Easter chicks :)

We woke up this morning to the cheeping of a little Buff Pekin chick in the incubator :), We now have 4 hatched: 1 Buff Pekin, 1 Red Pekin, 1 Cuckoo Pekin and one other which I will get to in a minute!. At the last count there were 13 pipped, so looks to be well on target for 15 chicks out of 20 eggs.







Now, back to that other chick. Question for you. When is a Silver Sebright NOT a Silver Sebright?

Answer: When it has five toes and black skin!.

Yes, our Sebright egg, is obviously a left over from our girls previous home, as she's not been in any birds other than our Silver Sebright boy since we had them. I thought this was his, as the previous incubation had a clear Sebright egg in it. So, essentially, we have a Sebright x Silkie (silver laced Silkie or Silkbright anyone?) :)...We'll just have to see what it grows into

Call Duck eggs aren't fairing too well, I think the temperature on the incubator was way too low for the first week or so. I opened one egg up today and the chick was alive, but hadn't absorbed any of the yolk, needless to say, it sadly died not long after :(. One egg looks dead and the other one has movement in it, so now I've put it in with the chicks hatching in incubator 2 and will give it a few more days.

Another sad note: Our Blue Pekin cockerel was dead this morning, he had a bit of a purple comb, so it could indicate heart trouble. Anyway, we sold our Cuckoo Pekin girls last night, so the Cuckoo cockerel has been given a reprieve for a while and is in with the 2 blue girls.

Poland laid an egg and we're on course for easter chicks :)

Our Poland girl laid an egg today, although I'm not sure if it's the first one?, You see, one of our Silver Partridge Pekin hens had a habit of jumping over the fence into the Polands pen and I
've found eggs in there twice before, so assumed they were hers as both days we found the eggs, the Pekin had been in there. But now that Silver Partridge Pekin has been sold and there was an egg in the Polands house :)

Sold the Legbars today, so have had a move around again. Now we have the Silkies in the pen the Light Sussex Bantams were in and the Sablepoots in the Legbars former pen. I've also moved the 3 Wyandotte bantams into a double hutch and now have the 8 week old and 10 week olds together in the bigger growers house, leaving a double hutch free for the next lot to be moved outside in a week or two.

Easter chicks are on there way with a few of the eggs in incubator 2 internally pipped and a bit of cheeping. 2 of the Call Duck eggs have also internally pipped, so fingers crossed for chicks and ducklings tomorrow :)

Still quite with eggs, today we have had
1 Red Pekin
1 Buff Pekin
1 Cuckoo Pekin
1 Friesian Fowl
1 White Crested Poland

At the moment I have over 50 eggs to decide which ones to put in incubator 2 after the hatch, might even be able to squeeze them all in there.

Hurry up ducklings!

Slight progress from the Call Duck eggs, there is now bulging in the membrane into the
air sac, so looks like they are trying to internally pip. The one I made a hole in is still going strong too, so just gotta be patient a little longer.

I cleaned out the brooders and a few houses today including the duck house, where I put a small crate to use as a nest box, put 8 eggs in there (did have 9, but one was damaged), so hopefully, it'll be more appealing and one of the girls will sit on the eggs soon.

We have sold a few Pekins today and the Light Sussex Bantams. So have moved the Silkies into the House the Light Sussex were in. We still plenty more to go in preparation for our move at the end of May.

On the egg front, today we have had.

1 Cuckoo Pekin
1 Silver Partridge Pekin
1 Buff Pekin
1 Lavender Pekin
1 Black Mottled Pekin
1 Friesian Fowl
1 Call Duck

Rubbish day for eggs. Incubator 2 on lock down

If I may say so myself, today as been total crap for eggs, seems like most of our girls fancied the day off. All We've managed is 1 Call Duck, 1 Red Pekin, 1 Lemon Cuckoo Pekin and 1Buff Pekin.....That's it!!!. 39 Girls and 4 poxy eggs!

On another note though, incubator 2 is now on lock down, ready for the hatch on Sunday. 2 eggs look like they've died, but the other 21 look fine, so we'll see. I think I'll be happy with 15 from this hatch. Still not much progress with the Call Duck eggs, although I did make a hole in one of them this morning to see what is going on and there is movement, so at least they're not dead! I've checked again about half an hour ago and the one with the hole is still alive :) I just have to be patient and keep an eye on them.

Again, it's been another day where I've not been out much with the birds, although the bloody ducks have been giving me a head ache today. Over the last couple of days, they've discovered next doors garden, so I've had to jump over the fence to get them. In the end I got fed up, so last time I got them, I put them in with the Turkeys, then when I put them to bed this evening, I trimmed their wings a bit more, so hopefully that will put paid to their little excursions tomorrow..If that fails, then they'll have to be in with the Turkeys until we move (the new house has a 6 foot fence all the way around it, whereas here, we only have a 3 foot fence on one side)

I have finished and uploaded my wife's website, I'm pretty pleased with it. Feel free to take a look at http://www.charmainmariemitchell.com

Another lot of growers moved outside

Another cold day here, but I have moved some 7-8 week olds out form the shed into a double hutch.There is 5 Welsummer Bantams, 1 Legbar, 1 Red Shouldered Yokohama, 2 Buff Pekin and  1 Cuckoo Pekin. They all seem happy enough in there and they'll stay in there until they're either sold or move up to the next stage (around 12 weeks) when they'll be moved into a bigger house and run. Been busy finishing off my wife's website today, and just waiting for a bit of writing from her for the finishing touches, then, if all goes to plan, it'll be online and going live tomorrow sometime.

I've checked the Friesian Fowl and Sebright eggs in incubator 1 and still not sure on a couple of them, but 3 Friesian Fowl were definately clear and rattling, so they're now in the bin. I need to get some new batteries for the candler as it's just about doing a job, but nowhere near as bright as it should be. Nothing on the Call Duck eggs yet, today is day 25 and last check (around 2pm) there was no sign of internal pipping, fingers crossed we'll get at least a couple of hatch.

The eggs we've had today are:

1 Black Mottled Pekin
1 Lavender Pekin
1 Silver Partridge Pekin
1 Buff Pekin
1 Lemon Cuckoo Pekin
1 White Pekin
1 Red Pekin
1 Cuckoo Pekin
1 Friesian Fowl
1 Legbar
and 2 Call Duck

I have kept the call duck eggs in their nest this time to see if either girl will sit on them, at the moment, there's 7 eggs in there.

Man flu still lingering, but fighting through it

Still not feeling too good, but did manage to get some work done today. I have sold th
e young Old English Game pullets, so have cleaned their house out ready to put my 7 week olds in tomorrow, have also done the round of brooder cleaning.

I have also decided for definite which birds I will be selling, so have photographed them and will be putting listings on the sale sites tonight for the individual colours etc. I have decided to keep the following

Lavender Pekin
Buff Pekin
Millifluer Pekin
Yokohama Bantam
Lemon Millifluer Sablepoots
White Silkies
Silver Sebrights
and 3 or 4 Serama if my chicks are the right sexes for me

Of course, we're keeping all the ducks and turkeys too.

I also have some work to do for my wife over the next few days, as her anthology is nearing completion, I need to make amendments to the website and help with the marketing. Of course, we also have to get the website online, which I am hoping to do on Thursday.In the meantime, if you want to find out more about my wife's writing, please visit her blog at: http://charmainmitchell.blog.co.uk/ Even if I do say so myself, her stories are extremely chilling :)

grrrr man flu, and candling results

Well, apart from letting the chickens out and putting them to bed yesterday, I spent the day in bed with man flu!. Not much better today either, but can't keep laying in bed, so I have been out and cleaned out a few houses this morning and also had to wire brooder 1, as the little Serama chicks discovered that they could fit through the bars, so have now put a stop to that thanks to some small holed chicken wire :).

Have candled incubator 1 and am pleased to say that all the White Pekin eggs are fertile, and 1 of the Friesian Fowl, the other Friesian Fowl eggs look clear, so I'll give them a couple more days. The Sebright egg also looks clear, but other than that, everything else is developing. I also candled the Call Duck eggs in incubator 3 and all 12 are fertile :) Hopefully the first 4 Call Duck eggs will hatch this week :)

On the egg front, it's still very up and down, but did get a Legbar egg yesterday, Black Mottled Pekin, Red Pekin, Friesian Fowl, Old English Game Bantam, Gold Partridge, Buff and Cuckoo Pekins.

Already had a White Pekin and Lavender Pekin today.

All change at the Horndean Hens brooder merrygoround

Well, I say no rain today, it chucked it down overnight and the garden was more of a swamp then ever...in some places the puddles came up to my ankles!. I have managed to get a lot done today though, have cleaned out the Sebrights, Red Pekins, most of the brooders and have moved the youngsters around, so now the 8 week olds are outside in a double rabbit hutch, the 6 week olds are in a hutch in the shed without heat and the 4 week olds are in brooder 3 (which has a ceramic heat lamp). I have cleaned out and disinfected brooder 2 and the cage I plan on using for the ducks and now having a well deserved cup of coffee :)

At the moment, I have no plans for tomorrow as I'm on top of everything now, so might be able to have a quiet day indoors.

On the egg front we've had so far today:
1 Red Pekin
1 Buff Pekin
1 Gold Partridge Pekin
1 Lavender Pekin
1 White
1 Lemon Cuckoo Pekin
1 Silver Partridge Pekin
1 Old English Game Bantam
1 Yokohama Bantam
1 Call Duck

I shall candle the eggs in incubator 1 and 3 (the call duck eggs) tomorrow, so fingers crossed that the White Pekin and Friesian Fowl are fertile this time.

More sodding rain, more of a lake in the garden and the more I want to hurry up and move

We've had a nice afternoon of rain. After a dry morning, the rain thought it would come back and top up the standing water in the garden, much more of this, then I'll need a dinghy to see to the chickens!!!. The problem we have with our garden is that is set on tightly pack hard clay, so drainage is terrible. The area we are moving to is on chalk, so should be a lot more free draining and besides, all the pens will be covered and there'll be a proper path, not a mud track

I did manage to clean the Silkies out today, just before the rain came and put paid to me cleaning out the Red Pekins and Legbars.

Sold 4 of the growers today, so now left with just one large fowl and a Silver Campine cockerel, so I will have a sort out tomorrow, so I can put my 7 week olds outside, 5 week olds in to the hutch than the 7 weeks old are currently in, which will leave a brooder free for the next hatch (due on Easter Sunday), the first Call Duck hatch is due next Thursday, but there is only 4 eggs and I will have them in the cage I got a few weeks ago with a 60w  fire glow bulb.

The Welsummer bantams in the 5 week old's brooder are coming on very nicely, I'm pretty sure it's 4 girls and 1 boy, so very happy with that :)

Back to the crappy rain again :(

The garden is a swamp again, it just started to dry out last week, then we had rain and it's a mud bath, that had just started to clear up and now we have more rain and it's a mud bath again. To be honest, I can't wait to move so I can go out to the chickens without wellies on!...

Sorted out some of the 4-5 week olds today and cleared out 8 cockerels. There is still a couple in there I'm unsure about, but rather spend a couple more weeks growing them on to find out rather than risk culling a pullet by mistake.

Not really been able to get out much again today, but weather permitting, I plan on cleaning a lot of the houses tomorrow.

The 3 remaining kittens are doing well and turning into little puddings, mum is performing her job wonderfully as usual too :)

More duck eggs set and incubator 1 fully loaded

Put 12 Call Duck eggs in incubator 3 this morning, so it now has 16 Call Duck eggs in it :). I have also set incubator 1 again with the following eggs:










5 Lemon Cuckoo Pekin
2 Lavender Pekin
4 Cuckoo Pekin
4 Red Pekin
4 White Pekin
3 Buff Pekin
5 Silver Partridge Pekin (Buff or Gold Partridge cockerel)
3 Gold Partridge Pekin
3 Yokohama Bantams
1 Silver Sebright
5 Friesian Fowl

Lets hope the Friesian Fowl and White Pekins are fertile this time. The eggs are due to hatch on April 10th

Not really had much time outside today, as I have been busy indoors, I have advertised the birds we are parting with, you can find the advert here: http://www.friday-ad.co.uk/waterlooville/farming-and-livestock-for-sale/chickens/chicken-breeders/various-pure-breed-YI308L6G3

Still haven't decided 100% which groups of Pekins to keep, but I do know that we're definately keeping the Lavenders and a mixed group (not sure which cockerel(s) yet, and am thinking possibly the Millifluers?

I plan on sorting out the brooders for the 4 and 6 week olds tomorrow and clear out any cockerels.

The end of Horndean Hens and the beginning of Petersfield Poultry?

Today, we have agreed a move to Petersfield, as it will be a much better place for the children. I'll have roughly the same space as I have here for the chickens, but with new neighbours etc, we thought that we'll have to keep the breeding groups down and focus more on hatching and raising, so I've now got the following breeding groups available:

Pair of Cream Legbars
Pair of Light Sussex Bantams
Quartet of Old English Game Bantams
Pair of Friesian Fowl
Pair of White Crested Polish Bantams
A Few of our Pekin groups (haven't decided on what colours to keep yet)

So we will be left with

3 Groups of Pekins (possibly one mixed, one lavender and one other colour)
Yokohama Bantams
Silver Sebrights
White Silkies
Lemon Millifluer Sablepoots
Call Ducks
Mandarin Ducks
Norfolk Black Turkeys


And I've got some Serama chicks, that I hope to keep a trio or quartet.
So if anyone is interested in any of the birds we've got available, the please email mike@horndeanhens.co.uk



I've also decided to set incubator 1 again tomorrow, only one more hatched over night and the other seven eggs haven't progressed, so I'd guess they're DIS, I'll leave them til the morning to see. I'll have to make sure I give the incubator a very good clean tomorrow rather than just wiping it with a detol wipe as this could be why we had so many DIS'. I've got about 50 eggs to choose from to put in there tomorrow, so I'll have to decided which ones to put in. I'm also putting the Call Duck eggs we have into the Duck incubator (incubator 3), we have 10 so far and maybe another tomorrow. Being a manual turn, I don't see a problem with doing this when I already have some in there that are due to hatch next week.

Incubator 1 hatch day 2

13 chicks out so far, 11 Pekin, 1 Light Sussex Bantam and 1 Yokohama bantam, still 7 or 8 eggs in the incubator.

The cat ended up having 4 kittens, and as we suspected the second kitten sadly died shortly after my post last night. She has 3 strong healthy girls though, all of them and their mother are doing fine.

More spring cleaning today, so not had much chance to do stuff outside, not that I'm missing anything with all the wet and muddy crap in the garden!. I do  need to get out and clean the brooders out tomorrow along with the Black Mottled Pekin, Lavender Pekin, Silkies, Sablepoots and Call Ducks.

Sold 2 hybrids today, so we are now left with 3 Black Rocks. On the egg front, been very quiet again, off the top of my head, we've had
1 Yokohama Bantam
1 Buff Pekin
1 Red Pekin
1 Cuckoo Pekin
1 Black Rock (but that doesn't count)

I also checked the eggs I wasn't sure about in incubator 2 and sadly all our White Pekins were clear, so was our Friesian Fowl :(

Babies, babies everywhere

 The first chick has hatched in incubator 1, a Light Sussex bantam, quite a few others are pipped. Our cat Gypsy is also in the process of giving birth at the moment, she's had 2 kittens so far, but the second one looks very weak and I'd be surprised if it makes it through the night. Have been very busy indoors having a spring clean today, so not really been out with the birds much. I have managed to sell quite a few today though, so the accounts are looking healthy  enough to not worry about feed costs for the rest of the month.





We also have some 1 year old Black Rocks for sale at £10 each, if anyone is interested please email me at mike@horndeanhens.co.uk

Sale day didn't happen for us :(

My wife has been suffering from an ear infection all week and has been on antibiotics, we thought it was clearing up well, but it seemed to have come to a head overnight last night with her up in pain all night. So we had to give the sale a miss. So no new ducks, and still have Old English Game bantams and Wyandotte bantams for sale :(. On the plus side, she seems a lot better now with the worst of the pain gone, just very tired and drained, so hopefully she'll be back up on her feet tomorrow.

In the meantime, I've cleaned out the growers pens and Silver Sebrights, and am about to do some new adverts for Preloved, Fridayad etc.

On the egg front, it seems to be improving, so far (not checked for a couple of hours), we have had:
2 Call Duck
1 Yokohama Bantam
1 Buff Pekin
1 Lemon Cuckoo Pekin
1 Cuckoo Pekin
1 Friesian Fowl
1 Light Sussex Bantam
1 Gold Partridge Pekin
1 Silver Partridge Pekin

Incubator 2 candling - the results

I have just candled the eggs in incubator 2 on day 5, and all seem to be doing well, except my White Pekins, which all look clear. so do my 2 Friesian Fowl. I'm keeping them in there for a couple more days just to make sure), no idea why this is, the cockerel has always been very fertile in the past, maybe now he's 3, he's not up to the job so much? I couple of the buffs and a couple of gold partridge were clear too, but I'm not too worried about that, as there's plenty fertile from both groups. I'm really pleased that my reds and Sebrights are all fertile :). I've also stopped turning incubator 1 and just added water. All look to be doing well except possibly a Buff Pekin and one of the Yokohama bantams look like they stopped around day 14/15. Should still get 20 odd chicks hatch though.

Very busy day tomorrow, as I'll be at the sale. We have our Old English Game quartet listed along with 4 Wyandotte bantam pullets (2 buff laced blue, 1 barred and 1 silver laced). We're also hoping to get another duck or 2 and I'm due to pick up a pair of Silver Partridge Pekins (so I'll have a cockerel again!) and a new Buff Pekin cockerel. Not sure what, if any bantams we'll buy, it all depends on prices, as there's not really much we're desperate for.

Pond installation complete, some happy ducks and some achey Mike

Managed to finish the pond today, was just as much hard work as it was yesterday and my shoulders feel like they're on fire. But the ducks were in the pond within a minute of me filling it up, so I guess it was all worthwhile:). I have the usual round on cleaning tomorrow and candling incubator 2. Incubator 1 stops turning and has water added tomorrow too, so I guess, I better clean the brooder, so it's ready as we'll be at the auction on Saturday, so won't have much time to do too much over the weekend.

I have also decided that I am just going to put Call Duck eggs in incubator 1 after this hatch, then will leave incubator 2 until the ducks hatch in incubator 1, so I can set them both at the same time, it'll make life so much easier :)

Eggs are still a bit slow, today we got:
1 Red Pekin, 2 Cuckoo Pekin, 1 White Pekin, 1 Lemon Cuckoo Pekin, 1 Gold Partridge Pekin and 1 Light Sussex Bantam

Pond installation day 1

Started to put in our new pond today, thought I'd manage to get it all done today, but obviously, I forgot I'm getting old and not as fit as I used to be!, so I've done half of it :P. I've got it raised on a small hill. Thought this would be good to get our compost heaps down. All started off well with cutting the turf from under where the pond is going to be so I could put the turf on the sides of the hill..No problem with that, then I thought I better start shoveling the compost, here's where the problems started for my seemingly failing fitness!. Our compost heaps are in the far corner of the garden, some 170 feet from where the pond was going to go. We have chicken arks up the sides, in front of it, so couldn't get the wheelbarrow (with a flat tyre) to the heap, so had to shovel the compost in to a bucket, then empty the buckets in to the wheelbarrow before trying to push (or pull) a heavily loaded wheelbarrow with a flat tyre back 170 foot to the pond site, I've done about 20 barrow loads today and I think it's fair to say I ache like I've been working done the mines for 18 hours non stop!. One compost heap has now gone and I've made a dent in the other one. Hopefully I'll finish tomorrow and use most of the compost so the bloody rats that live there will have to bugger off and find a new home (hopefully not in our garden). So at present, the pond is set, the hill is building up the sides, and I just hope I have the strength and weather to finish it tomorrow. Other than that, not really had time for much more today.

Bit of a turn up with the new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio who is to be known as Francis I, named after Francis of Assisi, the friar who founded the Franciscan monastic order in 1209. I don't think many people even considered Bergoglio as a serious contender, but I think it's a highly political move by the cardinals to have a very pious and humble pope to try to restore the catholic church's image, rather than risk a radical  who may well over haul a heck of a lot of outdated dogma. He looks a very likeable person and if he conducts his office how he has conducted his previous live, I'm sure the church will reap the rewards of having such a person at it's head.


Back to the chickens now, before I bore you all to death lol. Eggs have been a bit down today with 2 Cuckoo Pekin, 1 Gold Partridge Pekin, 1 Friesian Fowl, 1 Old English Game Bantam, 1 Yokohama Bantam and 1 Lemon Cuckoo Pekin.

Snow is melting :)

The snow is melting, and my wimpy chickens have been brave enough to venture out of their front doors today. Not really been out with them much today, had work to do indoors  + been watching the Papal Conclave. Most of you who don't know me, wouldn't know that I am an ecclesiastical historian, so pay great attention to such things. My money is on Peter Turkson or for a safe bet, Angelo Scola

We also picked up a pond for our ducks. We paid a grand total of £1.70 for it, you gotta love Ebay sometimes :) I'll be installing it once the weather is a bit better, as I don't really fancy trying to dig in frozen soil!. Both our Call Ducks are laying, as we had 2 eggs in the nest box this morning. We're hoping to get another couple of girls or at least another pair of Calls or Miniature Silver Appleyards at the sale on Saturday, I think 2 or 3 more girls will be enough for breeding.


We've had a good selection of eggs today: 2 Cuckoo Pekin, 1 Red Pekin, 1 Black Mottled Pekin, 1 Lavender Pekin, 1 Silver Sebright, 1 Buff Pekin, 1 White Pekin and 1 Light Sussex Bantam. I'm planning on swapping some of the eggs collected this week and will keep the rest to go in incubator 1 next week.

More sodding snow!

Woke up this morning to it being all white outside and bloody freezing too. I swear we have the wimpiest chickens ever...took some of them 3 hours to come out of their houses today and when they did, they just went and sat under the houses stayed there....well, that's the ones that did venture out, plenty stayed in the houses all day. No such problem with the ducks or turkeys, in fact, the ducks seemed to love it, just roaming around the garden leaving their little webbed foot prints everywhere. It was a nightmare putting the chickens to bed tonight, as most were still under there houses, so I has to shoo them out with a stick, catch them quickly and put them in their houses.

I did have a bit of a change around in the brooders today. I moved the 5 week olds into one of the hutches in the shed with the electric hen, moved the 3 week olds into the brooder the 5 week olds were in and moved the 1 and a half week olds into the brooder the 3 week olds were in, so that gives me a brooder for next Mondays hatch. I think after this hatch, I shall set more eggs in incubator 1, but will hold off incubator 2 after the next hatch in there (Easter Sunday), so will be able to set both incubators together, it will make brooding easier.

Had another egg from our Friesian Fowl today and also one of our Lemon Cuckoo Pekins also laid an egg. Both eggs are now in incubator 2 :)

Incubator 2 set

Being mothers day today, I've spent the day at the in-laws, so no chicken news. Didn't get back until 18:30, so just checked for eggs, shut the birds up, turned the electric fence on and came indoors to set incubator 2. I've put 38 eggs in and left space to put a few more in tomorrow.

The list is:

6 Red Pekin
6 White Pekin
8 Cuckoo Pekin
6 Buff Pekin
5 Gold Partridge Pekin
1 Silver Partridge Pekin (they are in with my gold partridge until I get a new cock bird)
2 Lavender Pekin
1 Black Pekin
2 Silver Sebright
1 Friesian Fowl

I have also got some Light Sussex Bantam eggs, but have decided against setting them this time, as we have quite a few Light Sussex in the brooders, so I shall sell some on ebay.

The eggs are due to hatch on Easter Sunday :)

Incubator 2 hatch day 3 & shopping in Asda

Woke up this morning to one more Serama chick in the incubator, the other 5 eggs show no sign of progress, so I shall candle again tonight (just to be sure) before I turn the incubator off and give it a good clean. I have decided against setting it again tonight and thought I'd do it tomorrow so we should have chicks hatching on Easter Sunday :). We currently have 37 eggs to go in the incubator (I can usually get around 40 bantam eggs in the Corti). To my great surprise and delight, when I let the chickens out this morning I found an egg in my Friesian Fowls house. I have been trying to get her to lay for the last 3 months, had her in the shed with lights for 2 months before giving up and putting them back outside. Friesian Fowl are usually quite early layers, but our girl is around 7 months old!..At least she is laying now and I have an egg from her to put in the incubator tomorrow :)

I made the stupid mistake of going shopping with my wife and kids in Asda today...It only took us 3 hours...1 hour of that was my daughter, Annabel deciding what presents she'd like for her 8th birthday on Tuesday, the rest of the time was spend trying to fight our way through the aisles, on top of that, due to the dodgy trolley wheel and weight of all the stuff in the trolley, I have pulled a muscle in my stomach, so spent the last quarter of the shop in pain, I did well though, I didn't threaten to run anyone over with the trolley (something I usually feel like doing before we get to the end of the first aisle.

When we got back, I moved the Sebrights in to their new home and cleaned out a couple of the brooders and duck house, making a nice nest in the duck house to try to encourage one of our girls to sit on the eggs in there.

I shall candle incubator 1 tonight (due to hatch a week on Monday), so will post results tomorrow.

Just 2 more things to mention. Don't forget it's mothers day tomorrow...if you do forget, your mother will make sure you don't forget it for the rest of the year!! and finally, we have another cold snap on the way in the south of England, so don't forget to empty your drinkers out at night

Incubator 2 - Hatch day 2

Lots more chicks today, we now have 19 out and one pipping, We still have 5 more eggs in the incubator, but I'm not sure they're still alive. there's 2 Gold Dutch, 2 Serama and a Buff Pekin (which I shouldn't have put in as it was a bit of an odd shaped egg, but I'll leave them until tomorrow and see.

I've actually lost track of that has hatched, but I do know there are 7 or 8 Serama, 3 or 4 Buff Pekins, 1 Gold Dutch, 2 Lemon Millifluer Sablepoot, 2 OEG Bantams, a couple of Black Pekins, 1 Crele Pekin.

Already have 31 eggs to set the incubator again tomorrow night (mainly our pekins, but a few Light Sussex Bantam and 1 Silver Sebright (Although might still be too early).

Thanks to the miserable weather today, I didn't manage to move some birds around. I had decided that I would move the Sebrights into the pen the Salmon Pekins were in and use their pen for our 6 week old growers (once the coming cold nap has passed). So I've ended up spending the day reading. Lets hope for a better day tomorrow!