We got Chicks!

Friday, I went to check on Polka Dot after I gave the flock their ration of scratch and pellets. This is still in supplement mode since they are all free ranging too. By process of elimination, I knew Polka Dot was on the nest because I saw the Silkie pecking greedily at the grain and cracked corn. I have to throw out a couple handfuls of scratch out for them or they'll swarm all over me while I try to put out their feed in their feeder. I don't like the chickens flying at my face while I'm filling the feeder. Their claws are sharp.

As I approached the nest box I thought I had heard some cheeping. I opened up the drop down access and sure enough I spied a broken eggs shell. After raising some of Polka Dot's wing feathers, despite her threatening protests, I saw a black bundle of joy.  The first four of 22 hatched yesterday to the Polka Dot/Silkie tag team mommas. Ms. Puffy Cheeks is sitting on her pile of eggs on the front porch.

The chicks look to be Delaware or Barred Rock/ Rhode Island Red cross babies and one Rhode Island Red chick. Hens or roos? I'll try feather sexing them tonight when we move them. But honestly, I'm not that good at it yet. How many hatched out this morning, I haven't checked yet. This was only day 19 for the hens on the eggs.  She is in the main coop so we'll be moving them all to the brooder box this evening. The chickies babies were so new that they were still wet so I left them alone.

I figure when the Polka Dot hen decides to break broodiness in a few days, we'll move all the babies and her to the hospital hutch. Ms. Puffy Cheeks' eggs should hatch late next week. Both hens and babies should be able to stay in there. That is until next week when we move all our free range flock to their new habitat. The rains has really slowed progress on the build and putting in the fencing for the run. The new coop with their 20' run will be a change but they'll soon get used to it again. It will be winter again soon and we always coop up our flock for their own protection. There's not enough forage for them anyhow.

Well, that's our news for this week.

Y'all have a blessed day.

Cockeyed Jo