Around The Farm: Flowers, Fowl, And Turtle Visitors

It’s a hot and sunny morning here, and the chicory is very happy, beaming in the dappled light. Hope your Friday is a good one!

These star-shaped blooms have appeared in the taller pasture where we take the Runner ducklings to graze (supervised). They remind me a little of wild sweet potato, but aren’t quite the right shape. Can you ID it?

Our black/blue/silver Runner ducklings love their free ranging time, foraging for seeds snd bugs. They’re particularly fond of the grassy seed heads, stripping them off the stalks. When it’s time to head back to their tractor, they run (literally) back as a group, easily directed by pointing arms, if needed.

Now, I just need a garden for them to clear of slugs, Japanese beetles, and other unwelcome bugs!

This is one of our adult French Black Copper Marans roosters, reserved from previously-hatched stock. He and another FBCM rooster of similar age were selected for conformation, temperament, and egg color genes, and will be integrated into the laying flock once the pullets are older and larger. We have FBCM pullets growing out now, as well as eggs from a different breeder in the incubator, so should end up with good-sized group from diverse bloodlines. It’ll be a long while before we see any of those dark brown eggs, though.

And, last but not least, “spirit turtle”, an Eastern Box Turtle, visited us today. She was taking a long break in the shade, after making her way across a freshly-shorn pasture. She sat there for a long time. We poured some water from a bucket we used to fill animals’ water bowls over her shell, which she seemed to enjoy, then went to affix shadecloth to tractors. When we returned, she was gone, and left no trace, not even a trail of flattened grass. Turtle or spirit? You decide.

It’s that time of year here – be on the lookout for turtles trying to cross roadways. If it can be done safely, we remove turtles from the road and put them on the side that they were trying to get to (based on their direction of travel). Find more tips for helping turtles cross the road here.

Recently relocated from the roadway:

One thought on “Around The Farm: Flowers, Fowl, And Turtle Visitors

  1. The plant is horse nettle. Not a good plant to have. The farm is gorgeous. Great pictures.

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