This week, the incubator began hatching chicks! These are the last babes from my rooster Alexander. I harvested him last week to reduce the number of roosters on the property and to ensure that future chicken breeding at Leafhopper Farm is done by Ayam Cemani’s.
This chick was the first ever to hatch in my new incubator. What a surprise it was waking up Saturday morning to hear peeping in the living room. The little chick looks like an Americana, but its legs are not blue. Alexander was an Americana cross, so the look of these little guys is not surprising. It will be challenging to raise baby chicks through the winter, but I plan to build a great set up in the garage, and am excited to be producing my own chickens for the flock I would like to grow. As I hone in on this process, I hope to be able to hatch rare Cemani’s for a farm income, and grow my laying flock for the future egg co-op I hope to join.
For now, the learning on incubation and brooding continues, with these cute little babes to keep me company with gentle peeping and curious chick antics as they learn about the world around them.
EEC Forest Stewardship 