Idiot Farm Parade

Although I wake up with the sun every day to take care of the chicks and garden, there is a lot that doesn't get done. Thursday was my day off so I decided it was time to clean out the brooder and plant lots of seeds in the empty beds in my garden. I even planted some flowers this time so I might be able to harvest bouquets, and in the hopes that they will attract some pollinators. I am enjoying planting from seed and sowing about every 2-3 weeks so I have a continuous harvest of lettuce, something that I used to have to buy every week. Right now I have a lot more than we can eat, dinner party anyone?

The one month old chicks also got a field trip to the garden. It took me about forty minutes to get six into the garden, then luckily my friend arrived and we got the other nine over there in no time. I don't know why, but those chicks were awfully reluctant to leave their brooder in the dingy bike shed for the sunny, green garden. And the dogs and other chickens were awfully anxious to help me escort the chicks from the shed to garden. Oliver was licking his lips and the chickens were flapping their wings and cackling it up. It was pretty ridiculous. I felt like the Grand Marshall of the Idiot Farm parade.

There is one Buff Orpington who always comes right up to let me pick her up and take her out. I want to mark which one it is, so I can be sure to keep her.

This brown one, above, looks like a hawk. It is an Araucana, from South America. They are known for their high energy and blue, green, or pink eggs. Each one lays a different color. I want to keep two to see the difference between them. The three we have already look dramatically different. (See the other brown ones in the following two photos)

From left to right (below) Australorp, Barred Plymouth Rock, Araucana, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Black Jersey Giant

The Red Stars are really interested in the 1 month old pullets. I leave the shed door open for the small ones during the day and I find the Red Stars hanging out on their brooder and checking them out. When I brought them to the garden they all got to interact a bit more.

This whole integrating flocks is going to be interesting with three different age groups. They seem to gang up based on age, not breed. I think the little ones will be able to hold their own when we let them out for good in two weeks (when they are fully feathered, usually 6-8 weeks). Plus, we will give them the separated area the Red Stars have now for the first couple weeks. Who knows when our buyers will be ready to take them away. They still need to build coops, which isn't easy, if our hen area staying at its midway construction point for about 3 weeks now is any indication.