Presently.....

We are having a bit of an egg situation around here these days.  How different things are from the days when we would gather 2 dozen eggs a day.  Now, we are lucky if we get a half dozen, with most days being a measly 3 or 4 chicken eggs. 

Perhaps the girls are on strike since their lockdown.  (They are still sequestered in their yard until the foxes are finished teaching their kits to hunt.)  


Happily, Old Tom has settled in to life with the hens quite superbly.  Elwood, our gentleman rooster gives Old Tom wide berth, which is good.  There is peace in the henhouse; and Old Tom has lots of companionship.

As for the runner ducks - they quite like the new hay in their yard.  So much so, that they save their egg laying for soft hay nests.  The ducks have become our most reliable layers... giving us 4 or 5 eggs daily.

  And though they, too, remain on yard arrest for the time being, they seem content to pick through the hay in their yard.  Eventually they, too, will be given their freedom... but not until it is safe!


Look what I found when weeding garden boxes yesterday morning.... a guinea egg!  


Last summer we lost both of these willow trees to a summer wind storm.  They blew over, or broke and landed on top of the chicken yard.  Hubbs and I cleared away the debris, fixed the chicken run, and cut the trees back to just short trunks.  As you can see... willow trees will not be discouraged.  They have continued to grow in spite of themselves.

Because willows are so hearty and fast and easy to grow, I took some cuttings and stuck them in potting soil to root.  How do I know this will work?  How do I know I will have four new trees to plant by the end of summer?  Well, years ago I made a wattle fence in the garden out of what I though were dead willow branches.  The branches in that fence put down the most hardy roots and turned into trees within a year.  And none of those branches were buried in the soil - they were simply woven between upright bamboo posts.  So, with these cuttings in moist potting soil, we'll have a few new trees in no time!

Yesterday was mowing day (again).  When we were finished, I spent a little time in the front pasture with the pigs.  They are both in need of hoof trimmings.  Luckily, MaryAnn makes this task quite easy.  She automatically lies down so that I can rub her belly - making nail trimming a piece of cake.

Especially when she has a cat to give her a massage!

Thanks, Moll... you are the perfect pig whisperer!

And now MaryAnn's toenails are well manicured.

The front pasture is so lovely this spring - too lovely not to share.  So, please excuse (and hopefully enjoy) the montage of daffodil photos...







Update on Blog Subscriptions:  I was able to obtain the list of subscribers from Feedburner. (As of sometime in the next few months, Feedburner is discontinuing our blog subscription plan.)   My plan is to personally send out my blog via my Apple email account.  (Gmail does not allow me to send out a mass mailing like that, so I have to use a different email account.)
 If you are a subscriber, you should have received an email from me last evening.  What I plan to do is send out a mass emailing each morning with a link to the day's blog post.  Hopefully this will help those of you who count on receiving our Tales from the Farm in this manner.
I hope to start this Monday morning... even though you will still receive my blog through Feedburner until Blogger drops them.  This way we can work out the kinks!! 

I will continue to publish to Facebook as usual.

Thanks for your patience.



Have a lovely weekend, we'll be back on Monday with more Tales From The Farm.

Comments

colleen said…
Your pasture is beautiful!
Thank you for your patience to make sure we don't lose your postings. What would be do without a dose of BHA to start the day?! Happy weekend to you.xoxox
Chris T said…
I am so pleased you found a way round the Feedburner problem, I so enjoy reading your posts, they are like a dose of fresh air. Your willow tree story today reminded me of the time I used long rosemary branches from my gardens on my allotment, one just took off and grew into an enormous bush very quickly.
This N That said…
I'm sure the fowl will be happy for their freedom when that day comes..Kinda like us!! I will have to come up with something to replace Feedburner..My list isn't that big..There are Daffys everywhere...So pretty..
You could have your own little Willow forest.
Moll and Maryann are a hoot...Nice to have a helper!1 Enjoy your weeknd..xoxxo
jaz@octoberfarm said…
in my experience, it is hard to get rid of willows! i just stuck branches i cut from my daughter's forsythia all over my garden and i am betting i will end up with forsythia everywhere! have a great weekend!
Anonymous said…
As far as the chickens not providing as many eggs as they did in the past, could it have anything to do with the age of your hens? In my experience, they will lay very well for several years and then production tapers off as they age.
All those daffodils are gorgeous...sooooo many different kinds...even doubles! And none of the animals eat them, right?
I love willows too....we've had one in the yard in almost every house we've lived in. That will be lovely when you plan those new willow trees. I guessed the cat wrong....I thought it was Griz!!! Have a great weekend!
Lynne said…
I see your posts in Bloglovin as well as Facebook . . .
So is it Bloglovin that will be gone in July?