Bear in mind after I used to do these updates for being pregnant and infants? And now I’m right here giving the nitty gritty, however rooster fashion! Nonetheless counting in weeks although, like every new mother. At what level will I start to say 5 1/2 months? Who’s to know. So, 22 weeks previous it’s.
The place to start out? I really know precisely the place to start: with the BIG NEWS….
WE GOT OUR FIRST EGG!!!
At 22 (nearly 23 weeks), yesterday Hailey discovered the FIRST EGG! A magnificence. Barely small, brown with some speckling. It was in the appropriate location, too- the nesting field! We’re 90% positive who it got here from: Rascal, certainly one of our Copper Marans. All of us seen final week that her comb and waddle appeared to out of the blue be a lot bigger and brighter crimson, an indication that eggs are coming quickly.
It was a really egg-citing second that concerned some squeals, some leaping up and down, and a few large snuggles for the primary rooster to pay hire.
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22 Week Previous Rooster Replace
The ladies alternate days of “rooster obligation,” which implies checking their meals and water and looking out over every rooster to ensure everybody appears to be like good. Issues simply received much more thrilling now that they’ll add “seek for eggs” to the duty checklist.
Final week, I did a giant coop clear out. David helped with the massive luggage of sand and hemp. I swept out all of the older hemp that was soiled and wheeled it into the woods to compost. I wiped down all of the surfaces within the inside the coop with sizzling water. I added new hemp bedding. We’re going to change out their 2×2 roosting bars with 2×3 within the subsequent week or two, and attempt to wrap them in a jute rope to make it extra comfy and stop bubble foot.
Within the run, we raked it nicely then added rooster sand. It’s improbable! It has no odor and no mud and since the wonderful uniform measurement of the sand, which is extra like a small grain gravel, it’s straightforward to wash up/sift. I’ve extra luggage on the best way so as to add to it; large fan.
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I take pleasure in having the chickens as a lot, if no more, than I anticipated I’d. They’re pretty low upkeep to look after and despite the fact that I’ve been warned not to take action, I really like them like little pets. I really like how they arrive operating after I stroll on the market saying heyyyy chickiessss, I believe it’s humorous that they every have their very own character quirks, and I discover it so enjoyable to allow them to out within the late afternoon and watch the scratch and peck the bottom, all staying collectively like a pack.
Final week, the door to their run blew shut whereas they had been out free ranging and we solely realized they’d been locked out when David went to test on them after sunset. He known as me saying he discovered most of them cuddled collectively on the again stairs, as shut as they might get to their coop (aww), however he was lacking one. I didn’t even have to ask for him to explain who was lacking; I knew it needed to be Heyhey. I wasn’t panicked, realizing Heyhey is Ms. Unbiased, and positive sufficient he positioned her perched on a nesting field cuddling up herself. Humorous chickens.
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OK, fast hearth information now that solely rooster folks will more than likely care about, however I’m hoping it’s useful for the rooster curious.
- Hemp within the coop is the very best. There is no such thing as a odor, it’s excessive absorbent, low mud, and good insulation.
- Grandpa’s Feeder is well worth the upfront worth as a result of we waste no feed. The chickens merely stand on the platform once they need to eat, get their fill, and depart the remaining nicely contained and guarded.
- They love kitchen scraps. Final evening I put my broccoli stems by the shredder and so they devoured the broccoli stem “salad” with tiny bits of the ends of bread. Different favorites embody parsley, cucumber, apples, and grubblies.
- I added two extra cement blocks below their water container to elevate it up a bit larger. The nipple water system is nice! It retains the water so clear. We fill it up each few days. It has a in-built heating component that retains water from freezing, so I’ll need to look into the best way to plug that in quickly.
If I missed something, ask away! I’ve been grateful for extra skilled rooster house owners sharing their ideas (and humorous tales) with me as I be taught with my very own mini flock. What a enjoyable journey!
