Freshly washed brown eggs waiting to be sorted and put in their cartons. Our 23 hens have laid well all winter and I've ordered a dozen new ones to arrive in April. Our egg hatching went well last month and yesterday we moved eleven chicks into the henhouse from their brooder bin in the sunroom. They are in their chicky condo with the heat lamp and are feathering out nicely. Interesting colours and patterns as our rooster is a splendid looking fellow!
The new gander, now named Clemence, seems to feel right at home. Perhaps he knows us from up at Pete and Ritsuko's. Piggies are also all doing well. The big reddish ones are Goldie and Spot and the little guys are just known as the boys. Henning is working madly to finish a new farrowing pen for Lulu who is due by the end of the week. We have a household pool going as to how many piggies she has. We also have pools on the weight of pigs going to the abbatoir, the number of lambs born and all sorts of other farm drama. Tom won the weight pool with his estimate of 190 and Big Red was 198.
Tom cleaned out the chicken house over the past two days and trailered all the manure over to the pile in the barnyard. I picked up rubbish in the yard and did a bit of raking, washed a couple of barn windows, moved the chicks and dusted cobwebs in the henhouse. It has been the most incredible weather this March...endless sunshine and warmth. Today it clouded over and has been snowing fitfully all afternoon. Wood stove burning all day, Tomasz made tandoori chicken and saffron rice for supper and an egg fritata for breakfast. Tomorrow we have to leave early for the cafe as it will be chilly there again with no fires going since Sunday morning.
