The birds are convinced spring is here, even though the temperatures continue to fluctuate, from 70s one day to 30s the next.
Two of my hens in the vine thicket nest in my neighbors yard across the street. Every night, I gather the eggs and chase any lingering hens back home.

My favorite boy. A shame the hens don't like him, I'd love a ton of babies just like him. I'll keep him as a backup though.

The boy that gets all the ladies. He's pretty handsome too, but he doesn't have the rainbow of colors that the other has. The drumming these two make all day, every day, is loud enough to be heard inside the house. People who come over always ask, what is that strange 'poof' sound every so often? A lot of people don't seem to know that turkeys also make this sound, they don't just gobble and yelp. They have a whole language, as I've discovered!

I just put 13 eggs in my ancient, homemade wooden incubator, it was given to me 8 years ago (and it was old then! The person who gave it to me, a teacher, said he found it in storage and was pretty sure it was an incubator, but wasn't positive). It hatches eggs better than my little giant for sure. The outside window is cracked and duct taped and the blue paint on the outside is chipping, but it still faithfully keeps temperature. Humidity is 'controlled' by a little tupperware bowl underneath the wire that I fill up when it evaporates. I have 8 also under several broody silkies. The first 2 are due pretty soon.

Two of my hens in the vine thicket nest in my neighbors yard across the street. Every night, I gather the eggs and chase any lingering hens back home.
My favorite boy. A shame the hens don't like him, I'd love a ton of babies just like him. I'll keep him as a backup though.
The boy that gets all the ladies. He's pretty handsome too, but he doesn't have the rainbow of colors that the other has. The drumming these two make all day, every day, is loud enough to be heard inside the house. People who come over always ask, what is that strange 'poof' sound every so often? A lot of people don't seem to know that turkeys also make this sound, they don't just gobble and yelp. They have a whole language, as I've discovered!
I just put 13 eggs in my ancient, homemade wooden incubator, it was given to me 8 years ago (and it was old then! The person who gave it to me, a teacher, said he found it in storage and was pretty sure it was an incubator, but wasn't positive). It hatches eggs better than my little giant for sure. The outside window is cracked and duct taped and the blue paint on the outside is chipping, but it still faithfully keeps temperature. Humidity is 'controlled' by a little tupperware bowl underneath the wire that I fill up when it evaporates. I have 8 also under several broody silkies. The first 2 are due pretty soon.