Today the air felt bright and cool despite the the steely clouds hanging over the land. We spent a few hours moving the hens, mulching, and taking stock of our progress.
Mulch is piling up at the back of the land, thanks to Concetta's networking skills. We were fortunate to get a load of beautiful hay from a generous friend. We've also brought logs from our home, and taken down some old trees on the land. The logs will be used for bed structure and for growing mushrooms.
The chickens had really stripped the grass from their yard this time, so they were ecstatic when we moved them to greener pastures. They've mostly recovered from molting, but are still just as voracious.
Since the ladies have gotten used to the procedure by now, we no longer gather them up before we move the fence.
They've become quite brave, too. I sat in the grass on the far side of them to make sure they didn't wander too far afield.
We herded them into the new fence all in one go, save three buttercups and a red. Lillian chased the red for a few amusing minutes before catching her. Then, miraculously, we painlessly herded the buttercups right through the gate.
Over the past couple of weeks, Concetta has planted about a dozen young plants on the land. In one of the chicken's old yards, she put a nursery of blueberries. Down on a damp slope, she planted 5 elderberries. All of the plants are dormant, so they look like dead twigs. A few of the elderberries have some remnant leaves, but the plants (and the people) will have to wait for spring for new growth.
(It is exceedingly difficult to capture the essence of a caged twig with a photo. I did my best.)
Using some of the new bales, we built up the hay on the beds. We're mainly trying to suppress the weeds which are beginning to poke through the mulch. They're unwanted competition for the seedlings of the hardy annual flowers which will be arriving in these beds very soon.
With school in full swing again, I haven't been able to spend much time at the land lately. But Concetta and Hunter have been working nonstop. I'm excited for their investments to unfurl in spring.