Dolly and her chicks. This brood hatched May 23rd.

I love this hydrangea.

After a long rainy spell we are now in a long dry spell. The impatiens perked up after some watering.

Can’t remember what this is called. The leaf color is interesting and it is getting set to bloom.

Gave the sage and chamomile a trim today. I also harvested some elderberry blooms.

Today’s harvest of beets and shallots.

We tried to move Bonnie and her eggs to the brooder box last night but she wasn’t having it. We were trying to move her because our nesting boxes are high off the ground and would not be safe for wandering chicks. I knew Bonnie became broody about the same time of our second hatch on the 23rd of May so it was about time for Bonnie’s to start hatching. We waited so long because the brooder has been occupied by Dolly and her brood for the past couple of weeks.  I checked in on Bonnie throughout the day. Late in the afternoon I wasn’t surprised to see this chick. I checked around and found three more. I moved them all including some unhatched eggs to the brooder. Fortunately, they all settled in very quickly. This little one was peeping away. I put some grass and starter feed near the nest and Bonnie started clucking or whatever that sweet noise is that they make to let their chicks know there’s food. I showed the chick where to find water and offered some to Bonnie, too. They both ate and drank heartily.

On the left are the chicks that were born in April. Dolly and her brood are in the coop. Now that the brooder isn’t available to them I put a milk crate with hay on top of the brooder in hopes that they would settle down in it.

I put some treats out to encourage them. I left for about an hour and when I came back Dolly and the three dark chicks were high up on a roost with Leo the rooster. They yellow chick was running about on the ground peeping away. I caught it and put it under Dolly. Hopefully, it will stay there throughout the night. Poor thing just learned how to fly into the brooder. Come to think of it the first brood of chicks were climbing/flying up to the roost much earlier that this second brood. I guess the yellow chick was holding them back. It’s light color and problem flying could cause problems later on – like being targeted by a predator.

I have photos from late May and early June still to post but I thought I’d post these photos on the day they were taken!