More chicks arrived in the post yesterday. These are the chickens I will grow for a number of family freezers. It will take 8 weeks. I will grow two waves of chickens for the freezers. I hope to start another set in 5 weeks time. 
Each chick is given a drink as I take it out of its travelling box and then release it by the water in the big straw lined tub that will be their home for the next few weeks. They scuttle about drinking some more, eating and then finding the nest area where they cuddle up below the heat lamp. They are all alive and very busy. Nice fat chicks.
In there is a gift from McMurrays of a ‘ free exotic breed chicken’ but there is no mention of what this chicken is – he is to be a surprise. At the moment he is a little black chicken moving through a sea of fluffy yellow. Or of course he could be a she. We will see.
I forgot to tell you that I checked the bees the other day and they have released their queen without dropping the little box she was in and are already hard at work bringing in pollen and heir little hexagonal baby cots. This is a very good sign. Most of what they are bringing in now comes from the dandelions, we are not short of dandelions.
Godot and Senor Carlos Garcia are still hanging out in the top of the barn, though I did see them cleaning up some of the pigs grain yesterday, so they must be coming down when I am not looking.
Tima helped with the weeding yesterday, after she had knocked over all the buckets and pots that is, she never digs in the garden and has no interest in wallowing but she loves to eat lambs quarters and other weeds which is excellent. She eats, I dig, works for me. The Matriarch came out and helped in the gardens yesterday so we got quite a bit done. 
This is all I could get of the ducklings. They do a waddly glide, their heads held perfectly still atop their long necks as their feet pad at speed back into their house every time they see me or even sense my approach – even when I tip toe! So here they are right in the back of their little duck house.
Sorry Mad, that is a rubbish shot, hopefully they will calm down as the days go by.
Aunty Del –
Eating and drinking and doing all the things a 10 day old calf should. Daisy is back on three milkings a day – she is in heat and has a wicked attack of mastitis and is getting very annoyed with me as I have to milk the clean quarters into one tank and the infected one into a seperate one. Which makes for a long milking period. She has started kicking when I milk the sick quarter. Which makes for a spirited session. I am taking the milk in to be tested again tomorrow but I know it is the same as last time. Bad.
I came outside yesterday afternoon to find Poppy waiting for me on the garden path. She was puffed and excited, heavily guarded by the two dogs who brought her over. She followed me back to her field, had a drink and then showed me how she got out. The two dogs and I watched gobsmacked as she slid between two panels and straight into the big cast iron Pot, then proceeded to throw herself out of the big pot and onto the ground .. a pig in a pot. I had to laugh at her! Then we led her back to her gate again and I got out some nails and my little ledge hammer and sealed the hole.
Yesterday was a busy day!
Good morning. i hope you all have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy,
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
57 responses to “A box of birds”
oh my goodness, everyone is sure keeping you on your toes these days!
I miss my days of raising broilers–a great excuse to have a lot of cute little chicks about! I’ll get back to it as soon as I can find a place to put a deep-freeze in our new house…
Could your little mystery chick be a lovely black Australorp? Or is that not sufficiently exotic to warrant the description. Tima is growing so fast; she’s becoming quite an imposing young lady already, compared with the cute wee piglet who slept on you all the way home.
Love the header today, very pretty. Today I got a great chook pen, it came with a rooster, a casulty of a DV relationship, about the 1st time he tried to crow the man of the house went him and attacked the pen, the pen has been fixed, the rooster has a wee limp but is nearly fixed. I dont really want a rooster but he can stay until I can find someone who does want him. The pen is not really big enough for him and a harem of chooks but it is perfect for raising a few meat birds.
roosters do protect the layers and are very good mousers. Excellent that you can raise some food for the freezer though, makes a change from the pork!!… c
Been absent for a while , but looks as though all is well on the farmy…
Thanks for the ducks! Sheila has been teaching Polly all the tricks 😉
So glad all the chickens arrived alive this time around . . . . it will be interesting to see how that special ‘black’ turns out! And talking of names methinks Tima should get ‘Princess’ in front of hers – opinionated young lady that one – good that she eats her greens but what if she begins making her own selection and goes straight for the best vegetables? Head Gardner would not be happy . . . . 🙂 !
Goodness I thought only sardines came packed like that 🙂 I wonder if MCMurrays haven’t hit on a good plan to get rid of unwanted rooster chicks? Cheeky miss Poppy. Enjoy your day. Laura
Hope that you have more female than male ducks Celi. We have to give some of our males away as we have twice as many males as females, and they are simply wearing the girls out!!! We have planned on putting them in the freezer for a year now, but just haven’t been able to do it. Now, today hopefully, they are going to a good home with and pond and other feathered friends. They are fun to have around, and we get wonderful duck eggs, which a great for baking, daily from our girls! xo
Good morning! I know, three comments in two days. A real shock! I am really goofing off drinking coffee and reading your blog these days.
Looking at the ‘rare’ chick, he looks like a male Blackstar. The white dot – is it on his head? If so, a sex-linked trait in the Blackstar breed. He’s lucky to be a gift to you. He’ll have a good life on your farm until the time comes. I shudder to think what the hatcheries do to the male chicks they cannot gift out.
Hope that you have a wonderful day. I know you are busy on the Farmy.
Every post you bring us something new and exciting. I’ve been trying to write a poem about Tima and Poppy, but haven’t got very far yet.
Have a good day,
Love, ViV xox
Oh Poppy!!! I bet Ton was fit to be tied worried about that! How did Boo do? as a matter of fact, how is Boo doing? Is he calming down?
Pigs and dogs make the best of companions. Just the best of friends. I’ve always felt pigs are a much fun as dogs, they even play like dogs. Although, 500 pounds running and
jumping is a bit over-whelming! 🙂
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife@wordpress.com
Reading your blog is like living there with you. We absolutely love it here at the Hotel Thompson and never can get enough my friend. Your adventure is awesome!! XOXO – Bacon
Good morning, c. Will the ducklings become more settled and less frightened of you?
I hope so, but I think that it is Tima they will take a liking too as they are next door to each other.. c
How strange to think that one species (fowl) would take a liking to another species (mammal). It’s almost story-book stuff.
I guess they will see more of her.. c