Day four after hatching

Day four after hatching is going well.  The sablepoot chicks seem strong an healthy.........for now.  They say sheep have a habit of just dropping dead when they feel like it.  The same could be said for chicks.
I have done all I can for them since their arrival, with chick crumb and water available and newspaper being changed daily to prevent the spread if any disease.

I had set six eggs from South Yeo Farm in Devon in the incubator.  Five were fertile at day seven.  The the candeling photo below.  Sadly, just because they are fertile does not mean they will hatch successfully, and after three of the poots had arrived into the big wide world, I candled the other two and it was clear that once had stopped developing around day ten or twelve and the other day fifteen or sixteen.  These are guesstimates, based on the size of the air sack in the egg and the development of the embryo.
Still, three is better than none and I am already making a note and trying to guess how many male and female I have.

New land - deal done!

Today I signed my tenancy agreement that starts 1st May allowing me to keep chickens, ducks and turkeys.  I was starting to think I would never ever type the words.   It's been a long time coming but with a little compromise I finally managed to find some.
Sheer good luck and timing has resulted in me being able to buy an old chicken ark from a couple moving house down in Barry.  Twenty pounds was the agreed price. An absolute bargain and perfect for a breeding trio of bantams.

I admit thereis work to do to the ark but structurally it is sound.  I will be thoroughly cleaning the coop to make sure there are no red mite and other little critters, I may even paint the inside if the coop for good measure. Ideally I need a good enclosure to keep the foxes out. I'm thinking of using the herace fencing I have from the allotment, but transporting it is a big problem being 3 meters long and 2 meters tall. The other option is to buy a new enclosure like the one gardenlife.biz sell.  A significant cost which I want to avoid if I can.

It's not just Mr Fox that I am planning to keep out, but the two legged predator as well.  Back in September 2013 I have 13 pure breed hens stolen from my allotment in a neighbouring village. This time I am determined to make it more difficult.

The field is no close to a main road and has a well used path running through it, used regularly by dog walkers, so I am hoping activity and passers by will deter any thieves along with the secluded nature of the plot.  I'm going to use a padlock on the chicken ark initially with a built in alarm.  Any movement on the lock and the alarm will go off.

Yes, this is a risk, there is always a risk, but the alternative is to stop keeping chickens and breeding.  Something that would be particularly difficult for m to accept.  Especially since I have been going to poultry shows and had great fun and success at the Welsh national in January with my Wyandotte bantams.

Better planning needed for hatching

It's not quite a disaster, but I have had to give it a great deal of thought. When I ordered my Sablepoot eggs from South Yeo Farm in Devon I thought I had planned the timing perfectly. The eggs would hatch a week before Easter and mean that a friend could easily look after them for the couple of days that I am away.  That was on the basis that Good Friday was on the 25 April. I've no idea why I thought Easter was that late, and I only discovered my error when in work and the subject of holidays arose.

Normally it would not really matter and rightly or wrongly I have left eggs in an incubator whilst away before, just for a few days. But that was well before lock down and hatching. Timing could not be worse this time. The hatching date of the sablepoots is Friday 18th. The planned date I am leaving.

What to do? Hope they hatch early? Leave them for a friend to look after?  Well there is only one thing to do. Take the incubator with me. 

I have bought a cheap inverter for the car. It plugs into the 12v supply and converts to 220v with a socket for the mains plug. 

Sounds crazy, but the incubator will be in the boot whilst I drive and I can set up the incubator and brooder in the caravan when we get there.  Mad? Maybe but it will be fun to see what happens. And it won't be the first time I have taken the brooder away in the caravan. I did the same last year with a hatch of quail. They all turned out fine.  Although they were a week old before we took them away.

I will let you know how the journey goes and how the eggs fair especially as they are at the pipping stage whilst traveling.  I will need to make sure the eggs are stable in the incubator so they don't roll around and crack.  I may have to leave the dividers in for traveling or, maybe use some egg boxes to set the eggs in, just while we travel.