peep

The new batch of silky peeps arrived a little over a week ago and are now ensconced in a pen in a corner of the greenhouse, a heat lamp keeping them warm. If all goes well, they ought to be old enough to start laying eggs in March or April. In the meantime, they're awfully cute!

quack

the merry band of crazy ducks

The ducks are eight weeks old, but I'd be surprised if their brains were bigger than a pea. Crazy is what they are - nuts. The more I'm into farming and raising animals, the more I realize there are very good reasons for many common terms. In this instance, ducks are daffy. Living cartoons. Looney-tunes, as a matter of fact.

On the upside, they are maturing rapidly and in another two to three months should start laying eggs for market. Duck eggs are excellent for baking and custard-making. And since (like my chickens) these girls will be living on pasture, they're more nutritious than any you could ever find in a store. Not that you're likely to ever see duck eggs in a store, but that's not the point. The point is, they're good for you. And just plain good. Rich and thick, with deep orange yolks.

soon there will be more

Today I placed an order for twenty-five blue silky peeps.

i'm back

I guess I pretty much took the summer off from blogging, but now that fall is here in full swing and things are happening at a much more manageable pace, you can expect to see more of me.

For the first time in my life, I took a two week vacation and went to a little cabin in the adirondacks. It was a much-needed time for relaxation and serious reflection. Decisions were made, soon to be acted upon.

When I left my hill for the mountains there were forty silky chickens in residence. There are now seven. Apparently there was a nearly wholesale massacre in broad daylight. Chicken carcasses scattered all over the pasture. Neighbor dogs are suspected. Nothing will be said to the neighbors, however, because there is no proof and I'd like to keep up good relations. And anyway, it could have been any dogs, not necessarily theirs. What is odd is that neither the sheep nor the geese were harmed. Perplexed is what I am. Well, that and very, very sad.

Thankfully the ducks were ensconced in the greenhouse on grasshopper patrol and so were spared. Yes, ducks. As in twenty-one Khaki Campbells. Just six weeks ago they were adorable little balls of fluff with shoe-button eyes, black bills and webbed feet - now they are a nearly grown, quacking mob of insect predators. While I've said I wouldn't get ducks again, these girls are for egg production and so should earn their keep. They'll be moved to their winter pen in the next couple of days so that the greenhouse can be seeded for fall/winter greens.

That's it for now. There's more going on here but I'll save that for another day.