Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

[thistlewick]

5 pips

I love how they cheep cheep when I go and check with the flash light

There are 22 eggs in there

I kind of hope I don't have 100% hatch rate bc my brooder can't handle that many chicks

I mean. To be fair, everywhere I ever see that sells chicks packs them in like sardines but I'm not about that life.

I'm not feeling well today, so in order that I don't just keep checking for more pips or zips every 15 minutes like a psycho, I'm watching movies

Deep Cover 1st. Was a fun romp
Old Boy 2nd. I cannot believe I haven't seen this until now.

 

[thistlewick]

Holy crap why didn't anyone tell me not to watch Old Boy

It was a masterpiece but oh my goddddd y u c k but also it's enjoyable to see a film that's been so influential. As I was watching it, I can see what has come after simply because of that film

I'm looking at you John Wick!

For some brain bleach, going to watch Amelie next. But first a trip out for milkshakes.

6 or 7 pips. I lose count every time.

 

[thistlewick]

I should clarify that John Wick was NOT full of sketchy content like Old Boy was. I *love* John Wick, but it would not have existed without Old Boy.

The manga of Old Boy apparently was not as offensive as the film. The director decided to make that choice. Ahem.

Anyway - Amelie was *delightful* and I am glad I watched it. Charming.

3 chicks hatched so far, there are 20 eggs not 22, I can't count. I think almost every other egg is pipped.

 

[thistlewick]

8 chicks so far, a couple trying to zip, rest are pipped.

I think one died after pip, it was the first to pip and it's been long after 24 hours since it pipped. I'm a hands off kinda woman. There was blood on the pip and it dried but who knows. Anyway I am not going to open the incubator.

I have no @(#**@ idea what I am going to do with ~20 more chickens. LALALALALLALAAAA

 

[thistlewick]

14 chicks?? 12?? 13? I dunno I cannot count. I can't really SEE inside the 360, the middle is a dark tunnel and I don't want to blind the poor things with a flashlight.

They are SO CUTE and all crowd to the side when I go in the room. Another one hatched just now. Some still pipped, one trying to zip but slow going. A couple I cannot tell if they are pipped, or just got rolled around and I cannot see. They're maniacs in there, I love it.

Ginger's little chick is DESPERATE to get down and out with everyone, constantly crying trying to get out of the brooder. The one without the eye - we are calling it Sparrow - is erstwhile very chill and doesn't really cry much at all. Late tomorrow they will have so many friends they won't know what to do with themselves.

McMurry Hatchery called to tell me they couldn't fulfill my order this week and was it okay if next week was fine? I ordered only 6 chicks, seems like they treated me like garbage, even if I did make the order in February, because I only ordered 6.

Maybe I should just cancel it and get a refund, I want Dorkings and Speckled Sussex but I dunno.... irked me.

 

[thistlewick]

So interesting development - Harriet's eggs are alive! She was setting on them today. She's been off them almost all day for days and days, but it's been HOT.

They MUST know, they must be able to keep track. I was thinking of getting rid of them, since she has not been setting -- but I wanted to candle and make sure. There is movement in all 3! I was VERY surprised.

They are due to hatch at the end of the week, so very soon. We will see how that goes.


9 days til my Ameraucana and Welsummer batch hatch -- I candled today and had to chuck 2 more. Down to 8 of each. Some look iffy but I left them in just in case.

My hatch today - 17 of 20 hatched so far, today is day 21 and the 3 that are left I cannot see if they are pipped at all, so tomorrow when I remove the babies for the brooder I will check those over and leave them in another day or so just to make sure.

Got some absolutely adorable chicks. You really cannot go wrong with an Easter Egger Rooster I tell ya, those puffy cheeks are the cutest.

I had 5 sophia eggs in there for a chance at 5 more Olive Eggers (EE blue layer over BCM chocolate layer) and 4 hatched, so far I've only managed to get Cockerels (except I think I have one pullet from my Lollipop guild and Tilly's babies are too young to tell yet)

So here's to hoping.

So much happened today besides the hatch;

Hurricane, our adorable Fawn and White Runner Duck drake, chased hens this morning to try and mate them. NOPE - he's getting re-homed tomorrow. I love his little derpy face but NO. He isn't killing my girls.

Custard was straining when laying -- and it was just by chance I was out there (I am always very lucky catching things!!!) and so I picked her up and massaged out her egg - it was not very stuck, I hadn't really even got a good feel of what was going on when it plopped right out of her. But, as soon as it was out of her, she was totally fine.

Oscar is a rambunctious 16 week old and hops on anyone he can catch, which is mostly the ducks lol



Lollipop Guild is 4 weeks old today

I have some definite cockerels (2 for SURE) and some iffy Cockerels that 'time-will-tell' and a couple pullets. Thank GOD my little Ruby is a pullet. I love her <3

This cockerel looks like a pullet with those colors - but that comb is TELLING. This is a Cream Legbar/EE mix. Went to pick him up today, he pecked like mad at my hand, but once I picked him up he snugggggllllleeed in. So might be a bad one, might not.

These two - they are the maybe Cockerels Maybe not

But this one, YEP:

Likely a pullet:

^^^This one's coloring is GORGEOUS but I am wary of the red on the wings/shoulders despite the small comb. But oh man, beautiful.

And Cocoa down here; she looks RED but also that comb looks SUS so I am just like hmmmm and have to wait and see.

I've missed one, we have 11 and these are just 10...

I think we have look alikes and this is possible my 11th Lollipop:

AND

On the way to selling our eggs this morning we saw a BABY SNAPPING TURTLE on the road and we rescued it from probably death <3

 

[thistlewick]

Just realized didn't share any pics of the babies;

look at these nerds!

The little down fluff all inside the incubator is a mess lol

 

[thistlewick]

a bucket of babies!! out to the brooder they went

Ginger's baby is now very calm and happier, Sparrow apparently was not enough of a friend for her.

It's freakin HOT in the hen house -- no one is in it but the babies, but I still feel like I want to cut down all the walls. I might. However, in our run, it is 75, TWENTY degrees cooler than out in the sun.

There are 2 feral cats that share my property as their territory, saw both of them on the cameras last night and surprisingly, today. Will be interesting to see what they do/try with the chickens -- they don't go near the hen house at all -- I think it's position is just too exposed for most animals to go near.

I have cameras everywhere, so I see everything that goes on on my property. lol

 

[WingItRanch]

Adorable! This one looks like he has a toupee with the little wing covering his head.

 

[Shadrach]

Yeah I made this order in February

But I really want Dorkings and Speckled Sussex

I might really be missing the UK

Lived right by Dorking, saw the statue in the roundabout a ton

I like the Dorking chicken but I prefer the Light Sussex to look at. Both are large enough to give a decent alternative to the usual Cornish X and have the potential to live the average ten years cited for the breed.
Unfortunately both have been messed around with to produce more eggs and finding those that lay what they were supposed to (around 250 eggs a year) is getting harder.