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

[BDutch]

she has kept her girlish figure!

She still laid a few eggs this spring. So maybe next year if she really stopped laying …

Thank you all for the congrats. I gave Ini mini lots of extra treats today. Banana and organic bread with seeds bc it fell on the ground and Ini mini was the first one around. A few tiny pieces crust of a local farmers cheese, and a strawberry.

Yesterday I made the mini coop ready as a nestbox. The layings nests need a new lid. And later it will be the new private bedroom of the for Tintin when he starts to roost.

Black thought it was a perfect spot to lay her tiny egg today.

The one on the left is a normal Dutch egg. Black laid the right one. The coins are €0,20 .

The chickens were in the garden whole day (day off in between Ascension Day and the weekend) untill they went to the neighbours garden .

Grabbed Katrientje and Kraai and licked them in the run. The others followed with some scratch and their evening meal.

 

[ManueB]

She still laid a few eggs this spring. So maybe next year if she really stopped laying …

Thank you all for the congrats. I gave Ini mini lots of extra treats today. Banana and organic bread with seeds bc it fell on the ground and Ini mini was the first one around. A few tiny pieces crust of a local farmers cheese, and a strawberry.

Yesterday I made the mini coop ready as a nestbox. The layings nests need a new lid. And later it will be the new private bedroom of the for Tintin when he starts to roost.

Black thought it was a perfect spot to lay her tiny egg today. View attachment 3827556
The one on the left is a normal Dutch egg. Black laid the right one. The coins are €0,20 .
View attachment 3827557

The chickens were in the garden whole day (day off in between Ascension Day and the weekend) untill they went to the neighbours garden .

Grabbed Katrientje and Kraai and licked them in the run. The others followed with some scratch and their evening meal.

I missed Ini mini's birthday! Please give her another treat for me today. She is such an incredible grandma .
She shares her birthday with my dad ! In human years he is probably just a bit younger than her .

 

[BDutch]

I just ordered a Chickencozy auto door for my mini coop for Tintin, my bantam chick (cockerel). He should stay in this tiny coop in the morning to avoid that he is going to make too much noise in the neighbourhood before 8.30 on weekdays and 9.30 in the weekends.

Hope this auto chicken door wil convert the tiny coop into a or no/soft crow rooster coop, and makes it possible to keep Tintin.

The reviews are promising. And it was in the top 5 on a Belgium site who tested lots of auto-doors. This Chickencozy is the only that fits on my tiny coop.

Mother Katrientje laid an egg today and stopped mothering. Pearl is still a good mother and sleeps with Tintin in one of the laying nests of the small coop. I expect her to quite too within a couple of weeks.

Today I made a new lid on the small coops laying nests. This flimsy prefab is 12-13 yo now and still surviving with all its upgrades over the past 9 years.

 

[BDutch]

Last week:

Ini mini, Janice and Kraai.

Katrientje no longer cares for Tintin. Black is nice to him.

Today:
Tintin and his stil caring momma Pearl.

This is the first time I try to keep a cockerel in a separate and dark cage with a his own automatic door. A little bit further away from the people who get annoyed by the crowing. I only can have a rooster as long as nobody complains.

But because Im not sure if it will work, I decided that if Black is getting broody, I will give a 5 bantam hatchery eggs. I dont want any of the younger chickens to sit. They are definitely second choice. I don’t expect that Ini mini will get broody again.

 

[ManueB]

My turn to ask a question about something I didn't understand.

I dont want any of the younger chickens to sit. They are definitely second choice

What do you mean by second choice, that they would not be good broodies ? Why ?

 

[BDutch]

What do you mean by second choice, that they would not be good broodies ? Why ?

Yes.
Ini Mini and Black were/are perfect mothers but the younger ones not so.
Pearl is almost perfect but a bit skittish and Tintin became a bit skittish too. It seems the chicks learn to be afraid according to the behaviour of the mother.

Janice is a very skittish hen and was too protective as a broody. I couldn’t touch her or the chicks without getting a mean peck and the chicks became very afraid of me.

Initially I gave 6 eggs to Kraai when she became broody. But the eggs didn’t develop very well. Maybe it was my fault that I didn’t insulate the bottom of the nestbox well enough. Maybe it was Kraai who didn’t brood good enough? After about 5 days Katrientje started to co-brood. But the nestbox was rather small for the both of them. And it worked better after I gave both of them 5 eggs (added fake eggs).
After Tintin hatched, Kraai was pecking Tintin who hatched under Katrientje while she was waiting for a chick of her own. It turned out she was not a very good co-brooder.

Katrientje was not a very caring mother like my older Dutch. I was very pleased with Pearl who immediately started mothering when I gave her the chance to do so. Katrientje is a bit clumsy and abandoned Tintin too soon to take a long sandbath. Tintin was unable to follow at that age. And it was too cold for him to be left on his own. I was very pleased Pearl chimed in to warm Tintin. Katrientje stopped mothering after 6 weeks. Pearl is still a good mother. When the chickens free range, she is foraging with Tintin without leaving him on his own.

 

[fuzzi]

Yes.
Ini Mini and Black were/are perfect mothers but the younger ones not so.
Pearl is almost perfect but a bit skittish and Tintin became a bit skittish too. It seems the chicks learn to be afraid according to the behaviour of the mother.

Janice is a very skittish hen and was too protective as a broody. I couldn’t touch her or the chicks without getting a mean peck and the chicks became very afraid of me.

Initially I gave 6 eggs to Kraai when she became broody. But the eggs didn’t develop very well. Maybe it was my fault that I didn’t insulate the bottom of the nestbox well enough. Maybe it was Kraai who didn’t brood good enough? After about 5 days Katrientje started to co-brood. But the nestbox was rather small for the both of them. And it worked better after I gave both of them 5 eggs (added fake eggs).
After Tintin hatched, Kraai was pecking Tintin who hatched under Katrientje while she was waiting for a chick of her own. It turned out she was not a very good co-brooder.

Katrientje was not a very caring mother like my older Dutch. I was very pleased with Pearl who immediately started mothering when I gave her the chance to do so. Katrientje is a bit clumsy and abandoned Tintin too soon to take a long sandbath. Tintin was unable to follow at that age. And it was too cold for him to be left on his own. I was very pleased Pearl chimed in to warm Tintin. Katrientje stopped mothering after 6 weeks. Pearl is still a good mother. When the chickens free range, she is foraging with Tintin without leaving him on his own.

Pearl lives up to her name, a Pearl of great price.