The animals are all doing well, but getting MUCH less attention this week with the children back at school. Monty and I have been in Birmingham on business or doctor/dentist visits almost every day last week, and will be again for several days this week. We had 29 quail babies hatch last week and we lost only 3! Our average is much better on this batch. We've pickled 5 dozen more jars of a dozen quail eggs each, and we have 50 or so ready to go.
I have a lady coming tomorrow to buy 30 or so chickens, and that's probably all I'll sell out of that batch leaving me around 12 to add to my STILL NOT laying hens. Meanwhile, I placed another order at the hatchery and will receive 250 chickens around the 21st of August. Am I ready??? I think NOT! OY VEY!
I am excited about them, though. Along with the pullets, I ordered a set of straight run Japanese Black Bantams which means I'll get males and females. I want to raise these birds - they are SO beautiful. The bantams I have in chicken tractors in the garden each have a mating pair, and one has an extra hen - I call her the mistress. These little roosters are crowing now, but they are so small, it's like the volume is turned WAY down on a big rooster! It sounds SO cute!! You see this little rooster strut all around, and puff up his chest, and ER ER ERRRRRRRR! It's just a bit squeaky! ;o) This pic if from another website, but it shows what my roosters look like, so I think they are Old English Game Bantam Roosters.
The ducks are getting absolutely HUGE!! The ducks in the picture are fully feathered juveniles, and mine still have LOTS of ducky fuzz, and some feathering on the chest and sides. I still have no ideas which are males or females in the seven we've raised successfully. They are having a BLAST toodling around in the garden, chasing crickets, ending my grub infestation, and sampling fire ants here and there.
Well, more to come later in the week as I ready the brooder pen for the new gangs.
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