New arrivals!

[Polarn]

This is going into general and off topic since their not really parrots. But this year has been horrific for my eggs (chickens) every time this year they have been on a clutch something has happened on e it was rats another times it has just not become anything by the 23rd day(supposed to be 21) so I decided to get a lamp able to shine through the shells so that I could sort out unfurtilized eggs. And also to mark the ones that I wanted to hatch in order to be able to take the other ones for breakfast. So this last attempt resulted in one little chicken hatching tonight and I can see 4 of the remaining 5 eggs moving about and having small cracks, so out their coming.

Will make a meet the family thread in a day or two when the chickens are out and in their pen, will also take a picture of some of the other fellas around the farm, got 6little bunnie babies as well, and ponys a paint and a quarter horse. Also have a pure bread African dwarf goat and a couple of mixed breeds that turned out smaller... Oh as mentioned earlier I also keep a couple of cats got 3adults and earlier this year one of em got pregnant... Wich I didn't hope for but anyways I kept one of the kittens due to him having some tummy problem when he was little, the other ones are in good homes.

[Polarn]

Just a quick update I am currently looking at the second little chicken breaking through his shell, quite some time apart seeing the first one got out at 5:35am this morning and it is now 12:40, and there it's little head popped out! Will keep you posted, and hopefully all 6 of them will come through and be healthy little birds!

[marie83]

Yay I hope so

Wish I could have chickens but no garden Your so lucky.

[Polarn]

Most of the time I do consider myself lucky, only time I'm not is whenever I get sick and I still have a minimum of 3 hours outside (especially hard during winters) or when we all want to go on vacation as I mentioned in another thread my mom and my sister lives nearby basically we all live on different sides of the little farm. But try find a babysitter who likes to take care of parrots,chickens, goats, cats, dogs and horses. And to not forget the rabbits... but yeah I wouldn't like it any other way and I think we all came to a good solution buying houses next to each others sharing the workload and still live the lives we want around the animals we like. As personally I like having dogs around and I usually just goes fetch my moms or my sisters dogs and bring em out for a walk, wich makes me miss having a dog of my own a lot less.

[Polarn]

Haha btw I've now set up their crib for the first weeks or so. Since cold weather came kinda quick now and this years clutch was really late... Their crib is set out to be in the living room in a couple of cages I hooked together... Would have been in the guesthouse if I didn't have Gila in there still for another week or two. Still thinking about if I'm gonna do the 1month quarantine or the full 11weeks... But still a week left before a month has passed. So for now the chickens gets to listen to the tv.

[marie83]

Yes keeping animals is ALOT of work, I've done my time at various places doing work experience and proper jobs. It truely is horrible when the weather is bad or your sick like you say but totally worth it.
I would love a house with a bit of land to keep a pony, a few chickens and definitely some dogs, like you I wouldn't keep anything for meat as I don't eat it. I would like space to grow some of my own food and basicly minimise my impact on the land by being as self sufficient as I can. I doubt any of this will ever happen but a girl can dream. Whilst I can welcome the idea of hard work now, I have to wonder how old I would be before I was forced into stopping though, even if my health only allowed me to do it for 10 years that would be totally worth it.

[Polarn]

Yep no animals kept for the meat here, although I do eat the eggs produced and prolly sell about 40 eggs/ month to people around who likes the fact that they know what they eat comes from. Although I did grow up on a farm where animals were slaughtered for the meat, and I never had any big issues eating Ferdinand or whatever I had named the animal, it's not a route I wanted to continue. I do however eat meat and like the persons whom buy eggs from me I like to know where the animal comes from and how they have been treated. Non the less the animals I keep serve a purpose for the income but as company rather than for the meat. We have children that come once a week some more frequent for a mix between western riding and being part of the day to day chores picking eggs and filling water etc. it started out as a hobby but has become quite popular to the extent where we all have had to reduce our "regular" workhours. But it's all good and I like this way of life woulda wished for some more land though to be able to grow the hey used and some more of my own food but hey someday it might increase haha. We all have dreams! And they should be kept because either they turn into reality or they become fantasies.

[Polarn]

All six chickens are now hatched. 4 of them has dried up already and has been moved into their innitial enclosure with anything they may need. 2 of them is still in an incubator drying up to be ready to meet their siblings, photos coming tomorrow when all of em are reunited and dried up.