Illinois...

[cavemanrich]

Went to Brookfield zoo this morning and ran into this gorgeous peacock!



And then this guy with his lady friend

Was he running loose at the zoo. ???

 

[Nwchickma]

Was he running loose at the zoo. ???  

Yes, Brookfield zoo has a few males and a lot of females (last summer I think I counted 10-12) not sure if they rehomed them or not. Only saw the one girl today. They let them wander, not sure where they go at night or in the winter. There are signs that say take pictures not feathers sorry to think they need it!

They have some Pelicans too that were injured and live there now, not sure where they go either.

 

[Faraday40]

Yes, Brookfield zoo has a few males and a lot of females (last summer I think I counted 10-12) not sure if they rehomed them or not. Only saw the one girl today. They let them wander, not sure where they go at night or in the winter. There are signs that say take pictures not feathers

sorry to think they need it!

They have some Pelicans too that were injured and live there now, not sure where they go either.

I really enjoy seeing the peacocks wander around. Here's a pic taken there maybe 7 years ago. Notice the tail? I guess that's why they have the signs.

 

[SixChickFlock]

Change in the weather...

Today, the girls were no longer interested in the morning ration of scratch in their run. Instead, they bolted right out into the yard to see what they could find on their own.

It must be Spring!

 

[ChicagoClucker]

Change in the weather...

Today, the girls were no longer interested in the morning ration of scratch in their run. Instead, they bolted right out into the yard to see what they could find on their own.

It must be Spring!

My girls are loving it too! A whole lot of scratching and searching for some bugs.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

Just wanted to post the size difference between them. They both hatched 9 days ago.

 

[Faraday40]

Just wanted to post the size difference between them. They both hatched 9 days ago.

Same age, WOW! Is one a bantam or from a pullet egg?

 

[ChicagoClucker]

Same age, WOW! Is one a bantam or from a pullet egg?

Both eggs were a good size, very comparable. I just can't believe the difference. They did send a pullet egg out of the 6, but that was 1 out of 2 that was clear at day 7. They are both very active and eating great! Hows your hatching going? Anything yet? My DH is going to kill me when they arrive, but couldn't help myself and ordered some olive eggers.

 

[Faraday40]

12 fertile eggs were set.
10 eggs looked good on day 18. Sadly, one slipped from my hands.

Out of the 9 eggs that went into lockdown, we now have 8 chicks &1 pip. One hatched day 20, most on day 21, & 1 (hopefully 2) today (day 22). They are all 1/2 Lavender Orpington but most appear black, so I had to use bands to tell them apart. I have 2 lavender chicks drying off in the incubator with my last egg..

At one point yesterday afternoon I had 10 kids & 5 adults in our living room trying to see through the tiny windows of an old Hovabator. This was simply an incubator & fertility test. I wasn't expecting the whole neighborhood to come. Our "real" hatch will be set on Sunday night or Monday. For that one I'll be using my home-made cooler-bator with the big viewing window. -- Unless I have extra eggs in need of hatching. LOL I can't say that this incubator is great, because I had to adjust often, & the small window is frustrating. But, the hatch results were fine. As for the fertility, I had to do a chicken butt cut on my roo & 2 hens. (My English orps had too much fluff to get the job done.) Now I'm seeing more fertile eggs, so we'll be ready for the next hatch to be set on Sunday. That's the "real" hatch to be used as DD's 4H project.



The brooder was made from DD's posters from former school projects, an old storage bin, & duct tape. I can't say it looks pretty, but it was free & very functional!


Here are some of the 1st chicks.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

12 fertile eggs were set.
10 eggs looked good on day 18. Sadly, one slipped from my hands.

Out of the 9 eggs that went into lockdown, we now have 8 chicks &1 pip. One hatched day 20, most on day 21, & 1 (hopefully 2) today (day 22). They are all 1/2 Lavender Orpington but most appear black, so I had to use bands to tell them apart. I have 2 lavender chicks drying off in the incubator with my last egg..

At one point yesterday afternoon I had 10 kids & 5 adults in our living room trying to see through the tiny windows of an old Hovabator. This was simply an incubator & fertility test. I wasn't expecting the whole neighborhood to come. Our "real" hatch will be set on Sunday night or Monday. For that one I'll be using my home-made cooler-bator with the big viewing window. -- Unless I have extra eggs in need of hatching. LOL I can't say that this incubator is great, because I had to adjust often, & the small window is frustrating. But, the hatch results were fine. As for the fertility, I had to do a chicken butt cut on my roo & 2 hens. (My English orps had too much fluff to get the job done.) Now I'm seeing more fertile eggs, so we'll be ready for the next hatch to be set on Sunday. That's the "real" hatch to be used as DD's 4H project.



The brooder was made from DD's posters from former school projects, an old storage bin, & duct tape. I can't say it looks pretty, but it was free & very functional!


Here are some of the 1st chicks.

They are so Cute! Well at least the bator worked, even though there was a lot of adjusting to do. Good backup or hatching incubator. And I use a rubbermade bin for my brooder. I had Christmas stuff in it, but did some rearranging.