The April temps have fluctuated downward then upward over the month. We should have three days in 80 degree (F) temps then back into the 60s. Personally, I like 60 degree temps. I can get so much more done on those days, as long as it is not raining sideways or thunder storming with hail.
So we are finally dwindling our 59 chicks (which all survived) down to 12. We still have 18 pullets today. They are 10 weeks old. Two will leave this weekend (Silver Laced Wyandotte and Easter Egger), and four more (2 Barred Rock, a Silver Laced Wyandotte, and an Easter Egger) will leave later next week.
We don't have a Tiny this year, but we do have two runtish pullets that need to have special care at the moment. Those two are in a safe-zone in the big pen. The "smalls" can fit through the larger openings on the dog crate while the bigger girls cannot. So those two are, at least, outside with the pullets, but still safe from the "mean girls." It took almost a month for the feathers on the Cuckoo Marans to "start" to grow back. The Rhode Island Red was not picked down as much on her back or neck. But, yah, they are a duo and do everything together. They do venture out of the crate, but don't go far. Keeping food and water in their crate is necessary. They are sleeping together on the roost in the crate while the big girls all sleep up to the house, overhead. So this is going to take some adjustment time where they, eventually, can sleep with the bigger girls.
When it is all done, we will have the following pullets/breeds:
- 2 Rhode Island Reds (1 smallish)
- 2 Splash Laced Red Wyandottes
- 2 Black Australorp
- 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte
- 1 Easter Egger
- 1 (small) Cuckoo Marans
- 1 Lavender Orpington
- 1 Olive Egger
- 1 Cream Legbar
Once we have the sold six sent off to their families, we will start to integrate our three remaining hens into the pullet flock. We have two Gold Comets, and one French Black Copper Marans hens that are doing a decent job supplying us with eggs. For now, the pullets are enjoying the weather before their numbers dwindle again.
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Last weekend, we had one bird get returned as a rooster. A Lavender Orpington came back to us as an obvious Roo, so we had to part with one of the remaining Lavendar Oprpingtons as a replacement, that I was hoping to hang on to. Big Sigh.... But I think this is our only roo. If the one gal who took 15 two weeks ago has a roo, I'm thinking it might be an Easter Egger, which is another breed that is difficult to "gender" at hatch. But the family is likely to keep that roo as flock protection since their birds free range on their farm. But, at most, I think we only received two roosters out of 59 day-old chicks. That's much better than last year! Last Spring and Summer, out of a total of 50ish chicks, we ended up with three rooster, several of the chicks died before maturity, one (Tiny) was severely deformed and was not able to survive the winter cold. So the better ratio this year of survivals and roos is a "feel better" start to the year.
We are done starting chicks for the year. No chick plans for the summer and we can focus on hens, eggs, and garden.
