April 2017 chicks, who will lay first contest...

[peckpeckpeck]

Well after all that hoopla, our broody's 2 chicks didn't survive! The one that got cold didn't make it thru day 1. Second chick looked fine, mama taking good care of it, and then it mysteriously vanished on day 2. I had been reading a thread about letting broody raise chicks in the flock, and our mama wasn't going to have it any other way so that's what we were doing. Supposedly the flock helps protect the babies, it made sense to me. No way to know if it was a snake, another chicken or ? Anyway, she was probably too young and inexperienced, and I'm too old and inexperienced. I removed the last egg, candled it w a flashlight and could see it didn't develop so I tossed it. Mama returned to nest, looked around and around, then it was as if she woke up from a dream, and she simply went out and rejoined the flock. And that was that. What a journey. Quite surreal.
Okay, back to the contest at hand then. She'll start laying again. All our leghorns are now laying as we got 4 white eggs yesterday. One more bantam left to go.

Oh I'm so sorry about your chicks! At least Moonshine is ok & back with the other girls.
Sometimes we look at the girls & think they're so young! I mean they were just born themselves in April. It's like babies having babies, on the next Sally Jesse Raphael or Geraldo (when talk shows were reality tv!!)

 

[SueT]

Oh I'm so sorry about your chicks! At least Moonshine is ok & back with the other girls.
Sometimes we look at the girls & think they're so young! I mean they were just born themselves in April. It's like babies having babies, on the next Sally Jesse Raphael or Geraldo (when talk shows were reality tv!!)

Yes, she's just so young. But she's also a bantam among large fowl, so it may never work out, and I'm not about to let her try again if there's a next time. I was really surprised that she took one good look at the empty nest, and just snapped out of it, no more broodiness, she just rejoined the others as if nothing had ever happened.... I was expecting to have to use the 'broody buster' cage. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell,
I've looked at chickens from both sides now,
from up and down, and still somehow,
It's chickens' illusions I recall--
I really don't know chickens, at all......

 

[peckpeckpeck]

Yes, she's just so young. But she's also a bantam among large fowl, so it may never work out, and I'm not about to let her try again if there's a next time. I was really surprised that she took one good look at the empty nest, and just snapped out of it, no more broodiness, she just rejoined the others as if nothing had ever happened.... I was expecting to have to use the 'broody buster' cage. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell,
I've looked at chickens from both sides now,
from up and down, and still somehow,
It's chickens' illusions I recall--
I really don't know chickens, at all......
View attachment 1151221

I love that song!
to Moonshine!

 

[AlleysChicks]

Yes, she's just so young. But she's also a bantam among large fowl, so it may never work out, and I'm not about to let her try again if there's a next time. I was really surprised that she took one good look at the empty nest, and just snapped out of it, no more broodiness, she just rejoined the others as if nothing had ever happened.... I was expecting to have to use the 'broody buster' cage. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell,
I've looked at chickens from both sides now,
from up and down, and still somehow,
It's chickens' illusions I recall--
I really don't know chickens, at all......
View attachment 1151221

Oh I didn’t know she was broody, did something happen to her eggs? I must have missed the post

 

[sfgwife]

While at the beach we got a new brownie egglet and a whitie. But these ladies are slackin! I am averagin nine a day from what should be a bakers dozen. But... if one of the lil Polish is layin then we most likely wont see one every day i think from them. Today however.... we have a majorly bitchy lady runnin amok out there. Oye! Shuddup and lay already lol! And... the wee buns... two have made their way out of the dogloo and one made it back in. Not so sure on the other cause when i went in this mornin it was out and ran round like a wild lil thing but didnt get on the steps to go back. So it was either confused or just was havin way too much fun with the human....

 

[peckpeckpeck]

While at the beach we got a new brownie egglet and a whitie. But these ladies are slackin! I am averagin nine a day from what should be a bakers dozen. But... if one of the lil Polish is layin then we most likely wont see one every day i think from them. Today however.... we have a majorly bitchy lady runnin amok out there. Oye! Shuddup and lay already lol! And... the wee buns... two have made their way out of the dogloo and one made it back in. Not so sure on the other cause when i went in this mornin it was out and ran round like a wild lil thing but didnt get on the steps to go back. So it was either confused or just was havin way too much fun with the human....

I vote for way too much fun with the human!!
I'm realizing animals are MUCH smarter & more conniving than we ever give em credit for

 

[kokosmom2]

I'm still only getting 6/9 on a daily basis. Only got 7/9 on two days. I've got 2 white leghorns...the smaller one is laying and I don't understand why the bigger one isn't. They seem to have adjusted to their new coop and yard and nest boxes just fine. I've searched the yard and found no hidden nests. That big leghorn girl is going to be headed for the soup pot in Spring if she doesn't step up to her job

 

[Sara Ranch]

Lol - and I am STILL waiting for real eggs from my April babies. So far, nada.

 

[GreenbrierChickens]

Lol - and I am STILL waiting for real eggs from my April babies. So far, nada.

Me too. I might have 1 layer out of 8 26w old. Still not verified at all. Ugh.

 

[jreardon1918]

Our chicks were all hatched 4/24 ish. We have 4 of 7 laying. The two RIRs and the two white Plymouth Rocks. Waiting on Buff orph, Light Brama, EE.