Chickens: First Egg!!!!!!! June 6, 2013



Nuggets laid her first egg today.

The chickens are 18-19 weeks old now and from what I've read, that's about the time they start laying. 2 days ago, my daughter and her friend were playing with the chickens and saw something that looked like a brown egg in Nugget's bum. They also noticed she was acting a bit strange and after researching we all came to the conclusion that she was indeed ready to lay an egg at any time. So the watch began. Hannah and her freind watched the birds for hours but nothing. The next day-nothing. It's getting super hot here (112 today) so I thought that may delay the egg production so I went about my business and didn't think much else about it. Last night I put a frozen block of ice in a plastic baking dish so they could peck at it and cool themselves down a bit. This morning when Wyatt and I went out to check on them, I was shocked to see a little tan egg in the water where the ice had been. There was bedding in it and poop and it was just gross, but the little egg was so cute. Soooo exciting!!!! I assume Nuggets was standing on the block of ice when she laid the egg then it melted all around it.  There was evidence that she or one of them had been in the nesting box as the golf ball I had put in there was on the ground but no egg in there.



Chicken watch party.



First egg!!!!!

This is how I found it.

So now that they have started laying, I got busy cleaning out the coop, nesting boxes and hooking up their waterer to the automatic drip system in the garden. I'll test it out this afternoon when the sprinklers go off. They go off 3 times a day so the chicks should have fresh, cool water all the time. 

View from chicken coop looking into the side garden.

I drilled a small hole in the top and poked the sprinkler head head in so it fits tight. I also drilled some drainage holes near the top in case of overflow.


Can't wait to see if we have more eggs tomorrow.

Garden: June 6, 2013

 Scorching, burning, blazing...just a few words our weatherman uses to describe our weather right now. However you say it, it's HOT!!! Consistently over 106 degrees and climbing..it's just plain hot. The garden is struggling a bit to survive, but hanging on. It's so sad to see wilting leaves but they seem to perk up when the brutal sun goes down in the evening.
What's doing well right now?  Squash/zucchini--nothing slows squash down. Tomatillos and tomatoes are also doing well (with the help of a little burlap shade cloth). Cucumbers and canteloupe are growing well with lots of female and male flowers, but yet to see a maturing fruit. Seems they aren't getting pollinated. I've tried to pollinate some by hand, but still nothing. Where are the bees when you need them? Oh well, will wait and see what happens.
I've been harvesting zucchini and an acorn squash and have made some bread and baby food.

 




He likes it!

Wyatt eating homegrown baby food makes me smile, The other thing that makes me smile every time I look out my window are the sunflowers. They don't mind this heat one bit. If I could keep the birds from eating them, it would be even better, but they certainly are beautiful. They range in size from 12 inches tall to 10 feet tall and I love love love them.

Squash, cucumbers, sunflowers, tomatoes

What's not doing so well are the green beans. They look good and after plucking 12 or so beans, I've seen nothing since. Not sure if those darn birds are eating them or if it's just too hot...not sure. Oh well.

At least the zinnias are standing tall and blooming throughout the garden and the flower pots. So pretty.

Remember my carrot projects? Mostly failures, but I was pleasantly surprised this week. I have mostly desert landscaping in the front yard, with one lonley pot full of pretty flowers. I must have dropped a carrot seed in at some point, because look what I pulled out of that flower pot.......Seriously???? I can't grow carrots to save my life and the biggest one I've ever seen was growing in the flowers. It was the tastiest carrot I've ever eaten too. Amazing. Oh well, wish I could say I meant to grow it, but that would be a lie.

Giant carrot of unknown origin hidden in my flower pot.