Seven roosters find new home at farm in Fontana.

Seven of the HHS roosters were taken to a farm in Fontana by one of the students. The Roosters included GF2, OC, and some younger roos.  The existing adult rooster population of the flock had grown to approx eight roosters. Adding to the crowd were the June chicks with two roos, and two roos from the August hatch. Five of the roos were shipped off, leaving four to tend to the flock. The three Nov 2020 Roos are now running the flock along with red, an orange-legged multi-color roo with a high pitched crow. 

Also this week we lost a BV roo which was hatched in April 2021, The roo was orange in color. David, a student noticed that it was off by itself. he brought the roo into the coop and placed it in its own cage. The next morning it was found dead.

We currently have four adult roos overseeing our flock. Three of the roos are BCM's. Here is a photo of one.

Chicks Update

On Oct 23 and 24 we had a total of 8 chicks hatch. The chicks were part of our petting zoo for the Fall Festival held on Friday Oct 29. 

Two chicks were sold, the remaining six were placed inside the chicken coop on November 5th.

The yellow chick was hatched from an olive color egg and appears to be male.  Will follow up.

October 23 Chicks Start to Hatch

As of today, 3 chicks of the 10 eggs set aside for the Incubator have hatched.  Two of the three chicks that have hatched are yellow chicks!

Sept 24 Chickens Update

The October 4 Chicks are about ready to head outside to the coop.  We have 8 chicks ready for the big farm.

 

Aug30 Chicks moved to the main coop

 The Aug 20th chicks were moved to the main chicken coop on Sept 14th.  11 chicks in all were moved from room13 to the hen house.

Construction Class

 Today spent time winding up extension cords, learning how to use the speed square, learning how to use the chop saw, and learning how to use the drill press (only per 4)

Something Still Eating Eggs in Coop

 This week I spent time in the evening at the coop. One of the things I did was change the time to the automatic doors. Open door hours are now 6 AM to 7:30 PM. We adopted a rooster this week. The rooster came from one of the UUSD maintenance workers who had purchased four chicks from TSC at the beginning of summer. The rooster is an Orpington, orange in color the students call him OC.

On Sunday Sept 12 I went to the coop to collect eggs. On Sunday I only collected 16 eggs, and found 4 broken eggs. I had not collected eggs on Saturday and only collected 4 eggs in the AM on Friday. I was expecting to find well over 40 eggs.  I caught one hen that I suspect might be the culprit who is eating the eggs.

Chicks at 11 days old!

The cage hangs out in either Mr. Connor's room 13 or in front of room 1 during the school day.

 

Something Eating Eggs in Hen Box

 Over the Labor Day weekend I only made it in to the farm in the AM. On both Sunday and Monday mornings I found broken eggs in the hen box. A total of 10 eggs were found damaged. I suspect I have a cannibal in the group. One of the hens is liking the egg.

Baby Chicks hatched on Aug 30th

 We had 11 chicks hatch on the HHS Family farm on Monday, Aug 30th.  Nine of the chicks have feathered legs. 

Summer comes to an end

 The next school year starts this Monday, August 23. 

Chicken Update.

This summer we had two separate hatchings. The first hatch of 10 chicks took place in early June, infact, the last week we had students.  This hatched occurred because I wanted to keep the DNA of some 9 roosters we had to send off to the farm, most were BCM's both black and blue feathers.  Of the chicks that hatched all were BCM's and all had feathers on their legs.

The second group of chicks hatched. I had collected some eggs while on a trip to Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately none of the eggs I brought to hatch actually hatched. Eight eggs did hatch all from the farm.  The chicks that hatched were placed in the cage inside the coop. Unfortunately, one evening, a predator got into the coop and was able to dig under the cage floor. We lost five of the eight chicks.

On August 3 BCM's eggs were placed in the incubator for an Aug 30 hatch.

In June two hens were given to a school employee. In August four hens were given to our custodian to be given to a friend. The four hens were spending too much time in front of the school.  Henrietta was given to Mrs. Boswell in late August. Mrs. Boswell built a chicken coop at her home.

One hen sustained an injury that led to her death.

Garden on Aug 2

 

July 26 Chick Update

 Earlier in the month I spent some time in Lake Tahoe. While I was there I helped watch some hens for a neighbor. The neighbor  indicated that she had just got rid of the rooster the day before and that most of the hens eggs should be fertilized. So I took some of the eggs home and placed in an incubator. The eggs began hatching today!

June 5 Chicken Update

 The June 5 chicken that hatched are doing great! They are still in a smaller caged area within the coop. There are 9 chicks. Can't really tell what sex yet. This is week 7.

Portable Coop Idea Option

Portable Chicken Coop Idea. The price of the lumber rise has caused some concern in building the portable coop.  Portable Coop Idea

Marans Started on the HHS Farm on Nov 19, 2020

 

Marans

Marans originated in western France and were imported in the 1930s. There are 9 recognized colors: Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, Black, Birchen, Black Copper, Wheaten, Black-tailed Buff, White, and Columbian. There are others it appears.... included are Silver Cuckoo, Gold Cuckoo, Black Copper (Brown Red), Blue Copper, Splash Copper, Wheaten, Black Tailed Buff, White, Black, Blue, Splash, Birchen (Silver Black) and Columbian. All of these except the Blue Copper, Splash Copper, Blue, and Splash varieties are part of the official French standard. Although, the French Marans Club acknowledges that the Blue color has existed in Marans chickens since its origin. If you find Marans chicks at a feed store, they will most likely be the Black Copper or Cuckoo variety. Hens are active and enjoy free-ranging, and also have friendly, outgoing personalities.

Marans are renowned for their dark chocolate brown eggs.  French Copper Marans chickens are the official "dark chocolate brown egg" layers of the chicken world. They lay those super deep dark brown eggs. If you’re looking for unique eggs, these are quite the conversation piece! You’ll get about 150-200 each year in your nesting boxes.

At the HHS Farm, we have both Black Copper Marans and Blue Copper Marans.  As with any Blue variety of chicken, you will also get Splash as a by-product of breeding, so far we have not yet had the splash show up.  Our November hens began laying in May of 2021. We recently had our first generation of Marans hatch on June 5-10. (F1) Eight total chicks have survived to date. Of our surviving chicks, 3 eggs are from blue, 3 are olive, 2 were dark brown eggs. It also appears that four of the eggs may be roos.

Some Sights....Marans Egg Colors

History of the Marans Chicken....Maran or Marans

Blue Copper Marans....The Blue

How to Start a Chicken Farm...chicken farm

July 12, 2021 Three chicks hatch in coop.

This past month eight hens went into brood mode. I placed eggs under the hens back in mid-June. Four chicks hatched this week, three have survived, one egg has yet to hatch. Two eggs were placed in the fridge by egg collectors last week and thus are no longer viable. As of today, only one hen continues brooding and the olive eggers have begun laying again. I have not seen an OE in four weeks. 

Update on June 5-8, 2021 Hatch

 All chicks from the June 5 ish hatch are alive and doing fine. The eight chicks are in a separate holding brood in the Chicken Coop where they will stay until about week 8.

Two Chicks Given to UUSD Maintenance Employee

Two of the pre-Valencia Chicks, an orange-ish brown and a black chick were given to a UUSD employee on Friday. 

More Eggs Hatch!

 This has been a very unusual incubation. The hatch date was scheduled for June 6. Two chicks hatched one day early on June 5. On June 6 four more chicks hatched. On Monday, June 7 one chick hatched. Tuesday two more chicks hatched. On Wednesday one chick hatched and then on Thursday, June 10 one more hatched. I lost one chick to shrink wrap on Wed/Thurs, and two eggs did not hatch. 11/13 eggs hatched.

3 blues

2 light brown

3 olive

3 Chocolate

As indicated in the previous post we lost two of the chicks when they were placed into a hen box with a broody hen. When we went the next morning to check on them, we could not find the chicks.

Failed Experiment

 Last night I brought in two recently hatched chicks and placed under a brooding hen. Prior to leaving the coop all looked to being going well. The chicks were under the hen acted like feeling them and not to be bothered. When I came to the coop in the AM, mom hen still in her box but no chicks. I looked everywhere but could not find them 

Poultry Extensions

 Just like humans, the males sperm carries sex chromosomes, Z & W (humans sex chromosomes are referred to ask X & Y). Meaning that the moment the egg is fertilized the sex is already determined. 

https://poultry.extension.org/articles/poultry-anatomy/poultry-genetics-an-introduction/sex-linked-traits-in-poultry/

We have new chicks on the HHS Campus!

On May 16 last month I collected eggs from the chicken coop for two reasons. First, in hopes of collecting some of the  DNA from the four roosters that I gave to one of the maintenance workers from UUSD. Two, to place newly hatched eggs under some broody hens to try to break them of their broodiness.  At the time of this post, six eggs have hatched. 

post images

Soft Egg?

 

Door installed in the Garden

 Students installed a door in the garden in an attempt to keep the chickens out of a portion of the garden so we can continue to plant vegetables.

Chicken run reinstalled for Chickens

 Students last week installed the goat fencing and then layered that with some orange construction fencing in an attempt to keep the chickens close to the coop and campus. The chickens have had free range of the campus since COVID.

Valencia Chicks

 The Valencia elem school kindergarten teachers hatched 8 eggs from the HHS Family Farm this month and returned the chickens to us on Tuesday.  My class on Wednesday built a top to the brooder and we placed the chicks outside of room 1.

BCM & OE Laying

 

Work starting again in Garden

Students are back on campus and I have some in the Farm class. 

The chickens help too!

 

HHS Staff

 The HHS staff in 2021. Missing are Eilene and Cynthia

November Chicks hitting puberty

 The chicks hatched about 19 weeks ago, from that hatch we got 9 roos and 10 hens. Many of the roos are crowing and many now are becoming aggressive with the hens. I am beginning to fear for their safety. My plan is to continue to monitor their progress and when it appears to be stressing out the hens I will place the roos into a pen by themselves. I have been watching the roos and watching them in hopes to determine three to keep from this group.

I have observed one of the November hens being mounted by a roo. I believe at least one hen is laying, but the eggs have not been as dark as I was hoping. Eight more to go!

Common Peeps

 

Great News....District Innovation Grant Approved for Portable Chicken Coop! Well.....Almost!

 Last month I submitted paperwork for an innovative technology grant. I knew the grant that I had written did not meet the grant criteria, but you know when you have a great idea and want to share it. So I wrote the grant and submitted it. I never received a rejection letter but received the information that the grant was not approved by a district school board member.  I later received a phone call from the grant writing approval person saying the same. Both said that the proposal met the innovative idea but money was to be spent on technology, and both said they were working on finding the money. So today I received notice that the proposal has been approved, and I need to get the req's in today.  Mrs. Boswell was the savior. I sent her my proposal with the materials and companies and completed the req request!

13 eggs set in Incubator on March 13 Saturday

 Last Saturday I set 13 eggs up in the incubator last Saturday. I held off as long as possible but still to have time before Easter for the eggs to hatch.

All Eight Hen Boxes Filled at once

 Normally the hens would form a squawk line for a hen box. On Saturday while I was visiting with the chickens the hens filled all eight of the hen boxes on the north fence. This was the first time I had observed this.

Back Fence Cut Again

Over President's day weekend the back fence (SE Corner) was cut open again.  Previously the fence was cut on Jan 30.  

Egg Freshness

 I will need to check this out. Once an egg has been placed in the incubator, one way to check if it is fertile is to place it in warm water. If it is fertile and alive it will float and move ever so slightly. If it is not fertilized it will sink to the bottom.