A Whole Lot of Poultry Growing On

   Ha ha; well, I laughed. Anyway.. the brooders and pens are bursting at the seems today; old, new and in between are all growing along.

   The older gals are busy during the day scratching around the pastures and nestling in the boxes. This flock is going on their third year of production. Knowing that health and productivity are starting to decrease, we started a replacement flock at the beginning of the year.

   A fresh flock of laying hens are growing big and strong in their transition pen. Only a few months old, they chatter and scratch the days away with curiosity and enthusiasm. Next week we introduce them to grass and greens..won't they be excited?

   A small flock of turkeys still remain in the 'show pen'. Most of the flock have already found their way to the freezer and next month the remaining turkeys will be carted off to the fair never to return. I hate to say it, but I won't miss them at all. Once turkeys pass a certain point they are just a stinky nuisance (and a breeding ground for flies).

   Then, there are the new arrivals..the tiniest little chicks on the place..the meat pen for this spring. One hundred little balls of fluff are peeping and pooping in the expanded brooder. I love to just go out and watch them interact and eye their new space with curiosity and wonder.

   And then there are those 'liquid chickens' as my farm boy likes to call them....

   ....but that's a story for another day.