Still the worst blogger ever.  It has been another year.  Darn it.  Let's try again...

So hatching season has begun again.  I am running two incubators this year in an effort to keep up with demand.  'Bator one perked last weekend.  I ended up with four blue ameraucanas, two splash ameraucanas four welsummers and an easter egger.

They are impossibly sweet and fuzzy.  All of the ameraucanas will be going off to a new home this week, so numbers will be small for another week or so.

The other brooder has red pullets and speckled sussex from Tractor Supply.  My niece wanted to add to her flock and my sister didn't want to brood.  I love brooding, so I have the babies here.  They have reached that unfortunate phase for sure.  Bless their little hearts.

Incubator number two is running ameraucanas and welsummers.  The AMs are from my flock so they will all be blue or splash.  The welsummers are purchased eggs.  I need to darken up my wellie eggs, so I am infusing new genes into the lot.  Fingers crossed that I'll get a decent hatch out of that lot.  

Incubator number one was cleaned and fired back up again with easter eggers, olive eggers and buff orpingtons.  This is the first time hatching any of this mix so it should be interesting to see what they end up looking like.  For the EEs and OEs there is a splash rooster over barred rocks, buff orps and welsummers.  Should make for interesting babies.  Pictures will follow, of course.

Guster and Ivan the Terrible are completely fascinated by the addition of chicks to the dining room.  It is the best interactive cat toy EVER!  Thankfully their legs aren't long enough to reach the bottom of the brooder.  I do periodically find them laying on top fishing a paw around in hopes of making contact.  The chicks will eventually learn to peck back, so all is well.

Excuse the mess in the corner.  The other brooder has open sides and the babies had learned how to scratch up the shavings.  It is a very enthusiastic process that makes a huge mess!