is such a big dope and picks on her older sister a little. We so need to work on training her to be gentle and not pull on her lead. Its hard work. Lucky for us this hound (much like Etta) has little to no interest in the chickens! has not tried to chase them, even once.

 

[chickengirl987]

 

[buckabucka]

I don't like transplanting to bigger pots either, MustardTiger. This is normally the weekend I plant peas, but the garden still has patches of snow, thick ice and mud. I'm hoping this is an excellent thawing and drying week. The onions looked really cramped in their cells. My tomatoes are just sprouting and I will start brassicas today.

I did my first candling (day 7) and discovered it is really, really hard to see through Marans, Ameraucana, and olive eggs. It does look like something is happening in most. The Basque eggs you can see veining. I have two broodies but don't dare give them eggs. They are in the hoop coop and that coop needs to be moved before the peas can go in, so hopefully soon.

Meanwhile, I need to help clean out tons of rubble from under our house (we're getting a basement this spring). I also hope to get chicken fences set up. Most things that I want to do are weather/thaw dependent, except for cleaning out under the house, but that is the task I look forward to least!

We have trees coming Friday (apple, I think, - DH's project). I love spring.

 

[quailtrail]

DD and I went to the Oxford Swap today. Swapped our 2 quails for some fresh Ameraucana hatching eggs and picked up 2 silkie chicks as well. Couldn't help myself! Mike from RMT Farms was great!

So still just the 2 chicks from our hatch. Waiting to see if anything else hatches. 15 shipped eggs that I am just staring at willing them to hatch.

 

[Widget]

Hmmm. I think I need to have a talk with the chickens.They are laying like crazy

but are letting the other birds do all the work. I have a broody Sebastopol goose sitting on her two eggs and a broody Royal Palm turkey sitting on her eggs and any chicken eggs that were laid in the same spot. Guess the chickens prefer to run around being care free instead of being good mama birds.

On another note anyone know much about peonies? They were the favorite flower of my mother and I have one that I planted years ago but would like to add more. Can they only be transplanted in the fall or can I plant some once the weather cooperates. I want to do a peony/rose garden around my flag pole along with a million other projects this year.