Having to buy eggs has served as a harsh reminder of why we got chickens in the first place. And buying pastured eggs from the store just felt wrong. We miss our own flock’s eggs, so it’s time to begin again. Call it v2.0.
Tag: Incubation
Hatching Tales: The Year’s Last Guinea Hatch
The last group of guinea eggs for the year hatched at the beginning of the week. As with most hatches, not all of the eggs made it to the finish line…but we do have six healthy keets scurrying around in the brooder now.
Continue reading “Hatching Tales: The Year’s Last Guinea Hatch”
Farming Reality: Endings And Beginnings
It’s a topic that often seems to be avoided, but is a real part of raising livestock: losing animals. Sadly, this morning, we found a 10 day old guinea keet dead in the brooder. While it will never be easy, a farmer learns to accept that losses will occur even when you’ve made your best efforts to prevent them…and learns from his or her mistakes. Continue reading “Farming Reality: Endings And Beginnings”
Hatch Update: Guinea Fowl #1
It’s been a few days since the guinea fowl eggs hatched, so an update seems in order. Of the 11 eggs that made it to lockdown, 3 failed to hatch: 2 quit a few days prior to hatch (based on the yolk absorption), and 1 simply failed to pip internally. While we always hope that all of the eggs hatch, sometimes they just don’t make it to the finish line. We’re happy that we have 8 healthy keets that grow stronger each day.
Hatch Day: Guinea Fowl
Some people are enchanted by them…but others are less-enamored of the unique, ever-alert guinea fowl. We happen to be big fans (for a number of reasons), and are thrilled that the first group of eggs from our own stock are hatching today!
Chinese Geese: Growing Goslings
How time flies…our first goslings were hatched a month ago from our goose’s eggs. There were only 2 eggs (of her first 5) that made it to lockdown, so we kept our fingers crossed that both would hatch…and they did! We now think we have a little goose and gander, based on differences in their behavior and physical characteristics. Continue reading “Chinese Geese: Growing Goslings”