Wednesday, June 17, 2020

NEW CHICKEN TRACTOR

Up to get another dreary day started. There was 3/10ths inch of rain in the gauge from over night showers.
I got chores done and had breakfast. D-in-love sent me this picture as she went to work this morning with the guineas in the road. She said traffic stopped at one time and each time the cars blew their horns the guineas would fly straight up instead of getting out of the road. Thankfully they finally flew out of the road and all 4 of them lived to see another day. This is only the second time since I've had them that they have gotten in the road. Hopefully they learned a lesson from all the horn blowing.
 After we ate hubbie and I tackled putting the new chicken tractor together. I don't really need it right now but he needed it out of his truck and we didn't know if there would be adjustment we would need to make. Daughter and the girls came over and watched out progress and it went together quickly and easily with easy to follow directions and plainly labeled parts. I was surprised and impressed with how sturdy it was.
 The first little "chickie" to be inside the new tractor !!!
 We came inside and had lunch. Daughter left the girls here and went to get her lawn mowed since it isn't raining this afternoon. While CA napped IR rode circles around the dining room table on this old tricycle that we bought for g-son. I have pictures of g-son riding this same circle when he was about IR's size.
RL came up to play with IR and CA after her mom got home from work. Her other g-ma stayed with her today at her house while d-in-love worked.
The girls played and then had ice cream cones before they all went home.
After they all went home hubbie and I watched the news then we got chores done. This is strange attire for the middle of June around here . I have felt comfortable all day in long pants and a long sleeved sweat shirt in the upper 60's temps with all clouds today but no rain.
Thankfully we were 10 degrees warmer today than yesterday and each day for the rest of the week is supposed to be warmer reaching the mid 80's by the weekend.
I was very upset with the laying hen that has sat on 8 eggs for 21 days today. Yesterday I found one of the chicks hatched but dead under her and this morning she was sitting on the remaining eggs with no more hatching. Tonight she was off the nest in the other end of the brooder box and one chick was almost completely hatched and another was peeping through a hole in one of the eggs. She wanted nothing to do with the chicks and refused to sit back on the eggs. I was afraid that she wouldn't sit the entire time but this is another reason to not let these layers set. I think when they hybrid these hens to lay more eggs they breed the mothering abilities out of them.
As it would happen one of my silkie hens started sitting this morning so I moved her and all the eggs into another brooder box. I have no idea what she will do after just starting to set but I am hoping her mothering instincts will kick in  and she will take care of these chicks if they make it after being very cool when I moved them under her.
I spent the evening in my office paying bills and catching up paperwork.
Thankful for the blessings of this day.
God Bless and Good Night

1 comment:

linda m said...

That is strange behavior for a hen, but as you said it might have something to do with the hybrid breeding to lay more eggs. Good luck with the hens. Love the new chicken tractor.