4 less hens and a new addition!

On the way to the fields one day last week, I expressed to Jon my desire to get a rooster. I like roosters: they're beautiful, a nice way to wake up in the morning, and they protect the hens (are usually the first to be killed). Plus, they are delicious, and-- a necessary addition to the flock if I want any viable eggs to hatch out chicks. So, it was fortuitous timing to find out that very day that the daughter of my parent's friends had an excess of roosters and was in need of some hens. We haven't had time to dispatch any, and as the chicken tractor was designed to hold 12 birds, it's great to pass along a few hens to a friend and only have 6 to slaughter this weekend.

So, Abby, Mark and Oliver brought over 4 gentlemen last night and we picked the one we liked the most. He is a good candidate for the name “Maestro II”, but we haven't heard him crow yet. Good lookin' dude, anyhow, and he's already doing his duty looking after the hens.

Bunnies and hens

Mr. Rooster

Block 1: Spinach, Beets, Cilantro, Dill, Spuds, Green Onions, Carrots, Beans, Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Parsnips, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Raspberries, Celery, Celeriac

Watermelons are growing well

Herb Garden

Block 2: Beans, Squash, Citron, Watermelon, Cukes, Zukes