Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

[thistlewick]

I'm selling four chicks todayyyyyy \o/


My lollipops want to roost at night, they are 4 weeks old and they cry at bedtime wanting to fly up to the big girl roosts. We have roosts they sit on out in the open part of the coop during the daytime but at night they are taken up by the big meanie teenagers and so they won't use those.

(it looks different now, it's straightened and we added another perpendicular to this, I need to get a fresher pic)

I went out to lock up last night and when I showed up at the door, they were all loudly complaining and ran to my feet. These dang chickens are THE CUTEST, the new batch I hatched aren't as attached at all, I don't know why these guys love me so much haha I was telling them I'd try to find them sometime so went back to the barn, found a stool and brought it back -- but by then it was nice and dark in the henhouse and they had settled down in their little pile.


But I put the stool in the outside part of the henhouse and this morning and opening there were already some sitting on the little rungs in the legs.

I am in love with every single one of these 11 babies oh man, most of them will just let me pick them up when I place my hand in front of them, and a couple will come up into my hand

Chuck, being a mighty fine boy

 

[thistlewick]

Well much to my amazement and surprised, Harriet's eggs, which were largely left unattended to for the last 2 weeks of their incubation, hatched just fine.

I put them in our incubator (I was not sure when they would hatch and if they would be accepted, so on the safe side) and voila:

They look like 3 cockerels to me, big ol combs already lol

Lockdown is tomorrow for my Ameraucana and Welsummer batch - in my new Brinsea.

I've kept it at 35% humidity even though you have to program it so since lockdown is tomorrow I wanted to see just how good it was at keeping a humidity so I put it at 45% just now and in 10 minutes it's up to 38% so I will check in a couple hours and see if it stays steady at 45% tomorrow before lockdown when I bring it up to 65-70% It's a more intense set up, with the water hose and a separate water container than the 360 -- but this has continual drip drip drip on that paper in the center of the incubator. Seems sensible and well organized and so far, so good. I also LOVE being able to check it on my phone and handle all the programming on my phone.

My Ameraucanas are Ermine over Black so I am crossing fingers I get some Ermine babies!!!