June 2021
Chicks, Disappearing Eggs, and Broody Hens
You know last month when I said we had too many eggs? Well, I think my chickens are secretly reading my blog. Because they decided to go on strike or should I say “broody”. This means they are not laying eggs but instead are sitting on them and waiting for them to hatch. It also means I am not harvesting any eggs for breakfast. Sigh.
You may be wondering about the screens in front of our laying hens. No, we have not started a commercial chicken hatchery. We have put screens in front of the brooding hens to prevent other chickens from using the same nesting box. It seems my hens are extra particular and they all have their favorite spots to lay their eggs. They refuse to be deterred from using them even if another hen is already perched inside their nesting box. The mesh wire is necessary to prevent another hen from squashing the hatching eggs or worse – actual chicks.
We put screens in front of our brooding hens to prevent other chickens from using the same nesting box (see the two silly hens on the right) and squashing the hatching eggs or worse - the chicks.So far, two eggs have hatched into the cutest little fluffy yellow chicks. We will keep them enclosed with their moms until they are a little bigger…just in case the other chickens think they look like food and decide to sample them. This has happened before. We’ve learned our lesson and now wait until they are a decent size before introducing them to the larger flock.
How do you keep weeds from entering your garden? Chickens in a chicken chunnel.The World’s Best Weed Control
Over the past few summers, the chickens have spent their free time plotting and scheming their way into my garden -wreaking havoc and feasting on everything in sight. This year I plan to purposefully incorporate the chickens in the garden as my personal weeders. We’re going to experiment with surrounding the garden with several chicken chunnels, which we hope will prevent weeds from infiltrating the inner garden. To be continued…
We're experimenting with surrounding our garden with several chicken chunnels, which we hope will prevent weeds from infiltrating the inner garden.Embarrassing Moment of the Month: Massages and a Face Full of Mascara
This month, for the first time ever, I went to see a massage therapist to help with a pulled muscle in my back. Other than actually sleeping, it was the most relaxing and soothing experience I’ve ever had (I’m not entirely sure I didn’t fall asleep at some point). I felt utterly pampered and to honest a little guilty to be enjoying such a luxury.
I also embarrassed my kids this month by asking them to take a picture of me as a bee at the local zoo.
So, there I was lying face down on the massage table with my mask on, of course, due to covid, completely enjoying the experience. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, my mascara was running all over my face. I’m not exactly sure how I managed this feat. Perhaps it was due to breathing into my mask and hot air going up into my eyes? It wouldn’t have been a big deal if I would have noticed this before I left the therapist’s office. Unfortunately, the room was dimly lit as I dressed and so I couldn’t see my black-streaked reflection.
On my way home, I decided to stop at Shopper’s Drug Mart. While I was there, I not only talked to a few customers but I even asked for help from one of the workers. I can’t believe not a SINGLE person (nor the massage therapist who I, of course, paid before I left) mentioned a word about the big streaks of mascara running down my face. I can only imagine they were laughing on the inside as they politely smiled at me.
Our cherries are almost ready to harvest!Boatloads of Berries and the Vanishing Haskaps
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’ve struggled with growing fruit. In fact, I wrote a post about “Creative Ways to Fail at Tree Planting“. Despite this, I am proud to say we have 2 cherry trees that are actually producing cherries, several apple trees (not actually producing anything yet but still alive so that’s a success in my eyes) and so many haskaps, currants, and raspberries.
Haskaps are incredibly easy to grow but difficult to harvest. They are only tasty when they're perfectly ripe and the harvest season is only 2 weeks long.The first fruit to ripen this summer were our haskaps. They’re incredibly easy to grow and the berries are a pleasant mix of sweet and sour (a blend of blueberry, raspberry, and currant flavors). The only problem is the season is only 2 weeks long and they only taste good if you pick them when they’re perfectly ripe (a deep almost black shade of blue). Unfortunately, it’s not only hard to tell if they’re ripe, but while waiting for them to ripen, someone else eats them. Maybe it’s the birds? Maybe it’s my kids? I don’t know. Either way, I didn’t get many haskaps. Next year, I’m installing a net over the bushes and a camera. This is a warning to whoever is stealing my haskaps! I’m hoping the upcoming harvest of currants, raspberries, and cherries will make up for my lackluster haskaps.
And that’s it for June. Have a wonderful summer, my friends.
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