Nothing too exciting going on here right now.  I do have some Silkie eggs in the incubator…mainly because the lady I thought was going to purchase the fertilized eggs didn’t come get them in time so to avoid them being thrown away, I incubated them.

I also have three hens sitting on eggs.  One black Silkie has four eggs and one Partridge Silkie has four.  Then I had a grey mixed colored hen who is broody and I felt sorry for her so I gave her seven Silkie eggs.  It is sad when a hen is broody and I keep taking the eggs from under her.  The grey hen is in a yard with a couple roosters and they would produce mixed breed chicks so I don’t want any of those eggs to be hatched.  They are my eating eggs or selling eggs.  I am going to take the roosters out of there today so the eggs I am selling are not fertilized.   Some people get grossed out by the idea that the egg could have made a baby chick under the right circumstances.  Oh well.

I read on Craigslist that someone wants some chickens … free… of course so I offered some baby chicks that were given to me.  I really don’t have a place for the mixed Rhode Island Red and Buff Orphington chicks once they grow up.  I guess I could put them in the yard with Gail’s chickens since there are a bunch of mixed chickens in there.

You know…I hate to give chickens away because people often do not value something unless they have paid for it.  If you cannot afford to pay 8 bucks for a hen, can you afford feed for the chickens?  Just a thought.

I decided to separate my Silkie roosters from my hens except one white rooster and one Splash rooster.   Too many roosters and the poor girls just can’t catch a break.  I want to see if they will start laying more eggs if they don’t have the roosters in there chasing them and upsetting them.

I was looking at some of my baby chicks yesterday and I believe the chick that I thought was white is actually going to be a Splash.  My first Splash chick.  Yoo hoo  I sure hope it is a hen.  I have two female Splash and one male Splash.  I recently lost a hen and I never could figure out why.  I was outside and I noticed her sitting and I thought she was going to lay an egg and I came back later and she was dead.  It was a really hot day and I wonder if that had something to do with it.  None of them were showing signs of any sickness and still don’t.  I think I will read up on “egg bound” chickens or something  like that.  Maybe that was her problem.

And gosh, how I hate those darn ants.  You just can’t get rid of them in the chicken yards because they are attracted to the feed.  I have been trying to remember to keep ant killer around the outside of the yards where the chickens can’t get to it.  I am so sick of ant bites and I wonder if they bite the chickens, too.

Well, I have rattled on long enough and the sun is finally up so I can go out and check on my chickens and feed and water them.  I really look forward to seeing what they are up to each day.  Occasionally,  I have to put a chicken back into the right yard because they manage to fly over into another yard.  I have a couple of problem chickens.   But, it is a joy to see them all running to the fence line when they see me coming.  They know “momma” has the food.

Good morning to you all.  Hope you have a great day in your “paradise.”