What did you do with your flock today?

[Shetland lover]

One of my pullets FINALLY laid her first egg! And I have a chick that has taken to flying to my head cute now.. but when she's full grown this could be a problem I think she likes me a little LOL

The head perch! That's something I'm very familiar with, just beware of the inevitable cecal poop in the hair

 

[Shetland lover]

I had purchased the seeds for Sweet Mama, and planted the last of them last year. The vines were wild! I prefer the more compact vines. I grew tromboncino in Texas, where they did well. I'll try again next year. Temps make sense, as we had a lot of cool nights in the early summer. Think I'll yank out the 2 delicata hills which still have nothing. It's too late for them. That packet of seed had germination issues. Planted over 3x just to get 8 plants, the last time planted the rest of the packet. It's frustrating when our season is so limited, as is yours, I imagine. DH picked the rest of the peaches today. I racked the plum wine, so the fermentation bucket is ready to do some peach wine. I think I'll have to wait until my hand is out if the bandage and stitches, and is washable.. Think it'll be a sticky project, as the peaches, although cosmetically very ugly, are very sweet.
They will be covered in nylon socks next year. Darn BMSBs! My chooks eat them if they happen upon them. I don't want to try to catch them and get that smell all over my hands.

I'll look for some seeds! We get really huge, wild vines on our blue banana squash but the wildest squash vine has got to be the Naples Long we grew last year! It filled our polytunnel and exploded out of it for another 30ft or so. It was a colossal waste of time as the 4 fruit it carried were eaten by rabbits just before they matured!
I've tried twice to grow delicata with little success. I got no fruit the first time and harvested ONE slightly immature fruit last year! We had a great summer last year so I am wondering if our season is a little too short for them outdoors this far north?

I've never tried to make wine but I'm fascinated by the process. I bet peach wine is utterly delightful! My uncles and grandad used to home brew and ferment. My uncle's plum wine was to die for.
I think you're wise to wait before embarking on a sticky task, when I had my carpal tunnel surgery 14 years ago, I got bored and made raspberry jam. BIG mistake! I ended having to go back to the hospital just to get my dressings changed and a lecture on using my hand before I should. If only I'd wrapped the dressing in a plastic bag!

 

[Nomadicus]

So far I have discovered what appears to be a broody hen. She is one that used to lay in a flower pot on the porch. Now she is staying in a card board box that had been used as a temp hospital room for another hen that was set out on the porch this morning. She's been in it all day so far. If she will remain interested I'll put the box in a new coop by herself and them put some good eggs under her. I'd like to hatch some Bresse eggs now that the hens are laying like crazy. I am concerned about those hens that laid 9 eggs in one day and there were only 6 hens in the coop. No other hen had access to help them out. That's never happened before.

 

[JennyLynnLuv]

The head perch! That's something I'm very familiar with, just beware of the inevitable cecal poop in the hair View attachment 3623107

That is a large chicken on your head LOL yes she did yesterday.. she was kind enough to back up and poop on my shoulder instead though the joys of chickening

 

[Nomadicus]

After having to rehab a young white giant pullet she took to flying to my shoulder. She was about a pound and a half at that time. Kind of glad she stopped it before she got much larger. I think she got boy crazy. I was worried about a 10lb object hitting me on the shoulder and knocking me down. She had a naked neck for a while and we didn't think she would survive the predator attack but she did and is doing fine. One day she acts like pet and the next she's running with rooster. Teenager.

 

[Smokerbill]

I'm starting to be less of a babysitter to my chickens when I let them out to forage in the evenings. Since they've started laying eggs and matured a little, they seem to be less curious about the greater world and stick around close to the run in the backyard.

 

[Shetland lover]

That is a large chicken on your head LOL yes she did yesterday.. she was kind enough to back up and poop on my shoulder instead though the joys of chickening

That's Matilda, one of my Swedish boys. I raised him as a lone chick from 2 weeks old. It broke my heart when I had to re-home him. He was an absolute sweetheart. I still get to visit with him occasionally and he still runs right to me as soon as he sees me.

Yesterday I left the kitchen door open and Ferdy brought everyone into my dining room for a visit. I swear every one of them (except Ferdy - he's house-trained) had saved up their cecal poop until they were indoors . Good job I have hardwood flooring throughout! The joys of chickening indeed!

 

[Nomadicus]

Feed and water had be administered and I'm taking a break. I'll be out soon putting out some new shavings in a couple of coops and this after noon building a new set of roosts in the coop with the Dark Cornish. One more feeder to hang and that will be my day of getting entertained by the nosy pullets that like to supervise. Soon they will have union cards and start telling me how to do everything.

 

[ChicksnMore]

That's Matilda, one of my Swedish boys. I raised him as a lone chick from 2 weeks old. It broke my heart when I had to re-home him. He was an absolute sweetheart. I still get to visit with him occasionally and he still runs right to me as soon as he sees me.

Yesterday I left the kitchen door open and Ferdy brought everyone into my dining room for a visit. I swear every one of them (except Ferdy - he's house-trained) had saved up their cecal poop until they were indoors . Good job I have hardwood flooring throughout! The joys of chickening indeed!

All solid floors here too! I hate carpet to be honest...even my 8x10 throw rugs are machine washable. Found a lovely company called ruggables that makes these wonderful machine washable rugs that look like the normal thick floor rugs.
When Oregon was a youngster, I'd open his cage and call him out. He'd follow me through the house and outside leaving the occasional little bomb behind...well peacocks leave big bombs to be honest . But no worries on a hard floor!

 

[Maddcatter]

That's Matilda, one of my Swedish boys. I raised him as a lone chick from 2 weeks old. It broke my heart when I had to re-home him. He was an absolute sweetheart. I still get to visit with him occasionally and he still runs right to me as soon as he sees me.

Yesterday I left the kitchen door open and Ferdy brought everyone into my dining room for a visit. I swear every one of them (except Ferdy - he's house-trained) had saved up their cecal poop until they were indoors . Good job I have hardwood flooring throughout! The joys of chickening indeed!

I have had about half the flock try to follow me inside after the door didn't latch properly. Luckily the indoor cats made the birds pause in the tiled entry way... But the look of "What? This is where the good food comes from!" That I got from the hen leading the pack is something I will always remember!