Fiacré's spade: Heck's a-poppin'

Where to begin? The chicks and the bees both arrived on Wednesday. I ordered the chicks early because it is easier to keep them warm than cool them off. And we had an unprecedented heat wave this week—over 90°F every midday until today.

I got the call from the post office at 7:50 Wednesday morning. I drove to Harvard and got my cheeping box. I thought of Hilda the whole time. She always had such childlike excitement on chick day. All the way home, with the box on her lap, she would try to pry up the corners to see inside. I discouraged the behavior, not wanting chicks loose in my car. What fun we had!

Box o' chicks

I cut down on laying chickens this year, ordering 4 instead of 6. Two people do not need 12 chickens. We don’t need 8 either, but you never know when one is going to die, and people like to get fresh eggs. The Americauna always look different. This year, we got a brown one

Brown Americauna

And one that may turn out gray. We've never had one this color before.

Gray (?) Americauna

The Wyandottes all look the same. Here’s one.

Wyandotte

The meat chickens mostly look like this, although some have stripes on their back.

Meat chicken

I always start them in a brooder box. This year’s box was courtesy of Jane, who ordered a chair. For the first three days, I need the chicks contained so I can check them for pasty butt, which is exactly what it sounds like. While it seems funny, it is actually fatal. Any chicks with pasty butt get a trip to the chicken spa, where their little hiney gets gently scrubbed under warm running water followed by a blow dry.

Brooder box

Some of the chicks piled up in the corner and pecked at the cardboard. It has been said of chickens that they are curious, but not bright.

Something fascinating in the corner of the box

They eventually found the food. Sitting on top of the food is always popular.

Feeding frenzy, with two chicks sitting in the feeder

They hung out by the water cooler, gossiping.

Water cooler gossip

For many years, I have tried in vain to get a picture of the “chick stretch.” Finally, and quite by accident, I got one. They do this all the time, but it happens with no warning and is over in an instant. It’s always the leg and the wing on the same side.

S-T-R-E-T-C-H

Like all babies, there are regular nap times.

Naptime

Even though the coop seemed unbearably hot to me, I eventually discovered that the chicks were most happy with the door shut and the window opened just a little. I turned off the heat lamp, and they spread out all over, which is exactly what one wants to see.

Yesterday, I turned them loose in the coop on wood chips. With the weather cooler today, I put the heat lamp back on. They also have a heated plate that they can sit under. It’s supposed to mimic a mother hen. The good news about the coop is that it’s big enough that there are several temperature zones, and the chicks can go where they are most comfortable.

Exploring the coop

Once I had the chicks settled, we took Terry’s truck over to get the bees. We ordered a “nuc”, short for “nucleus”, which means five frames with comb, a lot of worker bees, and a mated queen. When we got over there, the bee delivery woman, fully suited up on that steamy morning, stood by her truck with nucs all over the ground around her. She found ours and put it in the truck bed. I noticed that her bottle of Gatorade was already almost gone, and it wasn’t even 10:00.

So back at home, I put on my brand-new bee hood and coat. Terry had an old one from his bee inspector days.

Bee prepared

This is what the nuc looked like.

The nuc

Terry took off the lid

Terry loosens the frames

And pried up the first frame, which I carried over and installed in the hive that Terry found by the side of the road with a “FREE” sign on it.

I took pictures while Terry moved the next frame.

Terry picks up a frame

And installs it in the hive

And that was that. The bees were very well behaved. We were not stung. Soon after, I saw one on the dandelions near the hive.

Bee on dandelion

I think we might have retarded bees. I was excited that the bees came on the very day that the apple blossoms started to open. In the days since, however, I have seen many bumblebees and a few smaller native bees on the apples, but no honey bees.