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Getting Antsy

January 26, 2008   Agriculture, Garden, Greenhouse, high tunnel, hoop house, Winter Farming

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I’m getting antsy. I’ve ordered seeds and supplies. The greenhouse is down for the count thanks to below 0* temps during the night this week.  I don’t expect to see any signs of new life for about two weeks.  The only big garden project I have now is to finish guesstimating dates when I pull one crop and replace it with another.  If the replacement is seedlings I’ll need to start them ahead of time.  I’ll start onions and leeks as soon as the seeds get here.  I’ll have tomatoes, eggplant and peppers read for the greenhouse by May 1.  I’ll be watching overnight temperatures and temps inside the greenhouse overnight to judge when warm plants can be moved out.  And that’s it.  I’m beginning to need winter to end.  That won’t happen any time soon.

I think I’m going to have to put a hen chicken down.  She’s a bloody mess.  I can’t tell who picked on her but am guessing it’s the mean hen turkey.  This is a “pet” chicken.  She’s solid white but the product of two 100% barred rocks.  Her name is Dumpling.  I know, a little warped! I’ll give her a couple of hours and make a decision then.  <sigh>

I figured out this week that the wild mallards are domestic mallards someone dumped off here.  That explains why they knew about going into the barn at night, why the drake was so willing to fly in over our heads and land close to us, and why they aren’t leaving.  I felt a little stupid that I had wild ducks here long to settle into our daily routine before I noticed them. I’m particular about my birds and animals. I need to know they’re closed in at night or I don’t sleep well.  I count everything but the older laying hens.  Seven pullets, 11 turkeys, 20 ducks, or as it is now, 25 ducks. I couldn’t figure out how I missed five extra ducks for days or possibly weeks.  One of the hen ducks had cold feet this morning and didn’t get up to go out with the rest.  That gave me a chance to get a really good look at her.  She’s a hybrid and is not half runner.  I have only mallards and runners.  I’ll take Steve out later today to tell him.  I can hear it now.  “WHAT?” and the rest will not be repeatable here.  I don’t usually let things get by me like this and I’m a little amused!  Someone pulled a good one and got away with it.  Or got away with it for now.  It’s a small town.  Someone will talk. I’m sure I’ll have a skunk or four to relocate this year…

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