Farm Updates, and NEW Chicks!

It's hard to believe that it's already May!

We've had some very busy months recently, but I am going to try and post some farm
updates in the upcoming days.  

For starters, we have some new chicks and ducklings, hatched from our incubator,
with our own eggs. The chicks are all barnyard variety, and the ducklings are Pekin/Cayuga mix.

Incubator Overview

Our incubator is Rite Farm Products' Model #3600 Complete Pro Digital Incubator Kit. It was just under $100 and has proved to be pretty reliable. I do use an additional thermometer and hygrometer to make sure my levels are just right.

One of our first bigger hatches was a combination hatch with quail, chicken, and duck eggs. We had decent results, but it was difficult to give the ducks as much moisture as they needed, without drowning the other eggs. Check out the video on that hatch:

Here lately though, I've been sticking to just uncubating quail, and I generally get

around a 70% hatch rate with them.

Our Quail Project

Our jumbo Coturnix quail project is sure doing well! These guys have grown up so fast and we're inundated with SO many eggs every day. The extra eggs make a great supplemental feed for the chickens!

The big indoor/outdoor pen is working out okay, though with them being on the ground, the eggs tend to get dirty if they're not gathered immediately.

We try to fill up the incubator at least once a month. Getting our numbers up to a comfortable level where we can regularly butcher the quail is our goal. So far it's working great!

March Farm Update

Since I didn't post much (if at all?) in March, I thought I'd give a rundown of some of the farm activities. It was certainly a busy month, and it seems as if we had no spare time at all... which is understandable considering the season. So much to do in spring...

Chickens and quail alike have started laying really well.

We bought the first purebred chicks we've had in years:

Lavender Orpington and Black Copper Marans.

We did a major cleanup around the farm. And I mean MAJOR.

Started lots and lots of veggies from seeds in my wonderful greenhouse.

Tested our brand new incubator (more on that coming up in a future post).

Started preparing our garden plot. It'll be the biggest garden we've ever had- a quarter acre!

More eggs.

We planted some grape vines, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.

Worked on replacing the horse barn roof (more on that in a future post).

Repainted one of the upstairs, kids' rooms.

Did I mention lots of eggs????

Snakes are coming out!



And last but not least, we are incubating more eggs. :)