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Day 7

Hilda has been sitting on the eggs for 7 days now. I have only seen her off the eggs a few times, once she was free ranging for about 1 hr 30 mins until I got nervous and shooed her back on the eggs.

Since then I have been informed that someone had a hen off the eggs for 12 hours and they still had a few chicks hatch, so I am allowing her more freedom and trying to trust that she knows best :)

I have recently been informed that Lucy and Hilda aren't ISA Browns as the fodder shop told me, but are in fact Rhode Island Reds, unlikely pure. This explaines why Hilda went broody. A source had a Rhode Island Red chicken who was a fantastic mum, so fingers crossed Hilda makes a good Mum.

Only 14 days until I find out!

Day 0

I have picked up 7 fertile Speckled Sussex eggs, from a nice man from Hahndorf (he threw in an extra egg). He has a dozen in an incubator (to replace the 10 a fox ate this week) and he thinks he should get 11 chicks out of 12 eggs... It will be interesting to see how fertile the eggs are if Hilda sits for the 21 days.

Hilda is here now sitting on 7 eggs, it felt strange trying to push them under her. After a couple of eggs she kind of adjusted herself and that was it. She has been sitting for about 4 days now, I actually haven't seen her out of the box.

I am missing my fresh eggs at the moment, so I have made a laying box for Lucy. Two boxes gaffa taped together and a hole cut in, but when I tried to push Lucy in it was a tight fit lol.

Take two! You can see on the top where I covered up the first hole and put the box lengthwise up and cut another hole. Fingers crossed I have a freshly laid egg tomorrow in here.

I moved Hilda and her clutch of eggs onto the floor and Lucy's laying box on the shelf.

Now each day is a waiting game to see if Hilda stay's the distance. Most of the people I have spoken to haven't had an ISA Brown go broody before, so we will see what happens...

Oh the man I bought the eggs from said that today is Day 0 as it was late when I put the eggs under and tomorrow will be Day 1, 21 days to go :)

Hilda's a little broody

Lucy laid her first egg on the 13 October, Lucy's egg is on the left, Hilda's on the right. It's amazing how much colour difference there is
Hilda has been sitting the last couple of days, I'm assuming that means she has gone broody. Isa Browns don't normally go broody as it has been bred out of them, so that they keep laying eggs. I am hoping to pick up half a dozen fertile Speckled Sussex Eggs tomorrow night $10, to put under Hilda and see what happens.

Lucy is now all on her own, free ranging...

In the Orchard with my Camera

Another bug, I rescued him from the chicken coop tonight, fairly large bug, moving very quickly
Hilda and Lucy having a dirt bath

Almond tree finally coming alive

Found a fly on a fruit tree and decided to experiment with my camera

Took a photo of the fly, but later on found I had captured another little bug in the shot, which came out clearer, by accident lol

More experimenting

I had a little fun with my camera tonight

Seeds, seedlings and a bug!

I found that I had a few more seedlings ready to be planted.

Watermelon and Rockmelon

Corn

Comfrey

Protecting the pumpkin patch from the chickens

Pumpkins, hopefully safe

Fruit trees are coming along nicely

Planted a few more seeds and I was fortunate to have a couple of lemongrass cuttings kindly donatedFenced off the area I have sown with a packet of Chook fodder. A mixture of different plants that chooks love to eat and will regrow...

Hopefully dog proofed the raspberry bed from one naughty dog!

Found this little fella sleeping on Neddie's bed. Anyone know what it is? I'm off to google...

Beautiful long weekend for gardening :)

My first flowers to appear, pink pig face

Before weeding and mowing veggie beds

After weeding, mowing and sowing seedlings.
The first night in and a few seedlings have already been nibbled :( I'm going to need to do a lot of research on pests. Also found millipedes in my strawberries...

Before pea straw

After pea straw and I've made it into a garden bed. So happy with it and now need to fill in with a lot of native plants.

This is the pea straw I still have remaining after all I have distributed around my gardens

Neddie has worn a track into the grass, so have sown more grass seeds and I am hoping to keep him out, to give the lawn a chance to recover.