Appleyard ducklings have hatched!!

Our 4 mama ducks gave us 35 eggs over 10 days and we saved 28 to incubate. By day 28 of incubation, we had 20 little ducklings hatch and ready to join our backyard farm (or be sold...most will be sold). 

They are adorable and full of life!! They are only 2 days old and already enjoying the fresh air. We put up a little spot for them with a tray of water...which they are loving!!

Incubating duck eggs 28 days, then little ducklings hatch

I absolutely adore this time of year! Our little homestead is full of life!! Baby goats, baby chicks and now baby ducks! We started incubating 28 duck eggs a month ago and we get to enjoy these little feathery friends in our backyard!

Here is a video of our incubation process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spo2km7LuuM&list=HL1368483081&feature=mh_lolz

Our First Swarm has arrived!

Poppy had her Babies!!! Quadruplets!!

Our first set of kids are here!! Poppy did not top her record from last year of having 5 babies, but we are absolutely thrilled with the adorable 4 she gave us this year! 3 of these precious babies are little doelings and one is a little buckling. I had stayed home from church since our little George was sick. George and I spent all day outside with Poppy and about 3 minutes before she was ready to start pushing, Bryan, Henry, and Addie got home! Bryan had enough time to change out of his dress pants and shirt, but didn't even have a chance to get off his dress socks ;) Needless to say, Addies church dress needed to be washed!!

We have had requests for a video of the birth...so here it is! Warning: Not for those who dont wanting to see a little TMI!! Especially as she progresses into the birth of baby #2, she decided to move RIGHT beside the camera. My sister was hilarious as she watched this video..."Oooooooooooh, oooooooooh, AAAAA..." 

Poppy is very loud while birthing. So loud that the neighbors all heard and ended up comin on over with all the kids and grandkids to see the event!  

"Quack Quack" for Appleyard Ducks!!!

I could not be more excited!!! I have been wanting ducks for years!! These fine feathered friends joined our backyard homestead this week and are already bringing beautiful duck eggs into my kitchen :) I have been searching for good pure bred backyard duck and have settled on the Appleyards. They are a fabulous multipurpose breed (eggs and meat) and absolutely beautiful. We purchased these 4 hens and 1 drake from a local farmer who was selling off her flock. Yes, we have a drake....so hopefully we will be hatching some little ducklings in our incubator soon!!!!!

Meet the little crew!!!

Baby Chick Hatching in Genesis Hova Bator Incubator

Day old baby chicks hatched January 1st Happy New Year

We tried our hand at hatching eggs and it was delightful!! We didn't have the best hatch rate due to not checking the incubator temperature and humidity with an extra thermometer. But we did get 5 adorable baby chicks out of the adventure!!

I put the chicks in a cardboard box which we cut out a window opening for the kids to observe the cute balls of fluff! We trained the baby chicks not to jump out of the little opening... lol, just kidding! We covered the opening with plexiglass which we just duck taped on the reverse side. It was absolutely perfect for the kids to watch the chicks without being able to reach their hands in a touch them...constantly! I also taped a thermometer to the window so we could keep track of the temperature. This was one job that Henry (my oldest, 6 years old) was in charge of! He was responsible to make sure the temperature was at a certain point each week. He did a great job and it was very easy way to introduce temperature tracking into our homeschool discussion.

1 week old baby chicks

These little baby chicks are so cute and fluffy!! They are 1 week old Cornish Cross meat birds. They grow quite fast and eat alot!!

Look at the legs on this fella!!

 They are very curious and love to see what I am doing...cause of course they assume I am  bringing them food! 

Dance time!!

Baby Chicks are here!!!

They arrived safely in a ventilated box picked up at the farmers market.

We transferred them over to their cage where they can huddle up under the heat light and keep each other warm

They quickly found the feed and water and dove right in!

Baby Chick Feeder DIY Super Easy Works Great!

We have more baby chicks here on our little farm and they sure do eat alot! Its quite frustrating to constantly be filling their food and then realize its all out again! I love these little feeders that hook to a mason jar but I do not like that you can only fill them with 1 quart of feed at a time. They take up minimal floor space on the cage but are quite a hassle if you have a lot of birds. I kept trying to think of a way to make them easier to fill (from the outside of the cage) as well as easier to keep full! I took our metal feed tray with me to Lowes and found all the lovely parts to make it work like it does in my mind!!

Supplies: 1 feeder tray (I used the metal tray so I could bend out the inside rings so the PVC would slide right in $3.50),  1 4"x2" PVC Coupling (In the plumbing section of your hardware store - $5), 1 4" PCV Pipe (I got the 5' piece and cut it in half so I can make 2 of these feeders - $8), 1 tube of All Purpose Caulking ($2.99)

Total Cost: Under $20! I also have half of the PVC pipe left to make another feeder as well as plenty of caulking for other projects! Or you could make 2 of these (by purchasing an additional feeder tray($3.50 and an additional PVC Coupling $5) for $29.

 Start by crimping, hammering, or pinching your ring so its completely flat (this looks like its got extra crimps, but they are pushed to the opposite side so as to flatten the inside)

Now its time for the caulking. Apply it generously so you get a good firm seal

 Wipe clean any goopy extra that has smashed out. 

 Now cut your PVC pipe if you want. I wanted to cut mine so I could make 2 and I wanted them short so my kids can easily fill them. If they were 5 feet tall, they would hold alot more feed, but the kids wouldnt be able to do all the upkeep. So decide what your needs are and modify as needed!

 Get your drill bit ready and make your wholes to connect your feeder with zip ties. 

Ready for Install!!

Hook up your feeder wherever is most convenient for you to monitor and fill it...also consider what will be easiest and most efficient for the chicks to gather around and eat from it! Dont put it in a corner or the backside of the feeder will be cut off.

 Zip tie the top and bottom in place so the birds dont move it around.

They LOVE it!! They are super curious and it doesnt even have any feed poured in it yet!

Pour away!! Its perfect height for my kids to reach it and peek in to see how full it is. I used an old pot as the cap to keep out bugs. You can purchase a PVC cap, but im sure you have a tupperware or old pot you can use...save the money for feed!

 

 All gathered around and eatin away! I have our feeder right in the middle of the chicks cage. I also have the whole cage up off the ground an inch or so to help keep them nice and clean. I use cheap plastic table clothes (2 for $1) to cover the floor, makes for SUPER easy clean up! I clean it as needed. I can also lift this cage quite easily and set them outside on the ground to get some good outdoors time. This makes for super easy cleanup, just by moving them! They will only be in this cage for a few weeks. In which we will increase their outdoors time till they are ready to scratch, run, play, and defend themselves outside.

Let me know if you use this idea!! I would love to hear how it works for you and what modifications you do to make it work best for your situation.

Thanks!

Feeding Time

In the morning, everyone must eat! 

George loves to "help" feed the goats. I'm sure they are mostly just annoyed with him playing in every tiny bit of their food before they get to eat it. 

George is feeding a few extra handfuls to Poppy who is always eager for any "extras"!

Backyard Areas, How we make it all fit

I have no idea how I have been blogging about our backyard adventures for several years and didnt have a single overall picture to share! So here it is! The summer heat took its toll on our attempt at grass growing, but we will reseed in the fall and hopefully get a full lush lawn by next year!

We have our yard divided into 4 sections. The garden area which is also where the bee houses reside, the chicken and compost area, the goat area and then the yard and play area. 

You will have to click on the pictures and make them larger so you can see the labels. 

In the far back corner of the yard we have the chicken coop and hen area. It is connected to the compost area so they can constantly be turning and working the compost pile. When we put all the hay from the goat area back there, those girls will work for days getting every last bug, weed, and seed out. They also get any and all food and garden scraps as well as a generous (thanks to Addie) supply of veggies, bugs, worms, and feed. This area is also right next to the garden so we open up and connect the two areas during the winter so the chickens can get out any and all weeds and bugs. Occasionally we do let the chickens and goat all out of their areas (under supervision) for a "walk about" through the yard and garden. The goats sure can tear out some weeds in the garden real quick and the chickens have at the bugs! But if they arent watched closely every single tomato will be gone quite quickly! In between the chicken and goat houses is the garage. The goat house is small and low to the ground (since they are little mini goats). The goats have quite a bit of space and in the middle of their run is the milking barn. This is where all the feed, hay, and any animal supplies are stored. 

 Here you can see the playset which is almost always in use! The path leads to the garden which is also where the beehives are located. We want them close to the garden for easy pollination but also it provides a protective fence so no kids stumble upon them and get too curious. 

 And when the camera is out of course I have to take a few pictures of these little cuties!

 And these two crazy and overly energetic cuties!

I would like to add that our animals do have more attention and interaction than most others. There is almost always someone in our backyard playing or working and we are playing, feeding or grooming them constantly. The animals are not continually restricted to confined areas. They are regularly patrolling the entire area finding snacks or playing. We have found it is safer for the animals and for our children and their friends if everyone has their own separate area to retreat to and feel safe when things get a little crazy. And when we have people over we have found it to be nice and necessary for the kids to be able to play and the goat & chickens to go off to a safe and comfortable are to eat or sleep undisturbed. 

There you have it! That is how we make it all fit!!