Yearly Archives: 2013

Baby Robins, Day 10

There’s loud, demanding cheeping coming from the nest. The robin parents fly back and forth with insects in their mouths. The youngsters have oriented themselves to the direction that the adults approach and land.

It’s getting crowded. But, there’s no manure in the nest because after the parents feed their babies, they fly off with  the poo. Still, there’s little room in there. From what I’ve read, these youngsters will be ready to fledge (leave the nest) by day 12 or 14. Soon! They’ll able to fly, but will still beg for food from their parents and so it will be noisy around here awhile longer.

day 10

 

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be keeping Lily off of the porch. Although she see ignores the robins now, a bird that drops right in front of her nose is sure to be of interest to her.

Hens and Heat

We are heading into the sweltering days of summer and I cannot over-emphasize how essential it is to keep a close eye on your hens. Heat can be deadly to your flock. Chickens die from heatstroke and they die from dehydration. Even if the heat isn’t lethal, you might notice them eating less and laying fewer eggs.

I’ve written about how to help your chickens cope with heat here. Today I literally pulled another bag out of my collection of tricks. Green beans are one of the few veggies that everyone in my family eats and so every year I plant a large row of green beans in the garden. But, every year I harvest far more than we can consume fresh. I freeze the excess into bags. When I can’t keep up with the abundance, and the beans get big and tough, I share them with the goats (watch them scarf them down and burp on this video.)

frozen bags

 

I confess to not really liking beans that have been frozen, even when vacuum-packed. Still, every summer I freeze them in hopes that this will be the year that I find the perfect use for them over the winter. I never do, and I always have a few bags left over from the previous year’s harvest, but they don’t go to waste. On scorching hot days I offer these frozen blocks to the hens.

The pullets have never seen such a thing before, but they investigate and start pecking. (Note that I have put an extra waterer in the shade, which is the best thing that you can do for your chickens when it gets hot.)

Veronica

 

The Gems know all about these frozen treats and attack the block with enthusiasm. Despite the lethargy that comes on during a heat wave, these green beans will get them to cool off a bit from the frozen bits they’re swallowing, and provide more water and greens to their diet.

sussex

Better yet, the green beans, which I put effort and energy into processing and freezing, won’t go to waste. Win-win all around.

Robin Babies, Day 9

There’s now little difference between the chick that hatched first and it’s siblings. They are all large and bristling with pinfeathers.

nest

 

I’ve yet to get a photograph of them with gaping mouths, demanding food. I haven’t seen them in that pose yet. Most of the time they’re sleeping.

sleeping

 

Perhaps the parents are doing a very, very good job of feeding them. There’s certainly food in abundance. Here is a robin parent in the maple tree, with an insect in her mouth, waiting impatiently for me to leave the porch so that she can feed her babies. (Note that this bird has one dark leg and one light. Not even robins are uniform in appearance!)

parent robin

 

The robins, though, are tolerant of Lily’s presence. How do they know that this dog thinks that they are of no consequence? She hasn’t even lifted her nose to sniff the nest. Lily says that she has better things to do than to pay attention to robins. She watches for important things, like UPS trucks and bicyclists.

Lily

Baby Robins, Day 8

The bare skin is now covered by feathers, their eyes are open, and they are hungry! I’m hearing cheeping demands for food.

day 8

 

The chicks remain in the spots where they hatched, and it doesn’t appear that they’ve used their legs yet.

It’s 90 degrees today and I need to water the planter. I’m bracing myself for angry chiding by the parents. Luckily for the chicks, it’s a self-watering planter, so instead of wetting the soil, I pour the water into a reservoir that is under the dirt.

Easter Bunny in Training?

The pullets are too young to lay, and yet there is an egg in the nesting box. Could it be that I have an Easter Bunny in training?

easter bunny

 

No, there’s magic of another sort in the Little Barn. Twinkydink is laying eggs!

She’s eight years old, and has let everyone know that is is quite an effort to make eggs at her age. After she lays, she eats, and woe to any pullet who comes into the coop for a snack, as she will be roundly run off.

Twinkydink

 

But not the bunny. Phoebe is allowed to stay in the coop. She and Twinkydink have come to an agreement. I’ve watched the negotiations from afar, but haven’t been privy to the conversation. Diplomacy is best done in private.