More On-Line Social Stuff

Hal convinced me to join Facebook this weekend. I'm still figuring out what it's all about but I did get one of my sister's to join and found a cousin already on it. Plus I found some old college buddies and some email buddies, too. It's been kind of fun but sure takes up a lot of time if you don't watch yourself. But since I haven't been feeling well all weekend it's given me something to do other than moan and groan while watching old war movies. Still, nothing like a good WWII war movie on Memorial Day.

Here's to the memories of our war veterans.

Chick Update

There are 8 black and yellow fluffy chicks in the hatcher with the meaties and 2 more in the hatcher. Hal and I had to help one of them out of it shell and pick more pieces off him two more times before he could stand up. Poor thing was really stuck. It looks like that will be all for these 24 eggs. Ten out of 24, about a 41% hatch rate. That's better than I feared we would get. Hopefully these two will be ready to add to the brooder tomorrow.

Keet Found!

This morning Hal thought he heard peeping coming from the garage which is under the bedroom. I didn't hear anything but he went to investigate. He told me he checked the 3 still in the brooder and they weren't peeping so just stood there quietly till he heard it again. He quietly walked over to the door directly under the bedroom and there he was a foot away from it. He tried to escape as Hal got closer but walked toward the back wall where there was less light and sat there till Hal grabbed him and popped him back into the brooder. He's going to rig something to make the spaces narrower to prevent further escapes.

I think I neglected to mention my lone Muscovy duck is setting on a nest of 7 eggs also in the garage. She hisses dramatically if you get too close, but she's been there for over a week now. I hope these hatch because having only one pair is not enough in case of future accidents. The eggs hatch after 35 days so it will be well into June before I know.

And today there are now 5 hatched chicks and another pipped. Fingers still crossed that I'll get some more before we open the hatcher tomorrow.

More Chicks

Hatching is happening! Around 6:15 pm I realized there was peeping coming from the hatcher and I saw 2 freshly hatched chicks still damp. They look like pure bred barred rocks, black down, and the one I could easily see had a big yellow spot on its head. One more egg has pipped, have to see what comes out of that, hopefully by tomorrow morning.

Can't find the keet that jumped out of the brooder and ran away. He's long gone and more than likely will not survive the night. Too bad, now I'm down to 3 and they could try to run any time. I've got the garage doors closed now so if they do get out it will be inside.

New Chicks

I went to my feed store to get my new chicks this afternoon. They only had my Cornish Xs. The Wyandottes won't be in for another week. But I took these little guys home and put them in the brooder, made sure each had a drink and pointed out the food. They're going to town now. In 3 days they won't look this cute and fluffy, these guys grow fast!

I was hoping to have some hatched chicks to put in with them but though this is day 21 there hasn't been a peep from the 24 eggs remaining. I just added 12 fresh eggs to the incubator. Maybe those will have better luck in 21 more days.

Found one of the guinea keets on the garage floor, too. They can squeeze out through the bars of the brooder. I put him back in, hopefully they all learned a lesson.

Temperature outside hit 88.5 today, this after a frost and a freeze 2 and 3 nights ago. Nutty weather. (Final temperature his 96.4 today!)

The Nothing Much to Say Post

I can't think of anything to say. I feel I ought to say something since it's been 2 weeks since my last post and still I haven't even filled out the one about my Florida trip. I did finally download the photos to my computer but that's as far as I got.

My 4 guinea keets are doing well, they've been moved into the brooder in the garage. They were unsure what to do with all the space. Next week my eggs in the incubator should hatch, hopefully with more success than last time. There are 36 chicken eggs and 6 guinea eggs. I candled 3 this morning, one chicken egg was clear, 2 others were dark. It was really hard to tell if anything was alive, I need a stronger flashlight.

I also will be picking up 20 chicks at the feed store next week, 10 meat birds and 10 silver laced wyandottes. So if nothing of mine hatches I'll still have some new chicks.

I've sort of started a weight loss program. I haven't stopped overeating quite yet but I have started walking longer and lifting free weights this week. I gained 14 pounds on my vacation.. That's what happens when one spends 10 days eating without exercising! I hope to lose 2 pounds by my birthday in 2 mnore weeks.

The weather has inmproved finally, too. Mostly 60s and some sun. Some days it's hit the upper 70s. Not a lot of rain, don't know if that's why I haven't found many morels. I'd heard it was supposed to be a bumper year for them. Haven't seen that around here. No idea where those who predict such things get their information. The one batch I cooked up tasted really great though.