Muddy Boots

Final Tally

Six Buff Orpingtons and Two mixed breeds.

Not too shabby for our first go round.  Especially considering all the hurdles!

1)  The eggs were SUPPOSED to go under our broody Banty hen.   OF COURSE, she stopped that minutes after the Buff O. eggs arrived on our doorstep.

2)  Turned the a/c off during Week 2 and had trouble regulating the temperature in our newly acquired incubator.

3)  Forgot to turn the eggs TWICE and then had to go out of town for two days.  No problem.  Spent the cash on the automatic egg turner (thereby leaving me with no birthday gift for hubby.)

We started with two dozen Buff Orpington eggs and about a dozen of our mixed breeds.  We lost almost a dozen first thing when dh dropped them on the floor. :p  One chick had to be euthanized.  I didn't count the remaining eggs, but I believe we were a bit above 50% hatching and surviving.  There is one chick I'm not sure will make it, but the rest look healthy.