New Life at Henny Penny!

There's new life at Henny Penny Farm and we are so excited.  The baby ducks are already 1 month old and are beginning to get their feathers.  Papa Duck is still kept away from the family because he is always trying to hurt them.  He paces back and forth outside their fence all day, it's obvious he wants another date with Mama Duck.


At the opposite end of the farmyard, tucked safely away in the maternity ward at the hen house is our Mama Hen peacefully brooding on her nest.  We have no idea how many eggs she has hidden beneath her feathers, but at least two of them are being squeezed out.
She has been on the nest for about 1 1/2 weeks, and receiving room service for her food and water, and cleaning out her  "dirty business".   This is the first time since we have been raising chickens that we have one who actually stays on her nest.

The chicklets will all be hybrids since we have one rooster who is a White Sex Link, and several breeds of hens.

After we move to the new farm we hope to raise heritage breeds of chickens and turkeys.

There is even new life in the garden, at last.  The transplants have been taking hold of their new beds and the pepper plants already have tiny green bells on them.

The yellow beans are flowering and so far I have been able to keep the Japanese beetles at bay.  The vining peas have had a tough start.  The thrived initially, when transplanted, but after a couple of days one of the chickens got into the garden and scratched them all out of the ground!  She was invited to dinner the following day.

The peas were re-planted, and though they are still struggling, they may recover.  Fingers crossed.

Sixteen tomato plants have been successfully transplanted, and there are another 2 dozen left to plant.

Once more I am trying to grow onions.  The seeds I planted in March failed to grow more than a couple of inches before they died.  This time I purchased a couple of flats of seedlings and have filled one of the raised beds with them.  Once again, fingers crossed.  I am determined to grow onions.

Still more to plant this week, then it will be only weeding and feeding until the harvest.

Our next trip to the new farm is scheduled for week of July 1.  We should know by that time if we will have our permits for building and for the electric power to be connected.