Pipd's Peeps!

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The newest little bitties I didn't take too many pictures because the youngest two just hatched a few hours ago and I didn't want to keep them from the heater.

The youngest came out of the egg with a mohawk.

 

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Babies' first full photo shoot! Looks like I ended up with 3 Blacks and 2 Blues in this bunch

This is roughly hatch order, I think. First to hatch, a spunky Blue:

Glam shot Girl knows how to work the runway already! (Ahem, we're pretending they're all pullets until proven otherwise, for the record )

These ones might be mixed up for hatch order, but the next three to hatch were all Black:

(This one's leg is fine, she just turned while I was taking pictures and of course the picture mid-turn was the clearest shot of her )

Last to hatch, the second Blue. This little one is holding her left eye shut, but hopefully it's from another curious peck like last time and nothing serious. Looks like she already outgrew her punk rock phase, too--no more mohawk.

 

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More babies this weekend!

I... think this is all of them, but four are SO hard to tell apart... So hopefully there aren't any repeats here.

And here are the now one-week-olds as well! (Some were less pleased about picture day than others. )

 

[Crazy Maizie]

How many more are you planning to hatch?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Not sure, honestly. I have 16 more in the incubator due between this weekend and the following weekend, but I'm running out of brooder space so I had to skip setting any more this past weekend and probably will skip next weekend as well at least. I had planned to try to hatch about 100 this year and pick the best to put forward for next year, but the fertility issues early on combined with people just not seeming to be interested in buying them around here so I still have a bunch of extras has made me have to back away from that goal by quite a bit.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

It seems to me a lot of people will take chickens if they are free. But, if you're selling and mention a rehoming fee or a flat out fee they never get back to you until you find that rught person. I'm still looking to rehome my cockerels, but I'm not just giving them away.

The one crele that I told you was a dancer has also decided to show me where nest box is. He is always following me around, but he's not interested in me holding him like the bb is. I'm slightly torn as to whether i should get rid of him. Maybe I just need a bunch of oegb hens.

So, with that said, a few of my new barred rocks and sapphire gem pullets just started laying. I've got 3 that could be laying and I found 3 eggs in their nest area. But, one night I didn't get home until late, so I'm not sure which day they laid them or if the eggs were laid all on the same day. Either way, it's exciting!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I seem to get a decent amount of interest in my roosters, just most people ask a couple questions and then ghost me. With the chicks, though, I've gotten a total of one inquiry, the guy I mentioned that offered me about half what I was asking for and then ghosted when I said no and offered him a more reasonable discount. The posting is about to expire, so I guess I'll rewrite it and hope I get more interest. I did join a few FB groups for Indiana poultry and livestock sales, too, so I suppose I could try them out as well, I'm just nervous that I'll say the wrong thing and get thrown in FB jail. Maybe I'll try to get better pictures of the actual birds for sale, too, instead of just the one shot of them all grouped together in a box. Those guys are crazy, so that's hard to pull off, but worth a shot.

Ahh, that Crele sounds like such a sweetheart! If I didn't already have 5 OEGB boys running around here, I'd be tempted to buy him from you, myself! My little knuckleheads flew a fence today and all had to have a wing trimmed to keep them where they belong. I've been free-ranging them in the morning before the mixed flock gets out so they have a bit more sunlight and room to run around, and apparently they decided that still wasn't enough space for them.

Congrats on the eggs!! New layers are always exciting!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

My full sized pullets think they are oegbs and try to roost in the rafters with them! Last night 2 of mine thought they were going to be up there and wouldn't come down, so I had to get a big ladder to get them. They are in a secure run. I'm still nervous that something can come in since mice still make their way in. I'm thinking of trimming feathers, but also don't want to.

As far as who is laying, looks like all 3 of the pullets that I thought were laying are. Just one still has a pale comb, so I guess she will be last to lay. It's also nerve wracking because even with providing them everything they need, one young pullet laid a soft shell. Which I know is what happens at the beginning, but my mind immediately goes to the what ifs.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Haha, yeah, OEGBs are instigators for sure! I wouldn't worry about it too much with your setup, honestly. If you do end up trimming a wing on them, just trim their primary flight feathers and they hardly look any different from before trimming.

So like on Vega, here. I had to trim both of her wings because she kept flying into a fenced off area where I have a broody hen sitting even after one wing was trimmed. This is where she was trimmed, just the primaries while the secondaries were left in tact.

This is how she looks with her wings folded. You can see that it's cut just at the lower edge of her wing, but otherwise she looks like she did before the trimming. Her flight has been reduced significantly, though, and she's no longer able to hop the fence.

I hear you on what ifs! Hang in there! Their first few eggs can be wonky while their body adjusts and they get the hang of properly making eggs. If they have everything they need, they should get it down soon and stop worrying you.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Vegas looks like a sweetie.