Where are all the babies?

Petunia technically has until March 7th to kid before I can give up all hope of spring milk for this year. Her teats are definitely bigger than Esther's - does that mean she's working on developing her udder and getting ready to kid in the remaining 10 days? Or is that just my wishful thinking and it is from being a year older, different genetics, non-kid related? I am putting off trimming hooves until I know I don't need the clippers to be sterilized and ready for an umbilical cord.

Three new chicks

Well, no baby goats to date, but at least the baby chicks are predictable, right? Mama Ukraine started sitting on the eggs February 2nd making them due to hatch on the 23rd, which was Monday. Sure enough, from under her we could hear peeping and after much patience, even saw and held the little ones!

Holding the red chick after several attempts to snatch her without being pecked by mama hen

One has a red face and will probably turn out looking a lot like Little Chicken like her big brother has, one is pretty black, and the last is cream colored, maybe to turn out speckled like one of the hens and the rooster.

The little red-faced chick from the December 1st hatch is all grown up

But now it is Wednesday and the rest of the dozen eggs that so promisingly looked full of chicks when we candled them a week ago are now over due and behind. Mama Ukraine is still sitting on more eggs than chicks. The chicks born Monday are already venturing short ways from their mom to search for food and water. She won't be able to keep them in the nest much longer and then the unhatched eggs will be abandoned. We will candle them again and see if there is any hope. It is possible to tuck an egg in close to your body and hatch it that way - humans happen to be just the right temperature.

Mama Ukraine's unhatched eggs

With these newest three chicks, we are now up to my hen-house maximum of 25. The older babies aren't looking so much like babies anymore, and one is beginning to hit rooster-puberty, indicating I can't put off butchering much longer. We are still getting about 6 eggs a day, from the same 6 hens every day, so I am spending today keeping a close eye on the nest boxes and trying to label who lays which egg. I figure if I try to mark them down for a few days in a row, I will know which hens will be joining the little roosters as fried chicken and soup.

In other news, I am finishing up my EMT class and working on my application for the South Whidbey School District after finally transferring my teaching certificate to Washington. I am also finally almost feeling better from the string of colds and flues I seem to have had. Tim is continuing to enjoy his work as an apprentice electrician, on the road to journeyman. Grandpa hosted bridge club at the house last week and is having his car fixed this week. Our house guest, Alisha, is getting ready to leave us for a new job and new adventures as we get ready for our next visitors - she says leaving has nothing to do with me accidentally locking her in the barn with the chickens for multiple hours yesterday. Tilly and I missed the last search practice, but spent Valentines night running up a hill at midnight with our survival pack and Tim gallantly accompanying us.

Tilly testing the new doggy survival bag for another member of our SAR group