FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[Wyandotte Blue]

When Jeanie went broody with a vengeance...our breeder friend would tell us to just let her alone, she'll eat when she's hungry..
So...seeing as I raised her from a little bitty baby, I ignored his words and took her off the nest each morning and closed the barn up so she COULDN'T get back on the nest till she ate...and drank...pooped and stretched her legs. Even with my watchful eye over her she still ate so very little. Her comb dropped over and got so pale. My wife would say "Alan said..." Well Alan wasn't seeing her looking so bleh, so tired with her eyes drooping or watching her comb get paler and paler by the day......not to mention the weight loss. For all that I got 5 words for ya
Mealworms mixed in oatmeal and water a plenty. Ok that was more like 9...

My hen did not get off the nest for almost 3 days when I broke down and started hand feeding her, then got the advice remove the nest she would get up and eat, and she does each morning, but chickens eat and drink all day long. Ok, so meal worms, oatmeal, water. I gave her meal worms this morning, I have to get oatmeal. Can I mix the water with the meal worms and oatmeal? I do not know if she is drinking enough, at night I give her water out of a milk jug cap. I also hand feed all four of my birds (rooster as well) frozen fruit that by the time I get it to the barn and to them, it has started to melt but is cold and they love it. I have a fan, with a bucket of ice in front of it, blowing into the inside coop to try to keep it cooler than outside. It is so hot for the fluffy things.

 

[chickrunfun]

My hen did not get off the nest for almost 3 days when I broke down and started hand feeding her, then got the advice remove the nest she would get up and eat, and she does each morning, but chickens eat and drink all day long. Ok, so meal worms, oatmeal, water. I gave her meal worms this morning, I have to get oatmeal. Can I mix the water with the meal worms and oatmeal? I do not know if she is drinking enough, at night I give her water out of a milk jug cap. I also hand feed all four of my birds (rooster as well) frozen fruit that by the time I get it to the barn and to them, it has started to melt but is cold and they love it. I have a fan, with a bucket of ice in front of it, blowing into the inside coop to try to keep it cooler than outside. It is so hot for the fluffy things.

Well what we did was ...sounds gross but she loves it...thin applesauce consistency of oatmeal, ( not like - stand a spoon up in your bowl consistency, more like "please sir may I have some more?" gruel ) add around 8 fat mealworms...and either a touch of honey or raisins. She prefers raisins. there was enough water in her gross gruel that if she didn't take water, I knew she at least got that amount of hydration, ya know? She always drank for like, 2 minutes though, before pacing the mini barn to get back in. We got pictures of her having at her gross gruel...she was a sight! All over her waddles and beak..just nasty! Oh hey, it's hot enough for nice cold refreshing watermelon, too. Do your chickens like watermelon? Or cantaloupe? Good and juicy, either one. Or grapes.
My wife thought I went nuts when I headed into the barn with both box fans to set on opposite sides of the mini barn for good air flow and to cool of Miss Moody Broody Jeannie. But hey...I don't care!

 

[Red Banks]

Quote: These girls have it all under control. They take turns getting off the nest if they need too!

 

[cmom]

I thought I'd relate a story of one of my broody's. I had a broody a few years ago that was intent on sitting on eggs. Each day when she got off the nest to take care of her business another one of the girls would get in it and lay an egg. I had check the nest periodically and every thing was good. I didn't check it for a couple of days and decided to check it, I didn't realize how many more eggs were in it since my last check and there was a pile of eggs. I took them all and put them in my incubator. I wasn't sure of the hatch so I let them hatch in the incubator. It did take a few day for all of them to hatch.

 

[Red Banks]

I thought I'd relate a story of one of my broody's. I had a broody a few years ago that was intent on sitting on eggs. Each day when she got off the nest to take care of her business another one of the girls would get in it and lay an egg. I had check the nest periodically and every thing was good. I didn't check it for a couple of days and decided to check it, I didn't realize how many more eggs were in it since my last check and there was a pile of eggs. I took them all and put them in my incubator. I wasn't sure of the hatch so I let them hatch in the incubator. It did take a few day for all of them to hatch.

I am sure that is what is going to happen here. They are so determined though.

 

[chickrunfun]

These girls have it all under control. They take turns getting off the nest if they need too!






That is cute, I hope to walk in to the mini barn one day and see this...

 

[chickrunfun]

Great weather for the babies 6 weeks old outting to the potato garden and compost pile!



This is Boo, nice looking mohawk she's sporting there!



You got to really look to see it but when you spot her...you can see Poppin doing a great ostrich impersonation !



Poppin taking a break in the compost...it's hard work having fun in the sun!



Went lizard hunting for Jeanie,,,here's the before picture. Warning warning! Avert your eyes if you don't want to see what happens next!



Jeanie caught sight of it and nabbed it faster than you can say "munchie treat time!"



MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE!

 

[Wyandotte Blue]

Well what we did was ...sounds gross but she loves it...thin applesauce consistency of oatmeal, ( not like - stand a spoon up in your bowl consistency, more like "please sir may I have some more?" gruel ) add around 8 fat mealworms...and either a touch of honey or raisins. She prefers raisins. there was enough water in her gross gruel that if she didn't take water, I knew she at least got that amount of hydration, ya know? She always drank for like, 2 minutes though, before pacing the mini barn to get back in. We got pictures of her having at her gross gruel...she was a sight! All over her waddles and beak..just nasty! Oh hey, it's hot enough for nice cold refreshing watermelon, too. Do your chickens like watermelon? Or cantaloupe? Good and juicy, either one. Or grapes.
My wife thought I went nuts when I headed into the barn with both box fans to set on opposite sides of the mini barn for good air flow and to cool of Miss Moody Broody Jeannie. But hey...I don't care!

I have a fan set up and put an feeding bin of ice in front of it to a/c the inside coop. It is hot! ; ) I forgot about watermelon - i feed them frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries. I will get watermelon! : )

These girls have it all under control. They take turns getting off the nest if they need too!

I have another hen that goes into the nesting box and lays an egg then leaves. I have 9 eggs now I don't know how to incubate and I cannot throw them out because some have been brooded for a while . . .

I thought I'd relate a story of one of my broody's. I had a broody a few years ago that was intent on sitting on eggs. Each day when she got off the nest to take care of her business another one of the girls would get in it and lay an egg. I had check the nest periodically and every thing was good. I didn't check it for a couple of days and decided to check it, I didn't realize how many more eggs were in it since my last check and there was a pile of eggs. I took them all and put them in my incubator. I wasn't sure of the hatch so I let them hatch in the incubator. It did take a few day for all of them to hatch.

Yep. In the same boat. And I don't know if any of them are even going to hatch. I break an egg open and there is no tell-tale red spot does that mean the hens are laying unfertilized eggs? The rooster is pretty busy it seems.

 

[cmom]

When it get hot out the boys aren't as fertile.

 

[Wyandotte Blue]

When it get hot out the boys aren't as fertile.

Then I just may toss all 9 eggs, remove the nesting boxes and they can lay their eggs somewhere else because the stress is unbelievable. I don't even know what I would do with all the "chicks" if any even hatched.

On another note, my favorite, Sheba, is not right. I held her and hand fed her water tonight, she has been laying fine, I actually thought she was on an egg because she was not on her perch but on the floor of the inside coop and looked broody. I picked her up to get rid of the egg and there was no egg. I put her in my lap, her eyes do not look right but it is late at night. Gave her water, checked her from stem to stern, cannot find any obvious reason for her lethargy, unless it is just the heat. We had a storm which did cool it off some. I do not know what went on today. The dominant hen, a real terror named Mary, may have run Sheba ragged, I just do not know. : ( I have Sheba locked in the inside coop with nesting Martha, the fan is running and I put the little chick waterer right in front of her so she can get all of the water she may need. She was drinking out of it when I turned off the barn light. Sheba always talks, sits in my lap, loves being the baby. The others have no use for me. Say a prayer for Sheba if you are on line tonight and see this. Thank you.