But figured I'd go ahead and start posting since I've finally officially "joined".
Just starting our chicken adventure after a year of research and reading up... hatched 4 black australorps (started with 5 eggs - last one I autopsied at 23 days and it was fully formed and moist, so not sure what happened) and those babes are almost 7 weeks (Mouth, Melon, Pip and Pearl). They are on week 2 in the coop full time and doing great. Pretty sure we have 2 boy/2 girl, but still waiting that one out.
Decided to set more eggs, so I ordered 8 LC Orpington eggs. 5 came completely crushed. I set the 3 whole eggs, thinking not much would happen since they had obviously had a good shaking in transit. Low and behold I had a loner babe hatch at day 19. "Uno" is now 2 weeks, 2 days old and doing well, but obviously lonely. He/she has a stuffed chick and feather duster for company, but is very feisty and mouthy. We spend as much time with him/her as feasible. I'm really wondering about the LC part... new feathers are a light butterscotch color with no barring, so we'll see.
My egg shipper felt terrible about the crushed eggs, so she sent me 6 more... 3 LC and 3 Lavs, she says. They have 9 days left until hatch and from candling, it looks like 5 are going strong (not sure about #6).
I'm good with that number and already thinking about coop expansion in the future, but this will be a very good start. Not planning to keep any roos at this point, just for manageability, but possibly open to it in the future.
I love spending time in here just following posts and looking at pictures! It's nice to "come clean" from lurking and actually join in after several months!
Uno at 1 week
Just starting our chicken adventure after a year of research and reading up... hatched 4 black australorps (started with 5 eggs - last one I autopsied at 23 days and it was fully formed and moist, so not sure what happened) and those babes are almost 7 weeks (Mouth, Melon, Pip and Pearl). They are on week 2 in the coop full time and doing great. Pretty sure we have 2 boy/2 girl, but still waiting that one out.
Decided to set more eggs, so I ordered 8 LC Orpington eggs. 5 came completely crushed. I set the 3 whole eggs, thinking not much would happen since they had obviously had a good shaking in transit. Low and behold I had a loner babe hatch at day 19. "Uno" is now 2 weeks, 2 days old and doing well, but obviously lonely. He/she has a stuffed chick and feather duster for company, but is very feisty and mouthy. We spend as much time with him/her as feasible. I'm really wondering about the LC part... new feathers are a light butterscotch color with no barring, so we'll see.
My egg shipper felt terrible about the crushed eggs, so she sent me 6 more... 3 LC and 3 Lavs, she says. They have 9 days left until hatch and from candling, it looks like 5 are going strong (not sure about #6).
I'm good with that number and already thinking about coop expansion in the future, but this will be a very good start. Not planning to keep any roos at this point, just for manageability, but possibly open to it in the future.
I love spending time in here just following posts and looking at pictures! It's nice to "come clean" from lurking and actually join in after several months!
Uno at 1 week
from Ohio. So glad you joined. 
