Garden and chick update

We were surprised to find that the farm had gotten another inch of rain at home while we in Ohio. Hilda had not been able to get any weeding done on Sunday at all. Last Thursday, I took the row cover off of everything except the cantaloupe, which are behind because something ate the sprouts from the first seeds I planted, and I had to start over. Boy, the cabbage and Brussels sprouts looked bad, especially on the low end where water had been standing.

By Monday, they were looking perkier. I should have taken the row cover off sooner, however, because the some of the leaves suffered permanent damage from rubbing against the fabric. The Chinese cabbage and kale were ready for harvest! Peas are just starting to bloom. We were very late getting them in this year.

Napa cabbaage

Kale and peas

We are harvesting scallions and radishes now. Too bad the radishes are always ready before the lettuce. One can rarely have a salad with radishes. I love cream cheese and radishes on toast for breakfast. Tomatoes and cream cheese on toast is better, but the radishes tide me over until the tomatoes are ripe.

Radishes and scallions

One morning last week two bucks with velvet-covered antlers wandered through the yard. Terry was not yet awake to swear at them.

Two bucks, but only one would pose. The other is off to the left

The creek has gone down quite a lot despite the new rain over the weekend.

The creek is now well within its banks

The chicks are growing fast, especially the meat chickens. The meat chickens are already pretty disgusting because, since they walk and stand very little, they spend most of their time lying around in their own poop, which mats the down on their bellies and makes them sticky. Already it almost takes two hands to pick them up. Here’s a picture showing the difference in size.

Two Rhode Island Reds next to a meat chick for size comparison

All the chicks are getting their wing feathers.

Meat chicken's wing feathers

The only chicks we have named so far are the Americauna because they are the only ones we can tell apart. Our naming theme this year will be from our new favorite book, The School of Essential Ingredients. One of the characters in the book, Chloe, wears excessive black eyeliner, and we named the chick with black around her eyes after her.

Chloe

Antonia is the most beautiful character, so this chick got her name. This morning we found her standing on top of the waterer, which means she is starting to fly. I put screens over the brooder when I was done with the chores.

Antonia (she's the one with a stripe on the top of her head)

Lilian is the instructor of the School of Essential Ingredients and is Chloe’s mentor. Here is her chicken version.

Lilian

The Rhode Island Reds seem mild mannered. They are the smallest of our chicks.

Rhode Island Red

When I cleaned the brooder box yesterday, I had the feeder out for a little while to shake the food dust out of it. When I put it back, there was a feeding frenzy.

Shortly after that was nap time. Now that we are experienced chicken owners, we no longer become alarmed when the chicks put their heads down in front of them and look dead.

Nap time

And sometimes we get so tired eating that we put our head right down in the trough. 

Chick sleeping in the food trough