Chicken Hatching - Part II

Today I sat my second set of eggs in my Brinsea Octagon 20 Advance EX incubator I also have the Brinsea Humidity Pump.

I ordered from My Pet Chicken on August 16, 2012.  My order included six (6)  Blue Silkies and six (6) Buff Orpingtons.  The folks at My Pet Chicken are ALWAYS so helpful and ready to help with any questions or concerns. The also always include an extra egg with each different egg breed order.  They send them Priority USPS in a box well packed with paper filler and the eggs are in egg cartons (what else would you put eggs in??) and individually wrapped in paper towels. So I sat a total of fourteen (14) eggs this morning. When I had my seeping creeping disaster last sitting I emailed them and they responded instantly. I cannot imagine ordering from anyone else.

Eggs arrived safe and sound

I opened the box and the cartons and let them sit for 12 hours as is recommend.  When it got dark last night I busted out my new Super Duper Brinsea Ovascope egg candler/viewer.  This little number is A~M~A~Z~I~N~G!!!!  You thought a dark room and a flash light were all you needed?  Pishaw.......... This thing gives you a magnified view, has a turning mechanism and hold onto your gadget hats.......An optional camera/computer hook up!!!!!  Yes folks you can hook it up and record what you see. Who may I ask NOT LOVE THAT??

Blue Silkies up front and Buff Orpingtons in the rear

Twenty One (21) days from today is September 13, 2012! I am so excited, I hope to be able to track and record more this time because I am not as nervous about the whole thing.

Lid on and temps and RH% rising

I believe that each time I do this I will learn a bit more and be more and more confident in my egg hatching abilities.

Humidity does drop really fast in just seconds/minutes.

B should be finishing the coop extension for the Jenny, Moe and Snow today, so they will be outside all weekend doing what chickens do.  BE CUTE!!!! He is building a Mack Daddy run addition so the three girls can be outside, and be near Carrie and Miranda so they get used to each other BEFORE we have to put them together.  He is also putting a fence and gate up to seclude the side yard to keep our doggies out, not so much for the chicken's safety but to keep the dog poops away from the darn door to the coop.  Yes, they seem to like to poop right there!

In an effort to have a larger coop that allows for easier cleaning and of course more chickens I ordered this beauty Horizon Coop Kit with Run. Since we are in South Florida the shipment of the coop relies on when a truck is coming this way. {insert thumbing twiddling here}. We are really hoping it arrives and we can assemble before the newest chicks are ready to leave the brooder.

On the garden front, I am planting my new seeds this weekend as this is the time for South Florida gardens.

I found this great Florida planting guide from Florida Backyard Vegetable Gardener.  Here is her website .

I ordered some seeds from her as she grows them specifically for Florida gardening. California Woner Bell Peppers, A&C Pickling/Slicing Cucumbers and Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans.  I also ordered some seeds from Burpee. Burpees Ambrosia Hybrid Cantaloupe, Snowbird Peas, Jack O' Lantern Pumpkins, Burpee Hybrid Summer Squash Zucchini, Burpee's Butterbush Winter Squash, Ruby Watermelon and Bonanza Hybrid Broccoli.

One of the problems I identified almost immediately was keeping the garden beds watered enough. This time around I have revamped my system.  This weekend I will (Hurricane weather providing) be re-painting the boxes, I know that really has no bearing on the actual growing but if a garden looks good that has to be part of the battle.  I am taking weather allowable screws and putting them on the insides of the boxes at one foot (1') increments and tying green garden strings across to make actual "square foot" garden spaces. Last time around I had stuff in willy nilly and was unable to plant as much as I wanted.  I also learned that ALL climbing cages or systems NEED to be in place PRIOR to planting seeds, otherwise you have stuff growing all over the place and once you try and put up a cage after the plant is established the plant usually suffers.  And no one wants that!

I am also putting in my new Drip Watering System.  I ordered two (2) I have three (3) double beds.  So in actuality I have six (6) 4X4 squares. So it is three (3) boxes with two (2) separate 4X4 each. If I was reading that I would be all blah blah blah on each number!!! Anyway my point is, I may be ordering more sets of Drip Systems.  I have two empty 4X4's right now that I will put drip systems in this weekend and then plant seeds.  Another defense against extreme dryness is mulch.  So, paint boxes, screw and string square foot sections, put in drip systems, test said drip systems, remove said drip systems, plant seeds, mulch, re-install drip systems and then do my happy garden dance.

I have read that water on the leaves is no good, dripping the water slowly at the base is the best way to prevent leave rot. Desiree says this about watering and some other great tips for Florida gardeners.

So come back and check in on the chicken progress!!!!