Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[hellbender]

you are righteous is more mate minded than the other and he more laid back so far so good and I have 10hens per rooster and 5feet per bird upstairs and downstairs in my pen and I am wary every day even if they are brothers same sire different hen and so far the younger rooster excepts the older cockerel as boss when he was about 5months old and the older cockerel was 8 months old a little things happened that I thought I was going to need to take him out but when he got in a corner and didn't fight anymore my older cockerel stopped pecking and flogging him it was like now you know I am boss and when older brother picks a particular hen to mate he get out of his way and I have sold hatching eggs to two different people and have seen the chicks from my flock mating process with two brother cockerels and the little chicks look even darker than mind and have been going up super and the fertility ratio and the good luck that they had with the eggs was great my niece purchased 72eggs she hatched out 56 chicks and another person purchased 4 dozen eggs and hatched out 3dozen and it was his first time hatching out any eggs.But as I said I am wary and watching the cockerels brothers and hoping things keep going well it been a 6months together and so far so good.

OKAY!

 

[Beekissed]

Any of y'all wanna help LindaB220 get back home?

Come join the party! https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1089202/i-want-my-life-back

 

[NanaKat]

Chicks are hatching under broody hens and the incubator is full.
Gardening has finally gotten in to full swing.
Morels will be popping up soon.

 

[Beekissed]

Sounds like you are way ahead of us here in the east. And it all sounds GOOD.

It's snowing here right now and around 32* with a wind chill of 24* but supposed to warm back up soon. The weather has changed every 5 min. today.

Typical mountain weather for spring. I've got some things planted in the garden but not much is up yet...what does come up tends to get frost bit but arises to try again each time it warms up. Got trays planted inside and most are sprouted, so that's all good.

I tried to tempt my hens to brood early this year by setting up nests full of selected eggs but nothing doing. Now I've got one sitting on the front porch behind a wood pile on 15 eggs and at least 3 more have nests out in the woods, but are not sitting just yet....they haven't reached their chosen clutch size, I'm guessing. I exchanged some eggs in the porch broody's nest to get a few of the birds I'd rather have hatching, but I'm pretty pleased with these WRs wanting to nest and brood out in the brush. That's the first time that's occurred at this place, though I've had it happen with other breeds at other homes, though not often. To have this many hitting the woods with their nests is going to be great if they all sit them...if they are just hiding eggs to be hiding, then they will be retrained to the coop nests pretty soon.

That was one of my goals for a homestead flock....that they take to the woods to hatch their young. Not so far out the dogs' proximity wouldn't protect them, but out far enough the dogs can't raid their nests. That's just about perfect to me and I hope they all sit and bring chicks in from the woods like a chicken is supposed to be doing. That's the kind of flock I like to have....reproduce their own kind each spring with the minimum of fuss.

That snow is mighty pretty....falling heavy and big, like snow in a snow globe. Might be the last we'll see this season, so I'm enjoying watching it today.

Hope everyone is progressing on their homesteads and farms, soon to see babies and seedlings abound.

 

[finnfur]

Sounds like you are way ahead of us here in the east. And it all sounds GOOD.

It's snowing here right now and around 32* with a wind chill of 24* but supposed to warm back up soon. The weather has changed every 5 min. today.

Typical mountain weather for spring. I've got some things planted in the garden but not much is up yet...what does come up tends to get frost bit but arises to try again each time it warms up. Got trays planted inside and most are sprouted, so that's all good.

I tried to tempt my hens to brood early this year by setting up nests full of selected eggs but nothing doing. Now I've got one sitting on the front porch behind a wood pile on 15 eggs and at least 3 more have nests out in the woods, but are not sitting just yet....they haven't reached their chosen clutch size, I'm guessing. I exchanged some eggs in the porch broody's nest to get a few of the birds I'd rather have hatching, but I'm pretty pleased with these WRs wanting to nest and brood out in the brush. That's the first time that's occurred at this place, though I've had it happen with other breeds at other homes, though not often. To have this many hitting the woods with their nests is going to be great if they all sit them...if they are just hiding eggs to be hiding, then they will be retrained to the coop nests pretty soon.

That was one of my goals for a homestead flock....that they take to the woods to hatch their young. Not so far out the dogs' proximity wouldn't protect them, but out far enough the dogs can't raid their nests. That's just about perfect to me and I hope they all sit and bring chicks in from the woods like a chicken is supposed to be doing. That's the kind of flock I like to have....reproduce their own kind each spring with the minimum of fuss.

That snow is mighty pretty....falling heavy and big, like snow in a snow globe. Might be the last we'll see this season, so I'm enjoying watching it today.

Hope everyone is progressing on their homesteads and farms, soon to see babies and seedlings abound.

We didn't get the snow but we have chickens sailing all over the place with 25 knot winds gusting to 35 - It was a funny sight- they come upwind and then turn around down wind and those big tails would go up in the air like a sailing jib and off they would go. Chickens are such great entertainment

 

[Beekissed]

I love it when they do that! All I can think of is that there will be some excess gas released later on when they are roosting...too much air intake in those loose vents!

 

[finnfur]

I love it when they do that! All I can think of is that there will be some excess gas released later on when they are roosting...too much air intake in those loose vents!

Yes all that air pressure pushing on the back it will hold up egg production a couple of days.

 

[NanaKat]

Broodiness has settled in the breed pens and the layer flock....currently there are six lf hens on eggs in brood pens, one in the Columbian Wyandotte pen, one in the Buckeye pen, one in the Cochin pen and three Delaware bantams in their two pens....for a total of 12 hens... .
The big incubator has several full shelves. The hatcher has babies popping tonight and the brooder boxes are holding about 75 chicks.
Already have three hens with clutches of babies out free ranging. Love watching the little tykes chasing bugs, dust bathing and scratching under mom's watchful eye.

Expecting tennis ball hail predicted for Sunday night so I've delayed setting out tomato and pepper plants. Don't know if plastic pots will protect the cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower plats already in the beds but will try. Should do a number on the fruit trees too.

Calving roundup today. We tagged, banded and vaccinated the 30 spring calves. There are 15 more calves due before the end of May from the first time bred heifers in another pasture. The fall herd is divided on two pasture sections....another 30 calves due beginning in September. The feeder steers and replacement heifers are running on fescue and mixed pasture with creep feed.

We are looking like the beginnings of another drought cycle unless we get more rain, but are thankful that all the ponds are full.

So goes farm life in the central area of Oklahoma.

 

[Beekissed]

You are broody rich!!!! Will you let them all sit eggs or will you save some for fostering your 'bator chicks?

 

[NanaKat]

You are broody rich!!!! Will you let them all sit eggs or will you save some for fostering your 'bator chicks?

Each LF hen has 12 eggs...allowing for those that don't hatch, I will be able to foster the incubator chicks 6 - 12 each hen. These breeds are great mothers and will adopt chicks that are 3 - 5 days old when slipped under them when they are caged with their chicks for a week to bond. I then move them to the floor and they do the rest.
The Bantam hens have 6 eggs and will get a few more to foster also.

The Cochin will take up to 24 chicks while the Wyandotte handle 18 easily.
This is one of the broody Black Wyandotte and the Bantam is a d'Anver hen that hatched four of her own and is fostering a Columbian OEGB