I can always tell when Spring is in full swing by the number of broody hens I have...it has been crazy around here lately! My biggest chicken coop has broody hens in every nest box, some two or three in a nest box and sometimes a turkey in one with them...the corner under the nest boxes has at least two broody turkeys, but I find three in there a lot lately. I have a goose that will go in the corner and add an egg to the pile too. I have another broody turkey on my back porch, she was injured in what may have been a mating accident. I go outside and find a hen sitting on eggs in a dog house used by my ducks...and another hen sitting on eggs in the chicken tractor. I am not sure exactly how many broody hens I have...but I have 23 nest boxes in the big coop, and several of them contain more than one hen. I will estimate close to thirty.
After finding a chick that was pretty much pecked to death, I went in and took a five gallon bucket and collected all of the eggs from the top nest boxes on one set of ten. I candled them and stuck the viable eggs in incubators...I had a couple hatch during the night. I woke up to new peeping in two incubators. I moved five week old chicks to my back porch brooder day before yesterday so I would have more space in the house brooders. I will have to do the same thing with the baby geese and turkeys today I think, they are outgrowing the brooder totes I have them in very quickly...except for the runt goose. I have to clean the house brooders a few times a day too. The babies get to a certain point that they poop a lot more and just make a terrible mess. I may have to try sand as a bedding material soon, or make more wire bottomed brooders. Baby ducks and geese are super messy...they play in their water so much, and the mix of water, food and poop gets all ovr the place.
Enough about babies. I have been trying to get my garden planted too! I was doing so good...had all my seeds sprouting in my popup greenhouse...had tilled and was about ready to plant my veggies...then we had a pretty severe storm and it tossed everything with some pretty heavy wind gusts. Some survived though. I have maybe 8 broccoli plants, maybe 12 green bean plants, about the same on Romaine lettuce. I lost a tray and a half of corn and not sure what is left on a few...but need to get them in the ground too. Pumpkins, watermelon, cantaloupe and maybe squash...it is hard to tell on some of the vining plants...I will have to direct sow some seeds. I have sunflowers too...and a few herb plants survived. I have tomato plants too...lost a bunch, but still have a bunch. I just don't know what type they are. I will plant them anyway, and start some more just in case. I may have a fall garden started and do several plantings this year if I can fit them in my schedule.
Anyway, with the mild winter we had the berries are ripening early...so I need to pick them today...well, every few days. I need to check my blueberries too! The wild plums will be ripening soon too. This time of year is always super crazy for me. Just lots and lots to get done and keep an eye on. I just thought I would let you know, in case I don't write again for awhile. I just woke up early today...and it rained last night so today may be too messy to accomplish much outside. But, I have to try and finish building the supports for my tomatoes and get them planted...I am glad I started them in bigger pots this year, maybe next year I need to go ever larger? This is our rainy season...it is hard for me to walk in squishy mud and do much of anything. After having foot surgery on both feet several years ago, I have to be careful...and rest a lot doing much work on soft ground. I do try and wear my heavy boots to till and use the shovel...but it still makes my feet hurt doing it. I don't sleep very well when my feet feel like they are on fire either...so I try to keep from doing too much, most of the time. Ok...I am not good...I press through to get the job done and pay for it later. But, that is what us Capricorns do...we don't like to admit defeat! So yeah, it is a bit crazy right now.
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