Monday 26 March 2012

Spot the Cockerel

I am starting to think the development of tail feathers might be about to give the game away for the life expectancy of the males




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Saturday 24 March 2012

The Big Outdoors

It's a nice sunny day today and so I have put the chicks outside for an hour or so to see what they make of it. As you can hear, their peers had something to say about it.

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Sizing up to each other

They have really started sizing up to each other as you can see here! or maybe it was just the effect of the constant exposure to Radio 4

Slip Sliding Away

Ooopps ..................


Sunday 18 March 2012

Days 3-4

The rate of development with the chicks is really remarkable. They are all eating, drinking and pooing readily and all very active. In case you didn't know, chickens don't wee, it's all a combined process with them. Far easier in my opinion! We cleaned them out today, and because they keep clogging up their water with the wood shavings I have left them just on some newspaper for the moment. One immediately started scratching around on the floor like the adults do, and as you can see in the video, their feathers are already starting to appear. They can't go outside until they have their full plumage, so we are still some way off of that.





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Friday 16 March 2012

Sleeping Babies

ADORABLE with a capital 'A'



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This is it .....

There is always a downside to having pets, and yes, my chickens are very much my pets. From the 18 eggs that arrived in the post, we incubated 17, 11 of them looked promising after 19 days when we candled them. There were two that Thomas and Lizzie were not quite as sure as I was that they would not hatch ..... but I was right. So from the promising 11 we now have 7 robust and healthy chicks. 2 almost made it and whilst we heard definite signs of life, they didn't actually hatch, and two others were too weak to survive.

It's been a learning curve for us all, me for doing something I would never have really chosen to do, I'll let you work out what that is, and for the children to make some grown up decisions altogether about 'doing the right thing'. We are not out of the woods yet, because unless anyone has any useful suggestions about what to do with the boys, when we work out from their plumage and vocal ability exactly who they are, there are some more unpleasant deeds to be done in a few months time.

I hope you have enjoyed this exciting week with me, I will do it all again and probably later this year, but it will never be quite the same again, mainly because next time I will thankfully know what I am doing.

A HUGE thank you to @simonpickles who has been on the other end of the twitter & texting airwaves helping me in my moments of need.





Thursday 15 March 2012

Last but not least

Now there are just two eggs left to hatch. They are both very much alive and I can hear them both tweeting, particularly the one with the hole in the shell on the right. Apart from performing major egg surgery, which I am not about to do, I just have to leave nature to take its course ....... We will just have to wait and see


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Two on the move

I have now moved the two from the incubator to the brooder, but we stopped off en route for a photo call



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but not Thirsty!

There are only so many times even I can do the same thing over and over without anyone taking any notice of me ..........



Hungry

After a few tap tap tapping attempts, they seem to have got the message .....



Meanwhile ......

There are still two chicks from yesterday that I do not think are quite strong enough to move across to be shoved and bashed around in the brooder by their peers yet. The brown & black one was in the brooder for a short time yesterday but was clearly still too tired so back to the incubator it went. They can stay in the incubator for up to three days without food and water because of the air humidity and temperature regulation. They are up and about for short bursts and then are pretty much flat out for a few minutes before perking up again. The two remaining eggs you can see in the brooder are still very much alive to my surprise. I had heard one of them 'pipping' away inside the egg yesterday, but today they are both positively tweeting. I had thought all the action was over but am hoping there may be a couple more deliveries later today. Watch this space ..............

No. 1 - 6

Six of my newly hatched chicks are now in the brooder huddling under the heater. They don't seem keen on eating and drinking yet, and I won't feel completely happy until they do. They are very VERY cute, as you can see .........




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Wednesday 14 March 2012

A New Home For No.1

After almost 18hrs of life in the incubator, I moved No.1 into its luxury chick brooder to make some space for those yet to hatch. It managed to jump out the basket and off the chair before I had got as far as the brooder. Once in the brooder it managed to escape within about 2 mins! I know it's meant for a rabbit house, but you think the little rascal might show a little appreciation. Let's hope it grows soon and then it won't be able to fit between the bars and escape.

No.5 ALIVE

So much for the race between 4&5, this little one ended up being No.5 quite out of the blue. Meanwhile we wait patiently for the 'Was to be No.5 but now to be No.6' to arrive.


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A yellow friend for No.1

A slightly less trampled delivery for No.4. It almost seemed to be level pegging between No.4 and the one I think will be No.5 as you can see.

Sleeping it off

They regularly collapse
exhausted.


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Trampled to Life

I can't help but think that No.1 had a fairly slow but nevertheless peaceful entry into the world, having just watched No.1 & No.2 trample all over No.3 literally as it was hatching. Then in their enthusiastic sibling welcome, immediately start pecking at its damp feathers and dipping into the left over nutrients in its open shell.

YouTube Video

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Take 2 ..........

I have had to manage the filming of No.2 single handedly, as the Lighting and Sound engineers are asleep in bed. Surprising how much simpler these tasks can be when there are less chiefs around. Nevertheless, they will be sorry they were asleep on the job.

YouTube Video

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And then there were TWO

The single child syndrome was to be short lived when along came No.2 ..... While I was asleep. It's dark, LOUD and already being hen pecked!


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Tuesday 13 March 2012

No.1 Chick on the move

Having watched paint dry ..... Egg hatching .... Same Thing! ...... All day, thankfully, No.1 Chick waited til the three of us were home and poised to witness this momentous occasion. I would not have missed it for the world, and I am sure Thomas and Lizzie would say the same. The chick was a lot pinker than I had imagined it would be, and it was quite difficult leaving it to stumble around, all of which is perfectly normal, I am reassured by my No.1 Chicken Twitter Friend @SimonPickles

Light, Camera, Action ....

Light (Thomas), Sound (Lizzie Shhhhh), Camera (Mum), ACTION ................

The Vigil ........

Our long vigil is over, No.1 chick is completely hatched and awaiting some company from its friends and siblings, as we are too.

First Tweet

I just heard the first 'tweet tweet' from the first one to crack. It's all a bit like watching paint dry, I'm not sure I thought they might take quite as long as they are to appear once the 'cracking' had started. The first crack in the shell appeared on this one about 12hrs ago and this is as far as it has got, but it's lifting the lid on its little world just enough for me to hear its tweets. It has some way to go to match my tweet count though!

Cracked It !

Its been a LONG 21 days, waiting, waiting, waiting, a bit of candling, and a lot more waiting for my 17 eggs, which have turned into 11 hopefuls and 2 doubtfuls, to start to hatch.

Nevertheless the first crack has appeared. I dare not risk going to bed tonight in case of further action, after all this waiting, waiting, waiting, a bit of candling, and a lot more waiting, I don't want to miss a single second.