BYC Café

[FortCluck]

I had to pull some out. They were kicking eggs that were hatching all over the place. Looked like a stampede of chicks...

The RSL/BJG cross are yellow. The Delaware/BJG cross are black.

 

[DobieLover]

It's a problem with mid year pullets. While the winter eggs are handy, the broodiness is inconvenient.
A couple of guys from the chicken club run a year on , year off system so they don't have to deal with pullet broodiness every year.
Watching the moulting here would suggest that the first full moult is the worst. I've got three having their first moult and they look totally pissed off.

The first 10 pullets I had last year never went broody. And I was hoping for one to raise this years chicks. Then The Broody Fairy visited my flock and all hell broke loose.

As for poor Draco, I am really worried about her. She doesn't seem pissed. She seems very weak. But her color is good. She crouches when she walks and sometimes stumbles over her feet. I set her up in the brooder. It was horrible catching her and picking her up. Catching her went well but she feels like a soft porcupine. Once I got her in the brooder room I let her go and managed to corral her into the brooder through the clean out door. She went straight through the brooder and out the pop door and got on one of the perches in the brooder run. She was quiet after I finished cleaning the coop so I checked on her and there was a mix of about 8 hens and pullets perched along the edge of the dust bath bed looking in on her. All of them are quiet. Maybe they are thinking "I'm glad that's not me".

Hopefully Draco feels a little more secure in the brooder. She is definitely not herself. She has been very quiet for days. She gets her name because of her normal attitude and her dragon-like voice. I think maybe she is feeling very insecure and terribly uncomfortable and that is why she is so quiet and staying to herself. So being in the brooder allows her to hear and see the flock but not feel she must protect herself.

The weakness freaks me out. I added several drops of Poultry Nutri-drench and a pinch of electrolytes to her water. I don't know what else to do for her.

 

[DobieLover]

On the plus side, hens going broody is a sign of good flock management I have been told.

Well, I guess there's that. Good for them, bad for me.
I HATE putting them in the crate to break the broodiness. This little EE, Veronica, that is broody now is on the thin side to begin with. I don't like that she won't eat. She is so fixated on that damn nest. BUT she's been out in the run since I fed them this morning about 1.5 hours ago so maybe she finally relented.
She does have the most adorable little screech she does when I am taking her off the nest though!
I have so many going broody that I've designed some built-in broody breakers that I'm going to build under the poop boards. They will be positioned to be as out of the way as possible when the birds come off the roost in the morning. Some like to walk down the ramp, others like to jump. I'm going to build just 2 and hope I don't need a bunch more!

 

[DobieLover]

I had to pull some out. They were kicking eggs that were hatching all over the place. Looked like a stampede of chicks...

The RSL/BJG cross are yellow. The Delaware/BJG cross are black.

View attachment 1948432

They're cute!
It's interesting watching the mixes grow up. All mine are lighter colored. Una, the only pullet I got, has a WLH for a mother and a Salmon Faverolles is her father. She is a very, very pale cream, like a dirty white with a few random black feathers on her back. She has a single comb, dad's muffs, 5 toes and mildly feathered legs. Her brothers aren't staying... well maybe the submissive one will. I've gone and gotten attached to him. And he's nothing like his father so he should grow up nice. The other brother...

 

[FortCluck]

They're cute!
It's interesting watching the mixes grow up. All mine are lighter colored. Una, the only pullet I got, has a WLH for a mother and a Salmon Faverolles is her father. She is a very, very pale cream, like a dirty white with a few random black feathers on her back. She has a single comb, dad's muffs, 5 toes and mildly feathered legs. Her brothers aren't staying... well maybe the submissive one will. I've gone and gotten attached to him. And he's nothing like his father so he should grow up nice. The other brother...

Do you use them for meat or do you sell them?

I'm hoping the fat little yellow one that I'm obsessed with is a pullet. That's the one I want to keep. It's a RSL/BJG mix. I'm calling it Violet after the girl on Willy Wonka

 

[sourland]

Good morning, Café - coffee is much needed this morning.

 

[DobieLover]

Do you use them for meat or do you sell them?

I'm hoping the fat little yellow one that I'm obsessed with is a pullet. That's the one I want to keep. It's a RSL/BJG mix. I'm calling it Violet after the girl on Willy Wonka

Neither! I wasn't prepared for Barb being as stubborn as she was about raising some kids. I do want to allow some of them to brood each year and I'll keep whatever pullets I want or need to maintain the flock but the rest would be sold with the caveat that the buyer would be getting cockerels and it is their choice what to do with them. As long as they are raised well and die a quick painful death, I am not opposed to the being used to feed a family.
I will eventually raise meat birds but I have a violently overflowing plate on auto-refill that I can't keep up with so that will have to wait. I figure if I intentionally raise the birds for meat I can keep my noodle around the thought of killing them. We've discussed this dilemma in the Cafe at length.

 

[FortCluck]

Neither! I wasn't prepared for Barb being as stubborn as she was about raising some kids. I do want to allow some of them to brood each year and I'll keep whatever pullets I want or need to maintain the flock but the rest would be sold with the caveat that the buyer would be getting cockerels and it is their choice what to do with them. As long as they are raised well and die a quick painful death, I am not opposed to the being used to feed a family.
I will eventually raise meat birds but I have a violently overflowing plate on auto-refill that I can't keep up with so that will have to wait. I figure if I intentionally raise the birds for meat I can keep my noodle around the thought of killing them. We've discussed this dilemma in the Cafe at length.

This is my first year doing meat chickens, that's what these chicks are for. I am keeping a couple of them that are pullets.

As crazy as this sounds, I do not eat meat or any animal products (99.9% of the year). I've been this way for pretty much most of my life, I'll eat meat occasionally if it's a holiday, I'll have maybe a piece of turkey but it's not much more than that every year.

I didn't think that I would be able to wrap my head around slaughtering my own animals, but I just recently had to put down the sweetest duck ever due to a spinal issue that was never going to get better, it only got worse as she grew. I figured since I euthanized her without freaking out, I can do meat chickens.

We will see how it goes.

I have a layer flock that I am using for fertile eggs for the family to eat and I'll incubate some. Those are my pets and I love them all. I believe if I don't name the chickens and grow that attachment to them like I do with my layers, it will be easier for me.

 

[N F C]

Good morning, Café - coffee is much needed this morning.

Morning Sour, help yourself to the coffee!

 

[Mtn Margie]

Morning! Thanks for the coffee. How is everyone feeling with the colds and other ailments? I hope better! Windy here but it warmed up so all is good. Cute chicks for sure, FC!
You all should take it easy today and rest up for the weekend. Have a great day!