Birchtree Farm

Mt. Healthy Hatcheries sent us some of the replacements on Monday for the chicks that died in shipping previously (see earlier post). I have to commend this business for their prompt response. Even though the fault was with USPS, they have replaced all the chicks and more (I now have 20 broilers instead of the original 12 I ordered). But these below are laying breeds - Araucana, Golden Laced Wyandottes, and New Hampshire Reds. Still to come (tomorrow!) are the remaining replacements - Speckled Sussex, and Partridge Rocks.

This is my favorite chick so far. She's an Araucana and is already showing the ear tufts and beard features that this breed sometimes exhibits, although it's not easy to see from this angle.

Our newest additions to the farm are 8 guinea keets, or baby guinea fowl. They are around two weeks old, give or take a few days. Their main claim to fame is that they eat bugs almost exclusively, along with a few seeds here and there. They also are very alert to anything strange in their territory and will sound a loud alarm call. We are mainly hoping that once they are allowed to free range they will keep the tick population around here in check, as it is very very bad. And I hope that they won't disturb anyone with their funny calls.

Once we get the coop finished, they can move out there and learn that it is their home, so they don't wander off and will come back each night. Apparently it takes a few weeks to imprint them on their home base, so they'll have to stay in the coop until that process is complete, and until they are big enough to safely let outside.

So today we were working on getting the last few details of the coop done. Ken worked on the wiring, and I worked on building a "chicken door", which is the small drop down door that the birds will use to go in and out. The last bit that still needs to be done is using hardware cloth to close the gaps at the top of the coop where the rafters overhang so that nothing can get inside up there. It will be nice ventilation but without the wire, a fisher could potentially climb the coop and drop down inside to have a chicken or guinea dinner.

As the plants come into bloom around here, there are many that I am unfamiliar with. One of my favorite websites is Dave's Garden. They have a forum there where you can post a picture of your mystery plant and usually within minutes you'll have one or more posts answering your question. Here are some of the plants identified for me recently:

Oenothera spp. - Evening primrose

Lamium maculatum - Spotted Dead Nettle (such an odd name for such a pretty plant)

Tradescantia x andersoniana - Virgina Spiderwort, possibly cultivar "J.C. Weguelin"

Valeriana officinalis - Valerian

Achillea millefolium - Yarrow, probably the native variety

Malva moschata - Musk Mallow

Speaks for itself....

We got a shipment of chicks from Mt. Healthy hatchery today. They were sent out yesterday by Priority mail via USPS. Unfortunately, the hatchery has had a number of shipments sent to the New England area that have arrived with birds DOA due to improper handling, as I found out when I called the hatchery to report my losses. The hatchery owner believes that they are being mishandled on the trucks and packed in where they are getting too hot. He is going to re-ship my order in July, and was very apologetic.

Chicks and other baby birds are able to be shipped the day they hatch because just before they leave the egg, they absorb the remains of the yolk through their umbilicus. This provides enough nutrients and moisture that they don't need to eat for 2-3 days. I suppose it's an adaptation to survive when a mother hen is waiting for other eggs to hatch and so doesn't leave the nest as soon as the first ones pop out of their eggs. They can hang out a day or two in the nest with no problem.

So baby chicks and other baby poultry are able to be shipped this way, and if handled correctly, do just fine. Our first chickens were shipped from IA to NY and all 46 arrived alive. Today's shipment was a disappointment, but I don't blame the hatchery. I do have 13 chicks in good condition, bopping around eating and drinking and doing normal chick-y things which at this point amounts to pecking at random objects and pooping. They are fun to watch.

Stay tuned for further bulletins as events warrant.