Just checkin' in - I'm exhausted after 2 gorgeous days. I'm off work (presently between jobs, start my new one on Monday, so computer access is more limited and no cell phone at all) and working hard at the farm.
Moved around a lot of chicks of various ages. Some of the first ones I hatched back in Feb and March are looking big enough to start laying soon. I know it will likely be some weeks, but they sure look good.
On a related note - if anyone is interested in Welsummer cockerels, PM me, I've got a few extras. These are from a strain that lays lots of very dark eggs, darker than any Marans eggs I've seen. If you want to make "olive eggers", these would be good. They grow out very pretty also.
I sold most of last weeks hatch (except the special breeds from msladyhawke), got almost $50 for 19 chicks. The money goes to my niece's college fund, so that made her quite happy. I have hatched over 300 chicks so far this year, but haven't sold many. Early on we weren't trying to sell them, we need to build up the laying flock. But now we have extras to sell.
Tomorrow's lockdown has the first eggs from our "wheaten looking" Ameracaunas. I know they aren't colored quite right, but the hens started laying at a young age and the eggs are the bluest of any eggs we've ever had from our flock.