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. 

A Day at the HHS Farm. Four New Chicks Hatch on Feb 12

 Another mom hatched four eggs on Friday, Feb 12. The hen became broody back in January, I selected four eggs, dated them, and placed them under her. Sometimes the broody hen will switch hen boxes and sit on other egg piles. This was my solution to be able to manage. This is the first time that all of the eggs have hatched 🐣 

Back Fence Cut (SW corner). BCM's like water running

 I recently moved a sink that was first installed last year in the garden and then moved just to the outside of the coop into the coop itself over Winter Break. A new behavior that only the young BCM group is doing, is that when I turn on the water ( I don't have an actual drain yet) the water flows onto the ground towards a hole I have cut into the wall to drain out.  The chicks flock to the water when they hear it turned on.

This past weekend, Friday night Jan 30th we had the back fence to the school cut again, this time no casualties to the chickens. The cut in the fence was made for some banditos to jump over the existing west wall between the wall and building, to cut another chainlink fence to gain access into one of the existing businesses next to the school. I have put in a request with the district to install a light on the exterior of the shipping container. A camera connected to the school system would be good also. I have camera's (Chromebooks) set up to act as cameras for me to monitor the coop. This was the third time the back fence has been cut. The first two times resulted in roosters being killed by coyotes who were able to gain access through the opening in the fence.

BCM update....One of the Roos trying to Crow

 This video is a bit old, this happened in January, approx Jan 14ish. But it is so cute....This normally happens when the rooster is 24 - 30 weeks old.

And a picture of the group in their coop hangout.

3 Chicks

 On Sunday, Jan 24 three chicks were hatched in the incubator at the school.  These chicks hatched as a result of needing some eggs to verify that growth was happening inside the incubator with six eggs that had been picked up at a local farmers' market on Jan 3. The eggs from the farmer's market were not fertile and removed on the 10th day of incubation, they were a very dark brown.  The three eggs from our farm remained in the incubator and hatched.  Two blue and one brown egg.  From the blue eggs, we hatched a yellow chick and a striped brown/black chick. From the brown egg, we hatched a black hen.