Spring comes slowly but inexorably to the Big Woods. On April 30th, the 15 Cornish Cross chicks and 10 Peking ducklings we ordered arrived at the feed mill.

These chicks are already about 3 times larger. By the time they are 7 weeks old, they will weigh 5-6 pounds each.

On May 5th our “Easter Eggs” began to hatch. We gathered eggs over 3 days and the hatch lasted 3 days.

At the top you can see an egg with a small hole, called a “pip.”  It takes about 24 hours from pipping for a duckling to make it all the way out of its shell. — At the top you can see an egg with a small hole, called a “pip.” It takes about 24 hours from pipping for a duckling to make it all the way out of its shell.

We left the ducklings in the incubator until fluffy, then transferred them to a heated bin.

We transferred the hatchlings to a larger space in the winter duck coop, which is where the April 30th baby birds have their heated cubby holes.

The cubbies are temporary and built on the idea of removable lambing pens.

Out of the 22 eggs we started, 21 were fertile. Out of those 21, 19 ducklings made it out of their shells. Two died before pipping, both black runner ducks. Tuesday morning (5/7), I found one of the tiny blacks trampled to death. We moved the babies to their larger outside cubby that same morning.

A variety pack of 16 chicks arrived from McMurray’s in Iowa on May 8th.

Our hens are all 2-5 years old. We get 1-2 eggs a day from 19 hens. We needed new layers, but our rooster died this past January. Old chickens are VERY tough, so we are investigating how to make chicken sausage. Amazingly, our elderly ducks still lay reasonably well.

The bloodroot bloomed during the time we have been increasing our flocks.

We have been doing a lot of digging, and a little planting, between bird care and storms.

The straw corner we planted in garlic last fall. The plot between the garlic and the rhubarb is filled with 800 onions. There is a strip of potatoes running along the edge of the garlic/onion plots. We have been enriching the rest of the garden with… — The straw corner we planted in garlic last fall. The plot between the garlic and the rhubarb is filled with 800 onions. There is a strip of potatoes running along the edge of the garlic/onion plots. We have been enriching the rest of the garden with compost, waiting for the soil temperature to rise.

We now have about 15 hours of daylight. We need to use as much of that time as we can. No wonder we sleep well, if not long. We have to have fresh vegetables to feed the Grand Girl when she comes to visit!