First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[raisinemright]

After a couple Budweiser's I decided to candle my American bresse eggs. They are all showing good growth ( I know it may be the beer but I see movement )!!! Lol

 

[Turkeytruff]

Turkeytruff- They LOVE the lentils. Never tried mung beans. I tried oats once, it was a messy disaster.
This morning I gave them left over homemade refried beans... I am sure the coop will be highly flammable tonight.

I forgot to answer, and now I forgot who it was that asked, but I have posted Pearl egg pics before. They were the weird ones though. She had a few really odd ones at first. Every now and again she still lays a weird one.
I will try to take a pic today.

Yesterday morning when I went out to feed the meatballs (some of our last batch snored, not sure on this one) we had another death. Since it was right around 20 degrees that night, I am assuming it was smothered. I went out to lock them up and everyone was cramming their fat bodies under the heating pad (they had been sitting on top previously, only having gone under when they were really small). I think they were chilly.
The body was flattened. Sigh. I brought one in to get warm only to have another die.

That makes 2 from this batch. Last batch we didn't have any die. Oh well.

Ralph- I bet if you just leave some eggs out, the Cochins will go broody. Hope they hatch well for you!
I am guessing BCM- Black Copper Marans, MG- Mistral Gris
I know TT has Mistral Gris. Not sure on the Marans. If so... maybe some of those "regular grocery store eggs" will be coming home too...

sorry to hear about the meatball - it's tough. I lost an MG- Mistral Gris - chick a week ago. And yes I have lots of Black Copper Marans - just hatched 8 little beauties out yesterday from these eggs below and also 4 MGs - 2 of whom look like polar bears with a bit of chipmunk. The BCMs are for someone else. Yes I recommend some grocery shopping whilst you're up the island

MM how r your turkeys doing?? Have either of them started to strut yet?? Mine has and tries to bred both of the BBB. So I'm sure the BBW is a jake... Oh well

Love, love, love watching the poults strut! The girls do it too though; I have 2 turkey hens I raised from poults last summer and they would both strut occasionally. So cute!

Jessica- What do you do to break your broodies?
I have tried everything, and Sparrow is still broody. If I didn't think she would die, I would leave her. She weighs less than Clyde the silkie right now. I haven't seen her voluntarily leave the nest in almost a week.

I put them in a wire cage AND lift it up so they can feel the cool air on their breast. Getting their chest temperature down is one of the things that breaks a broody. I put them in, let them out after a couple of days, keep putting them back in the cage (with NO bedding) if they go back to the nest.
And sometimes I use a hose to hose down their breast with cold water - only on a warm day though.
If you are really worried, leave special food (yoghurt, cooked scrambled egg) right by her and see if she eats it. Mine usually do. If I want to keep a broody going until I put chicks under her, I usually have a little bowl by her.

 

[duluthralphie]

TT I love the color of those eggs, I need to get some Marans!

 

[Turkeytruff]

Thanks! They aren't all that colour-as a hen goes through her egg laying cycle they can vary. Usually the ones that lay the darkest ones don't lay as often-3-5/ week. Takes them a while to paint the eggs I reckon

 

[Morrigan]

Yay! I have a broody hen. It's the same hen who went broody last year in July. She's in the same box as before and she is a feisty enough hen that I know I can leave her there and none of the other hens will try to squeeze in to lay an egg. Last year she so terrorized them that they even stopped laying in the box next to her.

My only problem is that I have no eggs. I took in a huge basket yesterday of 8 eggs and put them all in the fridge. Darn, there were some beautiful looking eggs. That means today's production will be small, so she is going to have to sit tight for a couple more days while I collect up 8 to 10 eggs.

I checked craig's list to see if there was anyone selling fertile turkey eggs nearby, as I thought it would be awesome if she could raise a couple of poults for me, but I couldn't find anything at all close.

ETA: That's her, in my avatar with last year's chicks. Hopefully she won't have to hatch them out in 105 degree temps like last time.

 

[holm25]

Quote:
YAY!! I have been praying for a mean broody. They all let me candle and mess with their chicks. The meanest one has ever gotten is pecked me once. I guess its good they trust me. But boy do they beat up the dogs and cats.

 

[LindaB220]

Hey gang!! Missed you all. Last week of my therapy and man am I glad. I hate having someone come out and work me to death.
My 21babies are doing well. I made a total fool of myself. The guy that I won them from asked how I did with the hatch. I told him it was a bust because none of them were total black (like Australorps). He replied he only raises them. The are supposed to have a white under belly at first.
I'm going to do another hatch of the white rocks. I didn't get any of the good Blosl ones, just 5 of the XW ones. I want to get some pure Blosl's before I start mixing them. The rooster is 2 years old already and I only have one hen. I have a trio of the XW's.
Also I have a few of the mix of white rock over coronation sussex. Wonder
how they will turn out?
I have been reading along (from the phone) and have enjoyed y'all 's posts so much. Still stuck on the pain pills so please raise a glass for me.

 

[holm25]

Hey gang!! Missed you all. Last week of my therapy and man am I glad. I hate having someone come out and work me to death.
My 21babies are doing well. I made a total fool of myself. The guy that I won them from asked how I did with the hatch. I told him it was a bust because none of them were total black (like Australorps). He replied he only raises them. The are supposed to have a white under belly at first.

I'm going to do another hatch of the white rocks. I didn't get any of the good Blosl ones, just 5 of the XW ones. I want to get some pure Blosl's before I start mixing them. The rooster is 2 years old already and I only have one hen. I have a trio of the XW's.
Also I have a few of the mix of white rock over coronation sussex. Wonder
how they will turn out?
I have been reading along (from the phone) and have enjoyed y'all 's posts so much. Still stuck on the pain pills so please raise a glass for me.

Hope everything keeps going good!!

 

[raisinemright]

just put my 3'rd set of CX in the tractor. I have moved my BBB to a grow out pen, kinda transition from tractor to free range for them. Here are a couple pics of my 5 week and 3 week olds enjoying the day. I placed them about a 1/3 of the tractor in TALL alfalfa and the rest of their room is cut grass. They really think they are wild and in a jungle exploring the field edge lol!!

 

[Morrigan]

What a bummer, My hoped for broody hen got off the nest this morning, after spending the night. I hoped she might return after a bit, but no, she's not interested any more.