Anyone setting eggs May 1st?

[joyfulkeeper]

Ah!!! My dear children mean well.. but ...they get home from school and run right to the coop. My 14 year old collected eggs, she took the ones out from under my broody!!! So, it's been hours since til I just noticed. All the eggs are in the fridge and she didn't know which were which so we just threw away a dozen eggs.

My daughter felt so bad but I guess she didn't understand what.."leave snowball alone, she is sitting on eggs",meant.

I'm so sorry
My kids have done similar things. Even when you ask them if they understand and they claim they do, it isn't guaranteed.

They weren't shipped eggs were they?

 

[randerson846]

Oh no, Molly.  Well looks like you'll be closer with us now.  My daughter is down at the coop now with Dixie.  Holding her waterer right to the nest box.  And Dixie is drinking and drinking.  I bought a piece of Plexy glass today and am going to get more light in that Hutch.  I'm sure the darkness helps with her broodiness...but I'd like her to see  a bit better in there.    There is a vent like area that lets in light...but I'm sure it's still dim in there.

randerson a good test of broodiness for me has been roosting time.  Does the hen spend the night in the nest box or jump up and roost with  the others in her usual spot.  If you have some golf balls for her to tend to to ensure she'll set...that would be another good test to see if she's for real or if she's putting on a show.  One thing I've noticed with Dixie over the last two weeks is her locking in harder and harder to the nest.  First 3 days she got up a couple times to do her thing outside.  Day 3 she was pretty certain of what she wanted to do.  Week 1 up once in the morning for Broody poos, drinks, scratches in the dirt and outside.  Week 2 leaving the nest fewer times once every couple days.  And right now she's been solid on that new nest. No broody poo today at all....thirsty...she's ate some moistened food...but very little.  I plucked some grass and clover shoots for her...ate just  a bit of that....

And that sweet bird...has not bit anybody...at all or made no attempt either.  Just a bit growly is all.

ok thanks, when they were all in I came back an hour later and she was still sitting, so hopefully she is it was starting to get dark out side and I was pitch black in the coop and she was still sitting, so looks like she is, because if she is these eggs will hatch 6 days after

Ah!!! My dear children mean well.. but ...they get home from school and run right to the coop. My 14 year old collected eggs, she took the ones out from under my broody!!! So, it's been hours since til I just noticed. All the eggs are in the fridge and she didn't know which were which so we just threw away a dozen eggs.

My daughter felt so bad but I guess she didn't understand what.."leave snowball alone, she is sitting on eggs",meant.

So are u starting over again hope all goes well sorry to hear

 

[mollybuck]

I'm so sorry
My kids have done similar things. Even when you ask them if they understand and they claim they do, it isn't guaranteed.

They weren't shipped eggs were they?

No. They weren't shipped. I never thought about that! Those are in the incubator. I told her it wasn't a big deal since we don't know if she would have sat there the whole time. But I sell eggs for eating and I didn't want to chance someone getting one of those. Yuck.

It won't deter her from being broody will it? I still have golf balls I can put under her but the last time I put those in a nest box...I think they were trying to putt with it. I found one in the coop.. and one outside!

 

[joyfulkeeper]

I have used plastic Easter eggs and they seem to be fine with those. Just use the pastel colors.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

No. They weren't shipped. I never thought about that! Those are in the incubator. I told her it wasn't a big deal since we don't know if she would have sat there the whole time. But I sell eggs for eating and I didn't want to chance someone getting one of those. Yuck.

It won't deter her from being broody will it? I still have golf balls I can put under her but the last time I put those in a nest box...I think they were trying to putt with it. I found one in the coop.. and one outside!

I think you have just smart chickens that knew those golf balls were duds! LOL. This is Dixie's first go round and I think too her hormones are so thick and wild to hatch a chick...she'll try sitting on anything. So I got some pictures of my Broody Coop and of Dixie.

Oh! randerson...that's a VERY good sign! The whole not roosting bit is great. See if she sticks with it here 3-4 days. Well here is Dixie's humble abode...It's under a covered Run. I know it's rag-tag but I'm not totally proficient with carpentry and I like using things and materials I having around--recycled materials have their own challenges. The recycled shutter piece has screen behind it...but I think that's all going to get pulled out and we'll get the plexy in there. It's cozy in there for her.



Here she is...Food and water near by. We had some venison fajitas for supper tonight (Cinco de Mayo). I brought my mojito down and sat with her a bit and fed her a bit of veni with cheddar cheese on it while I enjoyed my cocktail.. She loved the cheese and just to make her chicken Mom happy she ate one of those good vitamin full pieces of red bell pepper.

LOL.



I just thought of this. Her clutch of eggs set on a holiday and will hatch on a holiday. I hope it's all a good sign.

 

[mollybuck]

I'm pretty sure they hate the golf balls!I put 2 in the nest box tonight...I fed the ducks and heard noise.. so I opened the lid.. there was one of the BO hens pecking at it then she started rolling it out...ugh. Ok. I will just wait to get more eggs...

I love the broody coop!! I had homemade salsa chips and tacos. No drinks for me. Running kids to school and to and from scouts!!

We candles a couple if the eggs in the bator..the double holler have nice veins. 1silkie looked good..the 2 leaky shipped eggs seem clear and one blood ring and one good egg from the shipped...and we checked 2 of my blrw eggs and they looked great! We will candle all of them wed and make notes then candle the questionable ones Sat and remove if we have to.

 

[BowChickaBow]

I put mine in the incubator on May 1st.... Just a quick peek at a few today while turning... This is my first time, so I am alittle excited!

 

[joyfulkeeper]

I put mine in the incubator on May 1st.... Just a quick peek at a few today while turning... This is my first time, so I am alittle excited!

Beautiful! Yay! Mine looked similar today. This is so fun!

 

[randerson846]

Goodlu

I'm pretty sure they hate the golf balls!I put 2 in the nest box tonight...I fed the ducks and heard noise.. so I opened the lid.. there was one of the BO hens pecking at it then she started rolling it out...ugh. Ok. I will just wait to get more eggs...

I love the broody coop!! I had homemade salsa chips and tacos. No drinks for me. Running kids to school and to and from scouts!!

We candles a couple if the eggs in the bator..the double holler have nice veins. 1silkie looked good..the 2 leaky shipped eggs seem clear and one blood ring and one good egg from the shipped...and we checked 2 of my blrw eggs and they looked great! We will candle all of them wed and make notes then candle the questionable ones Sat and remove if we have to.

good luck
And turns out, the isa brown was broody, I went out to her this morning and she was sitting on them all but one which she must of chucked out I wasn't sure if she's be able to brood that many anyway, I just have then to her so when I went to get it, she gave me one of those broody growls ahah so I just grabbed it, and felt one of the eggs it was warm, so hopefully she'll stay excited

 

[mollybuck]

Goodlu
good luck

And turns out, the isa brown was broody, I went out to her this morning and she was sitting on them all but one which she must of chucked out I wasn't sure if she's be able to brood that many anyway, I just have then to her so when I went to get it, she gave me one of those broody growls ahah so I just grabbed it, and felt one of the eggs it was warm, so hopefully she'll stay

excited

OH!! sounds promising! I went out this morning and the golf balls were in a nest with 1 egg.. no hen on it!! but it was eating time.. so maybe she just got up?
I dont know.. we shall see.. i still have a bunch of eggs in the bator!

and i really dont like using my kindle to post! darn spell check! we had a blood ring and 2 clears in our shipped eggs... but the double yolker looks good. i am not getting my hopes up too high but I have seen at least one hatch yesterday and both hatch before.. so maybe.