Not long ago, I shared photos of some of my baby chickens. Since then, the young flock has grown to include another group of chicks and a sweet, friendly peachick. All of them were incubated and hatched right here at my farm. They’re now about a month to six-weeks-old and doing excellently - alert, healthy, and very curious. Soon, they will be old enough to join the others in the chicken coops.
Enjoy these photos.
After hatching in my incubator, and then spending a couple weeks in a brooder, the chicks are carefully moved to a crate in my stable feed room where they can still be well-monitored. The peeps will stay here for a little longer until they are large enough to move down to the chicken coops. Everyone at the farm loves visiting these babies. The red heat lamp adds a reddish tint to the photos.
The chicks are very eager to explore their surroundings. Chickens have their own personalities – some are more active or more curious than others.
These chicks all have clear eyes and are very alert – signs of good health.
I also have one peachick in this bunch – she’s extremely friendly, and comes to the front of the crate as soon as a visitor arrives.
Chickens love to roost – and they start practicing within days of hatching. Here’s a chick perched atop a stuffed bunny toy.
These chicks also love playing and interacting with each other. These two were just pecking each other playfully before the photo was taken.
Here’s our baby peahen just looking at the camera. Looking closely, one can see the corona growing on top of her head. All peafowl have a corona, the fancy feathery crest. It is quite bare now, but as the peachick grows, this corona will become bigger and more colorful.
Chickens are gentle, shy birds, but because these are being raised around a lot of activity, they will be well-socialized and friendly.
The peahen loves to perch on visitors’ arms. If given the chance, she’d spend all day here.
Our peahen doesn’t let you out of her sight – she follows guests around as much as she can from the crate.
The water bowls are checked frequently to ensure there is always fresh, clean water for drinking. By this age, they are all familiar with waterers and feeders, but it is still good practice when they’re moved to new surroundings to show them where these sources are located. Most baby birds are lost because they don’t eat or drink. Usually after one chick finds the water source, the others will follow, but be observant and make sure they are all able to access their bowls and waterers.
Most birds, including chickens, hear well. Birds have ears on both sides of their heads, and unlike humans, birds do not have external flaps on their ears. Instead, the opening of the ear is covered by a special tuft of feathers. These feathers protect the ear without impairing perception of sound.
Here, one can see the outline of this chick’s ear. The inner ear is also crucial in maintaining balance, a function that is particularly important for birds that fly.
Now that I am spending more time at home, I make it a point to visit all the animals at my Bedford, New York farm every day. I have a mélange of types and breeds that are really interesting to look at and fascinating to study. Here, many of them are waiting patiently for their daily greens.
These chicks are happily exploring their surroundings. At this stage, they have access to a small outdoor area that is separated from the bigger birds.
These babies are a week or two older than the ones in my stable. They will slowly gain more outdoor access as they grow and then finally be mixed in with the regular flock. These chicks were very good eaters right from the start.
The chicks are hardy, but require extra protein while they’re growing. A good chick starter feed will contain protein for weight gain and muscle development, plus vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy and to build their immune systems.
I also like to mix in new chickens with my flock. Here, two new small roosters and a hen. They are also housed in the first coop until they are acclimated to the new area.
Female chickens are called pullets for their first year, or until they begin to lay eggs. For most breeds, chickens generally start laying eggs around four or five months of age.
And back in my Winter House kitchen is another one-day old peachick keeping warm under the red heat lamp suspended above the bin in which it is housed – it just hatched the morning this photo was taken.
And a few hours later – a chick joins our peachick – both alert, curious and already so active. My peeps and peachicks are doing very well. I will share more photos with you as they mature.
So many of you have commented on how much you enjoy seeing blog entries about my pets. I share my Bedford, New York farm with many animals - horses, a pony, donkeys, peafowl, geese, pigeons, chickens, Guinea fowl, turkeys, canaries, parakeets, cats, and of course, my four dogs - Chow Chows, Champion Empress Qin and Emperor Han, and French Bulldogs, Creme Brûlée and Bête Noire. Many of you have also seen photos of my young friend, Ari Katz's dogs. Ari is also very serious and passionate about animals. He enjoys breeding, raising, and showing champion Labrador Retrievers. Here is an update on his beautiful dogs.
Last year, I created a kennel on my family’s farm in Maryland and have started seriously breeding Labrador Retrievers. My history with the breed dates back to the age of 10 when I showed my first Labrador, Maggie. In November of 2020, I decided to breed my female, Mehndi, a dog I co-own with my friend, Karen Helmers. Mehndi was the right age and was mature enough for her first litter.
Enjoy these photos, and to learn more about my Labradors, my kennel, and my puppies, please visit www.aklabradors.com.
This is Mehndi, CH Paradocs Mehndi. She is three years old and is halfway done with her AKC Grand Championship, meaning she has earned half the necessary conformation show points necessary to get this title. Mehndi is a beautiful example of a Labrador. She looks and moves great and has a wonderful personality – kind, outgoing, and relaxed. She is also cleared of any orthopedic abnormalities – something that is very important to check when breeding. We decided that our friend Fabian Negron’s dog, Memo, would be a good match for Mehndi and would allow us to continue the improvement of the breed of Labradors.
This is Memo, MBISS GChB Lakeside Memoir of Gallivant. Memo has won Best of Breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show twice as well as Best in Specialty Show at the world’s largest single-breed dog show, The Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac, in 2019.
Contrary to popular belief, breeding dogs is far more scientific and data-based than just “breeding them.” This table shows how closely a female’s levels are monitored before breeding. Reputable breeders take this process very seriously – and only breed for the betterment of the line.
(Photo courtesy of ASHVET)
28 days post first breeding, I took Mehndi to my vet, Dr. Stephen Stang, DVM, owner of Loudoun Veterinary Service Inc., for an ultrasound to see if she was pregnant. Mehndi’s ultrasound showed at least six puppies. The gestation period normally ranges an average of 63 days. Dr. Stang has been my vet for years and I trust him immensely. He and I calculated Mehndi’s due-date for the first week of February.
On January 30th, Mehndi was brought inside my house from the kennel. I bring the expectant mother indoors a week or two before the whelp date to monitor them more closely, let them become comfortable inside my home, and to prepare for having puppies. I take their temperatures twice a day starting a week before the due date. Any significant temperature drop means that the puppies are on their way and that I need to contact Dr. Stang to arrange for a cesarian section. Here, you can see how large Mehndi became.
Here is Mehndi in my car getting driven to Dr. Stang’s office for her c-section. The laundry baskets were taken to hold the puppies on the way back home.
Here is Mehndi, her six new puppies, and Carmen later that day. Mehndi had five girls and one boy – all very healthy and strong. Carmen was thrilled to meet the new puppies and was excited to begin taking care of them. Because I am a full-time student, I need help during the first two weeks to make sure the puppies and their mother are doing well. Karen, Carmen, my parents, and I were all very impressed with how good a mother Mehndi was to her puppies. This was her first litter and she did everything perfectly.
Here is another beautiful picture of Mehndi and her puppies just hours after they were born. Because all the puppies look very similar until they open their eyes, I mark their heads with different colored nail polish to keep careful records of each puppy, their weight, and their strength. The red “glow” is from a heat lamp that hangs over the whelping box to keep the puppies warm while they sleep.
Here are the puppies and Mehndi three days post-birth. The puppies had grown significantly.
This is a very cute picture of “Pink” sleeping. Puppies do not begin to open their eyes until about 14 days of age.
Carmen and I weigh each puppy to make sure they are gaining the correct amounts of weight. After the first 48 hours, puppies should gain about 10 to 15 percent of their birth weights every day. It is very important to keep track of each puppy and their progress.
This is one of my favorite pictures from Mehndi’s litter. Each puppy is sound asleep. At about two weeks of age, I put on colored collars to quickly identify each puppy. These collars were made by my friend, Tina Jewett. She makes and sells these collars. They are light, simple, and effective.
At 12 days, the puppies had gotten much bigger and were just starting to open their eyes. Puppies love sleeping on one another. They find it comforting and enjoy the warmth from their littermates.
At day 15, I moved the puppies into this EZwhelp Box in my living room. This box is very stable, easy to put together, easy to clean and wash, and the mothers can get in and out easily. Additionally, the puppies can see through the vinyl lining. I am sure Martha would say, “it’s a good thing.”
This is the puppies’ first real meal. American Natural Premium makes a “Breeder and Puppy Starter” that I begin offering at about two-and-a-half weeks.
Until they no longer fit, we put the puppies in laundry baskets when it’s time to clean their bedding. Puppies are incredibly labor intensive. Aside from requiring 24/7 attention for their first two weeks, puppies also need to be cleaned at least three times a day. My puppies’ bedding is changed whenever it begins to smell or get soiled. I take great pride in keeping my animals healthy and robust – as do Carmen and Lorenzo, who help me greatly in the care of my dogs and other animals.
This adorable girl is “Yellow.” In this picture she is 28 days old.
This photo shows the first time my puppies went outside. The weather was nice and by this stage, they were ready to explore. Each puppy had a different reaction that aligns with their personality. “Yellow,” who is very brave and outgoing, was thrilled whereas “Red” was shy and cautious.
This is “Pink,” a girl, making an adorable face. Seeing my puppies grow brings me so much joy. I can’t wait to see who I wind up keeping.
At five weeks, the puppies outgrew their whelping box and were moved into this X-Pen. Because the puppies still need to be heavily monitored, they remain in my living room where they can be heard and watched throughout the day and night.
On this day, after breakfast, the puppies took a long nap. As it turns out, being a puppy is a lot of work!
This is the one boy of the litter. He wears a white collar. Here he is lying down outside on a warm afternoon.
It is very fun getting to know each puppy’s personality. “Yellow” is very brave and outgoing. She loves exploring outdoors and running underneath things to hide and playfully attack her siblings.
Here I am with my two “keepers” from the litter, “Blue” and “Purple” – both girls. I have decided to name one Fara and the other India.
Aside from Mehndi and her litter, my other dogs have been doing quite well. My girl Kima finished her championship with the help of my friend, handler Julie Romeo. Now, Kima is officially an AKC Champion. Thank you Julie for working so hard with Kima and turning her into a champion!
Julie also finished one of Karen’s dogs, Millie, CH Paradocs Vermillion. Not only did Millie finish her championship, but she also won a Sporting Group 4 placement, which is great. Congratulations to Karen, Julie, and Millie.
This is Jacqueline. A few weeks after Mehndi was bred, I bred Jacquie to a very special dog bred and owned by Karen. I was thrilled and am hoping for a litter as successful as Mehndi’s – one with healthy, strong puppies and good mothering.
This is a new, smaller kennel I installed in my barn, across the aisle from the already existing kennel. This kennel offers two 10 by 12 foot and two 5 by 6 foot pens. In this photo, the cement is still drying.
This picture was taken of me and Truman a few weeks ago. During the time of COVID, I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to work with and breed my dogs and create such a beautiful kennel. I am looking forward to improving the breed even more in years to come. Please visit my web site www.aklabradors.com for more information.
Here in the Northeast, we're expecting a mix of sun and clouds today with temperatures in the 50s. This week brought rain and even a bit of snow in some areas, but the gardens continue to transform.
It always amazes me how quickly plants and trees grow from day to day. I am constantly noticing something new blooming at my farm. And, while many of the flowers are erupting with vibrant color, we've also been taking photos of the various trees and all the precious buds just beginning to open on their branches.
Enjoy these images.
Here on my 153 acre farm, I’ve planted thousands and thousands of trees – at least 15-thousand over the years. I love how they look in the landscape and how they change through the seasons. Most importantly, we need trees for the environment – they help combat climate change, provide habitat and food for birds and other animals, and release oxygen for us to live.
Just outside my kitchen on the terrace parterre is this weeping katsura, one of my favorite trees. Cercidiphyllum japonicum f. pendulum has pendulous branches that fan out from the crown and sweep the ground. Caramel-scented foliage emerges bronze or purple-red, turns blue-green, then fades to gold or apricot in autumn.
Tiny red flowers emerge in late March or early April before the leaves. Here is a closer look at the fresh foliage with the pretty heart-shaped leaves.
Looking up, one can see the long, pendulous, and graceful branches that appear to “weep.”
Just outside the kitchen to my Winter House, I have two of these Camperdown Elms. Camperdown Elms slowly develop broad, flat heads and wide crowns with weeping branch habits.
Its leaves are broad oblong-obovate to elliptic, rough-textured and serrated.
Just across the footpath is my dwarf apple orchard. Look closely, and these trees are also showing some colorful buds.
Here are some buds. The majority of apple tree blossoms begin as pink buds and bloom as white flowers.
These are ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs, which bloom in May. They are some of the most fragrant of all the lilac bushes. These lilacs prefer full sun, but will also live in partial shade.
Soon, these sweet ‘Miss Kim’ lilacs will be smelled all over the garden. The blooms will become bright lavender and will stand out nicely against their dark green leaves.
Across the carriage road are the beautiful Malus ‘Gravenstein’ espalier apple trees. I am hopeful we will have a very productive apple season this year.
These trees are also showing off their early springtime buds.
One of the earliest trees to flower here in spring is the magnolia. I have several white and yellow magnolias outside my Summer House. Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol.
Growing as large shrubs or trees, they produce showy, fragrant flowers that are shades of white, pink, red, purple, or yellow – here is one flower just about to open.
Rich, dark purple foliage in a cascading silhouette defines the Weeping Copper Beech when leafed out. There are no leaves just yet, but now is when one can see its very interesting shape with sweeping, pendulous branches.
Up close, it is just beginning to show its beautifully colored buds.
I love these weeping hornbeams, Carpinus betulus ‘Pendula’ – the branches of these trees gracefully weep creating an umbrella of foliage that reaches the ground.
Hornbeam is monoecious, meaning male and female catkins, which appear before the leaves, are found on the same tree.
From a distance, everyone notices the stunning golden-yellow weeping willows. Here is one grove of weeping willows at the edge of my pinetum. The golden hue looks so pretty against the early spring landscape.
When the tree blooms in late winter or spring, yellow catkins such as these appear. The catkin flowers are one to two inches long, and each blossom consists of hundreds of hairlike protrusions. The flowers mature to yellow before they are disbursed by wind or rain.
This is a weeping larch, Larix decidua ‘Pendula’. It has bright green needles in spring, which turn gold before dropping in fall. This curvaceous tree is located at “the triangle” where the carriage roads leading to the Boxwood Allee, the Pin Oak Allee and the woodland, all converge.
Looking closely, you can see all the new spring growth starting to emerge.
Aesculus hippocastanum is a large deciduous tree commonly known as the horse chestnut or conker tree. These are just two of many that I have here at the farm. These are located at one end of my stable at the foot of my long Boxwood Allee. The flowers provide a rich source of nectar and pollen to insects, particularly the bees.
Here are the leaves of the horse-chestnut. The flowers are just beginning to appear. Even at this early stage, one can clearly see leaves and developing flowers. By mid-May to early June, these trees will be in full flower.
Last year, I purchased 10 espalier Asian pear trees and planted them outside my stable to one side and my peafowl, pigeon and geese enclosures to the other. Espalier refers to an ancient technique, resulting in trees that grow flat, either against a wall, or along a wire-strung framework. Many kinds of trees respond beautifully to the espalier treatment, but fruit trees, like apple and pear, were some of the earliest examples. These trees are all doing excellently.
I have six ‘Shinseiki’ and four ‘Nijisseiki’ pear trees. These flowers will soon be open.
My orchard surrounds three sides of my pool. We planted more than 200-fruit trees here, many of which started as bare-root cuttings. These trees are all staked for added support, and they’re growing very well – in part because of the nutrient-rich soil.
Here are the flowers on one of my plum trees. Prunus americana has such beautiful white flowers. It produces very sweet, and juicy fruits. My plum varieties include ‘Green Gage’, ‘Mount Royal’, ‘NY9’, and ‘Stanley’.
And here is one of two weeping cherry trees down behind my stable. A weeping cherry tree is at its best when the pendulous branches are covered with pink or white flowers. These trees were in full bloom this week.
Look at the gorgeous blossoms. These trees are big eye-catchers when guests are lucky enough to see them in flower. Everything is just bursting with spring life. I am so pleased with the gardens this year – I am looking forward to sharing more photos as the season progresses.
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