Summer Tidings

As August comes to a close things on the farm are still pretty slow given the heat. But I did release the younger hens into the larger flock of four remaining hens. There was some aggression as is to be expected. I am wondering what will happen once night falls and the young hens see the older ones climb the ladder into the chicken coop. They were getting so big I just felt bad keeping them in their small temporary coop any longer even if it was to protect them. So we will see. A few years back we had a new hen get caught in the electric fence at night and die. I hope that doesn't happen. :/

It appears from my garden's performance this year that if I don't get my cucumbers and tomatoes started early enough the heat stunts them. And many of the mammoth sunflowers that grew 7 feet tall did not develop seeds inside their shells. This was disappointing as I wanted to feed them to the chickens. Goats on the other hand love ALL of the green sunflowers as well as the head, so they got most of them. I need to work out a better deep litter system for the chicken pen. I think this fall I will clean out the goat pen and transfer it to the chicken pen where it falls slowly by gravity to the bottom eastern side. I have big plans for the southeastern section off the garden to plant my avocados, lemons and limes I have been raising in the courtyard. I think I will also grow an orange since the ones on the swale are so stunted from deer eating them. The kids start school next week and they are super excited.