First Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon- Join us! Set Day: Easter

[ChooksChick]

Well, fiddlesticks. I had another poult ready to go, and it pipped while I was gone all day...but didn't pip enough to make it breathable and it didn't make it. I got home and found a perfectly beautiful Black gone in the shell. My BR will be a very confused little thing wondering why it's Amazonian compared to her pals.

I am sorry for those that had to cull, and I had a long bunch of multiquotes ready to produce social commentary, but my browser nuked it all, so I'm going to sleepily say I DO have at least one going from Denny's second set sent to me. It's also an RB, so I'll be able to have like pals if I can get it to hatch!

I discovered there's a local heritage turkey farm about 30 miles away, and I'm trying to get them to answer me- I want to buy poults or eggs!!

We'll see if I can get an answer. If not, I'm headed to Wichita this week and I'll post a CL ad and see if I can find anyone down there who has any for me.

I find it fascinating that the fleshy thing in the same place on a chicken and a turkey have evolved so interestingly different. Or Guineas, for that matter. Makes you wonder if a dinosaur wouldn't have had some sort of fleshy protrusion like that, too, right?

 

[Wisher1000]

My broodies have always let me gently pick them up and remove eggs from their clutch. I try to pet and talk to them daily so if I have to intervene, they will be more cooperative. I have moved broodies successfully, several times. I have often thought of separating them like Yinepu suggested, but haven't made that happen yet. I have a nest box inside the coop at ground level and I put Mom and eggs in that one so the little ones won't have too far to climb. I keep food and water in the coop for Mom. She can leave the coop to socialize and stretch her legs and the other hens can come in to investigate. Once the eggs start hatching, I close the pop door and make the other hens stay out. My run is covered so the others are still under protection in the run (they sleep in the rafters of the run anyway, so they don't mind not having access to the coop.) Mom and babies stay in the coop with occasional outings into the covered run for several weeks. I keep the nest in the coop blocked when there is not a broody in it so that they don't get used to laying there.

 

[Arielle]

THe chickens like to clean up after the horses have eaten their pellets; and the ducks think the water trough is a private swimming pool!!

I don't do the broody thing anymore. THe other hens drop their eggs into the pile and eggs get mashed. Separate is definitely better. I did have a broody go off to a little used horse stall to set up. SHe didn't get any visitors after the initial deposits so those chicks all hatched together.

Two BR due to hatch the 11th.

 

[yinepu]

THe chickens like to clean up after the horses have eaten their pellets; and the ducks think the water trough is a private swimming pool!!

I don't do the broody thing anymore. THe other hens drop their eggs into the pile and eggs get mashed. Separate is definitely better. I did have a broody go off to a little used horse stall to set up. SHe didn't get any visitors after the initial deposits so those chicks all hatched together.

Two BR due to hatch the 11th.

we used to have a little bantam hen who would fly up onto our oldest donkey's back.. the donkey would walk into the barn (with the bantam along for the ride).. she would stop right under the edge of the hay loft for the hen to fly up.. we found out later that she was keeping her nest up there.. and that's also where she went broody

we never knew why.. but that tiny little hen was the only one the donkey would give a ride to..

 

[Arielle]

Quote: A much kinder donkey than my mare. My mare gives the evil ears back glare to any animal in her eating space. THis morning the sheep hear the feed buckets and raced to eat the mares feed. They moved away very fast!! All this happened because one of the horses opened the latch to the sheep pen.

I have another gate opener!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I have gotten good advice from SCG on using a broody and I am really tempted so I don't have to keep watching the eggs. Another bonus would be that I wouldn't have to "set" any tutors although would you recommend it so that if the hen is not a "good mommy" they would have some tutors with them if I had to take them away from the hen? My other concern is that one of the broodies has been trying to hatch a golf ball for weeks (I make her get off the nest at least once a day to eat and she must be getting off a little more often since I have not found any broody poo in the nest box) and I am worried about her weight now, let alone five weeks from now.

Last summer I had a hen that wouldn't stop being broody. She ended up being 15 weeks or so on a nest. I took her off daily after she started getting skeletal and gave her 22% protein in water with sunflower seeds on top and a scrambled egg. Her broody poop was lethal from that combination, but the nutrition was effective. She eventually hatched out 3 chicks (when I realized it was chicks or death) which I promptly sold 24 hours after hatch because I'm callous and cold hearted. However I'm now trained and know when she gets broody again I give her eggs immediately. She's serious.

Thank you for the advice Wisher! SCG likes to put up a screen so that they are separated from the flock in a way and to keep the others from laying more eggs in the nest. Do you cage/separate your broodies while they are sitting or only after the hatch?

I'll post what I use - measure your opening and make a box out of scrap wood with wire that fits it. You can use shims to help make it fit. You can also add food/water as needed and protect the mom and/or eggs/babies:

regular nest box hole


with attachment


see use of shim and another one on top in storage




I have multiple covers for nest boxes and my coop is also big enough so that when the Broody Plague is in full swing, I can put cages in the coop, too. Lessons learned: cover the cages, and not with cardboard.



This is why you don't cover in cardboard:


Hope these help.

 

[dsqard]

Arielle, yeah horses and chickens don't mix at my house either. The chickens have learned to avoid them through no accidental stepping, it is either chasing or a full blown kick. My youngest horse has killed two of my hens this way. I don't let the chickens out for free range until the horses have been let out and the horses don't go back in until the chickens are locked back up. Any chicken that gets out (yeah I have a few escapees of that persuasion as well) if it is dumb enough to get into the stall, well they knew better. Most of them have learned the lesson and I try to keep them separated as much as possible. It's funny that the older mares could care less about the chickens and they weren't raised with them at all.

 

[dsqard]

SCG those pics are awesome! Lots of great ideas. I think I will use a combination of that and once the chicks/poults are hatched, do what Wisher suggests as well as far as closing up the pop door on the big coop. Most of the silly chickens squish themselves into the smallest coop I have to sleep. The only issue may be that the favorite nest boxes will be blocked off. I might consider making one of those little boxes that you have on your coop floor. I think I still have enough RSB (I think that is what it is called) left over from the big coop build. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm so many ideas! Let me play around with it a bit. SCG I might PM you for the "plans" for the small box.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Let me play around with it a bit. SCG I might PM you for the "plans" for the small box.

In case anyone else is interested in the plans for the small box:

Step 1: Find a sweet man who is willing to build it for you.

Step 2: Move finished box to coop.

In all seriousness, I do take pictures of the progress for a reason in the guise of "helping":

Build a frame and staple wire into bottom, I think this frame is 2x3 or 2x2.5... it was all scrap so whatever we had.


Do the same thing for the wire on sides and back. Use an old piece of plywood or R-111 for the part in the front where the door won't be (privacy screen). If you aren't going to put it up against a wall in the coop you might also want to do a side with plywood too for extra broody privacy. Plywood for top, with hinges for access. Ours hangs over a bit on the front because we were lazy and didn't want to cut it. Works good like that to keep the poop out. Frame out the door and then cover with wire.








Ta-da!

 

[dsqard]

SCG tell me how you got the first step done? I can do the rest of it.

Seriously, great pics! I think I can build one from those for sure! Thank you for the help!