Our introduction to keeping chickens, the high's, the lows and pics of our journey.

[NovaAman]

IF I can get at least 1/2 of every breed that is left to hatch, I will be happy.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Sorry to hear Nova. Good money down the drain thanks to someones poor work ethic.

Grinds my gears knowing the robotic systems are very good and that's it's someone's choice when they handle an object being freighted. I hope some come through good for you.

Thanks for the info Pam, I may have been a bit optimistic thinking we had about 8 weeks to go for an early layer!

 

[Wrightsx4]

18 weeks is early but definitely not unheard of - I just wasn't that lucky. Maybe it depends on the time of year as well, daylight hours. Not sure.

 

[NovaAman]

Oh gracious yes! You are coming on winter... don't expect much then... Unless you are going to add light. I have a thought on that. I only added enough light so they had 12 hours a day through the winter. That way, I'd get some eggs, but not burn my birds out in two years. I have several that are a 1.5 years now, and are molting... but I hope to get several years of laying out of them.

 

[Bens-Hens]

I did think about adding a solar light down there for a couple of hours, but I think I will just let nature take it's course. I would love to get some egg's as soon as possible, and the closer the time comes the more I think about it (kind of like lock down when hatching) but I don't want to force the issue. Just make sure I have provided for them in the best way's possible in feed, water and conditions and let them do it in their own time.

I also want to make sure that we get the mesh off the nest boxes and some straw in there on time, but not too early that they take up sleeping in there. That's an issue that we had with the last flock and we never quite broke it, always having to go down there and drag them out and put them on the roost.

The new peeps are getting big, nearly too big for the brooder box. I could split the flock between the two we have but I don't really want to do that if I don't have to. A couple more trips back and forward and they will be out all night. Plan is for Sunday night, weather pending. I put the false floor and bedding back in the mobile coop last night (where the peeps spend their days) so they are used to it, and have some place off the ground to go if they don't figure out the roosting bars.

Then we will see how they go for space after a week or two, may require an early integration or a 'Plan B' grown out run extended onto the mobile coop. Will play it by ear.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Oh, did a beak inspection on Lucky this morning....it is looking smooth and certainly has not split any further! Yay to us hahahaha

 

[NovaAman]

Awesome on the beak.

Hopefully they'll be out as planned. I didn't put nest boxes until the girls were starting to be... Bothered by the boys. Then I knew time was close, and they were all roosting by then.

Got the chicks in the garage brooder today. Totally messed up the garage chickens though. They used the brooder for themselves and their chicks, silkies and my boy, Pat the Rat, who doesn't roost. At all. Nope. Anyway, poor chicks that are with their mama out there do not roost yet, but there is no choice now. Learn to roost, or sleep on the floor. I want them to roost...

 

[Bens-Hens]

Hi all, we were supposed to wait one more day, tomorrow they will be 6 weeks old, but, they have been getting more and more difficult to move about in the cat litter box, and tonight was rain free and still double digits (C), so tonight is their first night outside....all alone....no, that's just something in my eye I'm not crying I swear.

We had to gently push the little blighters down to the sleeping part of the tractor as they just wanted to sit at the door in the open part. I am thinking they wanted to stay in the light or maybe they were used to their slaves coming to get them at dark, not sure which one.

Tomorrow will be a day to clean the office, stack and pack the two brooders and clean the dust up one last time! Whoooo!

After I mowed the lawns today I sat next to the coop and watched them for a while. They really have grown so much. A shame that I think we have about 6 males in there out of the 12 but I guess that's part of it, sometimes natures odds work for you, others it does not.

I have a couple of photo's to share, but I have not got individual ones. I would like to take some of each breed in there together, but I can see that being a bit tricky. These guys either run away or peck the camera lol.

Amy, looking so nice I took two picks of 'her' We think we have two girls, but still not keen to bet anything on that.





Baby or Jewel, honestly very hard to split them apart. I really need to see them together to know for sure. Both are getting the 'slicked back hair doo' type feathers. The others are too, but the two lighter ones had the most advanced growth. Still no sign of muffs/beards yet. I was just reading that they are normally visible by 9 weeks, so a bit early to judge yet.




The only LA that I am confident to declare as a male so far.


Everyone else is doing well. The main coop got a hopper load of lawn clippings to scratch around in this afternoon, and their poop bin was turning into liquid fertiliser for some thin patches of my lawn. Man that stuff stinks **thinks "healthy lawns, healthy lawns"**

Will try get some of the BV's and 'lorps tomorrow, see how my loyal subjects are in front of the camera.

 

[Wrightsx4]

Looking good!

 

[NovaAman]

They are! Amy is very pretty.

Hey, got a nice pic of my maran, Strutter. He's a blue copper