Chooks, chooks and more chooks!

Over the last week we've been plugging away at the A frame chook tractor.. getting the walls up and taking down some more of the loungeroom walls to provide the materials! :)

This pic was taken using the mobile phone, so the quality isn't great, but you get an idea of the size. (I was clipping the wire on the floor together.)



It certainly got heavy quickly! We'll need some handles sometime soon, and another coat of paint. But we really wanted to get the Wyandotte chicks out there enjoying the sunshine as soon as possible, so those things can wait.



We've had a fair amount of rain since the chicks went in.. so thankfully it's stayed fairly dry inside the house part. They've also showed us how clever they are, by staying in there when it's too wet to be outside. They also put themselves away at night already. They're only 5 weeks old!



They're at that half-feathered, kinda ugly stage.. but they're personalities are lovely and they've so much running around, pecking and cheeping to do!

But if you think that the Wyandottes being outside now will give us a little quiet in the house, think again!



We brought home 6 Dorking chicks on the weekend from yet another well-known and respected breeder. How lucky am I? I'm hoping for a few lovely boys to choose from this time. They're 2 weeks old, and already very feathered.

So, counting every bird we have brings us to a total of 17. Today we collected a grand total of 4 eggs, which is our best day so far! :)

And just when you think we couldn't possibly need any more chooks.. We got a couple of dozen fertile eggs from a poultry auction last weekend too. Yes! They're in the incubator as I type! These eggs were cheap, and we weren't fussy about the breed. (They're Isa Browns and Araucanas, they're the ones who lay blue eggs!) We got them so we can once more try out the incubator, testing out everything I learned from last time. So, if we get any chicks at all, I'll be happy..

So the eggs are at day 3 today, and there are 23 of them (one Isa Brown egg was broken, so I didn't set it). It's a whole different ball game this time. I set-up the incubator to the correct temperature, then a day or so later, popped the eggs in. I'll keep an eye on the water, but otherwise, I'll leave it alone until candling day on Sunday. Much more relaxed this time. :)

I'll be sure to keep you updated!