December Hatch-A-Long 2014

[Renee572]

Woot woot ! You go girl! You have some pretty cool types of chickens picked out! Can't wait to see fuzzy butt pics! Hubby with a honey do list is even better!
How are your two lil guys and your Christmas vacation? Did the kids like the pj monsters?

oops I forgot I have 3 black sex links in there too. My 2 chicks are doing just fine. Growing and starting to feather out. The one I hatched is named Peppermint and the other is Chickadee. I am really hoping Peppermint is not a roo, I don't think it is but I'm not that experienced.

Vacation plans fell through. My grandmother had to be sent to the hospital from the nursing home she was at and it was decided that she'd be taken home under hospice care after a couple days at the hospital. Anyway my parents went to be with her so we weren't able to go visit them since we couldn't make the drive to where my grandma lives.

The kids LOVED the pajama monsters. They each named theirs and have played with them just about every day since... now if I can just get them to understand the concept of them and not have to wash 7 pairs of pajamas every week because they don't remember to put the pj's in them after they've changed.

 

[Renee572]

These eggs/chicks were in the cabinet hatcher and I can not see good enough to see if All are hatched so I just open it sometime during day 22 and remove them. Its not a rush to get them out---just when I have time. If I am using the styrofoam and see all have hatched I open it when they look dry BUT only very few times when they are all hatched in it.


For sure----do not worry about missing a time turning the eggs. I am sure the hens miss one every once in a while.

 I went the entire 18 days without turning and still had some hatch----forgot to plug the turner in---went to take it out on day 18 and found I had never plugged it in.

the non turned eggs for 13 days was chickenlady... She had the same issue where the turner wasn't on for 13 days but she just had all 4 of those eggs hatch. So I'm not worried about mine that didn't get turned for the night. You are right, I am sure a broody has forgotten to turn an egg from time to time.

 

[Purpletie3]

oops I forgot I have 3 black sex links in there too. My 2 chicks are doing just fine. Growing and starting to feather out. The one I hatched is named Peppermint and the other is Chickadee. I am really hoping Peppermint is not a roo, I don't think it is but I'm not that experienced.

Vacation plans fell through. My grandmother had to be sent to the hospital from the nursing home she was at and it was decided that she'd be taken home under hospice care after a couple days at the hospital. Anyway my parents went to be with her so we weren't able to go visit them since we couldn't make the drive to where my grandma lives.

The kids LOVED the pajama monsters. They each named theirs and have played with them just about every day since... now if I can just get them to understand the concept of them and not have to wash 7 pairs of pajamas every week because they don't remember to put the pj's in them after they've changed.

Sorry about Grandma & especially during the holidays. Glad the PJ monsters went over well! Cute idea!
I had only one rhodebars hatch and it's a roo. He is 4 days younger than the frizzles that hatched 12/8. They are getting so big now! Glad Peppermint is doing well!

 

[ochochicas]

I had an injured chicken in a dog crate in my boyfriends gym for about 3 weeks....her big toe was broken and through the skin...so, def sucked for her! Good luck with your little injured one!

Are you in a good area that you can have your little chicks outside???

Our injured pullet is doing much better. She is in a horse stall during the day so she can be free from threat of obnoxious roosters but still get some mental stimulation and light exercise. The broody and her chicks are in a different stall. I tried to put the limping pullet in with the broody and chicks (the broody is actually the mom to the limping pullet), but the hen chased the pullet around and only made her leg worse. I just set the batch of 8 week old chicks up in the third horse stall. If it is warm enough tomorrow they will be out there all day. Three of them got loose in the house today while I was at work. I've been cleaning chicken poop off the carpet for hours. It is a bit cold out (40s), but it is time for them to move outside. The poor horses have lost their barn! LOL We do have a lot of predators out here (mostly coyotes and owls). I think everyone will be OK in the stalls. Our broody raised 9 chicks outside this summer and we never lost a single baby. I'm sure I got lucky with that one, but she is a very savvy mommy.

 

[Purpletie3]

Oh no...After a long day at work I would have probably lost it if the chicks ran roughshod at home and I was cleaning poop off of everything. I feel so bad for you!
I wish we were warmer in temps here... But, we are negative today. I added a pet warmer bed to my outside coop. I will have a home full of chickens this winter...lol
Glad your little injured chick is doing better!

 

[ochochicas]

Only 3 of the chicks 13 escaped. Two of them sat on the edge of the brooder and pooped on the floor. The third was running up and down the hallway and all over the family room. On top of that, the cats are eating the hay from the brooder which causes them to vomit all over the place. The cats, horses, and chickens are taking a toll on the house. Needless to say, our carpet will have to all be replaced before we sell the house. It was in marginal condition when we moved it (plus it is off-white), but now it is beyond acceptable. LOL We really have to spruce the place up if we have company coming over.

There is no way I could live any place that is colder than where I live now. I really only live for summer. This weather is miserable, and it isn't even that cold where I'm at now.

 

[Purpletie3]

Only 3 of the chicks 13 escaped.  Two of them sat on the edge of the brooder and pooped on the floor.  The third was running up and down the hallway and all over the family room.  On top of that, the cats are eating the hay from the brooder which causes them to vomit all over the place.  The cats, horses, and chickens are taking a toll on the house.    Needless to say, our carpet will have to all be replaced before we sell the house.  It was in marginal condition when we moved it (plus it is off-white), but now it is beyond acceptable.  LOL  We really have to spruce the place up if we have company coming over.  

There is no way I could live any place that is colder than where I live now.  I really only live for summer.  This weather is miserable, and it isn't even that cold where I'm at now.  

I am surprised the cats didn't eat them! You were having a Calgon Day! ( not sure if you remember those old commercials where the house is leveled and they show mom sinking into a bubble bath...)
I would love to be in Florida. But, most areas have restrictions on having only 5 hens. How would I choose? lol. Here in Upstate NY I am on 12 acres old dairy farm...I have to see where this goes...Kids off to college in 2 years...who knows!

 

[Renee572]

Sorry about Grandma & especially during the holidays. Glad the PJ monsters went over well! Cute idea!
I had only one rhodebars hatch and it's a roo. He is 4 days younger than the frizzles that hatched 12/8. They are getting so big now! Glad Peppermint is doing well!

thanks. She is 92 and she has been not doing well off and on for a couple years so we've been expecting it. It's been a couple weeks now and she's still holding on though, that lady is stubborn! Runs in the family!

That stinks about the 1 Rhodebar and more so that it's a roo unless you wanted a roo. At least he has buddies though.

Just convinced hubby to build a 2nd coop, woot woot! We will use the original one for all the new chicks when they can finally be outside and build a smaller one for the big girls! I dunno how it happened that I LOVE my chickens so much.

 

[ochochicas]

Wow, my grandma is 95, so I can relate. She has been doing really well, but then her partner passed away in June and now Grandma says she has no reason to go on. This winter she got bronchitis and has not been able to go out and do much. Over the weekend I noticed her mental sharpness is fading quickly. Makes me sad to think the grandma probably won't be able to remember all the grandkids' names before too long.

I've been to Florida and would not want to live there. Still trying to figure out where to retire. So far central Mexico is winning!

 

[Renee572]

Wow, my grandma is 95, so I can relate.  She has been doing really well, but then her partner passed away in June and now Grandma says she has no reason to go on.  This winter she got bronchitis and has not been able to go out and do much.  Over the weekend I noticed her mental sharpness is fading quickly.  Makes me sad to think the grandma probably won't be able to remember all the grandkids' names before too long.  

I've been to Florida and would not want to live there.  Still trying to figure out where to retire.  So far central Mexico is winning!

word from my dad is that they have only managed to get her to take ice chips the past few days so I'm thinking her time is coming pretty soon. She doesn't open her eyes and sleeps about 23 hours a day. I got to see her in July and I said good bye knowing it might very well be the last time I saw her but it's still hard when that time actually comes around. My grandpa passed away 31 years ago and she has said a few times over the past couple months that she's seen him. I will be sad for us that she's gone but happy for her that she will be back with grandpa!

In egg news though I will be weighing my eggs in the morning... my day 4 starts at 1120pm tonight but I don't want to stay up that late so I will do it in the morning as I turn them. I'm excited to find out if my humidity has been where it should be. My temp has been great! And my humidity has been pretty stable in the lower 40s. That's about where I had it last time.

How is everyone's chicks doing? Mine is almost 4 weeks old, I can't believe a month has already passed.