A few days ago the senior hens were having their usual free roaming session around the garden while Lucky (our cat) was having his afternoon nap, when I noticed that one of the hens (JD) was missing. I went down to the hen house to check the nest boxes - she was not there. As I walked back up the garden I noticed a few black feathers on the grass, and my heart sank. There were a few more feathers in under the hedge, but no sign of JD.
I can only assume that JD was taken by a fox. At this time of year vixens have many young mouths to feed and venture out during the day in search of prey. I know that it is all part of nature, but it is still upsetting to lose a hen like this. JD was one of the most senior hens - I had her for almost three years and she was probably a year old or more when I bought her. She was a lovely hen, a real character, and I will miss her. It goes without saying that this has put an end to the hens free roaming sessions for now - I don't want to lose another hen to the fox.
Otherwise all the young chicks are doing well. I've been letting Chirpy (now 16 weeks old), Sooty, Sweep and Blondie (all nearly 14 weeks old) out into the pen with the senior hens under strict supervision. At first the senior hens were not impressed and sent Chirpy running for cover! Hopefully they will learn to tolerate each other and sort the pecking order out without too much trouble. I'm pretty sure that Sweep is the only female out of the four younger hens, and I have to say Chirpy has been giving her some unwanted attention lately, which is why I decided to start letting them all mix with the older hens. It should hopefully take the pressure off Sweep and also give Chirpy some other females to chase after (if he is man enough to try)! Chirpy's crowing has also improved dramatically (don't know where he has been getting lessons) but he still seems a bit self conscious about it. There's no sign of Blondie or Sooty starting to crow yet.
Coco, Nano, Pinky and Perky (all now 10 weeks old) are also doing well and have daily access to a large enclosed run. The Quail (now nearly 8 weeks old) are laying two or three eggs every day and seem to be perfectly happy in the greenhouse. At least in there they are safe from the fox, but I'm thinking about making them a movable ark so that they could get out on the grass at least during the day when the weather is good.
Sunday 20 May 2012
Sunday 13 May 2012
First Quail egg!
I can't believe that it's been 6 weeks since my last post! Sorry it has been so long, and even though I have not hatched any more chicks I have been very busy looking after all the chicks and adult hens and have built a brand new hen house and run in the garden to accommodate my growing flock.
Today is a special day. Much to my surprise I found an egg in the Quail's run, and seven weeks ago the Quail that laid it was still an egg herself!
The Quail have now moved into the large indoor run which I built to house the chicks. They are absolutely gorgeous little birds and the range of sounds they make is quite incredible. I think I have two males and four females, but I'm by no means sure about that yet. I was really amazed to find an egg in the run today. Unlike chickens, Quail do not use nest boxes (or perches) - they just lay in their bedding, although I have noticed that they make little hollows in the wood shavings where they sit. I have provided them with a covered area at both ends of the run, one of which is heated, and I have still been putting the heater on at night because the weather has been so cold. The Quail seem to spend most of their time under the covered areas - see the photo below. They are very timid little birds.
Pinky, Perky, Nano and Coco have now moved out into a proper hen house and are doing really well. Coco is a beautiful bird and is very tame. The Rhode Island Red (RIR) chicks seem a bit small for their age but they are only 9 weeks old and have got a good bit of growing left to do yet. Here is a photo of Coco (looking very inquisitive!) and one of the RIR chicks - I'm afraid I can't tell them apart!
Blondie, Sooty and Sweep are now 12 weeks old and have access to the outdoor run that I made for them. I'm still not sure of their gender - I think that Sooty and Blondie (see photo below) are possibly both male.
Sooty has grown some lovely reddish brown feathers on his neck and back and is a really lovely bird and Blondie has incredible yellow eyes. They both have the typical Araucana comb and crest, and Sooty has a definite "beard". I think that Sweep (see following photo) is possibly female. She does not have a crest but has a beard and some brown edging to her neck and chest feathers. The main thing is that they all seem to be getting on with each other very well so far, what ever they are.
And then there's Chirpy who at 15 weeks old is nearly fully grown. He has started to crow (not very well it has to be said!) but I expect he will improve with practice. Chirpy is still very tame and likes to be handled. He really had grown up to be a handsome fellow (see photo below), and before too long I'll be thinking about introducing him to the "senior" hens. Not sure who will get the biggest shock!
Finally, here's a photo of the "senior" hens relaxing in their newly extended pen. The only one not in the photo is JD, but I expect she had egg laying business to attend to.
The hens have been laying really well - on average about 4 eggs every day!. Provided the weather is not really bad, they get out of their pen for a few hours every day to roam free around the garden and farm yard, which they really enjoy.
That's all for now from the hen house!
Today is a special day. Much to my surprise I found an egg in the Quail's run, and seven weeks ago the Quail that laid it was still an egg herself!
The Quail have now moved into the large indoor run which I built to house the chicks. They are absolutely gorgeous little birds and the range of sounds they make is quite incredible. I think I have two males and four females, but I'm by no means sure about that yet. I was really amazed to find an egg in the run today. Unlike chickens, Quail do not use nest boxes (or perches) - they just lay in their bedding, although I have noticed that they make little hollows in the wood shavings where they sit. I have provided them with a covered area at both ends of the run, one of which is heated, and I have still been putting the heater on at night because the weather has been so cold. The Quail seem to spend most of their time under the covered areas - see the photo below. They are very timid little birds.
Pinky, Perky, Nano and Coco have now moved out into a proper hen house and are doing really well. Coco is a beautiful bird and is very tame. The Rhode Island Red (RIR) chicks seem a bit small for their age but they are only 9 weeks old and have got a good bit of growing left to do yet. Here is a photo of Coco (looking very inquisitive!) and one of the RIR chicks - I'm afraid I can't tell them apart!
Blondie, Sooty and Sweep are now 12 weeks old and have access to the outdoor run that I made for them. I'm still not sure of their gender - I think that Sooty and Blondie (see photo below) are possibly both male.
Sooty has grown some lovely reddish brown feathers on his neck and back and is a really lovely bird and Blondie has incredible yellow eyes. They both have the typical Araucana comb and crest, and Sooty has a definite "beard". I think that Sweep (see following photo) is possibly female. She does not have a crest but has a beard and some brown edging to her neck and chest feathers. The main thing is that they all seem to be getting on with each other very well so far, what ever they are.
And then there's Chirpy who at 15 weeks old is nearly fully grown. He has started to crow (not very well it has to be said!) but I expect he will improve with practice. Chirpy is still very tame and likes to be handled. He really had grown up to be a handsome fellow (see photo below), and before too long I'll be thinking about introducing him to the "senior" hens. Not sure who will get the biggest shock!
Finally, here's a photo of the "senior" hens relaxing in their newly extended pen. The only one not in the photo is JD, but I expect she had egg laying business to attend to.
The hens have been laying really well - on average about 4 eggs every day!. Provided the weather is not really bad, they get out of their pen for a few hours every day to roam free around the garden and farm yard, which they really enjoy.
That's all for now from the hen house!
Friday 30 March 2012
Quail chicks hatching!
The Quail chicks started to hatch on Monday of this week, 17 days after the eggs were put in the incubator. Over the next day or two we had six lovely chicks hatch.
The speckled shells on the Quail eggs made it quite difficult to spot when an egg was starting to hatch and on a few occasions the chicks seemed to appear suddenly out of thin air. One moment there would be just eggs in the incubator, but five minutes later there would be a new chick. They also seemed to be able to hatch and then reassemble the empty shell so that it was actually quite difficult to see which egg the chick had come out of.
The newly hatched Quail chicks are so very tiny and cute. They are up and feeding in no time and are lively little critters. When picked up as shown in the photo above they have a frightening habit of jumping out of your hands - I swear that they have spring loaded legs. I've learnt my lesson and now cup my hands when picking them up so that they can't make a bid for freedom.
In the meantime all the other chicks are thriving. Chirpy, Sooty, Sweep and Blondie have been moved out into a hen house in the garden and are loving the extra space. Pinky, Perky, Coco and Nano have been moved out into the chicken run in the greenhouse and have settled in very well. The "senior" hens are enjoying the sunny weather and are "laying like machine guns" (a phrase an old Cornish friend of ours used to use).
The speckled shells on the Quail eggs made it quite difficult to spot when an egg was starting to hatch and on a few occasions the chicks seemed to appear suddenly out of thin air. One moment there would be just eggs in the incubator, but five minutes later there would be a new chick. They also seemed to be able to hatch and then reassemble the empty shell so that it was actually quite difficult to see which egg the chick had come out of.
The newly hatched Quail chicks are so very tiny and cute. They are up and feeding in no time and are lively little critters. When picked up as shown in the photo above they have a frightening habit of jumping out of your hands - I swear that they have spring loaded legs. I've learnt my lesson and now cup my hands when picking them up so that they can't make a bid for freedom.
In the meantime all the other chicks are thriving. Chirpy, Sooty, Sweep and Blondie have been moved out into a hen house in the garden and are loving the extra space. Pinky, Perky, Coco and Nano have been moved out into the chicken run in the greenhouse and have settled in very well. The "senior" hens are enjoying the sunny weather and are "laying like machine guns" (a phrase an old Cornish friend of ours used to use).
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Chick roll call
I'm very pleased to say that all the chicks are doing well. There are eight chicks in all, currently being kept in two groups of four. Let's start off with the smallest (and youngest) chicks which are nearly 2 weeks old.
Nano was the last chick to hatch and was a very small chick, but has done very well after getting off to a slow start.Nano is darker than the other Rhode Island Red chicks and colour-wise is quite similar to Chirpy was like at that age.
Pinky and Perky look very similar and are almost impossible to tell apart. They are both strong healthy chicks, and I have a gut feeling that they could both be cockerels.
Coco is gorgeous, and a good strong chick. Her feathers are a beautiful dark brown colour and her down is like soft fur. Now let's move on to the older chicks, which are 5 weeks old.
Sooty is a lovely chick, but a right little sod! He is absolutely full of beans and at times can be quite aggressive. He looks very much like his Araucana father and is very flighty.
I would say that Sweep takes after her Light Sussex mother, although I can see the Araucana coming out in her too. She is a beautiful chick with the odd black feather and rather unusual grey legs.
Blondie is quite a timid little chick and is slightly smaller than Sooty and Sweep. She is a lovely chick with pure white feathers pretty much all over. She is very close to Sweep and does not like being separated from the other chicks.
Finally, here is Chirpy, now all grown up at the grand old age of 7 weeks. He is very tame and friendly and has not shown any aggression towards his smaller companions. He has a lovely temperament, which is just as well as I think he's going to be a big cockerel.
There you have it! Our lovely chicks that we have hatched this year so far. It has been a real joy watching them grow and develop from helpless little balls of fluff into fully fledged chickens and it is amazing how each one has his or her own little personality from the very beginning.
Our adult hens have suddenly moved into full egg production and we are getting on average about four eggs a day. This is a sure sign that the days are getting longer and that spring has arrived. The Quail eggs are still in the incubator and are due to hatch in about a week from now. I haven't candled the Quail eggs because it is difficult to see any detail inside the eggs because of their speckled shells. We'll just have to wait and see how many Quail chicks hatch, however I understand that it can be quite a lengthy process and the Quail eggs can continue to hatch for anything up to a week!
Nano was the last chick to hatch and was a very small chick, but has done very well after getting off to a slow start.Nano is darker than the other Rhode Island Red chicks and colour-wise is quite similar to Chirpy was like at that age.
Pinky and Perky look very similar and are almost impossible to tell apart. They are both strong healthy chicks, and I have a gut feeling that they could both be cockerels.
Coco is gorgeous, and a good strong chick. Her feathers are a beautiful dark brown colour and her down is like soft fur. Now let's move on to the older chicks, which are 5 weeks old.
Sooty is a lovely chick, but a right little sod! He is absolutely full of beans and at times can be quite aggressive. He looks very much like his Araucana father and is very flighty.
I would say that Sweep takes after her Light Sussex mother, although I can see the Araucana coming out in her too. She is a beautiful chick with the odd black feather and rather unusual grey legs.
Blondie is quite a timid little chick and is slightly smaller than Sooty and Sweep. She is a lovely chick with pure white feathers pretty much all over. She is very close to Sweep and does not like being separated from the other chicks.
Finally, here is Chirpy, now all grown up at the grand old age of 7 weeks. He is very tame and friendly and has not shown any aggression towards his smaller companions. He has a lovely temperament, which is just as well as I think he's going to be a big cockerel.
There you have it! Our lovely chicks that we have hatched this year so far. It has been a real joy watching them grow and develop from helpless little balls of fluff into fully fledged chickens and it is amazing how each one has his or her own little personality from the very beginning.
Our adult hens have suddenly moved into full egg production and we are getting on average about four eggs a day. This is a sure sign that the days are getting longer and that spring has arrived. The Quail eggs are still in the incubator and are due to hatch in about a week from now. I haven't candled the Quail eggs because it is difficult to see any detail inside the eggs because of their speckled shells. We'll just have to wait and see how many Quail chicks hatch, however I understand that it can be quite a lengthy process and the Quail eggs can continue to hatch for anything up to a week!
Sunday 11 March 2012
Cute Chicks!
I emailed the lady I bought the eggs from and she has told me that the dark coloured chick is a Chocolate Wyandotte, and so we have called it "Coco". The chicks are all doing well, but the little chick that hatched last is still by far the smallest, and we have called him/her "Nano". We can't really tell the other two apart so at least for the meantime we are going to call them "Pinky" and "Perky". Nano is on the bottom left of the following photo.
I've notices that both Pinky and Perky are growing what look to be white wing feathers! I would not expect this if they are Rhode Island Reds, but I'll just have to wait and see how they develop. Ahh the joys of hatching your own chicks!
I've notices that both Pinky and Perky are growing what look to be white wing feathers! I would not expect this if they are Rhode Island Reds, but I'll just have to wait and see how they develop. Ahh the joys of hatching your own chicks!
Friday 9 March 2012
Four lovely new chicks
In the end four out of the remaining five eggs hatched and we now have four beautiful Rhode Island Eggs chicks.....well almost! Three of them look like Rhode Island Red chicks, the fourth is a bit of a mystery. Either the eggs got mixed up, or there was strange cockerel about! To be fair the lady I bought the eggs from did say that six were Rhode Island Red eggs she wasn't sure what the seventh was. I think she said it might be Light Sussex, but I don't think so!
The little one in the middle of the three light coloured chicks was the last to hatch and is a very small chick. It's amazing how much the Rhode Island Red chicks look like chirpy did at that age, so I guess Chirpy has quite a lot of Rhode Island Red in him (as you would expect since his mum was an ex battery hen). I have not given the new chicks names as yet...any suggestions anyone?
Time to wash out the incubator with disinfectant and start some more eggs off. This time I've gone for Quail. I bought the eggs online and they were delivered in the post in a purpose made expanded polystyrene box. Amazingly they all arrived intact and after letting them stand overnight I put them in the incubator today.
They certainly are beautiful eggs. I had to set the incubator 0.2 deg C warmer for the Quail eggs - 37.7 deg C instead of 37.5 deg C. They should start hatching in about 16 or 17 days.
The little one in the middle of the three light coloured chicks was the last to hatch and is a very small chick. It's amazing how much the Rhode Island Red chicks look like chirpy did at that age, so I guess Chirpy has quite a lot of Rhode Island Red in him (as you would expect since his mum was an ex battery hen). I have not given the new chicks names as yet...any suggestions anyone?
Time to wash out the incubator with disinfectant and start some more eggs off. This time I've gone for Quail. I bought the eggs online and they were delivered in the post in a purpose made expanded polystyrene box. Amazingly they all arrived intact and after letting them stand overnight I put them in the incubator today.
They certainly are beautiful eggs. I had to set the incubator 0.2 deg C warmer for the Quail eggs - 37.7 deg C instead of 37.5 deg C. They should start hatching in about 16 or 17 days.
Indoor chicken run update
Chirpy and the other three chicks certainly enjoyed having a bit of extra room and settled in well to their new accommodation. However, on Wednesday evening when I turned the infrared lamp off, it quickly became apparent that the chicks needed more warmth in their new home. As a temporary measure I put one of the Ecoglow heated pads in to the run to provide some extra warmth, but I spent quite a sleepless night worrying that the chicks would be cold.
I need not have worried because the chicks were fine. Chirpy spent the night on the perch, but the three younger chicks snuggled up together under the heated pad. I installed the Ecoglow heater pad permanently in the chicken run above where the tubular heater is to create a cosy space for the chicks which is heated from below and from above (see photo).
The heated pad is sitting on two wooden runners and I slid the heated pad to one side and blanked off the space at the other side with a piece of plywood cut to the right size. Finally I put a piece of fleece blanket on top of the wooden shelf under which the tubular heater is. The chicks love it. They have the choice of sitting under the heated pad, or if they get too warm they can sit over the other side, or get on to the perch. The following photo shows (from left to right) Blondie, Sweep and Sooty in their "cosy space".
Last night the chicks (and I) spent a much more comfortable night. Chirpy spent the night on the perch again. All the chicks love their new home, and Sooty has been jumping from one perch to the other like a trapeze artist and basically trying to outdo Chirpy at every possible opportunity. Chirpy has been keeping fit by going back and forth, running from one end of the run, flying over the feeder and landing up the other end of the run (and scaring the living daylights out of the other chicks in the process)! Blondie and Sweep are quite happy to leave Chirpy and Sooty to it and have a sleep in their cosy space.
I need not have worried because the chicks were fine. Chirpy spent the night on the perch, but the three younger chicks snuggled up together under the heated pad. I installed the Ecoglow heater pad permanently in the chicken run above where the tubular heater is to create a cosy space for the chicks which is heated from below and from above (see photo).
The heated pad is sitting on two wooden runners and I slid the heated pad to one side and blanked off the space at the other side with a piece of plywood cut to the right size. Finally I put a piece of fleece blanket on top of the wooden shelf under which the tubular heater is. The chicks love it. They have the choice of sitting under the heated pad, or if they get too warm they can sit over the other side, or get on to the perch. The following photo shows (from left to right) Blondie, Sweep and Sooty in their "cosy space".
Last night the chicks (and I) spent a much more comfortable night. Chirpy spent the night on the perch again. All the chicks love their new home, and Sooty has been jumping from one perch to the other like a trapeze artist and basically trying to outdo Chirpy at every possible opportunity. Chirpy has been keeping fit by going back and forth, running from one end of the run, flying over the feeder and landing up the other end of the run (and scaring the living daylights out of the other chicks in the process)! Blondie and Sweep are quite happy to leave Chirpy and Sooty to it and have a sleep in their cosy space.
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Time to move on
With more eggs due to hatch today, my highest priority over the last few days has been to get the "indoor chicken run" finished for Chirpy and the other chicks to move into. The large wooden box I've made needs to be heated and I've decided to use two different heat sources: a tubular greenhouse heater and an infrared lamp. The tubular heater is rated about 80 Watts and will provide a gentle heat night and day. The infrared lamp is rated about 100 Watts and will provide extra heat (and light) during the day. I don't want to "force" the chicks to grow too fast by providing light 24 hours a day, so the infrared lamp will be turned off at night.
The photo above shows the inside of the wooden box where the tubular heater will be installed. I cut a 57mm diameter hole in each side and cut a slot in the floor to allow air to enter, and I attached some fine metal mesh to the underside of the slot to keep out mice and other unwelcome visitors. The following photo shows the tubular heater in place.
I made a slotted wooden cover to go over the heater and provide somewhere warm for the chicks to perch or sit. The slots will allow air to circulate around the heater and hopefully prevent it from getting too hot. The following photo shows the slotted wooden cover in place.
I added a couple of perches at different heights so that the chicks can perch in the gentle warmth of the airflow from the heater. Finally I placed some bricks on the floor of the box to set the feeder and drinker on and bedded the box with a good layer of wood shavings. The following photo shows the indoor chicken run ready to take its new occupants. Note the infrared lamp sitting on the wire mesh cover.
I left the whole thing to warm up overnight before putting the chicks in this morning. I put the three smaller chicks (Sooty, Sweep and Blondie) in first and then put Chirpy in. I've kept a close eye on them all day and I'm pleased to say that they seem to be getting along just fine. I was worried about Chirpy bullying the others, but if anything Sooty is the most aggressive and was trying to peck Chirpy but couldn't quite reach!
Chirpy spent most of the day perching and preening and the young chicks have had great fun scratching and scraping around in the wood shavings. The following photo shows all four chicks enjoying some chick crumbs.
I had five eggs due to hatch today. So far three have hatched and there's another that is hopefully going to hatch soon. I think the fifth egg may not hatch, but I'll give it a day or two and see what happens. Being a glutton for punishment, I've ordered a dozen Quail eggs to put in the incubator after the current batch have all hatched. Should keep me busy and out of mischief for a while!
The photo above shows the inside of the wooden box where the tubular heater will be installed. I cut a 57mm diameter hole in each side and cut a slot in the floor to allow air to enter, and I attached some fine metal mesh to the underside of the slot to keep out mice and other unwelcome visitors. The following photo shows the tubular heater in place.
I made a slotted wooden cover to go over the heater and provide somewhere warm for the chicks to perch or sit. The slots will allow air to circulate around the heater and hopefully prevent it from getting too hot. The following photo shows the slotted wooden cover in place.
I added a couple of perches at different heights so that the chicks can perch in the gentle warmth of the airflow from the heater. Finally I placed some bricks on the floor of the box to set the feeder and drinker on and bedded the box with a good layer of wood shavings. The following photo shows the indoor chicken run ready to take its new occupants. Note the infrared lamp sitting on the wire mesh cover.
I left the whole thing to warm up overnight before putting the chicks in this morning. I put the three smaller chicks (Sooty, Sweep and Blondie) in first and then put Chirpy in. I've kept a close eye on them all day and I'm pleased to say that they seem to be getting along just fine. I was worried about Chirpy bullying the others, but if anything Sooty is the most aggressive and was trying to peck Chirpy but couldn't quite reach!
Chirpy spent most of the day perching and preening and the young chicks have had great fun scratching and scraping around in the wood shavings. The following photo shows all four chicks enjoying some chick crumbs.
I had five eggs due to hatch today. So far three have hatched and there's another that is hopefully going to hatch soon. I think the fifth egg may not hatch, but I'll give it a day or two and see what happens. Being a glutton for punishment, I've ordered a dozen Quail eggs to put in the incubator after the current batch have all hatched. Should keep me busy and out of mischief for a while!
Sunday 4 March 2012
Growing chicks need more space
Five weeks old now and Chirpy is still growing fast. He is nearly fully feathered and his wattles are starting to develop. The following photo shows him perching on the side of the brooder (one of his favourite activities)!
Chirpy will soon need larger accommodation, and I've been building him a large indoor chicken run in the greenhouse. It measures 2.4m x 0.5m and will have an infrared lamp hanging above it to provide warmth and light during the day, and an electric heater to provide warmth during the night. So far I've made the basic structure out of OSB and used some wire panels (which were originally part of a potato sorting machine) to cover the top. Part of the top has a solid OSB cover to provide somewhere for the chicks to go at night, and this is where the electric heater will be installed (see photo below).
Hopefully the indoor run will be big enough for Chirpy and the other three chicks that are in the brooder at the moment, although the other three are probably still to young to go out into the run. The other three chicks are also doing well and are now almost three weeks old. The following photo shows them all together. Sooty is in the middle, Sweep on the left and Blondie on the right.
Sweep's legs have taken on a grey colour, and he is the largest of the three and has the most advanced feathering. Sooty is smaller but perhaps the most aggressive of the three. Blondie is finally growing some tail feathers and is definitely the most timid, and does not like to be separated from the others. They are all doing really well and my hope is to put them in the indoor chicken run with Chirpy in due course, but at the moment Chirpy is about double the size of Sweep, even though he is only two weeks older, and I don't want Chirpy to bully the smaller chicks.
I've checked the eggs in the incubator and the good news is that 5 of the 7 eggs are fertile and developing well. They are due to hatch on Wednesday, which is only 3 days away, so I'll need to get Chirpy moved out into the chicken run before the new chicks hatch.
Chirpy will soon need larger accommodation, and I've been building him a large indoor chicken run in the greenhouse. It measures 2.4m x 0.5m and will have an infrared lamp hanging above it to provide warmth and light during the day, and an electric heater to provide warmth during the night. So far I've made the basic structure out of OSB and used some wire panels (which were originally part of a potato sorting machine) to cover the top. Part of the top has a solid OSB cover to provide somewhere for the chicks to go at night, and this is where the electric heater will be installed (see photo below).
Hopefully the indoor run will be big enough for Chirpy and the other three chicks that are in the brooder at the moment, although the other three are probably still to young to go out into the run. The other three chicks are also doing well and are now almost three weeks old. The following photo shows them all together. Sooty is in the middle, Sweep on the left and Blondie on the right.
Sweep's legs have taken on a grey colour, and he is the largest of the three and has the most advanced feathering. Sooty is smaller but perhaps the most aggressive of the three. Blondie is finally growing some tail feathers and is definitely the most timid, and does not like to be separated from the others. They are all doing really well and my hope is to put them in the indoor chicken run with Chirpy in due course, but at the moment Chirpy is about double the size of Sweep, even though he is only two weeks older, and I don't want Chirpy to bully the smaller chicks.
I've checked the eggs in the incubator and the good news is that 5 of the 7 eggs are fertile and developing well. They are due to hatch on Wednesday, which is only 3 days away, so I'll need to get Chirpy moved out into the chicken run before the new chicks hatch.
Sunday 26 February 2012
Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Chirpy is now 4 weeks old and has lost most of his chick down. He continues to grow and will soon need larger accommodation. He can barely fit under the Ecoglow heating pad, even on its highest setting! His comb is already quite pronounced, which would suggest that he is indeed a rooster.
The other chicks will be two weeks old tomorrow and have made amazing progress in the last week. As you'll see in the following photo, Sweep's wings and tail have feathered up really quickly and he has some black feathers on his right wing.
Blondie's feathers are growing much more slowly, and although you can't really see it from the following photo she is now just starting to grow some tail feathers. She did not like being separated from the other chicks when I took the photo and was really keen to get back to Sooty and Sweep.
Sooty is a real beauty. I still can't decide if Sooty is male or female, but for now I'll assume that she is female (wishful thinking I reckon!). When Sooty flaps her wings I've noticed that she has some white flight feathers, and as you can see from the following photo her tail is already well developed.
It's really nice having a selection of chicks, and it's been interesting to watch them as they grow and develop because being cross bred I'm really not sure how they will turn out.
I've not disturbed the prue Rhode Island Red eggs that are in the incubator at all, and have not even candled them to see if they are fertile, but I intend to check them some time within the next week. Fingers crossed that they will all contain healthy chicks!
The other chicks will be two weeks old tomorrow and have made amazing progress in the last week. As you'll see in the following photo, Sweep's wings and tail have feathered up really quickly and he has some black feathers on his right wing.
Blondie's feathers are growing much more slowly, and although you can't really see it from the following photo she is now just starting to grow some tail feathers. She did not like being separated from the other chicks when I took the photo and was really keen to get back to Sooty and Sweep.
Sooty is a real beauty. I still can't decide if Sooty is male or female, but for now I'll assume that she is female (wishful thinking I reckon!). When Sooty flaps her wings I've noticed that she has some white flight feathers, and as you can see from the following photo her tail is already well developed.
It's really nice having a selection of chicks, and it's been interesting to watch them as they grow and develop because being cross bred I'm really not sure how they will turn out.
I've not disturbed the prue Rhode Island Red eggs that are in the incubator at all, and have not even candled them to see if they are fertile, but I intend to check them some time within the next week. Fingers crossed that they will all contain healthy chicks!
Sunday 19 February 2012
Poultry in motion
Chirpy is now three weeks old and continuing to thrive. He is absolutely full of life and has lots of character. It's a real problem getting him to stand still long enough to take a photo! I had hoped that when the other chicks came along I might be able to put them all in together, but Chirpy is so much bigger than the other chicks this just isn't possible.
The new chicks are now 6 days old, and already showing some surprising differences. Blondie and Sweep, are very similar in their colouring, but Sweep's feathers have grown much faster and he/she already has the beginnings of a tail. Sweep is on the left in the following photo. The two chicks are very similar in size (even though the photo suggests that Sweep is considerable larger than Blondie).
I think the difference in feathering could be down to gender. I would guess that Sweep is possibly male and that Blondie if female, although it could be the other way around! Some Araucanas do not have tails and I'm wondering if this is the case with Blondie, but it's really too early to tell.
Sooty is also starting to grow some lovely black wing feathers. He/she is also showing the beginnings of a tail. I have really no idea if Sooty is male or female.
Out of the three new chicks, Sweep is the most boisterous, although Chirpy is still way out ahead as far as daredevil flying stunts are concerned! It's amazing how they all have their own little personalities.
I'll leave you with this charming photo of Sweep looking directly at the camera. I don't know what you think but I can really tell that there's a little bird brain behind those eyes wondering why I'm pointing that strange camera thing at him!
The new chicks are now 6 days old, and already showing some surprising differences. Blondie and Sweep, are very similar in their colouring, but Sweep's feathers have grown much faster and he/she already has the beginnings of a tail. Sweep is on the left in the following photo. The two chicks are very similar in size (even though the photo suggests that Sweep is considerable larger than Blondie).
I think the difference in feathering could be down to gender. I would guess that Sweep is possibly male and that Blondie if female, although it could be the other way around! Some Araucanas do not have tails and I'm wondering if this is the case with Blondie, but it's really too early to tell.
Sooty is also starting to grow some lovely black wing feathers. He/she is also showing the beginnings of a tail. I have really no idea if Sooty is male or female.
Out of the three new chicks, Sweep is the most boisterous, although Chirpy is still way out ahead as far as daredevil flying stunts are concerned! It's amazing how they all have their own little personalities.
I'll leave you with this charming photo of Sweep looking directly at the camera. I don't know what you think but I can really tell that there's a little bird brain behind those eyes wondering why I'm pointing that strange camera thing at him!
Wednesday 15 February 2012
Here we go again!
The final egg in the incubator was not showing any sign of hatching so I removed it today and gave the incubator a thorough cleaning before setting 7 more eggs. These are Rhode Island Red pure breed eggs I obtained from Emma on the NIPoultry forum. So the cycle of hatching starts again!
The three chicks that hatched on Monday are all doing well. They are all eating and drinking and are starting to show the first signs of feather growth.
Blondie (photo above) is just a little ball of fluff and is starting to grow some white wing feathers. Sooty (photo below) is a very attractive little chick and is starting to grow some black feathers. I note that his black colouring even extends to his feet.
Sweep (photo below) is just as fluffy as Blondie and is also showing some white feather growth. It's actually quite difficult to tell her apart from Blondie from some angles.
Finally, we must not forget about about Chirpy (photo below) who is now two and a half weeks old and is two or three times the size of the other little chicks. He is sprouting feathers all over and some of the new feathers have a more reddish colouring. He is extremely friendly and loves to get out of the brooder for a bit of fun. He is a bit of a dare-devil when it comes to flying and is fast as lightning!
The photo doesn't really show you just how much he has grown, but he certainly is looking much less chick-like now and much more like an adult hen. I have since read the line behind his eye indicates that he is male, and I've noticed that he has the beginnings of spurs on his legs. I hope he is still as friendly when he is a fully grown cockerel!
The three chicks that hatched on Monday are all doing well. They are all eating and drinking and are starting to show the first signs of feather growth.
Blondie (photo above) is just a little ball of fluff and is starting to grow some white wing feathers. Sooty (photo below) is a very attractive little chick and is starting to grow some black feathers. I note that his black colouring even extends to his feet.
Sweep (photo below) is just as fluffy as Blondie and is also showing some white feather growth. It's actually quite difficult to tell her apart from Blondie from some angles.
Finally, we must not forget about about Chirpy (photo below) who is now two and a half weeks old and is two or three times the size of the other little chicks. He is sprouting feathers all over and some of the new feathers have a more reddish colouring. He is extremely friendly and loves to get out of the brooder for a bit of fun. He is a bit of a dare-devil when it comes to flying and is fast as lightning!
The photo doesn't really show you just how much he has grown, but he certainly is looking much less chick-like now and much more like an adult hen. I have since read the line behind his eye indicates that he is male, and I've noticed that he has the beginnings of spurs on his legs. I hope he is still as friendly when he is a fully grown cockerel!
Monday 13 February 2012
Introducing our 3 new chicks
Only three of the five remaining eggs in the incubator have hatched today. I candled the other two eggs and one looks as if it is infertile - it certainly has not developed properly, so I removed it. The other egg looks to be well developed so I have left it in the incubatior to see if it will hatch. It may be that the embryo has died at a late stage in its development, but I'll give it another day or two to see if it starts to hatch.
"Blondie" (photo above) was first to hatch today, closely followed by "Sooty" (photo below) who had started to peck a hole in the shell of his egg yesterday morning, but took over 24 hours to emerge.
Finally "Sweep" (had to be really!) hatched this afternoon. She is quite similar to Blondie, but has a few little patches of grey here and there.
I recorded a video of Sweep emerging from her egg and have uploaded it to YouTube. You should be able to view it by clicking on the window below.
It will be interesting to see how the chicks final feather colouring relate to their initial colouring, but I expect that Blondie and Sweep will end up looking something like their Light Sussex mums and that Sooty will look like his Araucana father, in which case he'll be a very handsome fellow!
"Blondie" (photo above) was first to hatch today, closely followed by "Sooty" (photo below) who had started to peck a hole in the shell of his egg yesterday morning, but took over 24 hours to emerge.
Finally "Sweep" (had to be really!) hatched this afternoon. She is quite similar to Blondie, but has a few little patches of grey here and there.
I recorded a video of Sweep emerging from her egg and have uploaded it to YouTube. You should be able to view it by clicking on the window below.
It will be interesting to see how the chicks final feather colouring relate to their initial colouring, but I expect that Blondie and Sweep will end up looking something like their Light Sussex mums and that Sooty will look like his Araucana father, in which case he'll be a very handsome fellow!
Newly hatched chicks
Two chicks have hatched so far this morning, and a third is on its way. I'm not sure if the other two eggs are going to hatch - it is difficult to see clearly inside the incubator because of the condensation. The two newly hatched chicks are strikingly different in appearance!
One is blonde, and one is black. The breeding stock the eggs came from consisted of two Araucana roosters (one Black and one Lavender) and a mixture of Light Sussex and Rhode Island Red hybrid layer hens. The two chicks could be completely unrelated which would account for their very different appearance, or the difference could be down to one chick being male and the other female. I wonder what number 3 will look like!
One is blonde, and one is black. The breeding stock the eggs came from consisted of two Araucana roosters (one Black and one Lavender) and a mixture of Light Sussex and Rhode Island Red hybrid layer hens. The two chicks could be completely unrelated which would account for their very different appearance, or the difference could be down to one chick being male and the other female. I wonder what number 3 will look like!
Sunday 12 February 2012
More chicks hatching soon
Chirpy is now 2 weeks old, and growing visibly as each day goes by. He is starting to grow some tail feathers and feathers at the base of his wings. He has a very strong perching instinct and perches on my hand when I take him out of the brooder.
Chirpy is a very energetic little fellow and has flown clear out of the brooder more than once when I've had the lid off to change his drinker or give him some food. I still have the bottom of the brooder lined with pieces of fleece blanket, but I'm thinking that he could probably go on to wood shavings soon, although with his scraping ability there will be wood shavings everywhere!
He is soon to have company, although he will continue to have his own private brooder for now. Out of the 7 eggs in the incubator, I think 5 are going to hatch. I candled the eggs a couple of days ago and two of them (including the one I inserted when Chirpy hatched 2 weeks ago) were clear and did not contain an embryo. I removed the infertile eggs just in case they exploded, and also to give the hatching chicks a bit more room.
The chicks are due to hatch tomorrow (Monday) but already three eggs are starting to open and occasionally I can see a tiny beak poke out. I have the bottom of the incubator lined with paper towel in readiness, and have increased the humidity level by completely filling the water pot in the centre.
By this time tomorrow hopefully I'll have some fluffy new chicks. I've made another brooder and have it warming up ready for them, although they can stay in the incubator for up to 24 hours after hatching.
Chirpy is a very energetic little fellow and has flown clear out of the brooder more than once when I've had the lid off to change his drinker or give him some food. I still have the bottom of the brooder lined with pieces of fleece blanket, but I'm thinking that he could probably go on to wood shavings soon, although with his scraping ability there will be wood shavings everywhere!
He is soon to have company, although he will continue to have his own private brooder for now. Out of the 7 eggs in the incubator, I think 5 are going to hatch. I candled the eggs a couple of days ago and two of them (including the one I inserted when Chirpy hatched 2 weeks ago) were clear and did not contain an embryo. I removed the infertile eggs just in case they exploded, and also to give the hatching chicks a bit more room.
The chicks are due to hatch tomorrow (Monday) but already three eggs are starting to open and occasionally I can see a tiny beak poke out. I have the bottom of the incubator lined with paper towel in readiness, and have increased the humidity level by completely filling the water pot in the centre.
By this time tomorrow hopefully I'll have some fluffy new chicks. I've made another brooder and have it warming up ready for them, although they can stay in the incubator for up to 24 hours after hatching.
Tuesday 7 February 2012
From strength to strength
Little Chirpy, now 10 days old, continues to grow at an amazing rate. His wings are now well feathered and I can see his tail feathers just starting to grow. He is absolutely full of beans and a joy to watch. I lift him out of the brooder for a little run around sometimes and he is unbelievably fast on his feet. He can jump and fly a couple of feet or so, which is good fun for him but frightening for me to watch! He has taken to perching on top of the Ecoglow heater so I'm thinking of putting a little wooden perch in the brooder for him.
It's quite hard to know how much he is eating. I use a terracotta plant pot tray as a feeder and as soon as I give him a fresh tray of chick crumbs he gets into the tray and scrapes the chick crumbs out all over the floor of the brooder. The following photo was taken "mid scrape", only seconds after giving him a tray of fresh food.
I clean out the brooder and give him fresh food and water at least once a day. Quite a lot of chick crumbs were going to waste, so I put some of the "slightly used" crumbs in under a hedge for the wild birds to eat and they love them. Just as well I bought a 25kg bag!
I'm very sad to say that my sick Barnevelder hen passed away last night. I had hoped that she was on the mend, but she had become very weak and although she had a strong will to live she finally succumbed. She will be sadly missed.
It's quite hard to know how much he is eating. I use a terracotta plant pot tray as a feeder and as soon as I give him a fresh tray of chick crumbs he gets into the tray and scrapes the chick crumbs out all over the floor of the brooder. The following photo was taken "mid scrape", only seconds after giving him a tray of fresh food.
I clean out the brooder and give him fresh food and water at least once a day. Quite a lot of chick crumbs were going to waste, so I put some of the "slightly used" crumbs in under a hedge for the wild birds to eat and they love them. Just as well I bought a 25kg bag!
I'm very sad to say that my sick Barnevelder hen passed away last night. I had hoped that she was on the mend, but she had become very weak and although she had a strong will to live she finally succumbed. She will be sadly missed.
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