Eggs are a-cookin'

A dozen chicken eggs from Red Roof Hens are currently in my incubator, and I'm crossing my fingers hoping I'll have a good hatch! Last year, I attempted to hatch a dozen Speckled Sussex eggs, and failed miserably, with not a single chick resulting. I decided to give it another go after the recent predator spree our flock endured.

The incubator is a homemade version of "the real thing", DIY'd from a broken Haier wine cooler bought at a garage sale, a leftover heat panel from the snakes' cages and an inexpensive thermostat control. So far, it's working beautifully and keeping the temperature within 1 degree of my goal.

The expected hatch date will be July 30, give or take a day depending on whether I nailed the correct temperature or not. Fingers crossed for a good hatch!

First ever garlic harvest!

Today, our garlic was pulled up out of the ground, where it's been biding its time since last October. Such an amazing sight! It's almost hard to believe that the tiny cloves I planted last year have matured into such large heads of garlic. Although there's a range of sizes, several are really huge, and I'm very pleased with the harvest!

The act of pulling, washing, and (crudely) braiding the garlic heads was time-consuming, but well-worth the effort. All of them are now hanging by the rafters in the humidity-controlled basement, where they will dry for the next 3 - 4 weeks. Then, the show really begins! I cannot wait to try out these lovely varieties of garlic in my kitchen.


Bandit insisted on being included in the garlic photos, so here he is... :)

Chicken run progress