Finished at last!

After several weeks of hot sunny weather it's decided to rain right up til next week. So I made the effort to get outside and finish my new Pekin run. It's 15ft x 7ft x 4ft high. Netted at the top with half covered with clear corrugated pvc (Pekins feet are a nightmare if they get too wet and muddy). There's a side gate so I can get in there if I have to, and a top hatch near the chook house to put their food hopper in and take it out easily. The sides are weldmesh. I'm really pleased with it and will add a photo asap.

It's as fox proof as humanly possible, so if a fox tries to get in there to snatch my birds he'll need wire cutters and an oxcycetaline lamp.

The Pekins are 6 weeks old this weekend and have been off heat for just over a week, so they're moving in Pekin Palace either tomorrow or Sunday.

I have 2 definate boys, the lavendar frizzle pekin is staying but the black mottled frizzle boy is going to have to be sold. One of the hens, the brown/red I'm not too sure is a girl so that one may be going to if it's a boy.

The next hatch are 2 weeks old this weekend and still brooding under heat, they're more like chicks now instead of bumble bees and are the cutest little things. There's 4 Gold Partridge Pekins (3 hens and 1 cock) and one Silver Partridge Pekin hen.

The Golds came from a breeder here in Cornwall, but the Silver came from 6 fertile eggs I bought from the Highlands, Scotland, and only the one hatched out. I was disappointed as I particularly like the Silver Partridge Pekins. Never mind, I have one so mustn't complain.

I won't be hatching anymore this year, or next probably. As Pekins are always going broody I'm sure I'll have plenty of chicks next year. I'll probably sell those as I don't really have room for anymore.

Several of the hen chicks were hard to sex, they had large combs like the boys and they should have had tiny white combs. This confused me, I thought they were boys at first and would have to sell them. I've noticed with some colours in Pekins the hens do have large combs, and the only thing I can think is that when new colours were brought in using another breed, the new coloured birds kept the comb size from the non-pekin ancestors.

As I have so many different coloured Pekins and only one cockerel, my 'babies' will be non standard colours and there should be quite a pretty mixture. These dolly mixtures can't be shown or sold for breeding as they wouldn't throw true coloured babies, but they'll be beautiful colour mixes and will be great as pets.