Good news / Bad news Bad news first one day last week found one dead hen on the ground stiff. She was named Brownie dgd still talks about her a week later. Figured that Brownie must have been older than we thought when we bought her. On the bright side one less to cull as this one was not laying.
Now for the
good news. Last week after I forgot and left the light on all night found a green egg with thin shell wondered what was up with that until it dawn on me that the other hen that is and Easter Egger [EE] that lays green eggs might have started laying again. So I kept a close eye on her since then especially yesterday and she's been very interested in the coop nest box. Sure enough I saw the other [ee] Named butterscotch the brown one scamper out and we found a green egg, later another green egg in a diff. nest box Marshmellow the white hen was in that green egg was warm being freshly laid. The family is happy b/c she seems to be a favorite for them. Other hens were around waiting their turn for the favorite top nesting box.
On Tues. 2-19 The first chicks of the season arrived at the farm store in town. I called around and could not get the one breed we had decided on
with out doing a special order. So got all Rhode Island Reds I was going to wait but the grand kids will be here more this month because of extra granny duty so I got ten chicks. Have not done that before we had them when I was a kids but folks did most of that work with those.
I put up a
light
aka heat lamp, got out the feeder and waterer I had from the failed attempt at hatching them last fall. They are in a plastic tote in the basement for now and that seems to be working out great. The family all takes turns "checking on the chicks" and watching them. It's fun to watch them.
They will not be going outside yet maybe in a week or so as it's in the 30*s at night and we need to move the nesting boxes out and get the coop set up like a brooder. Another first for us. So far the chicks are less work than I thought they would be yea for that!
I need to get a top for this bin or as hubby said that is a great time to move them outside when they start getting out of the tote.
Hoping to put some of these we raise in the freezer. Will be culling the older hens in the fall.