Getting Ready for the Next Batch of Chicks

After our first incubator hatch, we had lots of young chicks living in our basement for a few weeks. It was still a little chilly outside, so they weren't quite ready for the early spring temperatures until April. But we were finally able to move them outside into our grow out pen so they could get used to the big chickens and the big chickens could get used to seeing them around.

After a couple of weeks, we were able to let them out to explore the entire yard.

It didn't take long for each group to check the others out.

Within a couple of days, the two groups became one flock.

Maybe it was seeing the young chicks around the yard, but of course we now have 2 broody hens sitting on a total of 45 eggs! The first group should be hatching this weekend.

Most of our birds are dual purpose breeds, so with this sudden influx of birds, we will likely raise the roosters as freezer fillers and some of our older hens will join them later on this summer. We will also select the hens we want to keep for their specific traits-best layers, temperament, and markings.

After the Hatch

Our chicks are nearly three weeks old now and they are growing so fast! They started out so very tiny. These guys are less than 4 days old.

Here they are about a week into life.

We ended up with a couple chicks with scissor beak. One of them is fairly pronounced, the other is relatively minor. Here's Skizzers. Amazingly, she eats and drinks just fine, even though her beak is crossed.

And we have one who's legs didn't develop quite right.

We had her separated from the others in their tank, but she got too big for the box, so now she's in her own chicken mansion. And now I have a spare bedroom that looks like this:

Now at nearly three weeks old, they are over half way feathered out and just about ready to go outside to their grow out pen. 

New Spring Chicks

Things sure have been busy in our house lately! It all started about 7 weeks ago when our favorite rooster, Deuce, was attacked and had to be put down. We were planning on incubating some eggs this spring because we wanted to have some of his offspring, but that cold, snowy day in February was much sooner than we anticipated. But if we wanted eggs he had fertilized, we knew we had to act then, so we collected eggs for about a week. With the super cold temperatures, we didn't know how many of those eggs would develop and hatch, but we decided to give it a try anyway.

We started out with 42 eggs. After candling on day 7, we were down to 36. On day 18, we had 35.

On day 21, they started hatching. Hatching continued all the way thru day 24.

This was our first time incubating chicks, so I was just a little obsessed with watching them!



We ended up with 26 chicks. Two more of them died during the hatching process, But considering the temperatures when we collected the eggs, we had about a 75% hatch rate and I was very happy with that!

Chicken Math is Real

Shortly after we moved last year, we decided to get chickens. We started out with five and a small coop. I had heard about this theory of "Chicken Math" that basically says you may think you're going to only have 5, then it becomes a little bit of an obsession and next thing you know, you have 20 running around, but I didn't really buy into it. I mean, why would I need more than 5 chickens?

I don't know if it's the fresh eggs or the hours of joy watching them run around, but somehow, chickens seem to just appear. Usually at our house, this happens during an innocent trip to Rural King. We go to buy feed, or fencing, or a new pair of boots, and we end up leaving with chicks because someone (usually me) decides life just can't go on without 5 more baby chicks in our flock, or our flock isn't complete without buff orpingtons, and sometimes, you get this crazy idea that it would be good to learn how to raise and butcher some cornish crosses.

We've learned a lot this past year and a half. Like some birds are attention hogs and like to photo-bomb their coop mates.

 And sometimes the antics of said photo bomber confuse the autofocus on your camera

And even though you envision all of the chickens happily frolicking around, there's always one group that refuses to play along.

Then you find yourself building a chicken mansion and you finally accept that Chicken Math is real

Then you look around and realize the original run intended for just a handful of chickens isn't big enough anymore.

So you take down the fences and decide to give them the entire backyard.

And you wonder how life was ever complete without this view from your dining room window!

Freezing Eggs

I was trying to come up with a title for this post, but every time I typed something related to freezing eggs, I just knew that most people that search for "freezing eggs" would be looking for something quite different! So just in case there's any confusion, this post is about chicken eggs.

During the summer, we routinely had an abundance of eggs. Usually we when have extras, I sell them. But I knew that going into the winter, the eggs would slow down. I didn't want to have to buy eggs all winter, so we froze some of our extras.

The first thing to do is to separate the eggs. These small containers are the perfect size. 

Each container was labeled with the contents and the date. For the yolks, I used a fork to break each one, but did not stir them. For the whites, I tapped the container on counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Then into the freezer! 

To thaw the eggs, I put them in the refrigerator over night (when I actually thought ahead!) and when I needed them sooner, I submerged the container in cool water for an hour or so. The egg whites thaw out and return to their fresh state. The yolks really thicken up after they've been frozen, so it takes a little more work to incorporate them. I've used the whites to make angel food cake and the yolks to make ice cream. I also mixed the white and yolks and made omelets. Since the yolks really have to be whipped into the whites, the omelets turned out so fluffy and delicious!

The hens continued to lay all winter, but at a much slower pace. I could supplement the fresh eggs with my freezer stash and we didn't have to buy eggs all winter! Their production has picked back up just in time. We just finished off the last of the frozen eggs.

Update....
Somewhere along the way, it occurred to me that it would be easier to freeze each yolk and white individually, in case I just needed one egg yolk at some point. I found these silicone ice cube molds at Meijer and they are the perfect size! I let them set up, then popped out the frozen cubs and tossed into a gallon size ziploc bag. Now I just have to grab as many cubes as I need at a time!

Old Man Winter....Time to Go!!

Winter....go away. It's been fun, but I'm seriously over the "polar vortex", unrelenting winds and snow. My chickens are over you too. On the days they decide to actually lay eggs, they freeze before I can even get to them.

Well, until winter listens to me, we have to make some temporary housing arrangements for the poultry.

With snow drifts like this, I can't even get into the run without shoveling around the gate. 

And the chickens won't leave the safety of the coop with this much snow on the ground....so they will be relocated to indoor accommodations. 

It's not exactly the Ritz, but see the eggs above? That's always our first indication they're happy with the living quarters. And our rooster, Deuce Bigelow, seems to relax more when he's inside.

Raising the Meaties

We've had the new chicks for almost two weeks and I can't believe how fast they are growing! It's definitely been a learning experience for us. I did a lot of reading about raising chicks, but I think I underestimated some of the advice! Here are the top 7 things we have learned:

7. They eat....a lot
6. Temperature is very important with chicks, but it's pretty easy to tell if they're too hot or cold. We spent the first two days constantly adjusting the height of the heat lamp to make sure they were comfortable.
5. They drink a lot
4. Ventilation is key, but can be tricky. We opted to go with a large livestock bin with chicken wire over the top. This kept the heat in, but still allowed lots of air circulation.
3. They eat....a lot
2. They are very curious and at some point, they will try to leave the brooder. Bungee cords are excellent tools to hold the chicken wire on!
1. They eat....a lot

The new chicks shortly after we got them. I took us a while to get the temperature right. 

The second lesson we learned was these guys eat....and eat....and eat! It seems like every time we turn around the feeder is empty again. 

 This one poses for the camera! It's so cute! 

Soon, their feathers started coming in. It looks painful to me, but I guess they don't seem to mind. 

My husband can't resist picking them up and holding them. I keep telling him not to play with his food, but he doesn't listen! 

Yep, posing for the camera again! 

It's hard to believe how fast they are growing! 

See what I mean? I can't get a picture with the feeder full. They attack it as soon as we fill it up! 

I see you! 

In under two weeks, they have nearly tripled in size. That may have something to do with the constant eating! 

New Chicks!

So after we got through our first culling, we decided next year we would try raising meat birds. Well, next year came a little early. Rural King opened a new store nearby, so of course we had to check it out! After making our way down to the poultry care aisle, we saw baby chicks! I was able to walk past at first because the ones on the side were labeled as Ameraucanas, and we don't need any more layers right now. But then I saw the other bin, and they were Cornish Cross. After walking around getting together all the supplies we'd need for the little ones, we picked out eight to take home.

We found a large bin to keep them in for a couple of weeks and a heat lamp to keep them toasty.

The husband accidentally got the white light instead of the red, but it will work for now. 

We're still working on getting a coop for them, so for now they are staying in our spare room. Hard to believe, but in about five weeks, they will be fully grown and ready for the freezer!

The Reality of Raising Chickens

**Warning: This most contains pictures of processing a chicken. Proceed at your own risk!**

If you disagree with our choices to eat the birds we raise, please run away now-just like these guys.