So yesterday I was canning tomatoes, and I kept hearing a cheeping sound. Being an idiot I did not put it together that it was coming from the incubator in our dining room until it got more insistent. One of our hens had sitting on pheasant and chicken eggs. The pheasant chick was hatched, and the hen abandoned the other eggs. So I moved them into the incubator and one hatched yesterday. Another hatched this morning. I have another hen setting on a half-dozen eggs and about 2 dozen eggs in the incubator. One more chick is pecking its way through the shell right now. Hopefully these little guys do well.
Today we did the fall maintenance on the elderly sheep, bucks and rams. This involved catching them, trimming their hooves, worming them and evaluating their conditions and coats. For the rams it also involved checking their horns, and for the bucks there was copper bolus administration. A mental plan was formulated for their housing, feeding and breeding this winter. Here’s the rams after their ordeal:
So exciting!
Love this time of year both here (Victoria, Australia) and Skagit County (through your blog).
We have three chickens hatched either yesterday or this morning, all black, and one didn’t make it (stone cold). The hen still has some eggs to hatch out so crossing fingers and here’s hoping they happen.
I’d really appreciate it if, at some stage, you could post a photo of your incubator (or direct me to a photo if you’ve already done so). I’ve been toying with the idea of hatching some chickens.
I really must update my blog too. We have six calves on the ground, also lost one to a breach birth, not so good, and one lamb so far.
Zak.
It is exciting- watching chicks bust out of their shells and walk around and cheep for the first time. Usually chicks are a spring time thing, but I have been reading about the advantages of raising them in the fall so we are going to try it. I hope your chicks do well there (in the spring). There’s a photo of our incubator at http://schoonoverfarm.wordpress.com/2006/06/19/incubating/ We have since added an automatic egg turner. And you do need to update your blog- it sounds like a lot is happening there.
Thank you!
Zak.
Such cute chicks! The boys are looking pretty good also.
Thanks Teresa. Unfortunately the chicks died when the heat lamp shorted out during a rain storm. So I feel awful yet again. The rams are looking good, aren’t they? It is nice to see how well Shaun has grown up.