Day's End

It is day's end and I am ready to be abed.  At this time of year I feel like I'm a runner just taking the first paces of a race that is long but knowing that the reward at the end is so great.  So much to do - and yet a few months down the road the workload of this month will seem like child's play. 

I have a spot where I let all of the rabbit hay collect all winter long and now it is full of dark rich compost ready for the garden.  We started layering it in today.  I'm going tomorrow to fill the back end of my pickup truck with dirt that will be mixed in with aged chicken poop and rabbit hay and it will simply be lovely.  I also have the first sunburn of the season.  Today I have put raised beds together, garnered a new egg customer, taken care of chickens, chicks, rabbits, and teenagers. We finished the day off with homemade potato salad and bbq chicken.  Spring is here - tis a very good thing.

Random snipets of my day

Today has been a pretty good day.  No major hiccups over anything.  Just a slow, steady rhythm carrying us along.  I made a pork roast that turned out wonderful.  Cooked slow with oranges and orange juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.  I had the oranges laying on top of it during cooking.

 Here it is after I pulled it...

I wanted to take some pictures of the chicks now that they are growing and going through their awkward stage.  It was quite funny as the flash on the camera totally freaked them out.  The picture took at just the right instant to show this little guy in mid-startle.

How funny is that?  But with the next picture, they were wise to the ways of the camera.

My favorite lil easter egger...

Love those puffy cheeks!  But now tis tired of posing and decided to protest.

All are safely gathered in now for day's end.  Goodnight all ~~

*Linking to: Homestead Revival Blog Hop #8

Filling the cold larder

Things are gearing up around my homestead for the busy season.  And once it starts, it just doesn't stop until the frost hits the ground again.  Some of my "busy" has already started, but I'm still in preparation mode for most of it.  Right now I've got 30 baby chicks in the brooder.  Six easter eggers, one dominique, and all the rest are white rocks.  All of them are straight run.  I'm fairly certain the dominique is a roo and I'm planning on keeping him ~ regardless of what it's sex turns out to truly be.  I've got my fingers crossed and double crossed that all six of the easter eggers are pullets. I really want to add all of them to my laying flock.  If they are not all female, I may consider keeping one more roo from them.  A few of the white rocks will also be added to my laying flock. 

My ten rir chickens are awesome layers.  They out did themselves this winter, never missing a beat no matter how cold and dark it was.  They definitely earned their keep.  But I need more egg layers.  I'm selling, on average, 86-98 eggs per week.  And with only ten egg layers...well, you do the math.  I'm starting to get a bit behind on eggs.  And that simply cannot be.  So I'm pleased to be adding new blood to my flock.  I can't wait until late July when I should start getting eggs from my new ladies.

As for the other white rocks ~ well, they are destined for the freezer.  Once they are all dispatched and safely tucked away into my cold larder, I will place one more order of chicks this summer.  I will raise another 25-30 chicks - most likely all roos - and they will all go into the cold larder as well and  we will be stocked up on chicken for the year.  Tis a fine thing.