THEY CAME BEARING GIFTS

We had lots of company last weekend. That's unusual - we don't get many visitors. But all these guests brought gifts! I love when that happens!

On Saturday, Douglas and Brian came to check out the various shapes, sizes and stages of birds. Brian was our original source for Coturnix eggs, and he brought us a few more last Saturday ("a few" being 105!)

Those eggs were promptly put into the incubator!

Then Sunday, my new BFF (Bird Friend Forever) Kristi, brought her husband and girls out to see the place, look at the birds, and check on Bo and Beauty (she hatched them in her incubator last year!) Kristi is currently hatching chukar, peafowl, and a couple varieties of bobwhite. On Tuesday, she and I are getting a shipment of day-old (chicken) chicks. We probably shouldn't hang out together so much! But Kristi brought me something very exciting ...

11 pea eggs!! They went immediately into the incubator, too! So in a couple of weeks, things will start popping around here again. We've got 100+ bobwhite chicks growing in the brood pen, 200+ set to start hatching the 24th, then many more after that. I'm most excited to see how the peafowl work out. Stay tuned for updates!

BEACH TO BAY 2012

In a total departure from our normal routine of birding and building and calving and gardening, Big John ran in his first-ever race today - the Beach to Bay relay marathon in Corpus! It makes me tired just remembering it!

Big John was part of a 6-man team, each running approximately 4 miles. He was the 5th leg of the relay, handing off to his new lieutenant. There were 2500 teams in all, and the place was jam-packed. Lots of people from around this area participate - even our friend and neighbor, Stacy, ran. And she ran really well! When I told Big John that Stacy was running, he said, "Wow! And she's got two babies! How does that make you feel?" Nice, huh? It makes me feel old, that's how!

Anyway, Big John was pretty excited about this race. We arrived before it was too crowded, and Big John got his number pinned on and his phone on his arm. He looked ready - and handsome!

And then he headed off to his starting point, about 2 miles away!

A shuttle was provided to take the 5th leggers from the designated parking spot to their starting position. But the bus line was really long by the time we got there.

So he decided to walk, which gave him a good chance to warm up, too.

I sat down by the water to take in the sights and wait for Big John to come by.

And not too much longer, here he came!

It was quite a fun morning, and Big John marked one off his bucket list! He's already talking about next year!

HATCHIN' BIRDS, DIGGIN' DITCHES AND MAKIN' PICKLES

This was a busy weekend out on the farm. Quail are hatching all over the place. We ended up with 46 from the first set (set 98, candled and moved 63 to the hatcher - 73% hatch rate!)

Our second set is hatching as we speak. We set 92 eggs, candled and transferred 68 eggs to the hatcher, and currently have 31 in the brood box, with more to come.



There should be a set of 56 starting to hatch tonight or tomorrow and a set of 222 to be transferred to the hatcher on May 21. We've got lots of birds!

With the garden in full grow-mode, Big John and I realized we needed to get back to work on the building. We rented a trencher Saturday and dug about 400 feet of trenches. By Sunday evening, we had all the water and electrical pipes run, just waiting to be hooked up. That was a huge job, and it's a relief to have it finished. I am so glad I don't dig ditches for a living. I'd much rather hatch birds!

And if that wasn't enough to accomplish in two days, we decided to make our first batch of pickles this morning! Big John wanted to pickle some quail eggs as well, since the Coturnix have started laying.

We ended up with 14 pints and 1 quart of bread and butter pickles.

Pickling quail eggs was quite an experience! We had 66 Coturnix eggs saved up for this purpose. The first step was to boil them and let them sit for 10 minutes.

Next you drain the boiled eggs, cover them in vinegar, and let them sit for 12 hours. This dissolves the shell, leaving just the inner membrane to be peeled.

After all the pipes were laid, trenches covered, and animals fed, we came in to finish up the eggs. Thanks to the day-long vinegar soak, they weren't too hard to peel. We used pickling brine left over from this morning, and Big John added a dash of Tabasco to each jar. We'll let them sit in the icebox for 10 days before eating. They sure do look pretty!

In other farm news: Bo and Beauty are settling in fine, still just taking it all in.

And the twins are doing great! Brother is still a little drawn, but they're only 9 days old. They are both eating well, and Nonie is being a good twins' momma.

So that was our weekend - hatchin' birds, diggin' ditches and makin' pickles. It's time to move more birds from the hatcher to the brood box and then catch a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow I'll be back out in the garden pulling weeds, picking green beans and cucumbers. I think there's another batch of pickles in my future! It won't be nearly as easy without Big John helping me!











TWO PEAS IN A PEN

Meet Beauty (female, front) and Bo (male, back) - the most beautiful peafowl on the farm!



My friend, Kristi, raises peafowl (and chickens and quail!) She and I made a deal on a peacock and peahen, and traded a bunch of eggs for these two amazing birds. Kristi incubates eggs, and hatched these last year. They'll be a year old at the end of the summer.

Bo and Beauty are settling in nicely, trying to get used to all the noise of their new surroundings. Check back for more photos to come!

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

A couple of weeks ago, Big John and I started building another bird pen (yes, another bird pen!) We took down the dog kennel, which had been used exactly two times in  the last three years by our dogs. They'd much rather sleep in the garage - or (gasp!) in the house. The new pen is on the north side of the chicken coop and butts up to the gate from the yard into the house trap. Twenty five yards west of the house, it looks like this: garden - goose pen - chicken coop - new pen - gate. We're out of room there.

But since this new pen shares a wall with the chicken coop, we decided to go ahead and replace the siding on the north wall of the chicken coop. We'd used some "exterior grade" siding that just didn't hold up very well. The coop had been leaking every time it rained, and it was just a matter of time before it started falling apart.

We tore down all the siding on the coop, as well as the chicks' brood pen (where the galvanized can is sitting.) And we replaced it all with corrugated tin. We should have used that in the first place! Then we kept going onto the new pen with tin and wire.

While we worked, the chicks hung out in the coop. They're getting so big and bold and look almost like hens!



After adding a door (which has since been painted red) we were done - another bird pen added to the group!

So here's our bird complex.

Oh, and what's the new pen for? It's for my new peafowl!





DOIN' FINE

All our babies are doing ok.

So far, 17 of the 63 bobwhite quail - our first set - have hatched. Three are still in the hatcher, drying off. They are teeny, tiny little things!

Nonie and the twins are doing great!

Brother is eating well.





So is Sister.

She's such a ham!

Actually, they both are!

Even when it's time for lunch!







HATCH!

Two hatched and in the brood box! Sixty-one to go!

We transfered sixty-eight more bobwhite eggs to the hatcher this evening (and are still waiting on those goose eggs to hatch.)

And we set 222 eggs in the incubator - with 56 to go to the hatcher on Thursday.

It will be a busy few days on the farm!