Baby Update

Autumn has hatched out 8 chicks (from the 12 eggs she was sitting on).  I still have 2 eggs of hers in the incubator just in case any of them will hatch but it was time to move Mom and babies out of the nesting box and onto the floor of the coop.  

 DC (the Dark Cornish hen) didn't want to sit on her eggs anymore once these babies started hatching. I kept finding her in Autumn's nest with her.  DC considers these to be her babies too.  So, these hens will be coparenting. They both seem happy with the arrangement.

This is the little guy that hatched in the incubator on the first day.

The moms started taking the babies outside when they were only 4 days old!

The chicks in the garage brooder (the 14 from the feed store + 2 late hatchers from Autumn's brood) are growing quickly. I've been feeding them mashed hard boiled egg from my hand each day in an effort to tame them.  They have learned quickly that an open hand holds treats!

Mavis's nest is due to hatch any time now and our incubator eggs are due to hatch Sunday/Monday! So much excitement and cuteness around here right now!

New Additions

Here's the little chick that hatched from the egg in the video. Isn't he/she cute?  I'm not sure what mix of breeds she is but she hatched from a light brown egg.

 I was able to tuck her under her momma last night and Autumn (the broody hen) accepted her without hesitation.


Now, the eggs in the incubator still have 9 days until they're due to hatch but I still have a full brooder in the garage.
Meet the 14 little chicks I got from the feed store yesterday!

Seven of these little girls (they're supposed to be all girls) are Barnevelders (layers of dark brown eggs) and seven of them are Ameraucanas (layers of blue/green eggs).   At only $2.50 per chick, I couldn't pass up the chance to add more colorful egg layers to our flock. 

 I'm hoping these little girls will play nicely with the new chicks that hatch from the incubator in 9 days.

It's like fluffy chick heaven around here.  If anyone would like to come meet the babies, just let me know!

Our First Babies Are Hatching!

Autumn's eggs weren't supposed to hatch until Sunday but I must have counted wrong because they're hatching today! I can hear peeping under her wing but I don't want to risk peeking because it may cause the other eggs to not hatch properly. I can't wait to see the babies!

I rescued one slightly cracked egg from her nest yesterday (before it started hatching) and put it in the incubator. It hatched today and I caught it on video. It was so exciting to watch!

The baby is drying off in the incubator and I'm hoping to reunite him/her with Autumn tonight while Autumn is sleeping (to make the transition easier).

The Chick Inside The Egg - Candling

Candling is the term for using a bright light and looking through an eggshell to check on the progress of a developing chick.  You can tell if the egg wasn't fertilized and there is only a yolk inside., you can tell if the embryo has died, and you can tell if the embryo is alive and doing well.

Unfortunately all of the Marans eggs (the dark brown eggs on the left) my sister shipped from Maryland were not fertile. The good news is that our eggs had a great fertility rate and we currently have 38 eggs with live embryos.

Here is a video I took the other morning while candling one of the white eggs (the easiest shell to see through).  If you look closely, you can see the embryo moving around. The darkest spot is the chick's eye.  Sorry about the loud crunching in the video. The dogs were eating breakfast.

Hopefully the hatch will go well and we'll have lots of chicks running around before long! Just 10 days to go!

Lots Of Babies On The Way??

Looks like we might have quite a few baby chicks at The Painted Hen soon! I'm so excited. Baby chicks and spring time seem to go hand in hand.  

 These three hens are all "broody"... meaning they are all sitting on nests. They only leave the nest once a day to eat and drink.  They pull out their stomach feathers to allow heat to get to the eggs.

From left to right we have D.C.(a Dark Cornish), Autumn (a Black Australorp), and Mavis (a Silver Spangled Hamburg).  The week of Mother's Day, their babies should hatch if all goes well.

Not content to let the hens have all the fun, I've borrowed an incubator from my neighbor and I'm trying my hand at hatching chicks.  My sister has a friend who has Marans hens. They lay the super dark brown eggs on the left.  She shipped me a dozen (hopefully fertilized) eggs in the mail. I'm really hoping I have good luck with them and I add a few hens to the flock that will lay dark eggs.

I've put 55 eggs in the incubator and if all goes well, we'll have chicks hatching around May 16th.

I'll be sure to post updates!

An Afternoon With The Chickens

 Last weekend I spent about 2 hours on a blanket, under a shady tree, watching the chickens look for bugs and eat the granola I tossed to them.  It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

 Matthew, our Buff Orpington rooster, knows how handsome he is.

 I caught him mid-crow.

 The hens wearing the saddles (to protect them while their feathers grow back in) are doing well and their saddles should be able to come off in the coming weeks.

 This is Sunny.  She's the only Red Star that I can tell from the others. Her feathers are lighter and a more even color.  She earned the name Sunny because she's crazy for sunflower seeds. She can hear the sound the bin makes when I open it and she comes running.  It's low to the ground and she can stretch her neck out and eat seeds from the bin while I toss a few handfuls out into the coop.

 Sophie is so unphased by the chickens that she'll take a nap as they wonder near us.  The chickens don't mind her either since they know she's not a threat.

Sophie even shares her water bowl with the hens.

Caring For Hens

It's not uncommon for hens to lose feathers on their backs due to mating by roosters.  A great way to protect these bald-backed hens while their feathers grow back is to fit them with a fabric "saddle".  

 I fit Popcorn with a saddle when her wound healed enough to rejoin the flock. This will further protect her wound and allow the feathers to grow back. I thought she looked pretty in flowers.

 I got busy with my needle and thread and sewed more saddles for the other bald-backed hens.  They look cute with their fabric capes.  They'll have to wear them for about a month.

 I found 2 other wounded hens (Peanut, a Silver Leghorn on the left) and Diana (a Blue Andalusian on the right).  I've clipped the spurs on my roosters and I'm hopeful that I've solved the problem of hens being wounded during mating.

 Peanut and Diana have been spending their time in a pen in the garage while their wounds heal but I wanted them to enjoy the nice weather and spring grass. I fashioned a play pen for them and have been toting them outside each day to spend a few hours enjoying grass and bugs.

 They're healing nicely so I'm hoping they'll rejoin the flock this weekend.

 The rest of the flock are enjoying the spring grass, longer days, and insects everywhere.  They're back to taking naps under the fig tree each afternoon.

Matthew and one of his hens tried to help me garden the other day before I shooed them out so they wouldn't' dig up my newly planted seeds.