fallfallfall

Getting ready for winter, lots to do this time of year such as getting the coops winterized, fixing horse fence, weed whipping fence line, plasticing windows and cleaning up every outside that we don't want buried in snow. I have a list.

We lost some chicks last week, very sad, there were a couple smaller ones in the outdoor coop that got chilled and didn't make it, hazard of starting chicks so late in the year but still hard. Pretty sure my special Silkies and Marans will be inside for ages.

And getting ready for Halloween of course! Smooshy is supposed to be a dragon, I'm making his costume and so far have a bunch of sequins glued to a onesie. We have a Halloween party this weekend and are hosting another next weekend. Uhoh, I guess in a pinch he could be a disco ball.

Smooshy and I just got back from a super fun trip to Ohio, it was a girly trip + one little one, we had a great time adventuring and playing. Plus Mr. Mama and Big Son painted the kitchen while we were gone, hurrah!

It is Smooshy's Half Birthday today! I can't believe he is already six months, wow does time roar by.

chickchickchick

Our last batch of chicks hatched out!

Since I have had several successful batches of chicks, I thought I would do a little post on how I incubate. Successfully incubating eggs varies a lot depending on factors such as your climate and incubator. I am using a Little Giant Foam incubator, which works fine but I saw a comment online about incubators saying the foam incubators had to be watched like a naughty toddler by a swimming pool, which is funny and true because they require quite a bit of fiddling.

I aim to keep the temperature between 100 and 102 degrees, sometimes adjusting it multiple times a day. I have been using a dry hatch method (outlined here)  and it works well, although it can be difficult to keep the humidity low enough during our humid Michigan summers. I tried to keep the humidity around 40 to 45% for the first 18 days and around 65% during lockdown.

This forum has lots of helpful info on all thing chicken http://www.backyardchickens.com/f/5/incubating-hatching-eggs

I couldn't find the breeds I wanted so I bought Silkie and Copper Maran eggs online. My eggs came shipped to me through USPS,  I originally got 19 Silkie and 12 Copper Maran. I candled them at one week and again at 17 days, 10 Silkie and 6 Copper Maran eggs made it to lockdown.

This is how I set the eggs, I hand turn them twice a day about 12 hours apart. I mark them with a pencil, with an x on one side and the date on the other.

 We have two thermometers, a digital one I place on top of the eggs and a digital thermometer/hydrometer to monitor the humidity.  One thing I like about this incubator is the window on top makes it easy to see the temperature without opening it.

On day 18 the eggs go into lockdown, which means higher humidity and no turning. I increased the humidity to around 65% by adding water and arranged the eggs for hatching.

 We have pipping! after the chick pips it needs to rest, but soon it will hatch.

 I use an old metal incubator to dry them off, they need to be totally dry before they go in the brooder. With the high humidity in the incubator I find they dry quicker in here, Also the new chicks have a tendency to crash around and can disrupt the other eggs.You must be careful not to lower the humidity for the remaining hatching eggs if you take out the new chicks.

 cute little things, they are sooooooooo awkward at first.

 

  This is our brooder, they are on pelleted pine bedding,  the cover is to keep the cat and dog from messing with them. Since it is so late in the year they will need to be inside for a couple weeks, usually we let the chicks into the outdoor play cage around a week and a half to two weeks old.

 Closeup of a Silkie chick, they are kinda ridiculously cute

Yay for chicks :)