Consolidated Kansas - Page 1083

Well I guess it's a good thing I got the new BC Marans rooster just in time. The one I told you all hasn't been doing well died today, I found him out under the bush he liked to sit under. It didn't surprise me a lot, I have kind of been expecting it. I think he had a problem with his heart because his comb & wattles were bluish. The hens seem to be fine though & the new little roo is settling in. He kind of gave me a scare this evening, I couldn't find him. I had seen him earlier sitting in the coop on the roost. He hasn't really ventured out to free-range much yet, I don't think he had that option where he had been, so he's not used to it. Anyway when I fed the chickens I looked for him & didn't see him. I walked all around thinking maybe he was sitting under a bush or something because we had a short rain. Finally I went into the coop & all of the chickens were already roosting, so I started looking through them all & he wasn't on the roost. I looked over & I have a couple hens that I think are trying to go broody, so I didn't think anything of them sitting in the nests. I got to the end nest & looked & there was my little rooster sitting in the nest like the hens, silly boy. I pulled him out of there & sat him up on the roost.

I empathize with you Hawkeye, it's hard to leave the eggs alone & the waiting is hard! I have two more days before any more eggs are due to hatch. I visit my little chicks in the brooder often though to check on them. They're doing great so far & they actually got too warm today & spread out from under the light. I got caught in the garage when it started pouring rain, so I stayed in there for awhile so I didn't have to get soaked going back to the house since it's across the drive a ways. The roof on the garage is metal, so the sound of the rain is loud! Those little chicks acted like the sky was falling, they ran under the lid on the brooder since it's solid wood & the top of the brooder is hardware cloth. They stayed under there until the rain stopped.

KarenS, I haven't forgotten your bunny pics, I'm going back out in a few minutes to take some. I got caught out in the rain trying to do chores & I came in as soon as it let up, but I have to go back out before long & try to finish what I started out there. I'm trying to clean my old furniture that we put out in the garage with my small carpet cleaner so I can take pics of it. I'm hoping to find a new home for it soon so DH can get his car back in the garage. He's already complaining & it hasn't been out that long.

I was out putting Seymore in the garage and bringing my silkies back inside and putting them up.  My broody got up and ate a bit and I grabbed her egg again to look.  There is another little crack/bump out next to the original one, so the chick must be fine for now.  I put it back and Yoda went back again and settled back down on it again.  I hope there is a bigger crack tomorrow morning!  I don't know if I'll get a chance to look at it unless I can entice Yoda off her nest before I have to leave to do all of my kid stuff.  

Trish, did I say how adorable those bunny pictures were???  Love how they were so fat and happy with feet up!  ha!  

Tweety, Maybe the tarp will do the trick, I hope.  

Danz, I remembered to buy chick feed the other day.  I also got another low feeder, and I guess I'll have to set up the chick water on the floor in there.  I have it all, just need to set it up.  I don't know if I'll need it tomorrow or not.  We shall see!  Maybe the chick will zip out tonight while we sleep!  Or not.  LOL

If it is making progress like that, Hawkeye I'd say you'll probably have a new chick by morning. That is just awesome. As many chicks as I hatch when a mama hen hatches one it is such a thrill. I have to take the chicks for them to survive. I did let a hen raise 5 of them in a great big plastic dog kennel and that worked fine recently. But if I leave them in the general public one of the other birds always picks on the babies and kills them.

Hawkeye, sometimes they zip out really fast before you know it & others take quite awhile. They can sit there with their beak sticking out of the shell for quite awhile, it's strange to see. My DH got to see his first chick come out of the shell the other day, I think he was pretty interested in the whole process. He tries to act like he's not, but I know he is because he's always looking in the incubators & checking things out.

Congrats Hawkeye on your hatching baby! Be patient and try not to check.    

Danz- Funny post about letting chicks out in the general public! I guess it is a dangerous world out there!

Trish- What color are your ameraucanas? I have wanted some forever and have eggs under a broody but the darn air cells are all detached so I am going to bring them in tonight and put them in the brinsea to set them upright but I don't know if they are going to make it. This is my third try with shipped eggs and I am afraid it is going to fail again. Do you ever sell hatching eggs? I really want wheaten/blue wheaten. 

Tweety- Sorry about your poor duckies wing. It is hard when they pick on each other. I had one hen that had a crooked beak and she would get long feathers that were still in the shaft and the other chickens would pick on her. I used to bathe her and soften the shafts so they would fall off and she had to wear a saddle. If I did all that they left her along. 

Just made my drop off at the bus stop... I stopped and listened next to Yoda to see if I could hear anything.  Nothing.  I may not be able to check her before i leave.  Sigh.  But I'll probably put a bit of BOSS in her food and that usually gets her pretty excited!  hehe

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawkeye95 

Just made my drop off at the bus stop... I stopped and listened next to Yoda to see if I could hear anything.  Nothing.  I may not be able to check her before i leave.  Sigh.  But I'll probably put a bit of BOSS in her food and that usually gets her pretty excited!  hehe

Too funny! I love that human nature has made us impatient and wanting to "look" all the time, whereas I'm pretty sure that Yoda is just like "whatever - it'll happen when it happens". Hehe! Keep us posted if you get to peek! 

So everyone survived the night. Quackers is still not happy, but the other three were bonding again this morning - all curled up next to each other. I made sure to give everyone some yummy strawberries to keep the stress down and keep them happy. Quackers decided to knock over the waterer overnight, sigh.. I got it refilled, but didn't have time to clean out the wet shavings before leaving for work. I just threw in some straw grass overtop so she's not just laying in the wet stuff. I hope she doesn't do that while I'm at work and it out of water till I get home. 

OMGosh!!!  I HAVE A BABY!!!

Congrats Hawkeye! That is exciting! Now we need pics.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawkeye95 

OMGosh!!!  I HAVE A BABY!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawkeye95 

OMGosh!!!  I HAVE A BABY!!!

YAY!!!  Congrats.  Isn't that the cutest thing, seeing that little chickie head peeking out from under Mama?  I love the sounds Mama Hen uses to communicate with baby too.