Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

tweetybaby2005, I sent you a PM.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

An aquarium sets abandoned on a bench in the garage. It has been a favorite nest for any hen that free ranges during the day. One day recently, I saw an egg in it, then as the days went by there were more. I didn't gather them, I wanted to know what hen was laying them. Then, I noticed the big siamese cat was spending the cold nights in the aquarium, on the eggs. Finally I heard the egg song and saw which hen was laying them. Wias out before dawn one morning and saw the cat NEXT to the aquarium. On closer inspection, instead of the black cat I assumed had taken over, it was the hen, sound asleep on the eggs. It will be interesting to see if the eggs will develope. Did the cat ruin them keeping them warm at night, but not during the day, or did he save them from those really cold nights by keeping them warm. I will candle them in a few days and see if they are developing.

 

[HEChicken]

An aquarium sets abandoned on a bench in the garage. It has been a favorite nest for any hen that free ranges during the day. One day recently, I saw an egg in it, then as the days went by there were more. I didn't gather them, I wanted to know what hen was laying them. Then, I noticed the big siamese cat was spending the cold nights in the aquarium, on the eggs. Finally I heard the egg song and saw which hen was laying them. Wias out before dawn one morning and saw the cat NEXT to the aquarium. On closer inspection, instead of the black cat I assumed had taken over, it was the hen, sound asleep on the eggs. It will be interesting to see if the eggs will develope. Did the cat ruin them keeping them warm at night, but not during the day, or did he save them from those really cold nights by keeping them warm. I will candle them in a few days and see if they are developing.

Wow, what an interesting experiment - I look forward to the updates!

 

[chicken danz]

Chickies duckies that is interesting. You never know. I guess it would depend on if the cat was curled up on the eggs themselves.
I have a sussex sitting on a pile of eggs in a trash can full of shavings I had taken to my garden and didn't completely empty. (It was heavy). No cats in there though. I wasn't going to let any broodies hatch anything this year but she's been on them for a while so I'll let her try to finish them.
I meant to mention I got my first Lady Amhurst pheasant egg day before yesterday and I got my first peafowl egg yesterday. I was really surprised to see it this early. This egg came from my white hen and the purple pied white cock. I don't hold a lot of hope it is fertile but I was thrilled.

 

[HEChicken]

So you're still getting eggs then?

Yes, she is a pretty consistent layer. She contemplated going broody about a week ago, staying on the communal nest with the muscovy duck and the silkie, after laying her egg. I took her egg so she stole two duck eggs and at bedtime was sitting on the eggs, still making no attempt to go and roost. So after dark I moved her to the hoop coop (aka broody breaker

) and put her in a dog house with a couple of eggs. Next morning she was pacing the front of the hoop coop looking for a way out. I let her out and she's hasn't shown any more inclination to brood. She didn't lay for 3-4 days after that, so I think she really was working up to broodiness, but then she started again and laid 3 days in a row (the one in the dogloo being the third day). She didn't lay yesterday so I don't know if she will today or not. I am hoping she will hold off on brooding for awhile yet as to date I've only had a dozen and a half eggs from her, and those are some pretty expensive eggs (as you well know) after the initial purchase, plus feeding her this long. So I'd like to get quite a few more before she quits to brood. In the meantime, I'm incubating every egg she lays, one way or another. The first four are due in about a week.

 

[Trish44]

Chickies duckies that is interesting. You never know. I guess it would depend on if the cat was curled up on the eggs themselves.
I have a sussex sitting on a pile of eggs in a trash can full of shavings I had taken to my garden and didn't completely empty. (It was heavy). No cats in there though. I wasn't going to let any broodies hatch anything this year but she's been on them for a while so I'll let her try to finish them.
I meant to mention I got my first Lady Amhurst pheasant egg day before yesterday and I got my first peafowl egg yesterday. I was really surprised to see it this early. This egg came from my white hen and the purple pied white cock. I don't hold a lot of hope it is fertile but I was thrilled.

That's great Danz about the peafowl egg, I didn't think they started laying until warmer weather.

Yes, she is a pretty consistent layer. She contemplated going broody about a week ago, staying on the communal nest with the muscovy duck and the silkie, after laying her egg. I took her egg so she stole two duck eggs and at bedtime was sitting on the eggs, still making no attempt to go and roost. So after dark I moved her to the hoop coop (aka broody breaker

) and put her in a dog house with a couple of eggs. Next morning she was pacing the front of the hoop coop looking for a way out. I let her out and she's hasn't shown any more inclination to brood. She didn't lay for 3-4 days after that, so I think she really was working up to broodiness, but then she started again and laid 3 days in a row (the one in the dogloo being the third day). She didn't lay yesterday so I don't know if she will today or not. I am hoping she will hold off on brooding for awhile yet as to date I've only had a dozen and a half eggs from her, and those are some pretty expensive eggs (as you well know) after the initial purchase, plus feeding her this long. So I'd like to get quite a few more before she quits to brood. In the meantime, I'm incubating every egg she lays, one way or another. The first four are due in about a week.

I'll be interested to see if your turkey eggs hatch & how they do. The only experience I had with trying to hatch turkey eggs was from that guy we both got eggs from last year & as you know that wasn't a good one.

My guineas are getting ornery in the hoop coop, chasing the peafowl. I guess they don't know they're a lot smaller than the peafowl. I don't know if it's getting closer to my guineas laying & this behavior is leading up to my females laying or what. I just let about 7 out of the coop to range for the day, that group is mostly males, the females are probably happy to have a break for a few hours & I need some of them to be out eating ticks, which is their purpose here. I have a bigger group that won't even come out of the coop though at all, they just have no desire to come out of there. I open the door each morning to the coop & just call G-U-I-N-E-A-S & the ones that usually come out will run out the door, they're really silly birds. I get them back in at bedtime the same way & feed them in there. I have an old tire in the back of the coop that I have put nesting materials in, so I'm hoping the females will use that to lay eggs. My peafowl aren't old enough to mate or lay yet, they're only a year old.

I went out to take a pic of my little Barnevelder chicks & wouldn't you know that my camera batteries were dead, so I will have to try again later. I've been trying to get pics of them since they got here, but my phone didn't take good pics & now this battery issue.

 

[chicken danz]

I need to move a group of guineas cause I have ducks that will hatch in the next few days. I hate to move them into the big pen because the others will pick on them. This group is laying now. I've probably gotten a half dozen eggs this week. I'll pop them in the incubator and hope for the best.
I was surprised to have a peafowl egg. My hen didn't lay until the end of May last year. None of the others have laid. I have my older hen and two two year olds that I think might lay. My boy is certainly giving them attention these days. I need to get the yearling pair to Trudigale soon. I could sell eggs and make some decent profit but I would rather hatch them. I'm a hatchaholic for sure.

 

[Trish44]

I need to move a group of guineas cause I have ducks that will hatch in the next few days. I hate to move them into the big pen because the others will pick on them. This group is laying now. I've probably gotten a half dozen eggs this week. I'll pop them in the incubator and hope for the best.
I was surprised to have a peafowl egg. My hen didn't lay until the end of May last year. None of the others have laid. I have my older hen and two two year olds that I think might lay. My boy is certainly giving them attention these days. I need to get the yearling pair to Trudigale soon. I could sell eggs and make some decent profit but I would rather hatch them. I'm a hatchaholic for sure.

Ha, Danz did you see that post on FB about Hatchaholics Anonymous? It is an actual FB group.

 

[HEChicken]

I'll be interested to see if your turkey eggs hatch & how they do. The only experience I had with trying to hatch turkey eggs was from that guy we both got eggs from last year & as you know that wasn't a good one.

I'll be interested too! I started them in my incubator but then it came time to up the humidity for my OE eggs and I didn't want it to be too humid for the 4 turkey eggs that were in there, so I put them under my broody duck. Then last night I moved them from under the duck to under my broody Aloha. I should have just put them under her to begin with - I don't know what I was thinking. She's been brooding for 2 weeks and the turkeys have been incubating for 3, so the timing is perfect for her to hatch and raise them next week. I'm kind of hoping she'll do a better job raising them than I can, since I always hear how hard it is to get poults through those first few weeks. While transferring them from the duck to the Aloha, I candled them and they are almost filling up the egg now, so I know they're still developing.

I have 9 more under the duck that are only on day 6. And I have 4 more sitting here on the counter (just brought another one in this morning). I'm starting to think I need another incubator. Even with multiple broodies, the timing never seems to be right, or the eggs I want to hatch aren't the right species for the broody.

Has anyone ever heard of putting turkey eggs under a chicken hen? I'm wondering how well it will go with her raising them. I figure if poults and chicks can be brooded together, it should be okay but I'd sure like some reassurance on that.

 

[Trish44]

HEChicken, I have read about people having hens hatch out turkey eggs, but haven't tried it myself.