It’s always exciting to have babies at my farm - especially when they're cute, fluffy chicks.
Right now I have more than 50 precious chicks in residence. The peeps came from eggs laid here at my farm and then incubated and hatched inside my "chick room" at the stable. All of them are healthy, alert, and very curious. They will remain in a large, heated cage until they are big enough to move outdoors to their own enclosure and coop, and then into the chicken yard with the other adults.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
It’s that time of year when I have lots of eggs – all laid by my healthy hens here at the farm.
The eggs are placed into an incubator where they are safe from other birds and closely monitored until they hatch. Chicken eggs take 21-days. While the eggs incubate, they are automatically turned once a day, 45-degrees each way, back and forth during this period.
At about day-7 and again at day-14, Helen “candles” each one, meaning she holds each egg against a light, turning it slowly, to observe the embryo inside. Fertilized, growing embryos can be identified by visible blood vessels, a large dark spot or filled space in the egg. This egg looks to have a developing chick inside.
From days 17 to 21, they’re placed into this hatching cabinet, where it is still warm. The eggs are spaced apart in sections where it is safe and where eggs cannot roll during the hatching process.
And then the wait for pipping begins, when a chick starts to crack its egg. This process starts around day 19. The chick breaks through the shell to breathe air.
And one by one, chicks emerge. They remain here until they are dry.
After the chicks hatch, they are placed into this cage in the same room. The room is kept very warm and the chicks are checked often. Baby chicks need constant monitoring until they are at least a month old.
The chicks are kept in a draft-free brooder with appropriate red heat lamps to keep them warm. Chicks require an air temperature of 95 degrees during the first week, 90 degrees the second week, and so on – going down by around five degrees per week until they’re ready to transition to the coop.
And here is just one of the chicks – nothing short of adorable.
These youngsters are less than a week old, but they are already very mobile and exploring their surroundings.
The chicks are fed organic chick starter for the first six to eight weeks. Starter feed is a protein dense variety of chicken feed designed to meet a chick’s dietary requirements. Several feeding dishes are placed into the cage.
A chick should never have to “wait in line”. On average, about 10-chicks can consume approximately one-pound of chick starter feed per day.
Fresh, clean water is also always provided. In fact, every chick is personally shown where their food and water sources are, so they know where to find them.
Chickens are generally gentle, shy birds, but because these are being raised around a lot of activity, they will be well-socialized and friendly.
Chickens have their own personalities – some are more active or more curious than others.
These babies get lots of visitors throughout the day, but ideally, they should be checked at least twice daily for food, water, and temperature needs.
These chicks all have clear eyes and are very alert.
One can typically identify roosters from hens around four to 12 weeks of age. Right now, they’re all just sweet, charming peeps.
In general, chickens are quite vocal. They make around 30 different calls to communicate with each other, expressing everything from “I am hungry” to “there’s a predator nearby.”
Chicks grow quickly and are quick to follow behaviors from other flock members.
These peeps are also very social and where one goes, the others follow.
This chick is wide awake now, but chicks sleep quite a bit – between 18 and 20 hours a day when they’re this young. They need the rest for growth and development.
I’ve raised many different chicken breeds and varieties over the years. I am so happy with this group – they are all strong, good eaters, and will be great additions to my flock.
Whenever I get bare-root tree cuttings and seedlings I prefer to plant them in appropriately sized containers first, so they can be watered and carefully monitored until they are planted in the gardens.
This week, my outdoor grounds crew worked very hard to pot hundreds of young trees, including pine trees, spruce trees, and cedar trees, American chestnuts, willows, buckthorns, and bald cypress. They all came from Musser Forests, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based company specializing in conifers, hardwood seedlings, and transplants.
Enjoy these photos.
Potting and planting hundreds of trees at the farm is a huge, yet exciting undertaking. I love trees, and every year I plant as many as possible, sometimes thousands. I get them small – as bare-roots or as containerized seedlings.
Bare-root trees are so named because the plants are dug from the ground while dormant and stored without any soil surrounding their roots. Bare-root plants should not have any mold or mildew. The cuttings should also feel heavy. If they feel light and dried out then the plant probably will not grow.
Once the bare-roots are removed from the box, they are placed in water filled bins until they are potted.
Some trees arrived in small containers. These are Crippsii Golden Hinoki Cypress seedlings ready to be potted in larger vessels.
This is a Southwestern White Pine, Pinus strobiformus. It is a tall evergreen coniferous tree native to the mountains of western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southwestern Colorado, extending to Mexico. It is characterized by its pyramidal habit, slender trunk, open crown, and soft, straight to slightly twisted, finely serrated, rich blue-green needles.
The Leyland cypress is a fast-growing, evergreen hybrid tree. It can reach 50 to 70 feet in height when mature.
Gold Thread Cypress is an evergreen shrub with striking yellow foliage. It holds its stunning golden color all throughout the year.
I save pots whenever I can – they always come in handy for projects like this, and I always encourage the crew to reuse supplies whenever possible. Each pot is prepared with a small layer of soil ready for the tree and backfill.
We use composted manure and top soil for potting. Composting manure above 131-degrees Fahrenheit for at least a couple weeks kill harmful pathogens, dilute ammonia, stabilize nitrogen, kill weed seeds and reduce any objectionable odors. I am so proud of the nutrient-rich soil I make here at the farm.
It is amended with some good fertilizer and then mixed well. I use Organic All-Purpose Plant Food from Miracle-Gro.
The process for potting is the same for small seedlings and for bare-roots. Each tree or shrub is placed into an appropriately sized pot, so the roots and root balls are not crowded at the bottom.
Phurba places a seedling in the pot so it is straight and centered in the container.
Here he tamps down lightly after the pot is backfilled so there is good contact between the tree roots and the surrounding soil.
Once trees are planted, Pete moves them in sections to a designated area where they wait to be transported to the nursery.
These are Bird’s Nest spruce trees – slow-growing, dwarf evergreen conifers with a distinctive nest-like depression in the center.
Phurba moves fast and pots the specimens by group. These Bird’s Nest spruce trees have shallow root systems and will do well in these pots.
As each tree is potted, it is placed in a row with all like specimens – and marked.
The Blue Atlas Cedar, also known as Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’, is an evergreen native to the Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa and prized for its steel-blue to silvery-blue needles and branching structure. It typically grows with pyramidal crown when young, gradually spreading into a broad pyramid as it matures. The tree can reach 60 feet in height and 40 feet in width.
I also got a selection of Fernspray Gold False Cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Fernspray Gold’ – a dense evergreen conifer known for its golden-yellow to vivid green, soft, fan-like foliage.
In order to get all the seedlings potted as quickly as possible, it’s “all hands on deck.” The crew creates a very productive assembly line. While some plant, others load. Here’s Matthew loading potted trees onto the wheelbarrow.
And then he lines them up in the nursery where they will be properly and carefully maintained.
These trees will thrive in these pots and be in excellent condition when it is time to plant them in their more permanent locations around the farm.
This new collection includes a range of kitchen essentials including a Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, French Door Air Fryer, Slim Air Fryer, Stand Mixer, XL Griddle, Electric Kettle, a 2 Slice Classic Toaster, 4 Slice Classic Toaster, and Long Slot Toaster, a Rotating Waffle Maker, Countertop Blender, Mini Chopper, Coffee & Spice Grinder, and several more items on the way. I designed these products to blend into the kitchen, with simple forms and discreet digital displays that disappear when not in use, so countertops are visually streamlined and clean. And every piece has been rigorously tested by me and my team of experts - you're going to love every one of them.
I am so proud of this Kitchen Electrics Collection. This collection features 16 distinctive appliances, available in five neutral colors, exclusively on Amazon for the coming months.
This is the caviar color – a black-gray color that looks sleek and modern in any kitchen.
This is the Martha Stewart XL Digital French Door Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo. It features an extra large capacity 34QT 12-in-1 convection countertop oven that’s big in enough to toast six slices of bread, bake a 12-inch pizza, and roast a whole chicken.
Right now it is available in caviar gray and our light linen color. The dual-door design provides easy access, and the clear, sleek screen and dials make setting quick and easy.
Earlier this week at our launch party we used it to make my delicious candied bacon.
My Martha Stewart 6QT Slim Air Fryer is perfect for smaller spaces but can still accommodate generous food portions for family meals.
Sunday breakfast and brunch will be so much more fun with my Martha Stewart Rotating Waffle Maker. It has a 180-degree flip iron feature that fills every nook with batter and cooks waffles evenly, providing just the perfect waffle texture.
And, an overflow tray catches any extra batter for mess-free cooking and easy cleanup.
The collection includes three different toaster options – a 2 slice, 4 slice, and an extra long 2 Slice Long Slot Toaster that is extra wide. It comes in sky blue, caviar gray, honeydew, and linen.
These toasters make the perfect toast every time. They feature intuitive touch screen digital displays, 3 easy-to-use presets, and a 10-shade dial.
These are my Martha Stewart 8-quart Slow Cookers in linen, honeydew, caviar gray, and sky blue. They include ceramic removable nonstick bowls, programmable timers, and are stovetop and oven safe.
The Martha Stewart Rice Cooker comes in linen, caviar gray, honeydew, and sky blue. It has 9 cooking modes, an LED touch display, and a delay timer and warming feature.
And this model can cook up to 8 cups of rice in minutes – evenly and perfectly every time. It also has a steam rack for vegetables or other foods that can be used as the rice cooks.
For mixing and blending, this is my 5.3 quart Stand Mixer with optimal speed settings, a spacious mixing bowl, 3-attachments, and a tilt-head design – all in one affordable appliance.
My Countertop Blender is a must-have if you like summertime smoothies. This blender has 6 stainless steel blades, an easy-to-use selector dial, a large-capacity pitcher and dishwasher safe parts.
These handly blenders also come in linen, caviar gray, honeydew, and sky blue.
This is my 3-cup Food Chopper – a great helper in the kitchen for chopping and sauces and purées.
It is also dishwasher safe and comes in all four of our current colors.
My Electric Coffee & Spice Grinder, Kettle, and Milk Frother are great kitchen essentials for those wanting a comforting and flavorful hot cup of coffee, tea, or warm milk.
My 22-inch by 12-inch Griddle heats evenly, cleans quickly and makes every meal so easy to make.
The surface is nonstick and the perfect size for large breakfasts, dinners and summer lunches. Use it to sizzle up so many things.
And, more items will be released in the coming months including this ice-cream maker. Appliances will also be available in indigo blue very soon! We’re always working on new products!
Please check out my new Kitchen Electrics Collection – perfect for any home cook, easy-to-use, efficient, and affordable.
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