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

[sjturner79]

Oh dear, I think our silkie penny is scared of our now grown australorps. I've noticed over the last week that she is last to come out for breakfast and seems to spend all her day on the perch in the house. Even when I let them on the grass she just stays in the house. So this morning I though I'd put her in the broody grass run to get her out of the house. The australorps ran over to see what was going on and she freaked and squeaked and ran and jumped up away from them. She's always been nervous of them, even when they were babies. I've never seen them be mean or even pay her much attention. What on earth do you do when you have a scary cat chicken?

I think about the only thing you can do is get her a few more silkie friends.

 

[SilkieChickStar]

I think about the only thing you can do is get her a few more silkie friends.

I agree I think that would help her as she'd have a little crew to hang with.

I am excited, I have sourced 2 bantam Favorelles Pullets! They will be joining my little flock sometime in the next month.

 

[Teila]

Fancy, I am pleased to hear you escaped the high winds.

sjturner79 congrats on the first Frizzle egg and good luck with the incubator hatch.

Oooh appps that is a strange one with Penny and the Australorps; especially since they grew up around her. May be one of them accidentally hurt her when being a bit boisterous and she has not forgotten? Or could it be that she is one and they are many, all descending at the same time? I wonder what she would be like if you put one in the broody run with her?

Congrats on the soon to be new additions SilkieChickStar, can’t wait to see the pics!

My gals never cease to come up with something new and surprising and today’s worming was no different.

In the past, when I have wormed them, I have taken the water container out of the run after they went to bed and then made sure I was up before them the next morning to put it back in the run, fresh and complete with worm medication.

Last time I wormed them, I did the same thing but when I let them out for free range in the afternoon they made a beeline for the outside water which had not yet been refreshed from the day before and sucked a heap into them like they had not had a drink all day. This meant I had to give them medicated water the next day also because I was pretty sure no one had drunk it while in the run.

So, today, before letting them out, I made sure that the outside water was fresh and worm medicated also.

When they came out for free range, I sat down with them to give them their meal worms. Blondie was sucking the outside water into her to the degree that she would not come over for meal worms without a great deal of encouragement. Then, after meal worms, they were all at the outside water, gulping it down like they had not had a drink all day!

So, I know that they have all been wormed, but how bizarre that they did that. Yeah, I could understand them rushing over and drinking the outside water if it did not have medication but it was the same as the water they apparently did not have much of, if any, all day.

I can not believe that they are smart enough to think they had duped me?

 

[LuckysMum]

Fancy I’m glad you didn’t get the high winds. You were due for a break.

Anniebee How’s Sonya now?

Appps Poor Penny, our silkies have grown up with the Australorps and are fine but there are 6 silkies and 8 Australorps so they are fine. They all cuddle up at night. I can’t even see the silkies.

sjturner congrats on the egg from your fizzle. What eggs are you putting in the incubator.

I put 12 eggs in a week ago and it looks like only 6 and doing anything.

Teila cheeky girls I’m glad you got one up on them.

I have never wormed my girls and I’ve never seen any signs of worms. Should I do it anyway.

 

[sjturner79]

Fancy I’m glad you didn’t get the high winds. You were due for a break.

Anniebee  How’s Sonya now?

Appps Poor Penny, our silkies have grown up with the Australorps and are fine but there are 6 silkies and 8 Australorps so they are fine. They all cuddle up at night. I can’t even see the silkies.

sjturner  congrats on the egg from your fizzle.  What eggs are you putting in the incubator. 

 I put 12 eggs in a week ago and it looks like only 6 and doing anything.

Teila  cheeky girls I’m glad you got one up on them.

I have never wormed my girls and I’ve never seen any signs of worms. Should I do it anyway.

I have mix breed, silkies, RIR and frizzles laying and they have a silkie and and a Wheaton Marans rooster with them. I will be setting all the eggs that are less than 12 days old when I have at least 4 from the frizzles to set.

 

[SilkieChickStar]

I have mix breed, silkies, RIR and frizzles laying and they have a silkie and and a Wheaton Marans rooster with them. I will be setting all the eggs that are less than 12 days old when I have at least 4 from the frizzles to set.

How exciting I have never hatched chicks. I'm working on just raising my first chickens first hehe

 

[LuckysMum]

I have mix breed, silkies, RIR and frizzles laying and they have a silkie and and a Wheaton Marans rooster with them. I will be setting all the eggs that are less than 12 days old when I have at least 4 from the frizzles to set.

As I have said I put 12 eggs in the incubator but it looks like only 6 have developed. I manually turn mine. I was wondering if I could put more eggs in or should I wait until these eggs are hatched. I was hoping to get a batch of chicks close to the same age.

 

[sjturner79]

As I have said I put 12 eggs in the incubator but it looks like only 6 have developed. I manually turn mine. I was wondering if I could put more eggs in or should I wait until these eggs are hatched.  I was hoping to get a batch of chicks close to the same age.

Although you can have more than one batch of eggs in an incubator at once it is far better to only have 1 lot that hatch all at once.
If the eggs are not from your flock then 50% developing is about average for most people. If they are 75% is more common.
If I want a set number of hens from a hatch i set 5x that number to get about what I'm after.

 

[LuckysMum]

Thanks for that info. Next time I will set more eggs. I'm hoping to get about a dozen hens. I'm not sure how many roos I've got from past hatches, at the moment it looks like more roos than hens. It's a waiting game.

 

[Fancychooklady]

As I have said I put 12 eggs in the incubator but it looks like only 6 have developed. I manually turn mine. I was wondering if I could put more eggs in or should I wait until these eggs are hatched.  I was hoping to get a batch of chicks close to the same age.

A split hatch is completely achievable especially if you are manually turning the eggs. It only becomes tricky when you have to stop the automatic turner at lockdown when you have more than one batch.