What did you do with your flock today?

[kurby22]

So many good pictures of everyone’s goings on!! I always get the itch to plant things and then get depressed when they all croak in July during the plant destroying soul crushing 110+ degree days! Not sure I’m gonna put myself thru it this year, it’s so much work to watch it die a rapid death! I’ll just live vicariously through others until I get to live somewhere with more moderate temps! I get SAD (seasonal affective disorder) just in summer instead of winter like most people. It’s even worse with the chickens because I don’t want to be outside with them and I stress out they’re gonna croak in the heat. So I make tons of ice packs and ice treats and have misters…blah! It got up to 84 today and I hated it haha. I need to live in Alaska I think.

Anywho…I don’t have much to report! I had work to keep me busy today so I enjoyed time with a few of the chicks. Need to give the outside babies some love tomorrow! I miss them

 

[pennyJo1960]

Heat like that can be tough on lot of us

 

[629864]

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Manono being awesome. Chicks 2nd time out. Hard to get photos because they don't stay still for long.

Welcome back @GG. Everything looks terrific! I look forward to you taking us along with your garden adventure (#quid pro quo, #hint hint, #lol)

OMIGOSH I'm so darned proud of Manono! That sweet little ftl has become a wonderful surrogate mama. I love her!

 

[629864]

Ooooooh boy, there’s been a lot going on here. I really need to catch up. XD

The babies got moved permanently outside, and then a few days later (once they were able to put themselves to bed) they were let out to free range. I also let the SFs to free range, and so far it’s been going pretty well. The “new guys” (babies and SFs) are tiny, so I’ve been trying to keep an eye on them to make sure Iris doesn’t crush them.

The SFs still love the babies and haven’t started any fights, but the babies have attacked them a few times. Each time the SFs have given them a gentle peck to send the babies running. XD
Watching the SFs free range is still so weird to me. They’ve been penned up for as long as I’ve had them (so about 1 1/2 years) and everytime I see them out I’m like “OH NO THEY ESCAPED” before I realize that yes, they’re allowed to be out.

They were always so feral, that was the main reason I never wanted to let them out. I was worried they’d fly away and never come back. I then started considering letting them out an hour or two before they go to bed (I’ve never once had issues with them around bedtime), and then the babies escaped so I figured it was better to integrate four birds into the main flock than two.
Honestly, if I knew how chill they’d be, I’d have done it sooner.
Both of them come running to me now, even Santa. Nikki is especially fond of me and their newfound freedom. And despite looking weird running around, they look niiiiiice.

I also made Os a new saddle, cause she’s Iris’ new favorite.
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my very cooperative model while Os was in bed, lol
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I know I’m probably missing a lot, but I think this post is getting a little long. XD
I’ll have to catch up soon.

Oh. What gorgeous photos of even lovelier birds❣ That saddle is awesome! I wish I had done that with Goldie before reintegrating her because yesterday I saw evidence on her still-not-healed back that she's been getting the boys' attention. But now try and catch her? Not happening. The dumdum even hopped the fence again. She has a death wish . Anyhoo, in the event I am able to wrangle Goldie (after sewing a saddle for her) is there any trick or tip to getting the saddle on them? I mean, any precautions needed in order to avoid hurting their wings?

 

[629864]

Love the apron on her .. I got a few things planted also arugula, lettuce and mustard greens .. Have 4 pots of green walking onions.
A photo of the frame or part of it of the new coop.
I also lost a good portion of my new strawberry plants in the heat last summer so bought severl new plants this year..View attachment 3034558
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That new coop is gonna be awesome! I'm so happy for you and your flock! I hope you'll post photos and details as you go.

Let us know how your garden goes this year too, please. I know gardening might seem off topic, but I don't believe it is. The chickens make great fertilizer for us, their bedding turns into compost, they scratch through the compost turning it daily, the compost grows edible stuff, and the chickens get to share in the resulting bounty. So it's all connected.

 

[629864]

Heat like that can be tough on lot of us

Indeed! We learned last year year that anything we plant has to be within hose reach. Otherwise, mother nature will not be kind enough on her own with water. This drastically changed our plans for where to plant everything.

 

[629864]

More gardening stuff [warning...very long]:

Yep, strawberries didn't survive here either last year...at least they looked dead. I only had one clump actually do more than wilt in the heat, so I got a 10 pack of fresh plants and 3 bags of roots. The clump from last year had gotten ripped out of its pot about a week ago and laid in a pile of other stuff I need to put into the wheelbarrow and take to the ever diminishing compost pile. On Monday when I was planting the rest of the strawberries, I picked up that discarded clump of roots and ... wooohooooo ... there were several areas of new growth. So I split off the new bits and planted those too.

I should have planted mustard greens like @pennyJo1960 too. I love a bit of those in salad. I did put in spinach, collards, and 4 kinds of leaf lettuce. Maybe I'll include MGs next year. Other awesome things to add to salads are nasturtium blossoms (peppery flavor) and pansy/johnny-jump-up blossoms (sweeter mild flavor). You can also eat all parts of purslane (Portulaca grandifolia) and it packs loads of vitamins. Here in the States it's considered a weed with unimpressive yellow flowers, but you can get cultivated varieties with lovely multicolored blooms. @kurby22 Portulaca LOVES heat and tolerates drought very well. In Israel, I grew it in pots, but anything (seed, stem, leaf) that fell on the ground would grow if it got even minimal water. So you might give it a try.

My dill seeds haven't made an impressive start so far, but that's ok. If I can just get a few plants to take off this year, they should self seed year after year. I'm hoping for annual volunteers from the various medicinal/culinary herbs I have starts for as well.

We didnt do onions but I do have little chives started and garlic got planted in the fall. I've never started chives indoors before to transfer later, so I'm not sure how well they'll do with the transfer.

As expected, the carrots weren't thrilled about being transferred, but surprisingly about 50% perked back up even after the heavy rain. I'm going to put a few seeds out to replace the groups that look doomed, but I'm fairly pleased with this little experiment that every source said wouldn't work (transferring started carrots).

DH got the tractor and took scoops of compost and dumped mounds on the same hill where the new fruit trees are...those mounds will be home to my squashes and melons in a few weeks.

The chickens weren't happy with DH for stealing their compost pile, but I think when they saw the stuff that the tractor exposed, they forgave him. There were worms of every size - from as small as needles to 12 inch fat nightcrawlers. Obviously, the worms loved the compost pile as much as the chickens ... unfortunately for the worms. Once the planting is done, I'll be clearing out old bedding from the barn, mini shelter, and both coops ... and so the compost cycle will begin again, but much larger and grander than last year.

So far, the liquid fence seems to be keeping the deer away. Columbines and daffodils are supposed to be deer repellent also, so I got 2 bags of columbine roots (cheaper than daffodil bulbs) and planted one at the foot of each fruit tree and muscadine. I also got scented Japanese beetle traps to put out ... just have to time that correctly so I'm not causing myself unnecessary daily walking all the way out to the fruit tree hill before the JB season even starts. Those trapped beetles will become treats for the chickens.

The runner beans seem to be doing well despite the sheets of rain and being put outside too early. They're growing on one of the cattle panels that will also be support for cucumbers, peas, and some peppers. I was going to put brussels sprouts on them as well, but that will be late summer if I do. I have two cattle panels for the tomatoes also, but in another area of the yard.

The peppermint I started and planted last year (that barely grew at all), seems to have benefited greatly by the harsh winter because its now spreading thickly in that bed. I'm very happy about that! But it means I have to put rose bush removal (growing in that same bed) at the top of my task list for today because hacking rose bushes to the ground doesnt kill them and I hate rose bushes (thorns, thorns, and more thorns).

I'll try to get a photo or two of ever moving/playing/hopping Domino today. She has a very strong instinct to hide while she's napping and mama is foraging. Unfortunately, her instinct takes her to hidey holes that aren't at all safe, because more dangerous things could be hiding there as well. So we're just praying she gets through her newborn sleepy-cuz-she's-growing phase without incident ... and hopefully she'll be spending her days foraging also before snake season gears up too much.

Never a dull moment....

 

[629864]

Ok, as promised....

Domino this morning -

 

[kurby22]

Ok, as promised....

Domino this morning -
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Domino is SOOOO cute!! OMGGGGG

 

[Bonkerelli]

Hello all, slowly but surely my new coop is coming along. Almost done with it though. It's an adventure trying to find my chickens eggs since they like to hide them. Think I blocked all the undesirable areas. My little serama hen looks like she's been trying to lay forcthe first time. She's been singing the egg song for a month now and past 2 weeks been in the nesting box on and off. Yesterday, one hen laid a soft shell egg. First time I've had that. Gave the entire flock some plain yogurt.. boy did they love that! So, hoping that within the next few days she lays a hard one.