22 Week Previous Rooster Replace

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 model! 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 begin? 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% certain who it got here from: Rascal, one in all our Copper Marans. All of us observed 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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The women alternate days of “rooster responsibility,” which suggests checking their meals and water and searching over every rooster to ensure everybody seems to be good. Issues simply obtained much more thrilling now that they’ll add “seek for eggs” to the duty record.

Final week I did an enormous coop clear out. David helped with the large baggage 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 swap 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 snug and forestall bubble foot.

Within the run, we raked it nicely then added rooster sand. It’s incredible! It has no odor and no mud and since the advantageous uniform measurement of the sand, which is extra like a small grain gravel, it’s straightforward to scrub up/sift. I’ve extra baggage on the way in which so as to add to it; large fan.

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I get pleasure from having the chickens as a lot, if no more, than I anticipated I’d. They’re pretty low upkeep to look after and regardless that I’ve been warned not to take action, I like them like little pets. I like how they arrive working after I stroll on the market saying heyyyy chickiessss, I believe it’s humorous that they every have their very own persona quirks, and I discover it so stress-free 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 have been out free ranging and we solely realized they’d been locked out when David went to verify 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. Impartial, and certain sufficient he situated her perched on a nesting field cuddles up herself. Humorous chickens.

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OK, fast fireplace details 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 perfect. There isn’t any odor, it’s excessive absorbent, low mud, and good insulation.
• Grandpa’s Feeder is definitely worth the upfront worth as a result of we waste no feed. The chickens merely stand on the platform after they wish to eat, get their fill, and depart the remainder nicely contained and guarded.
• They love kitchen scraps. Final evening I put my broccoli stems via the shredder and so they devoured the broccoli stem “salad” with tiny bits of the ends of bread. Different favorites embrace parsley, cucumber, apples, and grubblies.
• I added two extra cement blocks beneath their water container to elevate it up somewhat 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 ingredient that retains water from freezing, so I’ll need to look into how one can 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 study with my very own mini flock. What a enjoyable journey!