Wanted: Broody Hen.

I am through with the chick hatch. Everybody looks fluffy and seems to be happy to be out of that cramped egg. What a long process those poor little creatures go through! It is a struggle to free themselves and everything has to be done at the right time. I had an 8 out of 10 hatch. So, I did well. I understand that the average is 2/3 in an incubator. Higher, of course with a sitting hen. My goal is to seek out a broody hen to do what she does best and better than I can do. I will do regular incubator hatches.

There was two losses. One was a rotten egg. The embryo stopped forming at some point. The other loss was a chick that had pipped but died. I am not sure why this may have happened. It appeared super wet inside. It almost looks like it suffocated. I was very sad about it. The death came in the middle of the night. I was tired and alone, so I am sure it just added to my own sense of guilt due to responsibility. However, this is a human trait isn't it. It shows it's self mostly when somebody get hurt or dies. If I had just... The fact is creatures and people get hurt and die. Sometimes things are just the way they are.

Meanwhile, I ran to Tractor Supply for feed, a comb and brush for the English Angora rabbits, and dog food. I got  2 Amber Links pullets. Pullets are female chicks, usually have some feather starts because the are old enough to sex. I also have 2 Black Sex Link (Black Stars) pullets, and a Tetra Tint pullet for the heck of it. The Tetra Tint pullet is so calm. I see on the web that folks are trying to figure out what breed that is. I have no idea. I read that they are from Mt. Healthy Hatchery exclusively for Tractor Supply. Stay tuned for her picture! lol Yep. I am nuts.

... and always wild and wonderful.
~crow

Hot chicks

I have a slow connection this evening, but wanted to at least get some words up.

Today started right at the stroke of midnight for me. The chicks started peeping inside of their eggs yesterday, so I was wide awake and determined to see them into this world. After all, they are in my incubator so I have full responsibility of the health and well being of these creatures. If I had a broody hen, then I would say let nature take her course. So we either eat the eggs or they get warmed up and hatched.

The chicks came, (and are still hatching as we speak) Each hatch has been different. The first chick came at 4:30 am, then 2:30 pm, 4:15 pm, 9:00 pm and one just hatched. We will call it 10:45 pm. I am thinking all should be done by tomorrow morning. Except for one egg, and that one will be one day later. Maybe.

I have read and studied all about hatching chicks. There is all sorts of information out there. Differing opinions, temperature settings, humidity, help the chicks hatch, don't help them, what to do's, emergencies and on and on. I think my chick hatching mantra is to be patient but watchful.

No wonder teachers incubate eggs in the classroom. It is quite amazing. I have taken a series of photos and I will be putting them up soon in some sort of creative way. I want to share the experience.

For now, I need to catch up on some zzz's. For tomorrow will be another wild and wonderful day here in West Virginia.

~crow

Published

I just happened by the website of the Princeton Poetry Project. I had forgotten that two of my written works have been published in Holler under my alias Willow Crow. I thought I had given them much better poetry, but the director really wanted "The Poet". It is number 22 in the first publication. I believe I was in the second publication as well for my poem "Buzz". It is not online, so I shall post it here.

Buzz

She, the keeper of all bees
I study her studying me
as I inch close to bumbles
I want to kiss them
fuzzy in sweet azalea

Timidly she steps back
Honey, the explanation is easy
Just love them, feel, look
see, the way they almost float
bloom to bloom

Eye inching to wing,
feeling the buzz holding my breath
The bee keeper peeping over my shoulder.
As if my bones became a force field
Ah, like tiny humming birds..., look

We hum, the bee keeper and I
in wonderment with bright yellow awe
The tiny winged creatures with stingers grateful
for the audience of sound and eyes
this the gift, the bees will keeper safe

Now, off to my wonderful bed with my wild covers.

~crow

Hi to my peeps.

Today I heard some peeps coming from the eggs. 21 days today. I set them in the incubator on Presidents day. So they will all be named after a President or First Lady. It will be fun. I keep telling myself, don't count your chickens before they hatch. But, shouldn't I just infuse them with love and life? I am always attached to my chickens, but for some reason, being with them from conception (well almost) gives me a deep sense of joy. Pictures to follow! I am going to be staring at the eggs all day! "The woman who stares at eggs."

Meanwhile, I brought Miss Blue Topaz to Yoda's cage. He did his job, but she did not do hers. I know she is ready. She did not "lift" last time out either. I will give her time. Perhaps she will be Sophia's show rabbit. She is beautiful. Nice color and shape and has a nice coat. We will see. She is the timid doe out of the two blues.

But Miss Tahoe went to visit Yoda and it was over in about 3 minutes. Yoda mounted her, she lifted and then Yoda made the connection and promptly fell over. In rabbit mating the male usually flops over after he has "hit it" and is done. I have no further comment regarding this behavior. :-)

Tahoe, Blue Topaz, Yoda

 Yoda

 

Blue Topaz

My goodness it has been wonderfully wild here today!

~crow

The Four Agreements

This comes from The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book by Don Miguel Ruiz. I hope to instill these philosophies to my children by example.

Be Impeccable With Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don't Take Anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

Don't Make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

Always Do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. 

 Sophia riding Molly

Build, Grow, Love, Be.

Great progress has been made on the rabbit hutches and they may get finished tonight instead of tomorrow. Caleb is here helping. Yes, he is back again. :-) Anyway, they will be strong and secure and a good clean way to keep the woolies. That is my latest name for the collective rabbits. Tomorrow I will build a grooming table and the get to the slow process of cleaning and trimming. I need to take photos too!

I have a ton of more seeding to do. However, I did some more thinning of my broccolli starts and silly me I can't just pull up the little tender extras without attempting to re-root them. I feel like I am wasting when I thin them out. All the instructions tell you to do this, but for some reason I can't toss them. I will see how lucky I am in a few days. I will be selling and trading some of my plants. To my friends and family here in WV, just let me know if you need early plants. I am using organic soil. The plants are being raised with care and are infused with love. Plus I will beat the nursery's price. I will update you on my starts and when I will have early summer plants.

I also have fertile eggs if you want to incubate them yourself. Baby chicks will be coming every 21 days, so check in there. Speaking of eggs... My eggs are out of Denny (the auto egg turner) and are now on the screen being hand turned by me.

This blog is more like a daily journal for me. I hope you will enjoy reading it. I find the more I write, the better I get at it. What you read here, is a form of organic writing. I hardly ever start with anything in mind and it travels as my mind does. Not every post will win a Pulitzer prize! haha! Sometimes I leave out a word or punctuation may be off. I don't care. If people are entertained by my bad spelling. Well, I happy to have entertained them. Really! You get the real me, warts and all. Let's be real together. You can comment you know. Don't be shy. ;-)

I am filled with a renewed sense of purpose. It is a good sign that I am on the right path. The things that I am doing make me feel more centered, physically in tune, and I am in a constant state of living my spiritual path. It has been a long time coming, but I do want to share with you as my dreams and aspirations come true. Good news travels less fast than bad news, so we will be slow and steady here. Positive vibes out, positive vibes in. I am doing my part to heal this world. Not just the economy or the ecology, but the collective consciousness that ties us all together. Take time to turn off the news and walk barefooted on the earth. Heal yourself and heal the world. Breathe. Smile. Be you.


For now, that is all the wonderful I have here in the wilds of West Virginia.
~crow

Woolies

So wow what a great day yesterday was and another fantastic day in progress today.

I ended up with three English Angora Wool Rabbits Two blues and a lynx. The buck (boy) is the lynx. His name is Yoda, The two does are blue and their names are Blue Topaz and Tahoe. Tahoe was a surprise pick. I am so happy that she joined my new herd. These are purebred rabbits and two are registered. The third has no disqualifications and is slated for registration. I will have plenty of pictures and stories to follow.

Why did I choose this breed? Well, they are a eco friendly sustainable animal to raise. I plan to learn how to spin the wool later. Right now I am focused on the housing and grooming. These beauties need to be groomed every week. The wool will be harvested from the rabbit and will be gathered and stored. The pellets will make great organic fertilizer for the garden. They will also bring a new flavor here. They are so friendly and have wonderful personalities. Blue Topaz is a bit timid. But my new friend and rabbit guru Sara says she may get a better attitude after she is bred. Breeding will happen soon. It is Spring for heaven's sake!

More to follow...