Update

Below are the new piggies we got on Saturday.  They were originally named Petunia and Paisley but turns out Petunia was a boy, oops! Now Paisley is Petunia and Petunia is Porky.  They are 8 weeks old and should be ready in October or November.  They are the cutest little things.  They play in the food and have to stand on their back feet to get all the way into the water like they want to.  I find it so adorable when I catch them rubbing up against the fence or the blocks to scratch and itch.  I will have a hard time not getting attached to them.

As for the chicken situation, I'm sad to report that Phoenix is no longer with us.  Something got him last night which really surprises me considering how tough he was.  He wasn't very nice to me or anyone else for that matter but he was a great protector of my hens, they really did trust him.  Bye Phoenix.  As far as hatching little ones we have found that quite a few of the eggs that came in the first delivery, aren't fertile.  Which we knew was a possibility but it still sucks.  If we don't see anything happen by either the 22nd day or 23rd we will just have to throw them out.  Some of the duck eggs we got have very nice clear shells so when it comes time to candle them we should be able to see very clearly if something is growing.  We did get to finish up the new chicken pen.  It looks so good and I'm happy to say that my little ones will have a great place to grow up in.  We used an old shelving unit that the previous owners had built in the barn for nest boxes.  We just have to put some straw in them so the girls will use them.  I also thought about trying a fake egg too in some of them to show them it's ok to lay in there.  If they don't catch on then I will but if they get it I guess I really won't have to.  I will be getting the tub this week for the chicks to go in after they hatch.  I'm thinking I may have to get another heat lamp too but we will see how many actually hatch.  I plan on getting some pie pans and using them as a drinking place for them too.  They say if they are too deep to put marbles at the bottom so they don't drown, so if I do get pie pans that are too deep for them they will have marbles in the bottom for a wile.  We did manage to get two eggs from the nest box the past couple of days.  I'm not sure who is laying them but I'm hoping they are fertilized because I put them in the incubator to try and hatch.

Porky is on the left and Petunia is on the right.  She has floppy ears plus the two spots on her back.  That's how I can tell them apart without looking underneath.  By the way there won't be any piglets from these two because A) they are brother and sister and B) he is cut