Welcome, April!

April showers bring May flowers!

What beautiful weather we had this first day of April! 62 degrees! This is the warmest day we've had in the last 6 months. So warm, in fact, that we were able to take the little duckies (who aren't very little anymore!) outside for the first time!

The little ducks had quite an adventure indeed, Drumstick tried to bum rush them, and Specker tried to mate Duckie (who is presumably male based on his call and what appears to be a drake feather...). Needless to say, he got chased away across the yard and has decided he wants nothing to do with ducks anymore! The hens were indifferent, and only Opie tried to sniff them. We don't have their pen completed, but they definitely needed some time to stretch out in the sun! 

I raked out the perennial area of the herb garden, too. Oregano, Thyme, and Chives are doing well, and Sage finally appears to be coming around. Hoping the Tarragon and Mint made it, but see no signs yet... The Lamb's Ear and Plantain are already emerging in the yard, too.

After the sun went down and everyone was tucked away, I put up the second greenhouse shelf we bought this week. So many seedlings, so little space! I put the cover on the second one, hoping it will hold in enough heat to get the rest of these peppers to germinate, as well as the tomatoes I'm going to start in cling wrap covered egg cartons when I'm done here!

On a side note, I found 2 of the 5-week-old chicks out of the box and one perched on the side this morning... They are pretty much fully feathered, but not quite ready to go outside yet, either. How are your animals and seedlings doing? Let us know in the comments!

If you'd like to see additional, full sized photos of today's adventures, please visit our Spring 2015 Album HERE. 

I'm also active nearly daily on Instagram.

First Week of Spring

At long last, the winter is OVER! (Sort of, there are flurries here today...) Signs of life are beginning to appear once again!

It's going to be a busy spring this year! Last week, we picked up our Agri-Fab Disc Cultivator . We're planning to expand the garden area to the full fenced enclosure (about 1/8 acre or so), but will have to wait a week or so to get started between ground thaw/mud and having to borrow a hitch from my Dad. Our ATV has the ball hitch, the cultivator requires a sleeve... 

This past week, I also got 3 types of sweet pepper, 3 types of hot pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and 11 types of herbs started indoors. Surprisingly, the broccoli came up in only 4 days time! I'll be starting tomatoes this coming week, and hope to get peas, onions and greens in the ground next month. I'm very excited about all the new medicinal herbs we're adding to the fold. I'm going to have to pick up a second seed starting shelf!

It's been warm enough to walk around outside with just a light jacket (save today, snow flurries...), there are signs of life everywhere! Under the protection of fallen leaves, I've found thyme and oregano, and irises. The lilac bush has already gotten buds as well. I regret not planting some daffodils this past fall. I am hoping that my sage bush made it through the ridiculously cold February temps. No sign of life yet. 

The Cheepers and Lil Duckies are about a month old now. I am amazed at how fast the ducks have grown! The smaller (presumably female) Andie has already begun quacking! They are MUCH more messy and require more maintenance than baby chicks, but they certainly have entertaining personalities! Our adult hens have begun laying eggs steadily again as well. 

Tomorrow we're aiming to do some spring cleaning in the barn, and some more pruning. We already cut back the pampas grasses and rose bushes, but have some damaged/dead branches to remove around the grounds as well. Have a great weekend!

Duckies!

Saturday afternoon, after our 4H meeting, we stopped off at Tractor Supply... and picked up 2 more residents, Pekin Ducks!

This is our first time raising ducklings. They are quite a bit messier than the chickens, they love to slop around their water! They're still pretty shy, but we're working on that. In a few days or so, we'll be able to let them go for a little swim in the bathroom sink. Ducks are sold "straight run" meaning we do not know if they are male or female just yet. . Regardless, I want to name them Duckie and Andie after the characters in Pretty in Pink! 

It's a good thing we bought our chicks when we did, they were already sold out of the Ameraucanas and Jersey Giants at Family Home and Farm. Here's a short clip of everyone this afternoon. The chicks are getting wings already! Duckies are getting a few little tail tufts: