Chickens are said to be the gateway animal into the farming/homesteading lifestyle. We started with ducks, but chickens weren't far behind. Once you have them, it's hard to imagine life without them. Momma is definitely the matriarch of our flock, she's the boss and everyone knows it. I wanted to shine the spotlight on Momma because of her age, … [Read more...]
First Cochin Chick
Our first Cochin chick has hatched in the incubator, so far only one out of the five eggs have hatched, not a great hatch rate again. Since there is only one so far I decided to try to have one of the Dorking hens adopt the chick, this is the first time that I am trying this. The timing is right since the Dorking had been sitting on duck eggs … [Read more...]
The Missing Hen & Simplifying
A few weeks ago I mentioned that we were missing one of our Dorking hens, and how I thought she was sitting on a nest somewhere. Well this morning I was moving some extra lumber around at the back of the coop, and I saw some tail feathers sticking out. There she is sitting on a nest. We should have chicks in the next few weeks, not exactly … [Read more...]
Ducks in the Bathtub
This week has been busy and I haven't had a chance to write as much as I'd like, but life has been happening. We have been busy with commitments off the homestead, so our garden is in desperate need of some weeding, I hope to get to it this week. Everything is coming up well and we have spinach, chard, radishes and herbs ready to eat. The … [Read more...]
Mean Mother Hen
As of yesterday, one of our Dorking hens has decided to abandon her chicks. Her chicks aren't day old's that will not survive without her, they are more than a few weeks old. We have seen that they have slowly been wandering farther and farther from her during the day. It was still shocking to see yesterday that she wanted nothing to do with … [Read more...]
They Are Here!
Obviously I don't know how to count. I was expecting these beauties later this week, but I went out yesterday evening to close the coop door and there they were. Momma is doing a great job of keeping everyone together and everyone else away, but I moved them to the small box until I can get the big one set up sometime today. So far there are 5 … [Read more...]
Life this Week
It has been a pretty BLAH week here weather wise. It has been cold and rainy with some snow flurries thrown in. Not a lot has been done in the garden this week, because of all the rain it is still flooded. My seeds have started sprouting, Yay! I was a bit worried with the cold temperatures and snow in the … [Read more...]
Chicks!
With the beautiful weather we have been busy outside. I've gotten some of the fence that needed to be moved done, some of my plants started. It's still wet in the garden, so I can't get into it yet, hopefully next week. Today I went with my sister on a little road trip to go pick up some chicks. Lori has gotten four more chicks to add to her … [Read more...]
Letting Broody Hens Sit – A Guide to Hatching Chicks
Every spring we let some of our hens sit. This year I only have one hen that has gone broody. That's fine as I need the other's to keep laying for the table. We do not have an incubator and have always used the 'old fashioned' way to hatch out both chicks and ducklings. To encourage at least one hen to go broody we will watch for … [Read more...]