It's Spring Again!

As those living in NY state know, April greeted us with cold temperatures and the most snow we had all winter.

But, 10 days later, and spring came back. It was wonderful to not be bundled up in layers, and the

chickens enjoyed the sunshine. The grass has been growing beautifully, so while I spring-cleaned the "Brooder Barn", I let the young chicks, broody hens & "Mini Flower" breeding group out into the fresh spring grass.

 Lydia & the Feb 2016 Hatch chicks

 "Mini Flower" Group

 Dec 2015 Hatch Pullet - "Dos"

 Jan 2016 Hatch Pullet

 New SFH chick - new bloodlines, not sure if this is

a rooster or pullet yet. Supposed to be a rooter.

 Elly May is broody again & should be getting chicks next week.

The Swedish Flower Hen group also enjoyed the sunshine and fresh grass.

After adding new bedding, I moved the younger chicks out of the brooder, so they'd have more room & could start adjusting the other chickens in the "Brooder Barn".

There's another Catskill Homesteader hen that's looking like she's thinking about going broody. I've found her in the nesting boxes sitting on eggs two days now, but she flies out when I go to collect the eggs. She has the "broody stare" - just blinks, but is otherwise perfectly still until I reach my hand toward her.

The two broody "Mini Flower" hens are happily sharing a nest, and when the next batch of eggs go into lockdown this weekend, I plan to give them some eggs to finishing hatching.

 To protect them from predators at night, I "lock" the two hens inside

the nesting box, which is in the main chicken area as a "separate unit".

It used be part of the original 4x8 coop, but when we moved in 2014, we cut off

this front section of nesting boxes. It was a bear to move, but it's proved to be a

wonderful blessing, as they love all these nesting boxes.

Freshly laid eggs in the nesting boxes, lined with dried grass clippings, hay & a few feathers.

Then, after I've collected the eggs

The PA/DC group's eggs - 4/13 eggs

Eggs from Muffy's group

 Eggs from Blue's group (L) & SFH coop (R)

 

Then, out to the garden to collect the eggs from MJ's (Michael Jessie's group)

 Only two eggs today, previous day all 5 hens laid.

In the garden, before we had the snow, we covered up the freshly seeded bed with a "frost/seed blanket", in hopes to protect any of the fragile germinating seeds.

It worked! The over-wintered spinach & kale are thriving.

And the baby spinach & other seedlings are coming up!