Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Seeds are Up!

I was getting a little nervous... even told Keith I might 
re-plant... but look! 


These containers are big enough that I can let them be for a while, and grow them on. 
I'll have to raise the lights.  

I'm so glad to see their little selves! 


Here are some happy chickens in the yard at the henspa. 



If you can remember, this yard grew up almost impenitrably (is that a word?) 
last year with no chickens in it.  Everything in the feed that I used to spread sprouted and grew... huge 
millet plants, etc.  These 11 birds, because Rooster Cogburn is still inside... 
have been turning it over, as you can see.  They have access underneath the building, as well. 

The ground would hold a great garden. 

Right now, our new home and old home are in the "Watch" or "Yellow" Zones for 
the avian flu announced on Friday in Leavenworth County. 
I am not driving through Basehor to go back and forth, as they are out of the zone.  I am 
not driving through the Hot Zone at all. 


This is being treated VERY seriously, and the USDA is on site in 
Basehor, running things.  We have reported our small flock, and 
I went out to put feed out here, and found a dead songbird on the patio. 
I called and reported it, though it is unlikely that it was bird flu. 
We suspect a neighbor's cat (or Lilly).  They are going to call 
me back and asked me not to dispose of it. 

The man who initially reported... God Bless him... lost 8 birds in 
one day last week, and called the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture.
His small flock had to be humanely euthanized.  I have not 
been told of any others euthanized at this point.  
The red zone is where you see the hot area. 

No birds or eggs can move into or out of both circled areas. 
The four dozen eggs I was going to take to the Good 
Shepherd this week are staying in the fridge... however, I can 
give them to Troy and Kathy to eat because they are also in the 
yellow area. 

This strain of Avian flu is not easily passed to man. It is 
carried by wild birds, usually geese.  

I showed you the new beds we had dug here in Fairmount last week...
Keith is feeling better, and is going to build "walls" around them with cedar lumber, 
so that there is a good cutting edge. Then I'll build them up as I did the old with 
straw, manure and good dirt.  


Here is a bed of iris at the old house, that still needs some grass dug from it.  These are 
old-fashioned green and blue, and I am going to dig a few and bring them here. 

Today, after three days of glorious sunny weather, we are back at 39 and some rain, and 
heavy clouds.  We need the rain!  


Conditions... very warm, and very windy, these last three days, have 
prohibited many pictures of hawks... I saw one this morning, 
but don't think I got a very good picture of it.  The hawk down on 
our "corner" of 155th and Fairmount, has disappeared.  I have suspected 
she was a female, and I am guessing that at this point, she is on a nest somewhere. 




10 comments:

  1. you are so far ahead of us! i have daffodils peaking out but that is it!

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  2. Looks fun with all those chickens and planting your garden. Now be careful of that nutty flu
    Lily & Edward

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  3. How wonderful to see your little seedlings coming up. Glad you are getting the needed rain there. If it continues to warm up things will really be growing in leaps and bounds.

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  4. Those little black chickens are so cute and fat, I sure hope all your chickens stay healthy....wow I cannot believe you have seeds started...mom has not even started working on the messy winter yard yet.
    stella rose

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  5. Oh those sprouts are a sure sign of spring.....Yay!!

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  6. We have flowers blooming,, and trees have blossoms in the city.. but not here.
    That is so sad about the birds!
    love
    tweedles

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  7. I'm glad that it was reported so promptly and that strong measures are being taken -- even though that must be very inconvenient for you. I do remember how overgrown things were last year -- it amazed me. With our drought, if you leave things alone they just turn brown, wither and die.

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  8. Some of my tomatoes have sprouted too.

    I'll be glad to get them into the ground and have my garden growing.


    Cats are a good cause of dead birds around our home.

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  9. Mary Ann,
    Your seedlings are looking really amazing, soon you'll be planting them outside :-)

    Avian Flu that is something you don't really want to have. Hopefully this will be controlled fast in your area.

    It's raining like crazy here, I'm hoping what I've planted in the garden won't get root rot.

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  10. I have given up on seeds sprouting before and set them aside to be thrown out later, only to find them sprouting despite being abandoned. Sneaky seeds. Bad news for the birds in your hot zone. I hope they can get it under control.

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