Finally.... a lavender silkie!

After much anxious bidding, waiting and incubating, I finally have four lavender silkies! As if I didn't have enough going on the last week (HA!), I've had eggs hatching like crazy! Nine little silkies hatched during the week, but I lost three. Silkies are teeny tiny and fragile. I've also bought them as chicks and had no idea how difficult they are to hatch! Wow! The six that survived are growing and chirping away in my dining room under a heat lamp and will be fine in the long run. I took my seven Columbian Rocks out to the farm on Saturday since they were jumping out of their mail bin. They are in the coop with the other babies. I may let them out tomorrow to mingle with the rest of the flock!

Yesterday the real test came.... the hatch of the lavender (potentially!) silkies. I had a 25% chance of getting a full lavender silkie. I also had 14 Olive Eggers ready to hatch. Can't wait to get Olive Eggs! They all started hatching last night. I now have 12 Olive Eggers and 10 Silkies. And... drum roll.... 4 are lavender! Woo hoo!!! If you're not into chickens, and I mean really into them, the thought of lavender silkies probably means little to you. But if you are, you know the excitement I'm feeling right now! I gave the children strict warnings to leave them alone. No stressing the beauties out! Having chicks on the dining room table is a magnet for every child in the neighborhood.

Behold... my latest batch of chicks.

The first set of silkies.

The lavender silkies (3) and the rest are lavender splits (carrying one lavender gene)

My Olive Eggers

I still have eggs in the incubator so we'll see what we have in the morning. Unfortunately we lost one of our favorite hens this weekend. I found feathers everywhere in front of the chicken coops and ran into check on everyone. My little Blackjack was nowhere to be found. I don't know how she got out but I can only assume the dogs got to her. Poor baby.