Last spring, we bought four new baby chicks (three Golden Sex Links and one Golden Laced Wyandotte). The baby chicks have grown quickly and it’s about time that we integrate them into our existing flock of five hens. Integrations can by tricky because the chickens (and in this case one rooster) need to establish a new pecking order. As you can see in the video, we’ve moved the chicken tractor near the fixed chicken coop and run, hoping that the chickens will get used to one another a bit before we let them intermingle. I still expect that we’ll have fighting, however. If you’ve got any good flock integration techniques or advice, I’d love to hear it.
Deli style pickles
Switching gears, I am on my third batch of pickles for the summer. This time, I am trying to make deli style pickles, which require a three-week soaking process. I’ve become the pickle guy in Crossing Delancy. It will be fun to see if the pickles turn out ok.
In addition to this, over the last few weeks I’ve been making jam, preserving green beans, and harvesting potatoes. Oh, I also canned some spaghetti sauce, which was totally yummy. And now I have 30 lbs of peaches to can. This time of year is extra busy both in the garden and, as I am finding out, in the kitchen preserving the harvest. So glad I’ve got a vacation coming up the week after next!
Sandy
The 10 Year Challenge 
Ooohhh those deli style pickles look wonderful!
I am waiting (impatiently) for enough pickling cukes to be ready to do something meaningful with them. Getting close but so far they are still too little in amount and too small in size.
I had to buy cukes from a local farmstand. I’ve had a lot of cukes so far this year, but they, annoyingly, don’t mature all at the same time, which means that I’d either have to make very small batches of pickles or have a variety of sizes of cukes in the mix. So, I opted to buy some to supplement what I am growing.
I made an attempt to grow another full section of pickling cukes this year, but sadly I lost so many of my first plantings and had no extra seeds on hand (replanted with slicers) that I am back to the same amount I had last year. I did manage to get enough of a harvest last year to do one batch of dill pickle relish but that was it. I hope I can at least do that much if not more due to the better summer season this year. I had visions of MUCH more that just are not going to play out.
You’re on the right track with letting the chicks get acquainted before they actually get together. With ours the only one they had trouble with was the Top Chichi…It was quite funny, we have one new chick that is all white…the bigger girls including the Top Chichi wrere scared of her because they are all brown. Chichi’s really don’t take to different!
I let mine out of the coop while they got used to each other and I was right there to referee. The youngest chose to run behind me rather than face the older chicks so it became a bonding time with them. Once I relaxed a bit and let them stay overnight together they worked it out without fighting. The young ones learned to…take the position of submission around Giny and they are all fine now. All six of them want to sleep in the same spot. It has been a rough summer with heat above 100 degrees every day since early June.
Your pickles really look great.! My garden produced way better than last year, but unfortunately, my Mom passed away just as everything was coming in and other duties took precedence. I’m going to try for a fall planting of squash and cukes…the few squash we got to eat were yummy!
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