See the organically raised chickens at Exotic Gardening Farms & Wildlife Habitat inside their chicken coop.

I was looking up candling tonight online when I came across a video that showed a chick moving inside an egg. My goal was to figure out why I could not see veining in my eggs until it was almost hatching time. The reason – the light I was using to candle with was too weak!

So, I took the heat lamp off the turkeys, put it inside a cardboard box I had punched a tiny hole in and set it up in the bathroom. I then went into the bathroom with an egg and laid the egg on top of the hole. Low and behold there was the veining! Wow! I had just candled with my other lamp and did not see it.

As I watched the egg I saw movement! How cool was that! Yes, there is a live chick in the egg, and yes, at seven days it does move!

I did not get to watch long as the light was quickly heating up the cardboard and I did not want a fire. However, after seeing this, I will be asking someone to build me a wood box with a stationary lamp that will not overheat.

Looks like in a few more days we will be adding 30 new babies to our flock!

Last night I went out to pick up an older Peahen and a Royal Palm Turkey. I had tried to raise both from babies and did not have success. I put them both in the chicken coop with the chickens, ducks and guineas. So far, so good. They seem to like being in the coop more than being out of the coop which really suprises me given it is hotter inside than out and also darker.

Later today, once it begins to cool down, I will head out to the garden to check on the new plants I added. I planted more butterfly bushes, the rainbow knock out rose and a few assorted perennials. I was hoping to get more weeding done before winter but I am not going to hold my breath on that. The weather is either hot and dry or cool and rainy this year and neither of those conditions make good weeding weather.

Sheri