Nice on the Welsummers, and congrats on the MF D'Uccle (I know, so cute!) and the Bresse, lovely breed too, and yes, I have them on my wish list too!! I will say you are bringing in some nice breeds of chickens! Yay!
Tru has one little MF D'Uccle, so very sweet looking. Are Welsummers in my Siggy? I will check, as I am not seeing them there???? lol
Well no they aren't, so I guess I was just seeing things LOL sorry
The Bresse were suggested to me as a dual purpose alternative to Leghorns, and I really hadn't done any research, but saw them in the auction and decided to try a bid, and it was successful. The owner says they have the best hatch rates of any eggs she's shipped, so hopefully I will get at least a few. Shipped eggs are such a challenge, as we recently discussed, but it was for a good cause. The Welsummers are just because I found a reasonable deal and again, maybe I'll get lucky and get a few. I know Mayah wanted them last year and I don't know whether she still does, she's focusing more on blue eggs this year and has been getting some really pretty ones.
I was surprised at myself for how drawn I was to the D'Uccle, I am not generally a Bantam person, except my Silkies, and if I had never seen Mayah's in person I don't think I would have bid on them. Her little one just mingles with the whole flock of all sizes, like her Silkies do, and I think she said she'd gone broody at least once as well. Broodiness is a characteristic I am deeply appreciative of - especially for shipped eggs; if a Silkie can't get them hatched, nothing can LOL. Once the girls have had a little break and have been laying well for a while I'll probably let them hatch again - I could probably get them to sit on the Welsummer eggs, although I'd like them to have a longer break. The two that were most serious have been most active since they finally gave up, and I think they need time to get fresh air, sunshine, and exercise. They all held great weight, thank goodness. A few weeks off will be good for them, especially since it's gotten so cold again!
Well, off to give the birds some scratch before night settles in again. I have 5 hatched and 5 pipped in the hatcher, so far everything hatched is black so probably part or all Barred Rock. I bought some 2x4 pieces of foam insulation board to put around the pen I have the brooders in, I bought two of those hover brooders from Premier that are like the
Brinsea Eco Glo except you can buy covers for them that keep the chicks off them, and they're quite a bit less expensive than the Brinseas; I want to convert the whole pen to a brooder, makes better use of the space and give the chicks more room to run around. Hope to get that all put together tomorrow. I have some chicks I want to keep for a while, and the ones hatching this weekend will be for sale once they're dried out, in a brooder, and eating and drinking. I'd just as soon put them all together for warmth and exercise, so I got some of those colored rubber bands to mark chicks so I know what's what - wish I'd thought of it when the Ameraucanas and EEs were hatching 2 weeks ago, arrgh! Oh well. Not too many of them to hang onto for a while and see what I've got.
Can you tell I really don't want to bundle back up and go outside? LOL
They are on my list though.....
e - they won't be here for 2 or 3 months I'm sure butt I am very excited
Nice on the Welsummers, and congrats on the MF D'Uccle (I know, so cute!) and the Bresse, lovely breed too, and yes, I have them on my wish list too!! I will say you are bringing in some nice breeds of chickens! Yay! 
