Attempt #2 at hatching out my beloved Swedish Flower Hens was a complete failure. Day 21 rolled around on Thursday, and there wasn't a peep or pip. Day 22? Same thing. Day 23, nada. After Day 24, it was time to throw in the towel...well, to chuck the eggs, in any case.
Sigh.
Well, what is a chicken lady to do? Trying a third attempt at hatching eggs seems silly. I can't afford the ridiculous cost of a day-old chick, so it seems like my SFH dreams need to wait. Again.
Of course, I need some chickens. It feels far too weird to not have any chickens on this Farmlette, like my right arm is missing or something. So, I did a little research and opted to order some chicks from McMurray Hatchery. They've teamed up with The Livestock Conservancy and offer rare breed chicks, often from the Threatened or Critical lists, which come as day-old healthy chicks WITH a guarantee (eggs do not come with one, if you were wondering.)
Around about May 9th, a box full of fifteen lively Silver Penciled Rocks should arrive. They are lovely birds, with particularly flashy roosters. They make good mothers, lay lovely brown eggs, and are good dual-purpose birds for meat use. With any luck, I'll wind up with a small flock and a muffled rooster (using a no-crow collar, of course) that will happily keep me in eggs and roasters for years to come.
Until those elusive Swedish lovelies come my way, I think I'll be pretty happy with my lovely Rocks. They are cute as chicks, too, don't you think?
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