Spring has sprung and it's signs are all around...including the spring wreath on the front door!
No more snow on the "Welcome" mat; now we have completely welcomed in Spring!
Some tiny blue flowers are starting to grow...
Our daffodils were beautiful... but most are now gone! However, the lilac bush, apple tree and crabapple trees are in full bloom. The apple tree's blossoms are completely intoxicating with their sweet smell. We all decided that heaven smells like apple tree blossoms!
The baby chicks...who are now closer to a pullet than a chick...were moved from the house to the chicken coop. We kept them in this box and put them in the front of the coop- away from the rest of the hens until they got a little bigger.
They got to go on little "fieldtrips" on the farm. Their favorite spot was in this basement window. They would stay here for hours until we put them back in their new "coop" (see below).
The pullets are now out of the box (as they were big enough to fly out!) They have been fully integrated into the coop and we haven't noticed any issues. The pullets now have free range of the farm but they tend to all stick together and, typically, stay close by the coop!
Despite the chicks now in the coop, the hen's egg production hasn't been impacted in the least! We have eggs coming out of our ears. Luckily, we have lots of friends and family; it's rare for someone to leave the farm without a dozen of eggs! And the boys have really taken to sunny side up eggs (which is great!)
Padraig (Brown) and Ciaran (Black) are doing great! Their home in the barn is working well. Until a few days ago, we were putting them in the chicken coop (the spot where the baby chicks box was located). We felt they were safer there... especially on the nights when the coyote calls woke us from our slumber!
Now, they are safe; kept in a large animal crate during nighty-night time! If any predator did get in the barn, Ciaran and Padraig would be protected!
The boys (goat boys), not too unlike my human boys, always want to be together. They cry when they are separated and just seem to love each other a ton! It is quite an endearing sight to see!
Ciaran continues to love attention and Mr. Padraig is coming along! They both love to be brushed, scratched on the head and back and held in our arms. O.K., maybe Ciaran more than Padraig but we are working on him! Soon he will come around.
Here is an older picture of part of the bee box. Farmer J coated the wood in beeswax (instead of varnish) to protect the wood and keep our honey clean from nasty chemicals. The bees have arrived and seem to be doing quite well. J got a call from the post office that our bees had arrived and he was there before 7 a.m. last Saturday morning. Their first night on the farm was a cold one but they have been successful with making honeycomb and I'm sure they are loving all the spring flowers, pollen flying around and the warmer weather this week has given them.
Here are some of the time lapse photographs that Farmer J took of a scheduled brush/prairie burn on the farm (behind the pasture). The appropriate measures were taken for safety! J, Mr. Jim, myself and firefighters Pickle and JJ were all present. It was quite a sight to see!
Thumbs up from Farmer J!
Some other (probably not so interesting) updates:
-J is back to mowing the lawn
-We have transplanted some raspberry plants from my Aunt Donna's garden. THANK YOU to my Aunt Donna and my parents!
-We have found out that Padraig likes to chase the chickens!! Very funny to watch!
-We are in the midst of Morel hunting!
-The turkeys seem to have moved on... we haven't seen them for awhile
-We hear coyote howls at least once a month
-The frogs are deafening loud at nighttime! Our new springtime lullabye!
-I'm fighting off ants in the kitchen. Thanks for the Windex tip, Karina! I'm now obsessive!
-Many things have been planted in the garden; the strawberry plants are looking great. Pickle is already eating arugula fresh from the garden (dirt and all).
Best be off...to keep things real. I have laundry to do....
