It doesn't rain but it pours... I have years of no chicks when I wish for them and then, there are years like this. I want to down size but nay... Mother Nature and the Great Hen have other ideas. However, they are so cute, who am I to complain?
First of all - thanks for notes you've sent and my apologies about my long silence (again). I don't know about life for you but around here, things have been kinda kooky. Some has been good but some not so much. This has been good: Yep, three babies born at the end of May. Two bucklings and a doe. They're all adorable and friendly, and everything I could want in babies. And this: That was the second crop of babies. There was a third but after a day we managed to reunite them with their mama.
This came because I said "never again" to brooding chicks in the house. I said "never again" and then was faced with the option of either letting babies die or brooding them in the house. So of course... And then I started school. I decided, in spite of everything else going on, to apply for a doctoral programme. I thought it was one out of my reach and somehow got in. Funnily enough, now that I'm in the programme, I'm wondering if it isn't out of my reach. I have never been in such a tough programme but it's compelling. And I'm not much good at quitting. So, there's the update. I hope things are moving along well in your world. Just as I was leaving for work there was a big fuss in the yard - raven cawing, hen shrieking, dog barking, and the high pitched shriek of a baby chick. I got over to the site just in time to see a raven with a dark, limp shape in it's talons as it flew off.
Dejected, I went over to the nest to see if any eggs were left and heard "peep peep peep" from the hay shed. Sure enough, a wee baby had survived the attack. So, of a nest of about a dozen eggs, we had one baby but really, better than none. So, it's a bit of a "you win some, you lose some" time for us. In addition to the saga of the phone (I finally have a replacement), our beloved Freyja-cat has disappeared. We're still hopeful but as she's a wily sort, realistically, something's probably gotten her. We don't often lose cats up here but, the orange ones seem to have the most trouble. Funnily enough, the morning we realized she really was gone, we found a surprise waiting for us. As you already know, I'm not a fan of interfering with nature but in this case, the babies were scooped from mum. She's a muscovy and they're chicks and we've already seen the results of mama ducks thinking their chicks should participate in swimming lessons... So, we've stepped in.
So, sad but as always, we're reminded that there truly is a cycle of life.
Well that was a surprise. Mama had been on her nest diligently but it's been three weeks already? I'm glad I'm home today to see who else shows up.
In addition to The Cuteness, these chicks represent a new phase in my smaller living scheme. My hope is to go another step back and have on farm hatched/raised chicks so I can stop buying from hatcheries. Our last hatchery order had a bunch of chicks from good brooding/mothering breeds in the hope that this will happen.
Ultimately, I hope to
It's not that I don't appreciate hatcheries, of course I do. But, it's one more thing I can do for myself, which is awesome. It's also another step back from commoditizing living beings - something that doesn't feel ok to me.
Of course, in my usual way, I may have overdone it as I now have two muscovies (ducks) and four hens on nests. Sigh. If you ask the people who know me, that sums me up in a nutshell - feast or famine! The first crop of chicks were a surprise. Momma just arrived with eight chicks in tow. Cornish hens, gotta love them!
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AuthorI'm a 40-something writer and smallholder living in the wilds of BC with my family, our small herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. Archives
August 2017
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