We've got babies...

I could not contain my excitement when we finally decided to pick up 8 baby chicks (3-4 days old) today.  They are 4 Dorking (pure breed) and 4 Chantecler breeds (cross-bred with a Dorking cock)  Actually it was supposed to be just 6 chicks but then we got a phone call asking us to pick up the other one Dorking because it was suffering from separation anxiety.  And we thought we wanted to have an even number of chicks so why not make it 8.  I don’t know their genders yet.  I just hope they are not all roosters as I’m really just interested in laying hens.  They hatched last week according to Frances (owner of Hastings Feed and Farm Supplies).  She hatched them herself in an incubator in her bedroom.  Upon arrival at her farm, I was amazed with her almost brand new chicken coops.  She had lots of chickens, ducks and geese greeting us.  It felt so welcoming there. 

Frances is a very nice person and you will feel comfortable with her right away.  She led us upstairs in her house to show the chicks we can choose from.  Her farm is amazing.  If I have the money, I would build a castle-like chicken coop.  Her house is very nice and looks newly-built but that’s not the interesting part.  She led us upstairs and I was surprised to see 2 ducks in an open box (yes you read it right) and at least 2 others in her bedroom.  The 2 ducks in an open box were squacking at us as she explained more about the chicks.  I’m impressed they didn’t run around considering they were just loose.  Apparently, those ducks in her bedroom had to stay indoors because they cannot survive the winter.  They we’re almost frozen dead when she found them so she had no choice but to take them indoors.  But it’s unusual to see ducks in a bedroom.  Amazingly enough her house is very clean and tidy.  She’s willing to give me 2 adult ducks when I mentioned I’m considering them because they are very good in eating weeds.  But I told her we still have to build a coop for them.

She gave us tips on how to raise chicks.  She also sold us pine shavings for bedding, water and feed dispensers.  Luckily she did because we just realized we’re not 100% ready with our supplies.  And she gave us some organic feed to get started.  And not only that, she also gave us 4 duck eggs and a dozen chicken eggs (some are blue in colour).  With that many fowl in her backyard she has too many eggs than she can consume and she even feeds the eggs to her 2 dogs.

I’m very protective of the 8 chicks because we have 2 cats at home.  So please don’t think we’re crazy but we have the chicks set-up inside our bedroom so the cats (Dusty and Copper) won’t hurt (or play) with them.  I tried introducing Copper (our orange/white tabby) to the chicks.  He stares at them but I won’t let him get much closer.  He just stares and eventually leaves them alone.  I still would not let him near the chicks unattended.  I don’t trust Dusty near the chicks at all.  He’s more agile and has a predatory instinct.

One thing I’ve noticed about the chicks is that they start chirping when I’m not close by.  So I have to talk in a soft voice and they stop chirping.  Maybe they think I’m their mother hen.  I’m seeing various personalities even when we just have them for a couple of hours.

So here are the 8 chicks.   I only show 6 in the first 3 pictures because that's what we originally bought.  Then we got the extra 2 (last 2 pictures).  They are little eating-and-pooping machines.    I don’t have names yet for them.  Want to help me give them names?

These are the first 6 we originally bought (3 pictures below this)

 

Chick #1

 

 

 Chick #2

Chick #3

Chick #4

Chick #5

Chick #6

Chick #7

Chick #8

 

Trying to decide...

In the past couple of months, my mind has been filled with ideas of what I will do on the farm for the first year of living here full time.  There are two things I wanted to accomplish this summer.  First, I want to grow a variety of organic vegetables that my husband and I can consume and maybe give the rest to our friends.  This is going to be an experiment and now that it’s already early spring (although the snow has not melted in our fields yet) I already feel overwhelmed with lots of ideas.  Second, I want to have chicks or laying hens in our backyard.  I’ve browsed more than a dozen books on vegetable gardening and raising chickens and building coops.  The planning part seems easy but the execution is very daunting especially with the cost constraints.

I’m starting to wonder why I want to do this.  I have a new passion for growing and am very interested in learning how different seeds interact with countless variables (variety, location, date of sowing, weed pressure, soil type/ temperature, etc.).  But please would someone tell me whether I am foolish enough to jump into something I know nothing about.  I’m still young enough to think I could do anything if I just set my mind to it. I do know that I feel a deep sense of peace when I’m out there in the fields and smell fresh air and watch the rich green hues of the plants and trees (or I will be in the summer).

Seedy Sunday

My husband and I went to Seedy Sunday event in Peterborough.  I bought $20 worth of seeds.  I’m really hoping there won’t be buyer’s remorse later on.  We already have 3 pear, 3 peach and 3 plum young trees.  My plan before I arrived at the event was just to buy onions and chives because they help complement pre-existing fruit trees.  I’ve also been researching about growing vegetables specifically what vegetables complement each other.  So when we arrived at the event I got a bit overboard with my seed list.  There were a lot of people shopping for seeds.  I only chose the organic ones and the reasonably-priced booth.  So I paid $2 per packet.

First off, I bought corn, squash, cucumber and peas.  They complement each other.  The guy warned me that corn requires a lot of space and I told him that’s not a problem for me.  Below are the seeds I got for this first group. 

 

 

 

I also bought cilantro and spinach which complements each other.  I have to refrigerate cilantro seeds for 2 weeks and sow indoors.  Pics below.

 

And of course the main reason we went to the event – to buy chives, garlic and onion.  I don’t know about this.  At first I was thinking why can’t I just plant the garlic and onion I get from the store.

I love quinoa and it’s expensive to buy them at grocery stores but I do need to research more about how to grow this.  The lady at the booth told me that I just have to spread it on the soil with sand because they are so tiny.  I love dill so I bought it too.

I was going to buy asparagus but I’m glad the guy told me that I cannot harvest asparagus on year one.  I have to wait 3 years before I can harvest them.  So I decided this is not for me.  So wish me luck with my gardening attempt.

On the way out “Food Not Bomb Peterborough” was giving free chilly, home-made bread and ginger tea.  They prepare healthy, locally sourced food at community events.  It was quite a treat we never expected so we didn’t have to touch our apple and quinoa/banana bread I brought with us.