Getting ready for summer heat and flies

Today is day 12 of the incubation process. I was in Tulsa the other day and brought back Miranda's candler and extra brooder with turner in case I needed to move the extra Serama egg. Like if all the eggs I had set were fertile. ha! I wish but don't expect that.

Anyway, I candled all three Serama eggs and didn't see anything. Wasn't sure what I was supposed to be seeing since I also candled some other eggs and also didn't see anything. So, I'm thinking, rather than I am a complete dufus and don't know how to watch an incubator, that perhaps I didn't know what I was looking for. So, I googled it. Rather than go back and candle again, I think I'll wait a few more days and then candle. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Spent the entire day Saturday and Sunday on the chickens. Moving coops and pens, building pens and moving chickens around all so I could move the new babies I brought back from Tulsa in the baby pen. Both days I was able to sit and relax on the porch and watch their antics for an hour or so after the hard work.

Trying to get everyone situated before it really gets hot. Put a double fan in the blue hoop where my oldest chickens reside and the girls who lay go. Also put a small fan in our original coop for those birds. Right now, http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/04/chicken-embryo-development-graphic.html is sitting on her's and Princess' eggs so I'm sure she appreciates it even though it's not really hot yet.

Also planning on how to keep flies at a minimum - especially since our birds are pretty close to the house. Went to Walmart to but some thermometers and fans for the coops and also picked up (don't laugh) a children's shovel, rake and how set. I use these to pick up dog poop in the hard. Since I have the dogs in the yard with the chickens, I've got to keep it clean from both kinds of animals....although dog poop is a lot stinkier than chicken poop..I think.

My plan is to keep the coops clear of the overnight poop and the yard picked up - hopefully fly population will stay low enough to be tolerable.