Chicks hatching like crazy.

[helomech]

We hatched out over 50 chicks in the last few weeks, sold 15 of them, for 3 bucks each and moved all the rest from the broody hen house into the chicken coupe tonight. Reason we moved them out is because we have 4 more broody hens, had to put them in the broody hen house, and didn't want the chicks disturbing them. I seems to snap them out of being broody sometimes. Counting the chicks we are up to 76 chickens right now, plus about 15 eggs in incubator that are looking good (candled them tonight) 8 duck eggs, and 8 goose eggs. Getting more goose eggs tomorrow also. And we have about 50 eggs under the broody hens.

Oh and our chickens are not even a year old yet.

[LUNCHBOX]

Congrats on your hatchings. Always good to hear someone bringing in some new ones. I have a dozen in a new chick box around 6 weeks old.

[GunnerMax]

Pictures or it didn't happen:cool:

[Sniper-T]

sounds like your chickens are sluts!

'jus sayin'

;)

[helomech]

LMAO chickens sluts.

Going get a pic in a bit.

[helomech]

I found out it is impossible to get all the chicks in one pic.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/20120313_112638.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/20120313_112644.jpg

We had 4 inches of rain this week and the top of my chicken run collapsed from the water that got stuck on top of the tarps. So I rebuilt the top, and added some height to it. Not pretty, but it is better than before. You can also see the new rabbit cages we built in this pic. Going pick up a male as soon as the latches come in for these cages.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/20120312_180641.jpg

[Sniper-T]

yeah... those hens look pretty suspect! be watchful.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m154/Gibs15/Chicken_Slut.jpg

Awesome set up, Helo, Looks great!

[helomech]

Thanks sniper.

[bacpacker]

I love the chicken run. Sounds like your having great luck with raising young ones.

[helomech]

Thanks bacpacker. The tarp was an afterthought. Was going to leave it with just wire on top, but the rabbits needed a cover so we put the tarp up.

[Taz Baby]

Helomech are your chicks?

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s320x320/561986_261445567277865_100002372712416_580745_9045 7105_n.jpg

[helomech]

LMAO, heck yeah

[Taz Baby]

I thought this would be the place for this story. It is so cute and you might even have a little peep in your bunch. From another peeper mom and dad. (not me)


So I incubated a small batch of eggs in a homemade incubator and ended up with one little peep in the end. Since I started another batch right away, I wanted to hold off on getting him a little friend. I even gave him a little stuffed animal to hold him over.
Two afternoons ago I went to clean out the little guy's brooder and move him to a bigger one. I took out all of the stuff (water dish, food bowl, stuffed animal, thermometer, etc.) And I placed all of it in the bigger brooder ...Or so I THOUGHT I did.

That little peep threw a fit the moment I placed him back in his new brooder. He continuously peeped at a very high pitch and was jumping around, just plain old freaking out.
We tried everything from taking him out and trying to keep him company, warming him up, and all the way to putting him back in his old brooder. NOTHING. So we figured he just went mental.
This went on all throughout the night too, poor thing didn't get a wink of sleep. And poor us. Had to sleep all the way on the other side of the house and could still hear him clear as day.
We were puzzled.
The next morning I just sat there and thought. There had to be something I could do to fix this. And then it hit me.
His little thermometer. I never put it back in. I had put it in my incubator when I changed his brooder just to check and see if my other thermometer was reading correctly.
So I grabbed it out of the incubator and put it back in the brooder. SILENCE. He went right over to it, laid down, and fell asleep.



The little peep and his thermometer.
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/8/8f/548x575px-LL-8f9e7bdf_425174_247679705318111_100002282506301_55 8399_639327269_n_crop.jpeg