13+ yrs saga cont:

2016 was not a good year. We lost our Blue Wheaten Ameraucana, were miss-sent a Breda cockerel instead of a pullet and a sick Blue Ameraucana pullet with her put down at the vet, the cockerel re-homed, and the Blue Breda "Phaedra" passed in her sleep. WTH?

By December 2016 with so many losses we made no progress in expanding the backyard flock. Once again we had just one lone Breda left with two little Silkies.
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We ordered two new Blue Breda replacements from a private breeder to arrive in May 2017!

"Kahlah" with the big tail and "Tova" no tail yet.
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Kahlah died the first week she arrived and Tova we managed to keep alive till she was about 6 months -- avian leukosis we were told.

"Tova" -- beautiful gentle Blue Breda with her hawk-like features.
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Tova was a weak bird and remained a house bird till she passed. This was her roost on my office chair.
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We sadly found out that the USA BBS variety of Bredas were not hardy because of a low gene pool so none of our Blue Bredas lived long. We stopped ordering Bredas and figured our Cuckoo Breda would die soon too.

So in August 2017 we nixxed any more shipped birds and went to our local feed store and picked up 3 Dominique chicks in anticipation of losing our Cuckoo Breda too!
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"Char" was a much hardier variety of Breda and lived with us almost 5-years before we re-homed her. More on her later....
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Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I'm honestly trying to not cry while fiddling with this dang temperature knob. On the plus side...there are 8 still happily tucked under my silkie broodies. And I'll make a little mark where the knob is supposed to stay in case it gets bumped again. I temped all the eggs, they're sitting between 106F and 111F. :(

If they do die I'll have to figure out a way to tell kiddo so she doesn't do it again but she isn't devastated. I know I would have been even as a 3 year old if I accidentally killed eggs...
Accidents happen. It’s how we learn from the experience that we better ourselves and care more accurately for our chooks
 
Here is the best rooster who has ever blanketed the stage of BYC.
The honorable and devoted servant of everyone, including her royal majesty, Queen Aurora of Fluffy Butt Acres.
He was Sir. Jaffar, the best rooster that I have ever known: rest in peace Sir Jaffar:

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Oh, how I miss my rooster buddy! :hit
 
Let me give you all some words of advice: love your pets, but don’t humanize them, that’s degrading to what they are capable of. Never underestimate a chicken. They are intelligent and loving creatures and you can appreciate them if you spend your time as I do.
I’m held hostage, Dakota made me say this, or else she’ll poop. On my head
 

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