Spring

On By Daphne Cybele Van SchaickIn The Birds & the Bees

Bee hives in snow, blue Vermont twilight, icicles and below zero temps.

Spring is coming.

Baby chicks will be here the first week of March if all goes well. They are eggs right now, forming small beaks and sinew taking shape, growing until strong enough to tap out of their shells.

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10 thoughts on “Spring”

  3. Baby chicks, a sure sign of spring! What breed of chickens are you going to raise? I have friends from more urban areas that can’t believe that when we order a new batch of chickens ( 100 meat birds a year), that they come in the mail. We always know when chicks are in ….the phone rings, it’s our local post master, and before he even says anything, you can hear the flurry of little chirping in the background! Beautiful photographs! I think more snow coming this way tonight, how about over there? Stay warm!

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    1. Yes, they are a sure sign of spring, and I can’t wait! Are you particular to a certain breed of meat bird? We ordered an old dual purpose breed (mainly for eggs for us) called Mottled Java (a color variation of Java), because of their ability to forage, their egg laying, and because they are pretty and they are on the Livestock Conservancy list as a breed needing to be conserved. I have zero experience with the breed, just starting out. If all goes well, I hope to eventually have a breeding flock from these, as we are in a rural area and have the room. Here’s to chickens and spring!

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      1. We most often raise Freedom Rangers as a meat flock, about 100 per year. We like these because they are better foragers and don’t get so big so quickly. they actually move around, it does take about 11 weeks for them to get to a harvesting weight ( we like our birds to be anywhere from 8 to 10 pounds), compared to the typical Cornish Rocks, which take 8 weeks. the rangers have a more yellow fat than the Cornish….probably due to their foraging habits and seem all over to be a healthier bird. We also prefer the taste. We raise a variety of layers, mostly heavy breeds. Would love to hear how you like the Mottled Java’s. Good luck! Spring is on its way, I’m convinced!

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  4. Beautiful pic. Winter blue is magnificent, but so is Spring Yellow, when it actually comes alive and walks around to yard. Seems a little early for a Vermont Spring though. Good luck with the little blobs of sunshiine!
    rdh

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    1. Yes, it’s definitely early for Vermont. The enclosed chick brooder will be in our house until it’s warmer and they have feathered out and can acclimate gradually to the coop. This will be an adventure in fluff and noise (but hopefully minimal smell), as we aren’t accustomed (and probably don’t want to be) to having “livestock” in the house. I think it’ll be fine (here’s hoping).

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  5. 5 Consonants: Brrrr 😉
    That looks cold. Cold and snowy here in Kentucky but we console ourselves with the fact that it’s not as cold and snowy as New England 🙂
    Cheers to Spring and good luck with the baby chicks!

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