Stressed!!!!!

I haven't posted in awhile.....The last hatch of chickens got me down. The one babe died and the one that wasn't right I made the call to end it's life so it wouldn't suffer forever. It killed me but I know it was the right decision. My roosters have gone completely nuts and I have to keep one seperated in a pen so there isn't blood shed every day. I also miscalculated my goats due date by a month!!! Who does that? She's showing signs that it's close though ☺ I am now waiting on the Marans to hatch. I have cried for a few days about these eggs. They are four days late :( I know my temps were low on the incubator for about the first 10 days they were in. That's what caused the eggs that were in there to be delayed and the problems with the two chicks. Anyways, I didn't let the eggs settle very long after I received them. Maybe six hours instead of the minimum of 12 that people recommend. I feel like I've screwed up again. I stayed up until almost 1am this morning googling late hatches and have decided to wait before I call it quits. I had to take out two stinky eggs, only one had a partially formed baby in it the other one was all yolk. Then today I candled them again and took out two more that were just yolk. Patience is not one of my virtues, but I will wait until I know they aren't going to hatch FOR SURE before turning off the incubator. Since I've been sad I did what most women do and went shopping, not for clothes but for chickens! I was looking for Marans but found none, so I bought 3 brown Leghorn pullets, 2 giant Cochins, and two black Silkies. Chicken count 30!!!!!

My roosters are trying to kill each other!

Two of my roosters started fighting each other, at first it was funny watching the chase all over the yard. I watched for maybe 10 minutes laughing because they had made about fifty laps. They got tired and eventually started the wrestling, neck biting, and spurring, that's when it wasn't funny anymore! I took my old trusty broom outside and tried to seperate them. They just bit the broom. A couple whacks on the fanny, they still wouldn't quit. At first I was furious and thought "fine kill each other" then I saw how much blood they had on their necks. I was about to cry. I couldn't make them quit fighting and I really didn't want them to kill each other. I finally grabbed a 5 gallon bucket filled it with water and threw it on them! The fight was over, thank goodness. I love my boys, they protect the girls from hawks. This weekend they had sounded the alarm while I was outside and to my horror right above my head was a hawk. I was so proud of them for seeing it and warning the others! I had always planned on keeping Lil' Squirt, and Old Man has the nicest feathered legs I have ever seen (he also didn't join in the fight) so those two will stay. Randy who I think got the best of Lil' Squirt at some point will have to go. When I can catch them, those two roo's will be penned up seperately. I will treat their wounds and once Randy heals he will be put up for sale. I hope Lil' Squirt and Old Man can get along after he's gone. I have never seen a fight that brutal before and I hope I never see one again!

For my gun ♥'in friends

This is too Funny!!!! Click Here ☺

I have a problem LOL!!!!

So I went to the feed store to take back my too tight overalls and came home with this cute little Silkie chick!!!! I'm not telling the hubs! I will see if he notices it when he gets home LOL!!!

Yesterday was a hard day. I intervened when I should have let nature take it's course. The baby chick didn't make it and by helping it hatch, I prolonged its misery. I screwed up folks and I can't take it back. So today with a sad heart, I am moving forward. I have repotted most of my seed starts. They are growing wonderfully, Spring better hurry up and get here because I'm ready! I've packed my goat birthing bag. My does ligaments were loose Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I didn't check them yesterday and today they are tightened back up. I don't know what this means, but I am ready for her to kid. Last night I noticed I have a broody hen. The funny thing is she likes to lay her eggs in the little chickens coop not the big coop. So I drug her fanny out of there and put her to bed in her coop, but today she is back in the little coop and screaming at me when I check on her. I guess she will be living there for the next three weeks. I'm going to put some cochin eggs under her and hopefully we will have our first natural hatch this Spring ☺ Enjoy your day! I will be doing laundry and cleaning house :/

Giveaway!!!!

Hidden Haven Homestead Too is doing a Facebook giveaway! Her FB page is soo awesome, it's the page that inspired me to start my own FB page! So in honor of her reaching 100 likes she is giving away three bars of the cutest goats milk soap!!!! So check out her page and like it (you will ♥ it)!

Geesh!

I am so over this hatch! Maybe it's the weather or the five days of chickens hatching but I'm glad it's over! I got the incubator cleaned up, the Maran eggs put back in and the temperature set to 99.5. I'm looking very forward to that hatch but I'm glad I'll have a week's break! The little chicken I peeled out of it's shell this morning spends most of it's time on it's back doing the dying cockroach! Not good when your siblings are 2 and 3 days older geesh! And then one of the other chicks just doesn't look right. I showed it to my husband last night. I think it's missing a chromosone or something it's face looks weird, it acts drunk, and it's got a slight case of spraddle leg. Double geesh!!! The other four thank goodness are perfectly fine. Has anyone ever had a baby chick that acted like a drunken, crazy legged, goober?