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| WhiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiNNNNNNNnnnnnne! |
I'm T-minus 3 weeks to the big school hatch (in case you missed it, I'm guest-running an "animal lifecycle" unit in my daughter's 4th grade class. We're hatching chicks), so I needed to test the incubator and egg turner, not to mention to learn how to use it. It seems to work beautifully, and it was not difficult to figure out. I put 4 eggs in it; 3 of which are from my Welsummer, Hoppy, and 1 from one of the Black Copper Maran girls. Or it could be the other way around. Or is it two and two? They're all kind of super-spotty at this point, since the Marans have been laying for a while and the color's not as dark as it could be. I don't know who the daddy is for any of them, so if there are potential chicks in them, they'll probably be a mix of Welsummer/Copper Maran. The Silkie boys can't reach (if you know what I mean), and Beethoven, the Ameraucana roo, isn't allowed to mate too often. The older boys see to that. I believe there will be a couple of mutts in our future, if there's anyone home.
Anyway, the incubator has been whining away for a few days on the kitchen floor. It is a truly annoying noise, which is the only drawback. Well, that and thermometer doesn't stay put, but that's the fault of the turner, because as the eggs shift, the thermometer shifts too. It's no big deal, it'll just be another thing for the kids to watch for. It seems to be holding the temperature well, and it's definitely rocking the eggs, so I am a happy farmer.
On the flip side, it's been super chilly and wet as of late, so I've had nothing much I can do out of doors, and I've been working inside. In fact, it's holding up that project I showed you, so it's going to have to wait for another nice day for me to finish. Bummer. In the meantime, I've been making headway on cleaning out my sewing room, and I dusted off my sewing machine yesterday to make these:
Oh hell, I give up. Sideways it is. Blogger, you can be SO stubborn.
Guess what these sideways things are?
Shaped like chickens!
Oh laugh, laugh laugh!
Yes, the little things amuse me. And these are my new favorite table accessory.
Stay tuned, as I'll either have chick news to talk about or a project to reveal, depending on the weather. Have a great night!
The placemats are so clever! Really cool. Interesting about the incubator. We've only done hen hatched, so I'm clueless about that contraption.
ReplyDeleteThose chicken placemats are really cute. OH, having new little chickies will be fun :) :) They're like little cotton balls with legs :) Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather :)
ReplyDeleteOMG! I simply LOVE the placemats! Do you have a pattern or instructions you can share? I would love to make these.
ReplyDeleteYou need to let us know what kind of "mutt" chicks you hatch too. That is going to be so exciting for the kids to watch!!!
I really do like those placemats! I wish you lots and lots of luck with the incubator. I haven't used mine for years because it just got so much easier to order from the local feedstore. I always had lots of leg problems with incubator chicks. It is really hard to get it all just right like mother hen does.
ReplyDeleteI could not find where you replied to the inquiry from admirers about your chicken placements. Do you have a template to share/tutorial?
ReplyDeleteI change out my placemats/ knapkins and knapkin rings with which ever season or holiday. These are way cute!! Love them!
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