Update. Weeks 3, 4 and 5.

I apologize to you all. I have been very remiss in my blogging. I believe it's been 3 weeks since I last posted (sounds like I'm in the confessional!). What this should tell you all is that we have been VERY busy. The last few weeks have just flown by, and I found that at days end I was just too tired to fire up the laptop.

There's just too much that happened in the last few weeks to attempt to cover it all in writing. I will highlight a few of the more important events.

CHICKS

In a few words: THE GIRLS ARE HUGE! 

The girls are mostly all feathered out and rapidly outgrew the brooder. Trixie and Lola have full combs and wattles. We had been taking the girls outside to the run on nice days (few and far between in the last few weeks as any Islander will tell you) while I continued work on the coop. I hated having to put them back in the brooder as you could tell they love being outside.

We also had a chicken health emergency. A couple of weeks ago we noticed that Ginger was lethargic and just not her usually chicken self. After a little research we found that she was likely stricken with Coccidiosis. Cocci is a bacteria that is common in all livestock, but in chickens the bacteria can multiply very quickly and cause death if left unchecked. Of course all emergencies happen on the weekend. So after a call to the on-call vet we managed to get some med's. We treated all the girls for if one has it they all will get it. I'm proud to say we managed our first emergency well and all the girls are specimens of chicken health.

The Scratch Pad is mostly complete and in place. I have couple of things left to do but for now it is secure and I like the look. The girls moved in this week. They still haven't learned to put themselves to bed at night which means that I'm loading up chickens at 10 pm and putting them in. ("Scratch" that!!!. Last night the girls put themselves to bed on their own. I'm a proud chicken papa!!!.) I'm hopeful that in the next few days they get the hang of it. Of course it's dark at night, and without light they squawk like mad for the first 10 minutes, but then settle down and fall right to sleep. They sleep in one big pile in one corner of the coop. Dummies!!!

FROM THIS.......

AND THIS......

TO THIS....

AND THIS.....

POPPY. YIKES, THAT'S SOME HAIR!!!!

TRIXIE.

LOLA.

POPPY.

WHAT A BUNCH OF TURKEYS! LOLA, GINGER, CINNAMON AND TRIXIE.

HMMM...I WONDER WHAT THESE TWO ARE THINKING?

So as you can see I still have to install the roosts and nesting box, but the girls are quite content in their new home.

GARDENS

With all the other activity going on around here the gardens have been somewhat neglected, at least by me. 

I removed the sod and tilled in the garden. Some tomatoes, corn, beets and a few flowers have been planted. As mentioned, our weather has been the sh*ts lately and only recently has it turned around. I think I shocked the tomatoes by planting them on a nice day but they are slowly starting to grow. I've got some beet and corn shoots finally starting to show. I managed to plant some lettuce, onions, swiss chard, kale, zucchini, beans and cukes in the 2 raised beds. Again, just starting to see some growth. I'm almost embarrassed to post the pictures as the veg. gardens look very pitiful but.....

My lovely farmhand has "flown the coop" for a few weeks to visit family and friends, but before leaving she managed to clean up all the beds and get some new flowers started. The beds are starting to fill in nicely. She and her BFF's, Itchy and Scratchy, have visited almost every garden center and nursery this side of Summerside, and I'm certain that they are all complicit in some "plant crimes".

Well, folks. This farmer is tired and the final hockey game is on. Go Blackhawks Go!!!

I promise to be a better blogger and keep things updated.