Happy Easter

It’s Easter Sunday and a chilly blustery day here.  The sun is shining but the north wind is biting cold.  It’s blowing the doggie door open in my office.  Even though it was 80 just 2 weeks ago I have to admit this is more like early spring and Easter weather. 

 This is a year for the record books of horticulturists like me.  It’s interesting what plants are surviving the early warmth followed by seasonal cold the best.  My poor lilacs had buds showing color but are now turning brown.  The flowering quince is blooming quite nicely.  Many daffodils in bloom were browned and wilted by the cold yet the tulips soldiered on.  The fruit crop in Michigan remains questionable and since this weather is not just confined to Michigan, the nation’s fruit crop may be at risk.

I don’t know if it’s the weather or my chickens have been listening to TV stories about rowdy egg hunts but they are trying to give me egg hunts of my own.   Our egg count has dwindled and I keep finding eggs in odd places.  That may be because the mean Guinea hens are hanging around by the nest boxes or because some of the hens want to raise their own chicks.  Or it could be the weather since some of my chickens are molting, which is odd this time of year.

 Our turkeys are also doing odd things.  We had some large eggs, either duck or turkey laid in two different areas of the barn.   The two bourbon red tom turkeys have been sitting on those eggs part of the time, although the hen turkeys are ignoring them.  Last year the old tom sat on some infertile turkey eggs for a couple weeks until I tossed them out.  His son has his same habits.  We have 3 different Muscovy ducks sitting on eggs in different spots so I think they are turkey eggs but they will never hatch with the on and off again sitting.

 I think the Guineas are disrupting the nesting of the other birds.  They chase the turkeys and chickens viciously.  I would give them away but no one wants them.  My husband has started pushing that option - giving them away.  They are interesting but noisy and mean.  Maybe if we just had 2 instead of seven.  I’d keep one pair but I have a heck of a time sexing them.  They are dropping eggs here and there but not nesting that I can see.  If I found a hen on a nest I’d keep one other bird and give away the rest.

 Our foal Lucky is doing well.  He’s eating grain and hay with momma now.  His coat is shiny and plush.   I found out his color is called bay with a pangera mutation, which is common in ponies and donkeys.  It makes the muzzle and belly and legs lighter.  He’s a wild and crafty little bugger though.  I have a heck of a time catching him and I am not doing it enough. 

 I have a little halter that Lily’s last foal used that I want to get on Lucky, although I think it’s just a bit large yet.  It might make it easier to catch him.  Horse people say you should catch and handle foals every day but that’s not happening here.  I don’t know, I sometimes find that young animals get tamer as they get older as long as they are treated gently and that they tame naturally.   Food treats have tamed a few horses around here I took in because no one wanted them.

 We haven’t put his daddy Chance back with him and his mom yet but he is getting impatient to be back with his mare.  She hasn’t came into foal heat yet but I expect it anytime now.  I wanted to wait a bit before allowing her to breed so the next foal wouldn’t be born so early in the year.  Lucky is called that because he’s lucky he was born on a March day that was so warm.  I am hoping my fences will keep them apart at least until late April.  We leave in a bit to drive to my moms for Easter dinner and will be gone several hours.  I bet that’s when he will climb the fence.

Happy Easter