My new toy!

For over 20 years I have longed for a cabinet incubator, and I finally have one! I have used numerous small metal or styrofoam incubators over the years, but now I have hit the big time. The capacity is about six times the size of the styrofoam incubator I had been using, which I can re-purpose as a hatcher. I can hatch out more fertile eggs rather than give them away to others to hatch. Guinea eggs are in the top tray, chicken in the center and Muscovy ducks in the bottom.

Eggplant and sweet peppers ready to pick!

My favorite recyled project (easy peasy) and other musings.

With the onset, or should I say onslaught, of pickling and canning I find myself with empty gallon vinegar jugs. They are made of sturdier plastic then a milk jug and are great for crafting scoops. If you have livestock then you have endless uses for scoops and can't have too many. They are also useful for pet owners as dog food and litter scoops. Since they are food grade they can even be used for bulk food like flour and sugar. Since the plastic has some flex, they are ideal for filling bird feeders too.

All you need is a clean vinegar jug with cap and a kitchen scissors or razor knife. You can trace your cuts or just freehand. It really is difficult to make a mistake. I start by cutting off the bottom of the jug and then remove about one third of the body on the side with the handle. You can put a bit of tape over the cap, but I have found that the fit snugly enough it is not necessary. Though they are not as sturdy as a metal scoop, you can't beat the price! If you take care when cutting off the bottom, it makes a nice saucer for potted plants. Bonus!

In the mean time while I hatch my purebred chicks in an incubator, a broody hen went rogue and I have baby chicks down in the barnyard. Very interesting to see mama scratch up some good bugs or seeds and then call the littles over to watch and learn.

There have been a number of hazy and humid mornings as of late. The damp has produced some interesting growth in the garden. One of these days I need to educate myself as to what wild mushrooms are edible.

One of the ducks has begun to set. When she takes her break to eat, drink and swim she takes care to cover the eggs with down. You would never know eggs were there until you push back the fluff to reveal the true nature of the fluffy pile of feathers.

I am also hoping to get a taste of the tomatoes that are just beginning to ripen. Seems like every time I bring one in, the Boogie-monster snaps it and eats it like an apple.

Managed to get a load of wax beans canned this morning too. You can tell just how hard our water is by the sediment on the jars.
Way too hot and muggy to get anything of real value done, days like this I wouldn't mind a bit of air conditioning!
Keep cool folks, and keep those pets and livestock cool too!

Name that bird?

Every year a pair of ground nesting birds sets up house keeping in one of the bee frames I use as raised beds. Their nest is perfectly camouflaged in the grass, I didn't see it until I was right on top of it and had nearly destroyed it with the hoe. The eggs are very tiny, not even the size of a dime. Even newly hatched they grow fast! These two photos were taken just 2 days apart. Again just two days later! Mom and Dad must work very hard to feed and care for their little brood. No room left in that nest, it's packed. I'd love to identify them so I can get them some seed. They look to be seed eaters from their beaks, but I'm no expert, not by a long shot.
They look somewhat like common house sparrows, just more elegant.
They have similar, but deeper color and lack the dark patch on their chest. I set the bucket next to their nest to remind myself and Rob they are there so we can avoid the nest whenever possible, and to keep me from accidentally weeding their nest away. It looks like they are also making use of it as a perch. I was very lucky to get this picture of both of them feeding their young from my bedroom window. So any ornithologists out there have any idea what breed of bird they might be?

DISASTER!

Some days....Last night there was a power outage. The incubator is FULL of eggs at various stages of development, including some in the process of hatching. After much worry and some help from the wood stove, I believe THAT crisis has been averted. The power is back, the temperature regulated and I have new Light Brahmas and one last duckling.

Now for the bad news.

Last night I had some concerns over the younger litter of rabbit kits. They just didn't seem 'comfortable'. This morning things seemed worse, some of them have diarrhea and are not their normal pudgy selves. So I load up a syringe with Lactated Ringer solution and dissolved some Imodium in another and headed back down to the barn. As I am trying to administer sub-cutaneous fluids, oral Imodium and adjust a heat lamp while inflicting the least amount of stress, the damn barn cat jumped into the pen, grabbed the biggest, healthiest baby of the bunch and ran off with it! :-( I'm so angry with myself for being so absorbed in the task at hand that it never occurred to me that he would do that! I don't blame him one bit, I'm happy that he hunts wild bunnies and minimizes the damage they do to the garden. I'm afraid that this litter may be a total loss. I very worried that Mama will end up so stressed that she abandons them. Is it too early for a glass of wine?