July Hatch-a-Long (including 4th of July hatch-a-long)

[chickiebaby1]

Silkies

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Silkies are one of my favorite!

 

[AgnesGray]

Silkies are one of my favorite!

They're becoming one of my favorites too! I had only standard and some very large breeds and didn't think I needed any bantams or silkies until @Magicman1623 sent me some of the sweetest little chickens! They are so sweet and fun and are the chickens I always needed and never knew it! haha

I may try again with a broody hen if some of my silkies or satins want to sit at some point. I've heard that they're the best for brooding.

 

[FortCluck]

They're becoming one of my favorites too! I had only standard and some very large breeds and didn't think I needed any bantams or silkies until @Magicman1623 sent me some of the sweetest little chickens! They are so sweet and fun and are the chickens I always needed and never knew it! haha

I may try again with a broody hen if some of my silkies or satins want to sit at some point. I've heard that they're the best for brooding.

Silkies are supposed to be great broodies. I have 3 silkie females, but all are still young

 

[hysop]

So from now on no more mixed batches without dates!

3 eggs died. 2 had way too much liquid inside and drowned. One that I know was alive yesterday but I chose not to intervene was shrink wrapped

I thought my last 2 eggs were also dead so I opened the air cell top part of the eggs and they're alive. Which is both good and bad news. Good news because yay they're alive. Bad news because I don't know how much longer they have to hatch and I don't want the membrane to dry out before they're ready. (or worse, to die if bacteria gets in)

I did some math and the latest these two eggs should be hatching is Friday. I'm hoping it's way before then. I don't have my phone so I can't take pictures right now.

These two are the last of my mixed batch. Happy news, momma hen has 6 chicks happy as can be right now.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I finally got the June babies out to the temp grow out tractor. They will stay there until they are big enough not to walk right through the regular fencing. A few of them had less feathers than I would have liked, and the 2 Jersey Giant females were way behind on feathering, but general temps are about 85 daytime and 70 overnight.
The ages are between 3 1/2 to 4 weeks and I took them down through the heat zones rather quickly and they have been off heat for over a week. Unless they are hen hatched I'm used to spring brooding and watching the temps more carefully, but I think they will be fine and there are enough of them for a good warm huddle pile.

After giving them the boot I had a good long session with the shop vac! Kinda wondered if it was wasted time though since the next batch is due to hatch in a week.

 

[Hucklekree]

It has been so unseasonably cold here. Not a day over 75 in a month. Lows are still in the high 50s. I don't remember a summer this cold since my teens. My 3.5 week olds have been outside for a week now with two heat lamps and no end in sight for the next few weeks.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

It has been so unseasonably cold here. Not a day over 75 in a month. Lows are still in the high 50s. I don't remember a summer this cold since my teens. My 3.5 week olds have been outside for a week now with two heat lamps and no end in sight for the next few weeks.

Sorry about having to keep the heat lamp on for the chicks...but oh my gosh...that is my perfect weather! I'd be so happy if I could live somewhere that typical summer weather stayed that way from May to Sept!

 

[FortCluck]

Sorry about having to keep the heat lamp on for the chicks...but oh my gosh...that is my perfect weather! I'd be so happy if I could live somewhere that typical summer weather stayed that way from May to Sept!

It’s 100 here today this is my perfect temp as long as I have central air to go in every hour to cool down a bit. My chickens are pissed it’s so hot, but we have 3 new layers! I give the chickens watermelon every day. I actually wish I grew my own!

 

[hysop]

It’s 100 here today this is my perfect temp as long as I have central air to go in every hour to cool down a bit. My chickens are pissed it’s so hot, but we have 3 new layers! I give the chickens watermelon every day. I actually wish I grew my own!

It's not hard! Just plant the seed and water it haha!
My kids love watermelon and we planted a lot of seeds this year. They're still young, but we have at least 3 already growing.
Now I wonder if they'll actually be tasty.
Some were from a seed packet others were from a watermelon we bought at a farmer's market.

I added coconut oil and it freaked me out! The membrane was white and the second the coconut oil touched it it turned colors. Wasn't expecting that!! It turned red. I thought it was ripping the membrane off. Since I see tons of blood I don't foresee them hatching today sigh... I hope they make it. I feel bad I cracked their top shell now.

 

[FortCluck]

It's not hard! Just plant the seed and water it haha!
My kids love watermelon and we planted a lot of seeds this year. They're still young, but we have at least 3 already growing.
Now I wonder if they'll actually be tasty.
Some were from a seed packet others were from a watermelon we bought at a farmer's market.

I added coconut oil and it freaked me out! The membrane was white and the second the coconut oil touched it it turned colors. Wasn't expecting that!! It turned red. I thought it was ripping the membrane off. Since I see tons of blood I don't foresee them hatching today sigh... I hope they make it. I feel bad I cracked their top shell now.

I don’t think I have the garden space required for watermelon. If I owned this property, most of the land would be turned into a garden with no grass! That’s my vision for my yard in the years to come.