New Coop / Hello

[Beaudyne]

Guys I’ve got my next set of Silver Appenzeller hatching eggs!! My first lot are just over 8 weeks old now and I’ve sold 3 hens. I’m keeping one and someone is buying the last one next week. I have 3 blinking cockerels!! But they are all quite happy so until I have takers they’ll just live together and I’ll keep my eye on them all. 
 

First lot of pictures are my Appenzeller’s now and next is my new eggs. Will keep you all updated….plus I’ve had some Pygmy goats. I’m in love 😍 

[Luvachicken]

Excellent photos.

The chickens are extremely pretty and I love pygmy goats.

Make sure you keep us up to date with more photos. 

[Beaudyne]

Plus my one hybrid hen is broody but coming to the end of sitting. But hoping she’ll last a couple more weeks then I can pop the hatching eggs under her for her to hatch herself 😍

[Cat tails]

Those chickens look amazing! Can’t stop laughing! 😂

[mullethunter]

They are excellent looking chooks!!! VERY posh girls! And I too love Pygmy goats - especially fainting ones 😂

[Luvachicken]

Do the goats have names ?

[Beaudyne]

@Luvachicken oh gosh completely forgot to tell you all the names 😅. My husband said the one condition of having them was he had to name them….so meet Tony(ginger), Silvio(dark brown) and Paulie (white). Names are three of the characters from the sopranos 🙈😅 

 

And like in the sopranos Tony is the boss 😆

[Beaudyne]

Excuse the bad quality but needed to show you. The goats love hanging out with the chickens! 🥰 this is there go to hang out 

[Luvachicken]

Totally love it ❤️

[Beaudyne]

Guys!! One of my eggs in the incubator has pipped and it’s only day 17! I can hear it chirping. I haven’t even stopped rotating yet. They are suppose to hatch on Wednesday and stop rotating on Monday. 
 

What do I do? Shall I stop rotating early? Will the chick be okay to be born this early? And can I give it to my broody hen and then give her the others once they’ve hatched? Ahh help 🙈

[Cat tails]

Oh no! Did you count right? From memory the day you put them in the brooder is day 0. 
Maybe @mullethunter has some advice?

[Beaudyne]

@Cat tails yep definitely counted right. And counted and counted and counted some more 😅

A friend has just said, she wonders if I’ve got a quail egg in there too? It is a lot smaller than the others and quails hatch in 17 days. Or the Appenzeller hen could have sat on this egg for a little bit before I incubated it?

[Cat tails]

😂

did the seller also keep quail?

[Beaudyne]

@Cat tails that’s the thing, I have no idea what other birds she kept. Only saw the pictures of her Appenzellers and so ducks wondering round…..they definitely are duck eggs though 🤣 oh I wish!!

[mullethunter]

I would stop turning now (you’re stop on day 18 anyway), up the humidity and cross your fingers! I reckon you’d know if it was a quail egg - they’re a LOT smaller than a bantam hen egg. I reckon you’re right and the hen must’ve started the incubation off because that really is early.

I don’t know whether you can give a hen 1 chick and then a load of others 3 days later. Do you have a brooder you could use instead?

[Beaudyne]

@mullethunter thanks for this advice! First of all….the chick has hatched and is looking very healthy and strong but on the small side. Definitely a chicken though 🤣

I left the automatic turner on for today and just re organised the incubator in a way that it turned the other 6 eggs but not this 7th. 
 

I do have a brooder. I was wondering the same thing about my hen. I’m concerned she won’t accept any others after she’s had one for a few days. Think I’m going to keep this under the brooder once it’s fluffed up and then wait until the others have hatched and move the lot then. 
 

Now that this one has hatched I’ve turned the turner off. But am I okay to set the other eggs yet or shall I wait a couple more days but turn them by hand? This would mean opening the incubator every 2 hours. 

@mullethunter Was thinking if I just turn them by hand for tonight every few hours (I don’t mind getting up) then once I’ve moved this one chick could I then turn the turner back on and then set them on Monday?

[Beaudyne]

Change of plan!
 

The chick that’s hatched is doing great so far. Really fluffed up and strong. Already walking (wobbling) all over the place. I’ve made it a home out of a large cardboard box and I’ve put the brooder heat plate in there. It’s got food and water too. And I can keep my eye on it in there. 
 

Now the other 6 I’ve decided to move under my broody hen for her to hatch them. She’s been very good so far and very determined. 
 

Gave her the eggs and took out the rubber ones. She checked every egg and made a lovely little kinda purring noise then sat straight on them 🥰. So far it’s going well and I’ll check on her in a couple hours. 
 

 

Then…once they’ve hatched I’ll slip this little one under her late at night. She’ll never know 🤣. I’ll get a picture in a min, this little chick is definitely a chick and looks great but is teany tiny 😍

[Cat tails]

Yes! We need more pictures of chicks!

[Luvachicken]

That sounds like a good plan @Beaudyne.

Can't wait to see more pictures.

[soapdragon]

Nothing like pics of chicks to brighten up a Monday! Looking forward to seeing your newbie!

[Beaudyne]

All is going very well with the chicks! Little early hatcher is growing and doing very well 🥰

Gave the other 6 eggs to my broody hen for her to hatch herself and so far she’s done amazingly! 2 more have hatched with her and another had just pipped. Got 3 left with nothing yet but it’s still early. So then decided to give her the little one. She accepted it straight away!! 
 

Here are some pictures to gush over 😅🥰

One in my hand is the little one. Doesn’t actually look that little when its next to his siblings.

 

p.s please excuse my nail polish 😅 only just spent £25 on them last week and already I’ve chipped them 🙈 don’t tell my husband! 🤣

Edited July 6 by Beaudyne

[mullethunter]

Well done mumma hen 😍

[Luvachicken]

Just so cute.

She is a very good mummy.

[Beaudyne]

Update on chicks!! 🐣 

So we only hatched 4 chicks and unfortunately after 3 days our little early hatcher died…..I’m unsure what happened but I think it was killed. Wether that was by mother hen or somehow another chicken got close to the run and pecked it through the mesh, I really don’t know but I found it with blood in its mouth. 
 

But nearly 3 weeks on and on a much brighter note, we have 3 beautiful growing very quickly little chicks! And mama hen has now left the confines on her small run and is venturing out with all the other chickens and goats! And they are all lovely with the chicks 🥰 Although I don’t think any of them would dare mess with Marge 🤣

Here’s some pictures….look how big my first hatch of Appenzellers are! They are nearly 13 weeks old and I’ve just sold one of the 3 boys. Picture is of all 3 boys just before the one went to his new home

 

[Luvachicken]

Stunning photos 😊