Spring Chicks

This weekend was the stuff of our farmstead fantasies.  After a momentary cold spell early in the week, our early Spring continued with weather warm enough to move 30 chicks out of the brooder boxes in our basement and into the coop with our older laying hens. The chicks spent the first day isolated in the run while we prepared a well-shielded and insulated brooder box in the coop to keep the young birds warm in the cooler nights. There are supposed to be 10 Barred Rock, 10 Buff Orpingtons, and 10 Rhode Island Red pullets, but it is notoriously difficult to sex young chicks and we might have a few cockerels in the mix (which would be fine as we have been without a rooster since our move).

These are the first chicks I have raised since I was a teenager, and I made ample use of Harvey Ussery's excellent poultry book in all decisions. Mr Ussery's book has been invaluable since we began keeping chickens 3 years ago, and we would certainly recommend his "deep bedding" method for the coops of anyone thinking of raising chickens.

Once the chicks were comfortable enough outside to begin pecking and scratching in the grass, we moved on to catching up with the garden. We finally transplanted our broccoli and onion starts into the garden, as well as planted potatoes, lettuce, and carrots. We were also pleased to see that 75% of the blackberry bushes we transplanted from my parent's farm survived the winter.

We still have six younger easter eggers in an indoor brooder box, and several varieties of tomato and pepper seedlings doing well. So far we haven't noticed any problems with the older hens picking on the younger chicks in any extreme way, but the chicks have been giving the older girls a very wide girth. We'll keep you updated on how they progress.

What have you gotten started in the garden yet?

COMIC: Eggs and Turds

Sketchbook: Cooper's Hawk

This weekend the chickens were picking through some freshly tossed kitchen scraps just outside their coop when a cooper's hawk swooped out of the large pecan tree and perched atop a nearby fence post.  The hens scrambled back inside, excited but safe.  The hawk glided down into the grass and briefly inspected the chickens' treats before taking off back into the tree line.
Cooper's Hawks are beautiful birds with slate gray feathers on their head and wings, and a red barred pattern on their breasts and bellies.  Though often confused with the slightly smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk, our visitor was on the larger side.
Our chickens have been truly free range at the new place over a month now, and this was the closest we've come to losing one via predation or otherwise. As egg production begins to pick up after the stress of moving we hope to have eggs for sale again soon.