On The Farm and Everyday Life Last Few Days

 Busy days just lately with hot, humid weather. thunderstorms, great garden growth, Bobby on vacation so days out including going to see the new Indiana Jones with the boys, fitting in appointments and all the things that make up a life. 

 

So many volunteer Hubbard squash plants. I'll have to plant them here, there and everywhere. Squash don't love being transplanted but maybe some will take.

Many Tomatoes doing great, a few struggling.

i do love strawflowers and this one plant is doing amazigly.

home made vegan donuts.

Willow helps me transplant some struggling chestnut trees. The one in the chicken yard is doing great. These other two are in too shady a spot across the road so I'm potting them up and then will find a new spot.

Willow supervises me digging up the struggling chestnut seedlings.

These chestnut trees are in sad shape, I should have found them a new spot sooner but at least they're still alive.

Hard to see amongst all the reen, this chestnut tree is over 4 feet tall, very leafy and full of branches.

This chestnut is thriving

Below, some of this years' hatched chicks, so cute and growing fast.

Rocky the duck, below, loves the puddles that the wet weather brought to the farmyard.

And Rufus helps me check on the hazelnut bushes.

On The Farm 7/6

 The heat is on and we need to make sure the farm animals don't get overheated. Fresh pools for the ducks, plenty of fresh water for everyone, encouraging the chicks to roost  not pig pile (kinda failed). We added a second, higher powered fan to the coop as well. We have had a loss in the duck flock, I don't know if it was heat related or old age as she was one of the originals. I couldn't find her at first and thought we may have yet another broody hiding but eventually I found her not nesting but passed away in a more secluded part of the farmyard. The baby chicks are now just about 2 months old and fitting in well with the flock. The rescue bantams are now 4 months old and enjoying life.

Little cutie

Frizzy frizzle

The assisted hatch chick at 2 months, absolutely he sweetest little one.

This is the part where I try to make things better for the chicks in the heat but I fail. I noticed that a few of them are roosting but many are pig piling in the brooder cage in the coop at night, even though the cage door is always left open now. To break the habit I took down the brooder cage and put up some temporary, makeshift roosting bars where the cage had been. It must have been too new and scary and the chicks had other ideas. I eventually got them all a little more comfortable and then shut everyone up for the night hoping for the best. They were fine. 

Well this is never going to work!

They had their small window fan and this new floor fan that can direct the air where needed and they did fine, adults, middle sized chicks and little ones.

On the Farm 7/5 another hidden duck nest and vegan pizza burgers!

 I did a bunch of weed whacking in the chicken/duck/orchard yard. There is still more to do but at least I cleaned up one area and found a hidden duck nest. 

The chickens have been trying to jump up and take cherries off the tree!

A lot of fruit trees suffered due to the very late hard freeze but the pears are growing well and getting pretty big.

Finished the day with a cook out, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and a new to us veggie burgers, Pizza Burgers! They are good. 

Water, Water Everywhere on the Farm too!

 The dogs are enjoying the raging brook and the ducks are enjoying the parts of the farmyard that are flooded and/or muddy. The chickens and cats found drier spots though they don't like all this water everywhere! I spent a good amount of time making a path fro the dry areas in the chicken yard through the wet areas and to the coop. It's a very large fenced yard and there is plenty of dry for the chickens but near the coop-barn it is wet and muddy. 

Flooded fruit trees and happy ducks.

The chickens found dry areas. KitKat and the beardies enjoyed the day.