The silkies moved out today into the ChickNBarn and attached run. They are SOOOO happy to have room to stretch and run and scratch. I think they will be fine with the temps. They definately are not having any problems with the 52 degrees we have right now! I've put a heat lamp into the barn where they will go at night to give them a little extra warmth while they adjust to the outdoors.
My only concern at this point is little Hoppy. I'll have to watch her closely over the next few days to make sure she is eating and drinking and is able to maneuver around the coop. Cross your fingers for her! One thing is already sure - she is able to get around a LOT easier on the ground than in the shavings of the brooder, so that is a good sign! In my last post, I mistakenly said they were seven weeks old. Actually, they have just passed the six week mark. It just FELT like an eternity that they were in the brooder here in my office!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
All I wanted for Christmas WAS....
My girls have let me down....no eggs for Christmas. Sigh. Well, there's always next week, I suppose! Either that, or it's dumplings for New Years! I'm just kidding of course...
In other news Santa brought me my outdoor webcam for Christmas, so now I can broadcast either live video of the outdoor pen OR the indoor brooders!
The Silkies are 7 weeks old now, and need to go outside SOON! Since the weather man is calling for well above freezing temps over the next week, tomorrow may be moving day for them. I know they will be very happy to get out of their cramped brooder! My only worry is Little Hoppy. She is still only about half the size of the others, but is growing stronger and much better at getting around now. I suppose I can always try moving them out and if it doesn't work out, they can come back in.
The new babies turned one week old today! They are already getting their wing feathers coming in and it won't be long before I have to put the lid over the brooder to keep them from flying all over the house. They are so cute!
In other news Santa brought me my outdoor webcam for Christmas, so now I can broadcast either live video of the outdoor pen OR the indoor brooders!
The Silkies are 7 weeks old now, and need to go outside SOON! Since the weather man is calling for well above freezing temps over the next week, tomorrow may be moving day for them. I know they will be very happy to get out of their cramped brooder! My only worry is Little Hoppy. She is still only about half the size of the others, but is growing stronger and much better at getting around now. I suppose I can always try moving them out and if it doesn't work out, they can come back in.
The new babies turned one week old today! They are already getting their wing feathers coming in and it won't be long before I have to put the lid over the brooder to keep them from flying all over the house. They are so cute!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
The New Batch of Chicks has Hatched!
The school hatching project wrapped up this week. I've had such a blast with this whole project from start to finish - from the beginning working with the kids each week, to the final hatch that I was able to share with everyone through the wonders of the internet! My friends at BYC ooh'd and ah'd through the hatching process as it was captured on my webcam. I've moved the cam to the brooder now - you can watch the little guys running around being cute!
Final tally...15 Barred Rocks went in the bator - 13 made it through to day 18 and all 13 hatched. They were lively and strong from the minute I could candle them - not to mention they were packed expertly! Thank you thank you Lisa for sending such wonderful eggs!!
Final hatch % on those - 87%
14 Buff Orpington eggs started - Those eggs were well packed and arrived safely, but were an interesting mix of sizes and colors and porosity. From the start, they did not look as lively as the BRs when candled, and always seemed to be a day behind in development. 12 made it through to day 19 - but 2 of those were iffy - showed development, but no movement, but figured I'd leave them just in case. Of those 12, 7 hatched on their own, and #8 hatched with a lot of help. So, 8 of 12 there - 75%. I feel sure 3 of the bunch would not have been able to completely hatch with out help, but of the 3, 2 of them looked good. Unfortunately the last BO that needed the most help was just too weak and passed away later that same day.
I really can't remember anything in a long time that I got this excited about. Best of all, I got to share the action with the kids in Andrew's class AND the gang at BYC. I took two of the eggs that were close to hatching to the school on Wednesday, and the kids got to see one emerging from the shell - a moment I'm sure many of them will not forget! I really needed something like this to end a rather difficult year on a positive note!
Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!!
PS...In case you missed the hatch....here's a video of one of them hatching out - watching them come of the eggs never gets old - what a miracle and symbol of God's grand design and renewal of life.
Final tally...15 Barred Rocks went in the bator - 13 made it through to day 18 and all 13 hatched. They were lively and strong from the minute I could candle them - not to mention they were packed expertly! Thank you thank you Lisa for sending such wonderful eggs!!
Final hatch % on those - 87%
14 Buff Orpington eggs started - Those eggs were well packed and arrived safely, but were an interesting mix of sizes and colors and porosity. From the start, they did not look as lively as the BRs when candled, and always seemed to be a day behind in development. 12 made it through to day 19 - but 2 of those were iffy - showed development, but no movement, but figured I'd leave them just in case. Of those 12, 7 hatched on their own, and #8 hatched with a lot of help. So, 8 of 12 there - 75%. I feel sure 3 of the bunch would not have been able to completely hatch with out help, but of the 3, 2 of them looked good. Unfortunately the last BO that needed the most help was just too weak and passed away later that same day.
I really can't remember anything in a long time that I got this excited about. Best of all, I got to share the action with the kids in Andrew's class AND the gang at BYC. I took two of the eggs that were close to hatching to the school on Wednesday, and the kids got to see one emerging from the shell - a moment I'm sure many of them will not forget! I really needed something like this to end a rather difficult year on a positive note!
Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!!
PS...In case you missed the hatch....here's a video of one of them hatching out - watching them come of the eggs never gets old - what a miracle and symbol of God's grand design and renewal of life.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Here's what's happening lately....
The silkies will be FOUR weeks old tomorrow...and they had their first outing into the big outdoors last Saturday. There are not many days in December that hit over 70 degrees, and so the nice afternoons are not to be wasted when there are baby chicks ready to explore the big world. Even Hoppy got into the fun, pecking at the fresh grass that has regrown since the big girls graduated out of the ChickNBarn/Run. Since it was another nice afternoon today, they got another couple of hours out in the warm sun. I think it made them grow even faster!
I'm watching the big girls intently now for signs they are getting ready to start giving us some eggs. Their combs and wattles are getting much redder now, and we're waiting every day for the 'egg squat' that indicates they are getting close. Since they will be 20 weeks old on Christmas, my new favorite Christmas song is 'All I want for Christmas is a fresh laid egg....'.
Finally, I just wanted to leave you with a picture of one of the babies. He is very interested in this computer thing, and wants to know why HIS picture is not at the top of the blog page...
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