Karoo Homesteading flock

[Karoo permaculture]

Things have been quite hectic at work.
So my Pekin hatched out 5 babies. I hatched out another 5 in the incubator at the same time. She adopted the other 5 and looked after the 10 extremely well. 7 of those were pure Indian game and the other 3 could be anything.
Past Saturday night we had a massive storm that flooded everything, 3 of the little ones must have ventured off too far from her and did not make it. 2 of them were the Indians.

 

[Karoo permaculture]

My Indian game hen also sat on 6 eggs and hatched 5. One of them looked very week and didn't make it. Seeing how young both she and the Indian game roo is, I'm quite satisfied with the progress thus far.

 

[Karoo permaculture]

For now I will not be putting anymore eggs in the incubator. We will be going away for a month and upon our return we will immediately move to the farm. If a hen does go broody, I will have a few Aseel cross eggs be put under her.

Timelines are tough, we are not near ready at the farm, while the house is being completed we(me, my wife and 3 children, aged 6, 2 and 10 Months) will be moving into a caravan for the time being. The farm is a 4 hour drive from where w stay now, so it is extremely difficult to get everything done there. The idea is to just get there, and then we will get stuff done much easier then trying to do it over this distance.

I do not yet have a coop nor do I have a fenced in run at the farm. I will take the Aseel and his hens with me to the farm and build a small quick coop the day we get on the farm. They will free range permanently and only sleep in the coop. The rest of the birds will come later once Im setup to handle multiple roosters with big personalities.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Your little chicks are so adorable! Good luck with your plans at the farm.

 

[Karoo permaculture]

Your little chicks are so adorable! Good luck with your plans at the farm.

Thank you very much, it is quite frightening, but we are looking forward to it

 

[Karoo permaculture]

The move is around the corner, just a little more then 30 days remaining.
Last night I couldn't find the one hen when I went to go and close the coop. I wasn't worried about her and knew she went of to go and brood somewhere, she is my best forager of the lot. A Small hen, can fly well and very predator aware. This morning when I fed them she came out and I waited to see where she goes and hides. If I didn't see her go in there I would not have found her.

I contemplated putting some Asil x RIR or Asil x Buff Sussex underneath her, but I opened one of the 7 eggs under here and it was fertile. So I'm leaving the other 6, it would be with her and the Asil rooster.

 

[Karoo permaculture]

The one silkie also decided to go broody, she has some Asil x RIR and Asil x Buff Sussex underneath her