An update of the feather friends who live here with us
The doves, they have settled in really well and have become very friendly
They have gt to know our routines very well and when we are doing the feed rounds they wait on top of the barn roof until its there turn
They all swoop down and will now eat from our hands, every time they do I want to burst into song, feed the birds tuppence a bag.
There wont be any young doves hatching soon, when ever they lay the magpies steal the eggs.
Broody mama hen who was happy to sit on the eggs that were rescued after a fox attack on our neighbours hens has hatched 3 out of the four
2 little yellow ones and a grey one
She is very protective over them and doing a great job of showing them the ropes.
The five chicks that we hatched out in the incubator, 3 from our own eggs and 2 hatched from the eggs we bought in, are now feathering up and I am starting to wean them off the heat lamp
I have moved the brooder house out of the barn, but the run that we use is being used by the broody hen, I have made them a small improvised run with an old dog cage we had.
As of yet the most they have done is peep out of the door, I am turning there heat lamp down low during the day for the next few days and turning it up again at night, I will then leave it off during the day and on low during the night, in about a week they will be off heat feathered up and be ready to be introduced to the rest of the flock. I should have started taking them off heat about a week ago, but time ran away.
In total we have increased our flock of chickens by 10 this year, the previous 2 who are in with the main flock look like they are hens.
The ducks I had on order for June didn't happen , I am going to wait a while before I source any more.
That's all the news from the feathered quarters
Not sure what is going to happen to our broody hen. I think she is passed the time the first egg or so should have hatched. Perhaps they were not fertile I guess.
ReplyDeleteI wish our hens had produced smaller numbers because we are getting overwhelmed by chickens at the moment. We need to be more organised. We need to get that chicken run sorted out!
ReplyDeleteI used to raise a few of our chicks each year when we had a cockerel - but he died and the farmer does not wish to replace him, so we buy in p o l pullets now when eggs run low. But our hens lay really well on a combination of corn, pellets and the grass etc. in our open fields.
ReplyDeleteLovely to have an updated on all your feathered residents, happy birds! x
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're enjoying the Doves so much.
ReplyDeleteThe cutsie side of self sufficiency....enjoy it while it lasts! x
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