Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[RodneyRooster]

Nope chickens are notoriously dumb in that department. They will happily sit hatching nothing but straw for weeks lol

I just reached under and took all of penny's out last night and sat aside then candled one at a time, you then just pop the good ones back under.

Being your first time candling if you wait till between 9-12 days you are going to be able to easily see which ones are good and which aren't. Any earlier than that and I find myself not trusting I'm right and leaving them till then and doing it again anyway.

Haha ok. Yeah i might just do that cos i can definitely see myself doing the same. Leave it til next friday night i reckon. Thanks for the advice! Will make sure i take a toilet roll and grab them all out at once and put them all back in at once. Possibly be less to chuck back under anyway so wont be as hard as it sounds to do that im sure lol

 

[Kleonaptra]

So I've just youtubed candling and pretty sure ill be fine with that, looks simple enough after watching a few different clips. My question is actually probably a silly one considering the whole process lol. How do I get each egg out from under her to do so without interrupting her and the eggs? Do i just lift her up and take half out, candle them, put them back and take the other half out? If i do one at a time i wont know which ive done and which i havent. And if i do them all at once shell have no eggs left!

I plan on candling for the first time at day 7 or 8. I havent read anything about when to do it tho, do does this sound ok? And then how often should i do it? Each week? Thanks

Ok, I've done this whole toilet roll, take em out put em back in gag, and I had a lot of duck people tell me with the right torch you don't need to handle them AT ALL. So with my tiny winy bright LED in a very dark room I gave it a shot...and with a bit of practise I nailed it! This worked with my Bator though, I don't see a broody just sitting up for a few mins for you...

 

[Anniebee]

Maybe your chook thinks she's a duck. They don't care when and where they poop. . I have had one come right up will I am filling their waterers and squirt right on my foot before. My girls are very classy as you can tell

I don't know what Mindy thinks she is !! ....

.... Must say I have never had a chicken do woopsies on my shoes !! ....

Have a weird mystery story to post about Mindy ( if I am game enough to do it - later on !! ) .... a totally off the planet story.

Cheers ..........

 

[Anniebee]

Rip and condolences locknest :-( very saddening to lose your last original, i dread the day. I agree surely a snake wouldnt just kill a full grown hen and leave those perfectly tasty little chicks alone..

Wash the eggs?!?!?! Even I (total noob!) Know that you dont wash the eggs!!!! Not for hatching or eating it loses all of its protection and preservation! Dont go back to them.

Satay I could always ask if my LS breeder would ship eggs? Could send you some of mine but of course the chances of getting pure breds arent high with mine homed together.

Was interested in the comment to never wash the eggs. ....

I realise that is for hatching good, healthy chicks and I understand that completely.

But - as far as eggs to be eaten ??

Despite the fact that I remove litter, and replace straw in their weird nesting area ( their choice btw ) .... I often find a 'dirty' egg ... from whatever. ( I refuse to talk about chook woopsies again ).

Obviously, I cannot put eggs that are dirty into the refridgerator --- for health reasons. So I wipe them with water soaked kitchen towelling, take off the nasties to have a nice clean egg, label the date laid and put them in the fridge. I know I am removing the protective coating they spray - for the benefit of 'perhaps' eggs that are fertile. Is that not advisable for edible eggs, as well ?

If this is not a good thing to do for edible eggs, what else can I do ?

 

[Anniebee]

Question ??? .... is it possible to ' hire ' a rooster to cover your laying chickens ? .... Much the same as a stallion can be brought to a mare, for mating ? or vice versa.

I only ask, as I am still considering one day having little chicks. But can not have a rooster here - ( not permitted by council ). Would prefer to have a hen covered and produce fertile eggs, than do the incubator bit.

Does anyone know if this happens, or is possible ????

 

[IamSamSam]

@IamSamSam Might know someone with light sussex.

Yeah someone on the south coast where I got my ls from

 

[RodneyRooster]

The eggs wont last as long if u wash them. U can run warm water and get poo off, just use those eggs first. I know if u do do that it needs to be warm water not cold.

Good point about the stallion roosters, never heard of it, i guess cos its just more common to send fertile eggs instead. Chuck them under the hens, much easier. Well im off to bed, big day tomoro. Wont have time to be on until at least sunday id say so im sure therell be pages to catch up on haha

 

[Anniebee]

Ok here goes .... anyone here like mysteries ???

I lock my 3 chickens up between 5 and 7 pm at night. All cool.
This evening, I go out and find Mindys' coop closed and locked and no Mindy in there ???? BIG PANIC

So, of course, my first thought was that hubby had just shut and locked the coop without checking if she was in there before hand .... Grrrr

... but he had not been near the coop --- whatsoever. ... and I believed that, considering the uproar over Miss Ruby dog tucking into chook offerings from their free ranging. ( chookie things, not good for dogs, so I have been advised by a Vet nurse ). Those 'delights' would not have taken Miss Ruby or hubby anywhere near that coop. Action all out in the garden.

Found the poor wee darling Mindy lodged between two trees and settled for the night.??? Thing is, I open both coops for my chickens each day, and attach a thick rubber car-top elasticised band with hooks, to keep the doors open ( in case of high winds that could slam them shut ). Which I did as normal this morning. Something I do despite weather forecasts. Wind might slam a door shut, but would not lock the bluddy thing.

This evening, found not only the coop door closed, but the latch lock closed up tight. So ( presumably ) poor little Mindy had been unable to feed and water herself before going to bed for the evening. ( she always goes to bed with a full crop ). Fixed that after I found her, by leaving all outside lights on, so's she would at least feed and drink. And she was happy - and eventually roosted.

So - ok - who has been in our back garden ?

.... ( both of us, from now on, will make sure the padlock is on the side gate at all times when it is not being used as access ) !!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Thing is, early this morning ( 1 a.m. ) an alarm was going off in the neighbourhood ... and no-one could find its' source, initially.. Several people out looking - fearfullly loud and insistent. . Finally, hubby and another neighbour found a smoke alarm - sitting in the middle of another neighbours' garden going off its' face. .... What could have set it off out there ? And how could it continue without smoke ? ( they usually cut off when the smoke stops ). A high grade smoke alarm too - which is no longer operative !!!!! ( not explaining that ).

I suggested we advise the police. Funny words from hubby " yeah, right - let's call the police to find out who locked Mindy out of her coop and who dropped a smoke alarm to go off in someone's mid garden last night " ? ... which I had to laugh at ( although I was still upset ).

Way too much weird stuff around here - much strange stuff been going on for ages.

We are currently thinking about moving. !!!

 

[Anniebee]

The eggs wont last as long if u wash them. U can run warm water and get poo off, just use those eggs first. I know if u do do that it needs to be warm water not cold.

Good point about the stallion roosters, never heard of it, i guess cos its just more common to send fertile eggs instead. Chuck them under the hens, much easier. Well im off to bed, big day tomoro. Wont have time to be on until at least sunday id say so im sure therell be pages to catch up on haha

Thank you RodneyRooster .... I always wash the dirtied eggs in or under warm water ( depending on how much poo dirt is on them ) .... but still stick to the date on them - for use.

Usually give away 1/2 dozen to neighbours / family --- from 'mid' field --- i.e. not the oldest, not the youngest of eggs.

I always label them 'unwashed' ( even if they have been washed in warm water ) ... so the recipients know they need to be cleaned a little again, where they are to be cracked / cut.

I always use a knife to gently break eggs, smell them - and then ..... lovely googy eggs to be cooked.


Cheers..........

 

[appps]

Question ??? .... is it possible to ' hire ' a rooster to cover your laying chickens ?  .... Much the same as a stallion can be brought to a mare, for mating ? or vice versa.   

I only ask, as I am still considering one day having little chicks.    But can not have a rooster here - ( not permitted by council ).   Would  prefer to have a hen covered and produce fertile eggs, than do the incubator bit.

Does anyone know if this happens, or is possible ????

 

By bringing in another bird you bring in the risks of disease and pest such as lice and mites as well. Unless you plan to quarentine it for 6-8 weeks like you would any other new addition to the flock.

I would be pretty wary of anybody that didn't care enough about keeping their own flock safe from disease to be happy to "lend" you one.

Which is why buying fertile eggs is so popular and putting those under your hen instead. Bought eggs don't need to go in an incubator, I'm using one along with my broody as she is a bit of a runt lol and only just covers 5-6 eggs so it's somewhere for the rest of the dozen.