BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[Nero70002]

Sorry, thats really impossible.
If you want to skip the hatch from last year you can start around February of this year. When I’m considering an early hatch with broodies for 2 reasons:

1. I like to have 2 pullets that start to lay when the oldies stop at the start of the moult before winter.
2. Me and my husband planned a vacation in April and I like to be at home when the chicks hatch.

The early hatch was not very succesvol with just one, probably male, chick. No updates now because we are on Madeira and our neighbour looks after the chickens as long as we are away from home.

Oops my bad, I thought it said 2024. I’ll be watching for your next hatch

 

[BDutch]

2 of my hens did a hatch this spring. But it was cold in March and the outcome was very poor.

The plan for 2 hens that lay before winter failed. Maybe I keep the little cockerel instead and give it another try next year with my own eggs.
Or I might buy another clutch with hatchery eggs in May. Not very sure yet what to do.

I like the idea to keep the cockerel and put him in a dark mini coop every evening, were he should keep quiet until 8.30 in the morning. If he gets to loud I have to give him away to someone who wants a pretty bantam Sulmtaler.

 

[Lamg]

Beautiful, love how they Are free

 

[BDutch]

Tomorrow we are heading back home. So I can send a few chicken pictures again soon.

The last ones of Madeira. Paul do Mar:

 

[ManueB]

Tomorrow we are heading back home. So I can send a few chicken pictures again soon.

The last ones of Madeira. Paul do Mar:
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Hope you had a safe trip home and found the chickens well. I'm sure Tintin must have grown a lot !

 

[BDutch]

Back home again.
@abpatchy I made a photo of Tintin. You were right its a boy. Unless the female Sulmtalers have a very red comb at 1 month old.

 

[fluffycrow]

Back home again.
@abpatchy I made a photo of Tintin. You were right its a boy. Unless the female Sulmtalers have a very red comb at 1 month old.

View attachment 3814625
View attachment 3814626

Glad you're back home safe and everything's OK, hopefully you can keep Tintin for a bit so he can pass on his genes

 

[abpatchy]

Back home again.
@abpatchy I made a photo of Tintin. You were right its a boy. Unless the female Sulmtalers have a very red comb at 1 month old.

View attachment 3814625
View attachment 3814626

Yeah... definitely a rooster.

 

[abpatchy]

Sulmtaler hens look look like this at that age ...you can see the difference in color.

 

[BDutch]

Yeah... definitely a rooster.

Glad you're back home safe and everything's OK, hopefully you can keep Tintin for a bit so he can pass on his genes

Yes, I want him to stay if he turns out to be a nice rooster. But… I don’t want to be so protective as if it had been a girl. And he has 2 mama’s to guard him now.

Decided he can free range with his mama’s and the rest of the flock, even not supervised as long as we are out and about, in and around the house.

They all love it to go outside, except for the broodies of course.

When I got home I had 3 broodies, 2 mama’s and one hen that might lay an egg for me today.