2021 First Hatch of the Year

 So I decided to test the fertility of my Light Sussex hen, the only one laying the light coloured eggs at the moment, the younger Light Sussex hen's eggs are a bit too small to test just yet, so I went with my one year old's eggs. I put 7 in and only one wasn't ferilized, so that was good news. One was almost fully developed but didn't make it to hatch, another pipped and then gave up, and another one hatched, but died two days later, as it was too weak to survive. So in total I have four chicks, that hatched themselves and are very healthy.

The tarp on the run came down, with the weight of snow we had, so I have to find a better solution as a cover. At the moment the run is a mess and just ankel deep mud,  so I can't get around to covering it until it drys out a bit. 

I now have what I think are 5 pullets from the last hatch of 2020 and from September one Rooster and two hens.  They are all true to type, so I will be getting rid of all the chickens that are mixed eventually. I don't have the space to keep them seperated at the moment, so they will have to go, along with all the roosters i don't want to breed with. That will be a daunting task. I  might try to sell some, othewise it will be freezer camp for most of them except the old ladies that don't lay, they can stay.