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microchick said:
Sleep well, Misty. Pleasant dreams.

Here's my picture of the day. Not nearly as awesome as SGC's picture chronicle of the wonderful work she is doing with her group. Cemetery's are impressive. There is so much history and every tombstone tells a story. We can only hope that in 200 years some thoughtful soul does what she is doing for our grave markers.

Enough talk about death. Let there be life! I went out this morning early and found Iris off the nest. Panic time kicked in. Iris was off her nest. Two of the remaining three eggs that were under her were pipping. The minute I reached to see how warm they were, she Tuk Tuk Tuked her way back to her nest with her three little down covered chipmunk chicks chasing after her. I came back with a flashlight. The eggs were warm yet, sure enough two were pipped and when I candled the last one I could see that it had internally pipped and I could see the chick's beak moving. I shook my finger at Iris, told her she was a bad girl, relieved her of her three eggs and stuffed them under hen #3 who gladly took over incubator duties.

I went back out this afternoon and found Iris happily clucking about her hatching box teaching the little ones how to eat, and took this picture,.

View attachment 1418643

#3 was hiding. It was almost 90 here today so Mom was hot and babies were spending more time snuggled up to mom than under her.

Last check tonight at 9....yes, I sneaked a peak after groping around under the last broody and withstanding her sharp beak. I figured if Iris could get off of them, I could chance a ten second looksee and quick grope while trying to evade the beak of steal. 3 eggs were still pipped and the pips were getting larger. I opted out on the eggs in the back as I didn't have a tourniquet with me, but just in case, I plugged in the Brinsea. I have a feeling in spite of me setting food and water nearby, Mamma isn't going to stay glued to that nest much longer.
Click to expand...
Hope your dreams were sweet & your sleep was restful:lovelove your feathered family members
 
Happy-wednesday-good-morning-everyone.jpg
 
microchick said:
Sleep well, Misty. Pleasant dreams.

Here's my picture of the day. Not nearly as awesome as SGC's picture chronicle of the wonderful work she is doing with her group. Cemetery's are impressive. There is so much history and every tombstone tells a story. We can only hope that in 200 years some thoughtful soul does what she is doing for our grave markers.

Enough talk about death. Let there be life! I went out this morning early and found Iris off the nest. Panic time kicked in. Iris was off her nest. Two of the remaining three eggs that were under her were pipping. The minute I reached to see how warm they were, she Tuk Tuk Tuked her way back to her nest with her three little down covered chipmunk chicks chasing after her. I came back with a flashlight. The eggs were warm yet, sure enough two were pipped and when I candled the last one I could see that it had internally pipped and I could see the chick's beak moving. I shook my finger at Iris, told her she was a bad girl, relieved her of her three eggs and stuffed them under hen #3 who gladly took over incubator duties.

I went back out this afternoon and found Iris happily clucking about her hatching box teaching the little ones how to eat, and took this picture,.

View attachment 1418643

#3 was hiding. It was almost 90 here today so Mom was hot and babies were spending more time snuggled up to mom than under her.

Last check tonight at 9....yes, I sneaked a peak after groping around under the last broody and withstanding her sharp beak. I figured if Iris could get off of them, I could chance a ten second looksee and quick grope while trying to evade the beak of steal. 3 eggs were still pipped and the pips were getting larger. I opted out on the eggs in the back as I didn't have a tourniquet with me, but just in case, I plugged in the Brinsea. I have a feeling in spite of me setting food and water nearby, Mamma isn't going to stay glued to that nest much longer.
Click to expand...
People do not understand how fun raising chickens is!

Another great adventure at your place
 
superchemicalgirl said:
Here's the story of the day. I continued to be anti-tree/bush and tackled the thorn bush that was engulfing the rest of the Clay family. Their stones were all tilted forwards on account of the bush. The bush is left in this picture - around the 4 standing stones. Dig out the bush, dig out the bases, use a pry bar to lift it as someone else pushes fill into it and keep leveling it.
View attachment 1418505

View attachment 1418508

I will cut to the chase, got it done:
View attachment 1418502

However, I asked Deb to dig out the last grave while I worked on the second to last, and she was CERTAIN there was treasure under it. I may have insisted she leave it alone. However...

View attachment 1418503

View attachment 1418501
View attachment 1418504

Yup, it was treasure.

The Coker-Marble family had a replacement stone made probably in the mid to late 1800s - likely this one was broke (because it's broke) and they just replaced it with a marble stone because the slate stones were going out of fashion. The slate stones hold up much better than marble stones do - not sure what we're going to do with it yet. Anyway, it's likely the family abandoned the old stone on the cemetery outskirts and someone used it to shim the Clay grave. So it was a slate Marble stone under Clay replaced by a marble stone for all the Marbles.
Click to expand...
At least they abandoned it close by and was re used.
 
Well my hatch is officially over. I started with 4 broodies and 18 eggs. Ended with two broodies and 7 healthy chicks. Little disappointed in the hatch rate. I had 6 infertile or early quitters. Don't know how or why that happened. I don't think my 3 pound roosters are able to cover the 1 pound BBR girls but they should be doing the job with the others.

This morning there were 5 unhatched eggs. One had knocked a big pip out of the egg and I could see movement but the other four looked pretty grim. I chipped the end out of the baby with the large pip and discovered a thick inner membrane. Put baby back under mom hoping it would push its way out with my help. An hour later it still hadn't so in for a penny in for a pound. I had seen a drop of blood while I worked so I knew to back off. When I went back in I could hear the baby peeping. No more blood so I started chipping away shell. When I had the shell all off I was met with a thick tough inner membrane that I tore away. Baby rolled out in my hand. Tired and cheeping when I clucked at it. I kept clucking and it started kicking so I knew it was going to be okay. Umbilicus was collapsed so I pinched it off and took baby back inside to mamma. The 2nd broody has been petulent all through the incubation, pecking and biting me any time I got hear her. This time I told her I had her baby and she obligingly lifted up her breast feathers so I could tuck the little one under her. Not a protest out of her.

Do you think she knew?

I did eggtopsies on the remaining four eggs. I couldn't see any progress since earlier this morning and I couldn't candle any movement so I declared the hatch over and went to work. One had pipped internally, one externally one had filled the shell but never pipped. One had died maybe 48 hours ago. I think it was the one that hadn't pipped at all. Egg yolk sack was ruptured. The one that had pipped I dunno what happened. It just didn't make it. Maybe tough membrane again. One pipped internally but never pipped externally. Who knows. The interesting one was the one that pipped internally and filled the egg but died. It was deformed, missing the left eye and with a severe scissor beak. I was glad it didn't make it. It saved me having to euthanize it. Poor babies. I buried them all under one of our pear trees.

Just went back to check on Iris and her babies. I turned them loose in the closed off area I'd made for the broodies. They are chasing after mom who is happily a diggin and a scratchin. I also got a peek at my little one that I rescued this morning. What a surprise it is! The little one is yellow white with two brown chipmunk stripes down its back! I have no idea what the genetics are behind that color but I'm actually hoping that it is a rooster. What a handsome fellow he will be if it is!

Broody #2 who I had been calling Snow but seeing her with her babies have renamed Precious will get let loose tomorrow. Her chicks are all doing well also.

I guess I need to look at it from the POV that 7 chicks are what I needed. That is 15 new additions to the flock and I'm hoping nobody decides to go broody for awhile.

Congratuations @Alaskan on the adorable kids. That mom is worth her weight in goat pellets!
 

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