First Spring Chicks

Proud mum with 7 chicks

The last and first

Yes it is time for the last squash (sigh!) The Crown Prince squashes kept very well in our new vegetable store but now we must do without them till the 2012 crop comes in. I am growing 'Sprinter' Butterenut squashes as well this year to try and fill the gap as soon as possible.

And the first chicks hatched on Friday - only four hatched (another weak one hatched and died later) but I cant blame the hen as she sat solidly through the rain storms and cold - snug in her little coup.  Two more hens are sitting so I hope for a better hatch next time. 

Poor hatch from our broody hens

We are getting very poor results from our broodys this year.  Some of the failures are infertile eggs and I guess our cockerel may be struggling to cover our twenty four hens.  We have also had lots of eggs developed but not hatched and I am wondering if this is to do with the dry weather.  I have built the nests with soil as usual but the soil is dryer this year.  Anyone else had similar experiences?  The last hen to hatch was distressing for me as she hatched some chicks but killed them all herself -young inexperienced mother I guess freaking out when the chicks appeared underneath her!!

A lesson in survival of the fittest

I had a lesson reinforced yesterday as our next hen hatched her chicks.  There was one late chick having trouble getting our of the egg.  Against my better judgement I helped it out.  It stayed next to our stove under a hot water bottle for the day and went back under the chicken for the night.  The next day I was optimistic as it was weak but mobile. But as time went on it was clear it couldn't look after its self - not brooding under its mum often when it needed to and getting stepped on!   So it came as no surprise to find it dead in the evening.
Nature is hard but efficient in ensuring that the strongest survive, we can interfere but it is rarely successful.  The human race should remember that nature will deal with us in the same way if we destroy the systems that support us!