The Cheeps are Well

The two visiting grandsons and I have done a few things this week but not much as I had planned/hoped. It’s been hot and/or rainy and since I wilt in the heat and melt in the rain we’ve only worked in between the two.

The chicken coop got cleaned out but not painted. The fence got started but we had to take a few days to flatten the cattle panels so it didn’t get finished. Half the garden got cleared out of the spring plantings and I’ve planted two kinds of squash, borage, mini bell peppers, oregano, nasturtiums, along with a few pots of flowers that somehow made their way into my cart at Home Depot. We even went and visited the baby goats at Wilding Acres Farm.

I’ve actually made decent meals while they’ve been here. Not coming home from work exhausted certainly has it’s perks in that department. Along with that, they’ve enjoyed the carrots and peas from the garden, the strawberry jam made earlier this spring, and the peach jam made last summer – but aren’t really impressed that it’s all been homemade.

Of course, the highlight was getting the new chicks. The boys (including Oscar) have been playing with … um I mean, getting them used to being handled by humans. They are still in the bathtub brooder and have settled down nicely. I’ve switched them from the red heat lamp to the Brinsea brooder heater and they have become used to that now.

The hatchery marked the blue layers with orange on their faces but I don’t think that will last long. I got leg bands but can’t put them on until they are two weeks old. So, I took pictures of their heads and backs to, hopefully, help identify them later. The boys spent a good hour naming each of them.

Let’s meet them:

I already have my favorites.