In the Home Stretch

I'm counting down the days...kindling day is Wednesday, but it could happen as early as tonight. You can imagine I've been watching closely. Doris has actually started making a nest. She hasn't started pulling fur yet, but she's made a nice neat little hay nest. Ginger hasn't pulled any more fur yet, but she's really been obsessing over her nest. We are keeping our fingers crossed that yes, there are babies on their way from her. I'm very excited about her babies more than Doris's babies. Mostly because I do know what the genetics of Fred and Gingers babies are. Fred and Doris have been bread, and the only colors I'm certain of in their genetic make up are blue and black. So much excitement I can barely contain myself.

I don't have any pictures of their nests or anything right now. I'm working on keeping the stress factor down as low as I can in there. I've been trying to be fast in there, and making sure that they feel secure with their nest boxes. But I can tell you as soon as they kindle, and I know that they are going to care for their babies, I will most definitely make sure to take lots and lots of pictures.

So, I've been letting the big chickens into the grow out pen during the day. They've bee keeping the feed cleaned up that the chicks drop through the bottoms of the coops. The Tetra Tints will be able to come out of their coops, and run around the grow out pen here in about a week. Once they get to stretch their legs and wings, I'm positive they will really start growing. I need to get the spare water jug ready and clean, and I need to pick up some bedding for the grow out pen. I decided I wanted to put bedding down on that end of the run, because when it rains that end gets really super soupy with the mud. I'm going to put down one layer to soak up the water and the mud, and then a second layer for dryness. About once every other day, I'll turn the bedding to help keep stuff dry.

My Easter Egg chicks aren't quite ready to be let out yet. They are small enough yet that they will be able to get through the panel walls. The eggers are smaller chickens anyways. I think they are between the size of the leghorn, and the rhode island red hen.

Some of my older pullets that we hatched out back in February should be close to ready to start laying. (yay) Not that we need any more eggs a day, more like I just can't wait to see how they are going to lay. We've been giving eggs to family. Its nice to be able to share eggs like that. My older Easter Eggers probably won't start laying until the end of July or beginning of August.

Well that's about enough from me!!! I'll just leave you with a cute picture of one or more of my dogs!!!
Have a great day