HELLO & Welcome to Garden Daddy here at the urban farm! Another landmark occasion here today when I just went out to put the pullets to "bed" for the night and close them up and secure for the evening. We had a slow egg day today, gathering 8-eggs. Day before yesterday I got 10-eggs. But I digress...Included in this 8-egg day was the little dark brown egg shown above (top photo and bottom photo - right). I put it alongside the "original" winner (bottom photo - left) of the Urban Farm Smallest Egg Contest so you can see it is even SMALLER. It was not in a nest box but just on the ground by the 5-gallon water fount. I thought it was a piece of pine cone when I first saw it and had to look several times to make sure it was what I thought I saw.
I also believe it might be a "first" for one of the French Cuckoo Marans (pronounced Ma-rans). I am hoping anyway. It is pretty dark, not as dark as I was hoping for or SHOULD get but think it might be a start at least. I am looking any day now to go out and have a full dozen eggs or more to gather. Many of the 19-pullets have fully developed combs and wattles now, including the Wyandottes, the Speckled Sussex and the Marans. That will give almost all birds laying except for 2 of the Ameraucanas still do not seem to have been "on the nest" as I have seen. I have seen about every pullet that has been in the boxes at some point and have gotten eggs from under them while laying. They are all fairly friendly or at least "civil" to my approach, except for a few. Not to say all are laying but of all the ones I know that are laying I have seen on a nest at some point.
I have cleared off the garden site here at the urban farm and turned it all under with the tiller, running over it several times in different directions, to work in both some chicken house mucking as well as some of the dried up garden discards, straw, etc., that was mulching the rows and getting it ready to be "put to bed" for this year. It remains very dry here, not having rain for over 6-weeks now. I gave up trying to have a fall garden this time due to this untimely heat and continued drought.
It is late Sunday afternoon/early evening and I must leave you now with our ongoing gardening affirmation: "URBAN FARMING: ONE EGG, EVEN TINY ONES, AT A TIME!"
My little fall garden is not doing anything. Not much rain here either (We're in Roanoke, Va). I have a little spinach and maybe two heads of lettuce (I think something is chewing them down) Onions are doing OK. Soon it will be garlic time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip about the chickens. We're adding on a separate run and coop to our existing run and coop for the little girls. There's a whole lot of posturing going on between the fences:) So much money for two little chicks...it must be love!
I just love the sweet little eggs the chickens first lay. And the colors are beautiful. Congratulations on your beautiful lawn, too. It really is lovely. I can't wait to hear more about your chickens and gardening efforts. I really enjoy your blog.
Thank you, PlantMama! Keep up YOUR good work and enjoy every day with your birds as well! And thank you for following Garden Daddy!
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