Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Mustacheio]

Hey guys, I'm back (for those who do not know me, I am W4W's son) and I am super excited for my 5 little tiny chicks! So far 5/7 of the eggs that Sister, the chicken in the pictures below, and Fudge, not seen, have hatched. Today, for the first time the chicks left the nest and went down to the small enclosed area that my mom might show. At first they were just a little scared and confused so they climbed back under Sister who was also with them. They're small enough to fit in my hands... all at the same time!!


"Chillin' with my peeps"


Sister with her and Fudge's chicks while Fudge is sitting on the last two eggs


They are all alone.

 

[chickenlindz]

OMgoodness they are so stinkin adorable.

 

[chickenlindz]

Mortie I feel you on the processing... Tho I'm in corporate America I actually went to college for animal science. After 4 years of biology related classes and learning that farming is a business I'm no stranger to sacrificing animals for food. However, even knowing that I'm raising my own chickens for the humane part of it I can't imagine that helps when you're actually the one doing the deed. Yes, "we" aren't then contributing to factory farming by raising our own chickens but we're still doing an unpleasant deed!!!

 

[Scrambles55]

ONE.... ONE.... that is all...........................................................................................

 

[lindz8504]

I do miss those Fosters.  I really do.  someone has called to say they'll take 4 if I want to part with them, I'd rather they take 3, so I can keep the White Rock too, but I won't give up Bakery, or Broody.  end of story.  Broody is doing well, won't let me check under her at all - I got quite the pecking for trying!  so I shared some brown rice and veg with her, and gave up some wrinkled cherry tomatoes for everyone else.  first tomatoes of the season and they went berserk for them!  I had seeds stuck to my hands and my jeans (and probably my hair,,,) it was a lot of fun.  perfect weather for free range and chores, the only thing  I did not do was move Henry in with Peach, Esther and Sillie.  I can do it at roost time too... so it may still happen today.  I have 20 Eggs in the basket, will have to make one more check, but I'm super hungry and came in to make some supper. 

lindz, I love those Itty Bitty Mamas!  which one is Itty and which one is Bitty?  

Cheeka
Itty is the one in front. She has had a small bald spot on her head right behind her comb since she hatched... that is really the only way I can tell... and she is a little calmer than Bitty .

 

[cheeka]

"Chillin' with my peeps"

I have cotton balls that are bigger than these! so so adorable!

I never made it out for a final egg check. so much to do and then it was dark! and somehow I lost a day... don't know why I thought today was still Monday, but I missed trash pickup this morning.

 

[mortie]

This was almost a good one

 

[mortie]

Ok these are my girls I am keeping from my hatch of 15 in march.


This is Midget. I call her Midge. My daughter named her that because it sounds like Twidget. I began to think Twidget was a boy very early on because he was like the LAST out of all of them to feather and I tried to convince my daughter that the other black one (she is blacker than she looks in this picture) was Twidget. Nope, she had some secret way to tell them apart I never could figure out. I tried to convince her to go with Widget but no, she is set on Midget. Okay whatever. This pic is a couple weeks old, somehow I didn't take one of her today...





This is Shadow. Named my my husband. I have no idea why he picked that name. She is our blue ameracauna girl. Probably going to be beardless. That annoys me.



This is our splash ameracauna, definitely going to be beardless I would say. They are from a fancy pants breeder so I don't know what the deal is. Anyway, she is the most skittish of all the girls. She doesn't like being picked up at all. Her name is Hedwig and she was one of the first to get a name. My 10 year old son named her that, I imagine it's because of her resembelence to Harry Potter's owl.





This is Maggie. I got to name the two red hens. Maggie is named for the actress that plays the Dowager Countess on Downton Abbey....who I find hilarious. She also plays Professor McGonagall, who I also find pretty amusing. Both kind of tough old broads.



This is Wilson. I named her that but I am having a hard time calling her a she when I talk about her. I felt like I really give one a boy name since that's what we do around here. Wilson is named for the volleyball in Castaway. You know how Tom Hanks' character talks to it and treats it like it's a person? Or at least more than a volleyball? I find myself talking to my chickens and treating them like....well not like people but not "just" chickens. Wilson seemed like a perfect fit.



This is Penny. My 6 year old son named her that. No idea why he chose Penny but now he wants to change it to Gregory. I told him no, Penny was here to stay.

So there they are. The laying team. Now tell them to get to it!

 

[cheeka]

beautiful babies and great names chosen, mortie! whatcha got? another 8-12 weeks to wait for eggs? it's worth it!

 

[mortie]

Likely, yes. They will be 16 weeks old in 6 weeks. Maybe I'll get lucky and one will start up early for me but I expect it to be sometime in August that I get my first egg. As if to pour salt in that little wound, I had dreams all last night about finding eggs in the coop.