Hatching success

As if like clockwork the latest batch of chicks have hatched.  All were out within 22 days, and are now in the brooder looking happy and healthy.

It certainly makes a difference hatching at the end of June to beginning of July.  I can see the chicks are happy and certainly not cold or afraid of exploring outside of the electric plate acting as surrogate mum.  A couple of months ago the chicks, now down on the plot living with the other chickens, seemed permanently cold and camped out under the plate.

That is the hatch where I lost all but 4 chicks out of 12.  I was left with 3 male Araucana and one female silver lace Wyandotte.  Sad, but at least some survived.

This time round I have 11 that have hatched out of 12.  Five silver lace wyandottes to add to my collection and hopefully create an unrelated breeding trio, and 6 lavender Araucana chicks, which I really hope will be hens, or at least two of them anyway.

I'm not sure I could cope with many more cockerels, lovely as they are, you only need so many and I'm not yet into the fattening and preparation for the pot or BBQ.

I'm not just hatching again.  I have rightly or wrongly, entered two of my hens into the local Bridgend County show.  One Croad Langshan bantam in the any other rare breed category, and one Silver Lace Wyandotte bantam.

I am particularly interested in seeing how the Wyandotte does.  I know she is not perfect, but there are some nice areas of lacing.

This is likely to be my last chicken hatch of the year.  Don't tell the wife, but towards the end of the month I'm thinking of trying to hatch some silver Japanese quail.  I have only ever seen Chinese silver painted quail, so it will be interesting to see how they turn out.

I'm guessing they have been selectively bred similar to the Texas white quail you can buy.  Watch this space anyway.

Down on the plot, apart from being behind with vegetable growing, I need to start the second phase of the enclosures.  I still have security fencing left over, but need to think long and hard about what to use to cover the enclosure.  Any suggestions would be great fully received.

Thanks for reading.