Aaaargh!!!!! - No internet for 5 days :O

I'm going to be offline from Friday til Wednesday when they install Sky in our new house, so until then, I'll try to update my blog (no pics) through my phone or see if I can find an unsecured network :).

Have been bust sorting out again today and doing loads of washing (I can be domesticated). I managed to get the growers house down and all dismantled. We're almost there now, just the 2 boys rooms to sort out tomorrow, then will be the last bits on Friday. We have the van from Friday evening, so will load up as much as we can before it gets dark on friday, then hopefully on Saturday morning, there won't be too much lifting before I've woken up properly (has at least 3 cups of coffee lol).

The closer  comes, the more excited I am getting (maybe it's got something to do with me itching to get the incubators back on?). I've got a lot of work ahead of me to make the new pens and houses and duck enclosures. I also want to make a small "breeding" pen for ducks, so I can separate my White Call Ducks and try to hatch some pure white from them. I am also keeping an eye out for eggs now that I'd like shipped out on Monday so I can get the incubator running by Wednesday. I'm looking for some East Indian Ducks, Miniature Silver Appleyards and White Runners, but I am also considering Cayuga's and keeping an eye out for some reasonably priced Carolina's

On the egg front, today we have had:
1 Call Duck
1 Turkey
2 Buff Pekin
2 Lavender Pekin
1 Milliflluer Pekin
1 Friesian Fowl

First 1, then 2, then 1 now 0 ducklings :(

The poor little duckling just seemed to keel over and die today, no idea why as it was looking quite strong and the sticky eyes had cleared up, I guess there must have been infection somewhere :(

The weather has been lovely today and our 4 and 5 week old growers have been out in a run enjoying the weather and grass :)

As usual for this week, we have been busy sorting out and packing for our move on Saturday, most of downstairs is all packed now and ready to go, we just need to tackle the kids bedrooms and the back shed.

I was looking out of the window today and felt quite sad at how depleted the garden looks now that I have got rid of 3/4's of our chickens and taken down 15 runs and houses :(, I've take pics below where you can see before and after. Of course, I am excited about getting stuck in in the new place and having a blank canvas to make all new runs and houses for our birds. Also looking forward to having a nice brick shed that will be perfect for a hatchery and brooder room

Tomorrow, I plan on dismantling the growers house and run. We only have 4 birds in there at the moment, so they will be going into a double hutch for a few days. The house and run (a converted dog kennel and run) is quite bulky, so I think it's a good idea to take it down now rather than rushing around on Saturday morning when we're trying to load up the van.

We've had the following eggs today:
2 Call Duck
1 Turkey
2 Millifluer Pekin
1 Buff Pekin
1 Yokohama Bantam
1 Friesian Fowl

5 days and counting

We're into the final week before we move, so things are  going to be very hectic here. I have finished sorting out the shed, so now everything for the chickens is done and ready to go, except the housing and runs that they are currently in, which will come down on Friday.

This weeks hatch all seem to be doing well, the duckling has a bit of a sticky eye that it's had since hatch, but seems to be coming along nicely. The Turkey poult seems to be thriving and the chicks are well...just chicks :)

We've had the following eggs today:
2 Lavender Pekin
2 Buff Pekin
1 Millifluer Pekin
1 Turkey

Another 10 babies added to the brooder

We woke up this morning to 12 babies in the incubator. There was 1 Yokohama Bantam, the Call Duckling that hatched yesterday and the rest were Pekins. All are now enjoying the warmth and food in the brooder :). There's 6 eggs left in the incubator, but I'm pretty sure they're all DIS. I shall keep it running overnight just to be sure.

Been busy packing today, as it's only a week until we move, so haven't really been out with the birds much today.

The eggs we've had so far today (not checked for about 3 hours)
1 Lavender Pekin
2 Buff Pekin
1 Turkey
 I'm sure the Call Ducks have both laid, but I can't find where they've hidden them and I also think one or two of the Millifluer Pekins have probably laid too.

More duckling drama and xmas dinner hatched

Went to the shed this morning and the bloody broody was off the eggs and the duckling again and the poor thing was dead, so we were down to no Call Ducklings :(. One hatched in the incubator this afternoon, but I'm not going to put her with the broody as I just don't trust her to not let it get chilled.

Incubator 1 has been hatching well already with a Poland, 2 Lavender Pekins, 1 Call Duck, 1 Buff Pekin and our Turkey :). With most of the others either pipped or cheeping away in the shells.

It's been a nice day of no work in the garden today (other than cleaning out the brooders)
On the egg front, we've had
2 Call Duck
1 Turkey
1 Buff Pekin
1 Lavender Pekin
2 Millifluer Pekin
1 Friesian Fowl

We DID have 2 Call Ducklings, now back down to 1 :(

Another Call Duckling hatched last night just before I went to bed, but when I got up this morning, the broody was over the other side of the hutch off the eggs which were stone cold and the duckling was dead too, it couldn't have happened long after hatching as the duckling wasn't fluffed up. So to be on the safe side, I have removed the 3 remaining eggs and put them in the incubator and stuck a couple of Pekin eggs in with the broody in case she misses the eggs. 1 of the eggs has externally pipped and 1 has internally pipped, but I've not seen any movement in that egg for a good few hours. I would suspect the other egg is dead, but I'll keep it in there for now.

I have finished sorting out the garden today, so now there is nothing left to do out there until the day before we move. The Black Pekin's pen has come down and I've taken apart and burned the Lavender Pekins house and have put them in a temporary house. I have just had another big bonfire and burned all the wood I won't be needing. So tomorrow I can help packing things up in doors.

Our Turkey egg has pipped :) and the Polish egg is cheeping away too, no signs from any of the other eggs yet.

Talking of eggs, today we have had
1 Call Duck
1 Turkey
1 Buff Pekin
2 Lavender Pekin
1 Friesian Fowl

Still have just the one Call Duckling

We still have just the one Call Duckling, but one is externally pipped and one is internally pipped, so we'll wait and see. The one that has hatched is doing really well :)

I have been extremely busy in the garden today, with the house move confirmed for the 11th, things have to get done. So I have moved the Yokohama Bantams into their temporary home and dismantled there house and run and have also dismantled the houses in the runs for the Black Pekins, but the last girl is going tomorrow, so I will take down the run after that too. I also cleaned out and sorted the brooder shed, so now you can actually find what your looking for in their lol.

The 6 week old ducklings have had another day in the Call Duck pen and been enjoying a swim :). 

Incubator 1 has just gone on lockdown and is due to hatch on Saturday, I had a quick candle of the eggs when I added water and no signs of internal pipping yet. There's only 17 chicken eggs all Pekins except a couple of Yokohama bantams and 1 Polish and 1 Turkey egg.

The eggs we have had so far  today are:
1 Call Duck
1 Turkey
2 Buff Pekin
1 Friesian Fowl
1 Yokohama Bantam.