Barnyard

It’s been a while since I did a chicken update! I realize a lot of people could care less about a chicken update but they are our pets and TONS of fun!

Back in the early Spring we got some bantam chicks! I wanted some more fancy chickens! We still have our 5 white silkies but I wanted some different ones. They are super hard to photograph so I only have this picture…I LOVE the colors! We ended up with two like this one, two that are like this but a copper color and black, one that has gray feathers from head to TOE and one that looks like it may be some type of game chicken. It’s so much fun to buy them as chicks and watch what they turn into because they look completely different!

 

AND THEN!!!!!!! (Can you feel my excitement??!) I noticed a couple of my silkie chickens were starting to sit. They have their own private coop-those silkies are spoiled. So, I collected the eggs from our regular chickens and placed them under the silkies that were sitting. SIDE NOTE-We do not have a silkie rooster, they are all hens. In order to get a chick to hatch you have to have a rooster(OBVI) so that is why I collected the eggs from the regular chickens because we do have a rooster with them. Silkies are VERY good at being broody hens and SUPER at being great mommas! I checked on them daily and exactly 21 days later when I opened the back of the coop I heard a little cheap cheap!!There were two little babies in there!!! I can’t even tell you how excited I was! It was SO MUCH FUN! I grabbed them up and held them close and ran into the house to show the hubs!! The next day another one hatched! I had about 8 or so eggs under the two sitting hens and we ended up with three! Which is totally fine because we do not need anymore chickens! HAHA! Very soon after they hatched ALL 5 silkie chickens started to mother them. They are very docile chickens but if come near their babies they let you know that they are not happy! Here they are now…

This is what they do if you come near…they hoard them all into the corner and cover them.

So, I learned a new lesson during all this. From Big mama, of course. I gathered the eggs for several days in a row and put the eggs under the hens that were sitting each day. What I should have done is collected the eggs for several days in a row and just put them under the hens all at the same time…I would have hatched more this way because once the chicks start hatching the hens are taking care of them and can’t keep sitting on the others!

Now, onto the next project…GOATS!

I’ve wanted goats just as long as I wanted chickens. It’s just been a little longer in the works! One thing at a time…especially while managing 4 kids! ;) Hubby is about to start working on our new goat pen! We plan to get pygmy goats as soon as it’s done! I came across this picture yesterday and I thought I would DIE from the cuteness! I mean a BOW? And you best bet that mine WILL have bows. And, no, hubby is not as excited as me about our new little adventure. But he loves me and all my critters anyways! Heehee!

And I am totally not opposed to opening a petting zoo!