Daily Archives: May 17, 2014

The Tilling Got Done!

Yes we appreciate the moisture.  Yes we appreciate that it has been cool weather.  BUT! it finally cleared and dried enough to till the beds!!  We are back on track!

Farmer Jon was out on the little tractor and tilled up the garden beds.  It was with the 4×4 engaged and in low range gear climbing over the hills and valleys of the piles that have been sitting there waiting for weeks!  Aaron took over after that task was completed and tilled up the corn and sunflower patch.  Zina started weeding what the tiller didn’t rip up and the garden area now looks like a garden!

The forecast is for the evening temperatures to be right around fifty for most of the next week.  Because of this warm up the plants in the grow room can now go out behind the house to harden off.

It looks like we will actually be planting on Memorial Day weekend!  Grandma better be ready for some serious digging in the dirt! – or anyone else who wants to help for that matter!

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Broody Time Out

Our Buff Orpington ladies are living up to their broody billing.  We have several who really want to be mommies.  When a hen goes broody, they go through a hormonal change and will do anything and everything to “brood” a clutch of eggs.  If you want chicks then this is a good thing.  If you just want eggs… not so much.  When they go broody they stop laying eggs.  They also get kind of nasty and will peck at you whenever try to get the eggs from underneath them.  Zina and Aaron went out and started the “break a broody” proceedings.  The hen in question gets isolated (we use Basil’s old puppy crate).  They essentially need to be put somewhere where there isn’t anything to nest in and will sort of cool off their tummies.  This lady was so broody she tried to nest in her pan of food.

In about a day or two she will be let out.  If she rejoins the flock we are good to go.  If she heads back to the nest…. more time out is in order.

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