Been a while since I updated here, for which I can only note that it’s been crazy.
Caring for a newborn is a full-time job, and it wasn’t made easier by other goings-on. The indecisive weather caused a doe to mis-build her nest, and a litter was lost through no fault of hers.
However, this time last month, we did manage to make it to Florida for the husband’s research trip. Included in that?
We saw the SpaceX CRS-20 launch, from the launch gantry viewing section. So that was pretty awesome.
After getting home, well … yeah. The COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2 crap started full swing. Such fun.
My day job went work-remote before I started back from maternity leave, so Baby Boy has had more mommy time than anticipated. There’s that good, at least, and I’m home to help wrangle a very bored, very lonely five year old.
The farm stuff, however … well. It’s going.
As noted, the Pal doe lost her litter due to freezing. Something started eating eggs … and I suspect it was one of the just-started-crowing cockerels.
Four days ago, I found two of those cockerels dead, with no marks on them. One hen severely injured (and had to be put down), and in a location which makes me believe it was due to one cockerel attempting to breed her and other males jumping them. I have a suspicion that — due to the number of cockerels — the two dead males made the grave mistake of going after the duck hens. The drake took care of them. (Yes, a mad drake can take on a not-quite-mature chicken cockerel.)
So five of the remaining seven cockerels are now in the freezer. I’m keeping an eye on the Pal does — I think the eldest took (I re-bred her the day the litter died), and I’m not sure about her daughters. The Silver Fox does were all re-bred today, in an attempt to alternate litter sets.
The mealworms continue to grow. I haven’t had a “home grown” pupa yet, but it’s getting close to when that should start to be a thing. Then, it’ll be determining how many I need for my flock and if there’s any want or need to sell excess.
Orders for plants and seed are in — I hope there aren’t problems there. Hopefully I’ll actually manage to grow something this year.
Still need to muck out the entire run, and prep the chick brooder for a new batch of chicks. That, or find someone with some adult birds. Too few hens, really, after the thrice-bedamned raccoons.