Mottled Cochin & Goat Herd Reduction

Well didn't I just luck out! Look at the oh so handsome new Mottled Cochin rooster we brought home with us over the weekend. Yes I was thrilled. Wish he'd had some hens to go with him though. Oh well. He's a good start to our Mottled lines. Since I don't have any Cochins laying or close to laying age yet, I've decided to pen him with the Easter Egger/Silkie cross pullet. Too pretty a roo not to have a girl!

New Mottled Cochin rooster!

We also ordered more chicks. This time I ordered 8 Gold Laced Cochin bantams. I received my 8 Cochins but also 9 Barred Rock or Black Sex-Link roosters too! What will I do with them? LOL At the same time my second clutch of eggs has started hatching. All 8 of my eggs (4 green, 1 blue, 2 EE/RIR & 1 Blue hen eggs) have hatched. The 5 bantam eggs left from 18 are still quiet. One has pipped. They're due tomorrow. I hope they hatch!

I'm doing a MASSIVE herd reduction. I've listed 2 bred does, 1 open doe, 2 mature bucks, 1 buckling and several doelings for sale. See my sales page at www.sweetgumminis.com/sales.html for prices, photos and pedigrees. I need to downsize. I've even listed for trades considering I need hay, building materials for coops and hay storage, fencing, etc. Just ask. Well that's about it for now. Wish us luck on our last clutch of eggs. I set a dozen last week and only 2 appear to be developing. :-(

Homemade Incubator a Success!!!

Our first batch of eggs have made it to the hatcher and we have our first hatchlings! Here is our Hovabator Genesis with egg turner. This is what we incubate the eggs in till day 18 when we move them to the hatcher (our homemade incubator).

Hovabator Genesis 1588!

This is our second clutch of eggs due next weekend!

I couldn't be more pleased with our homemad hatcher! We used an old transport chest to prevent spills of chemicals. My husband had gotten it while working for a pool company. It has sat in the building for a long time so we found a use for it! We took a wafer thermastat we'd purchased for a different homemade wood bator a few years ago. Put a light bulb (25w) and wire cage in the incubator. Here it is from the outside.

Homemade Hatcher Incubator

We set our first clutch of eggs. Started with 17 but with poor firtility we wound up with 7 to set to hatch. We had 6 of the 7 hatch from Thursday through Friday! I am so happy with the hatcher's success in hatching our first eggs! We have more due next weekend so it'll get yet another round of testing.

Inside the homemade incubator with our first hatch.

Here is our new chicks! I hatched a couple from my Blue hens x our Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster. We got a black chick and a yellow with some colors mixed in. I think the yellow will be laced! We also got two yellow Seramas and 2 black Silkies.

Our new chicks!

Hope we have more chicks to report next weekend as well as another success story for the hatcher! I have plans to set more of my Blue hen eggs this weekend in order to work towards my project of creating a Blue-Laced-Red mutt.