{farm life: chick celebration}

It's worthy of noting and celebrating.

I was just watering and feeding the girls and I spied

a tiny blue egg in the big run.  It's a first for our new batch.

Quick history lesson:  lost 19 laying hens in January due to bobcat.

Around Feb 20/21, 26 new day old baby chicks arrived via US Postal

Service.  Lost 3 within 2 days from broken necks, injuries, etc.

Moved remaining chicks several weeks later to the big coop, within a few

weeks lost all due gnats except for 6.   Total chick count at this point:  13 including hens.

Picked up 12 new {fancy} chicks at Atwoods.

Lost one mail-order chick when we moved them in with hens as it hid and suffocated.

{sigh}

This farm girl was about to turn in the towel then. 

Got news on vacation that one died having an egg. 

{if I had been a chicken, that would have probably been me}

Last week moved baby chicks {who had grown to almost the size of the Feb

chicks into the big run with the "teenagers"}  After some not so nice hen-pecking-order

introductions, they all settled well.  UNTIL, I noticed I was one shy with LOTS of

feathers outside the cement fortified run.  Something had crawled into a small space

above the door that Scott had not completed yet.   Re-fortified. 

All is well now.

Total chick count sits at:  22.

But, today, seeing that new little egg made it all worthwhile.

Last year, the chickens were a breeze.  This year, it has been tragic.

Lots of hard work out there just to survive.

So, the next time you eat an egg, remember that it's not

so easy getting them here.   In my brief little downtime, the boys

and I have alot of work out there with new straw, picking and

cleaning up, new bedding, compost material, new laying boxes,

paint and let's throw in a new wreath.  And, with these hot

summer days, just know they are enjoying their sprinklers.

Scott continues to remind me he has yet to find a golden egg out there. {smile}