Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

Are they broody hatched

I incubated them. Unfortunately, my one reliably broody duck passed earlier this year.

How long are they incubated for?

28 days.

 

[Ponypoor]

These are the first 2 broody raised chicks this year:
View attachment 4193977View attachment 4193979

Mom gave them up about 2 weeks ago. When they first hatched, I would have sworn the bearded/crested one was a boy - very thick legs and very much an attitude of a male. However, as of yet, not a single feather to say. 'roo'. I am 99% sure this is a cross of my lake-shore boy (that I almost didn't keep - thank you @rural mouse !) and one of 3 similarly colored EE hens - since they (all 3) have the exact same patterning, and only slightly different shades of colouring (just enough so I can tell them apart - but hubby can't), I will never knw who is the genetic momma. The black one I suspect Daddy is my 'black' Jersey Giant and either a BCM, or a black barn mix. Daddy might be my 1/2 DC boy, but I doubt it. I need her to grow a bit more and see what the comb looks like - and I will be able to tell Daddy for sure.

I have 2 more that mom just stopped mothering 1 week ago - they are still young, just finally getting the last of their feathers now...she only held onto them for 4 weeks. Crop girl has her 1, he is about 1 week younger than the second 2. Then I have my DC girl who hatched 4 last week. I also have 3 broodies sitting on eggs rght now. Georgie was, also, but when I moved her to the safe broody hut last week she broke. And one momma hatched a single chick that passed within 36 hours. I really hate having them set on nests in teh coops - as they get thrown off, they hop back into an adjacent nest, and their eggs get chilled - then they don't hatch - which is why so many with only a few chicks! The DC girl only had 5 eggs, and she is in my stand-alone coop. (separate run/coop comb - she was 'secure' on her nest, and hence the 4 of 5 eggs hatching.). The two in the broody hut have 6 eggs each, so hoping for another 4 chicks each....I've been stopped by 2 different people asking for chicks when they saw I was purchasing chick started feed over the last few weeks....so if these guys hatch decent, I might have chicks for them. The ones hatched so far (plus my heritage BR chicks that are now 1 week shy of 5 months) I will keep.

View attachment 4193977
I just love that girl in teh back Beard, muffs, crest...she has the whole package! She will be a brute, too, is she really is a 'she'...which at this point, she has pretty much dissuaded me of the notion that they are a 'he'. One more molt, though, to be 100% sure!

I think Pullet also

 

[Ponypoor]

I incubated them. Unfortunately, my one reliably broody duck passed earlier this year.

28 days.

So you get to enjoy them

My neighbour has Turkey babies which are so darn adorable!

 

[RoyalChick]

Awesome - and comfy!

I bet Tassels will be ok with them. And once they get outside you will really see them thriving!

Is Tassels one of your boss hens?

Tassels is THE boss hen. In the night when she turned into a banshee I wondered about giving the chicks to one of the other broodies, but they are low on the totem pole so I thought that might be asking for trouble.
I wonder how Piglet and Sylvie will react to chicks. Piglet went broody a few days after Tassels and Sylvie a week or so later.
I haven’t tried breaking either of them.

 

[RoyalChick]

What kind of hawk?
Can anyone tell me what hawk this is from the sound? They have unfortunately moved in to the tree above the Chicken Palace and they shriek all day every day.
Ignore the video of the hippy curtain and the background clicking of broody Piglet. It is the shrieking sound I was trying to get.

It is white underneath and I haven’t noticed a red tail.
Red shouldered hawks are supposed to be very vocal, but I don’t think they are so pale underneath.

 

[rural mouse]

These are the first 2 broody raised chicks this year:
View attachment 4193977View attachment 4193979

Mom gave them up about 2 weeks ago. When they first hatched, I would have sworn the bearded/crested one was a boy - very thick legs and very much an attitude of a male. However, as of yet, not a single feather to say. 'roo'. I am 99% sure this is a cross of my lake-shore boy (that I almost didn't keep - thank you @rural mouse !) and one of 3 similarly colored EE hens - since they (all 3) have the exact same patterning, and only slightly different shades of colouring (just enough so I can tell them apart - but hubby can't), I will never know who is the genetic momma. The black one I suspect Daddy is my 'black' Jersey Giant and either a BCM, or a black barn mix. Daddy might be my 1/2 DC boy, but I doubt it. I need her to grow a bit more and see what the comb looks like - and I will be able to tell Daddy for sure.

I have 2 more that mom just stopped mothering 1 week ago - they are still young, just finally getting the last of their feathers now...she only held onto them for 4 weeks. Crop girl has her 1, he is about 1 week younger than the second 2. Then I have my DC girl who hatched 4 last week. I also have 3 broodies sitting on eggs right now. Georgie was, also, but when I moved her to the safe broody hut last week she broke. And one momma hatched a single chick that passed within 36 hours. I really hate having them set on nests in the coops - as they get thrown off, they hop back into an adjacent nest, and their eggs get chilled - then they don't hatch - which is why so many with only a few chicks! The DC girl only had 5 eggs, and she is in my stand-alone coop. (separate run/coop comb - she was 'secure' on her nest, and hence the 4 of 5 eggs hatching.). The two in the broody hut have 6 eggs each, so hoping for another 4 chicks each....I've been stopped by 2 different people asking for chicks when they saw I was purchasing chick started feed over the last few weeks....so if these guys hatch decent, I might have chicks for them. The ones hatched so far (plus my heritage BR chicks that are now 1 week shy of 5 months) I will keep.

View attachment 4193977
I just love that girl in the back Beard, muffs, crest...she has the whole package! She will be a brute, too, if she really is a 'she'...which at this point, she has pretty much dissuaded me of the notion that they are a 'he'. One more molt, though, to be 100% sure!

You're welcome! Your beefy light cresty looks to be a pullet. The light breast feathers with the partridge coloring.

 

[rural mouse]

So you get to enjoy them

My neighbour has Turkey babies which are so darn adorable!

There's an idea for breaking your stubborn silkies

 

[rural mouse]

What kind of hawk?
Can anyone tell me what hawk this is from the sound? They have unfortunately moved in to the tree above the Chicken Palace and they shriek all day every day.
Ignore the video of the hippy curtain and the background clicking of broody Piglet. It is the shrieking sound I was trying to get.

It is white underneath and I haven’t noticed a red tail.
Red shouldered hawks are supposed to be very vocal, but I don’t think they are so pale underneath.

Filtering Audobon to "hawk-like" and "New Jersey" gave me 16 birds. Listening to calls, it sounds rather similar to a Northern Harrier female. A juvenile Goshawk is also a maybe. Peregrines and Kestrels hit similar pitches, but don't match the rhythms.

I put ZERO filters in for looks of the bird beyond hawk type.

Northern Harrier from the Audubon Bird Guide https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/northern-harrier

 

[TOMTE]

What kind of hawk?
Can anyone tell me what hawk this is from the sound? They have unfortunately moved in to the tree above the Chicken Palace and they shriek all day every day.
Ignore the video of the hippy curtain and the background clicking of broody Piglet. It is the shrieking sound I was trying to get.

It is white underneath and I haven’t noticed a red tail.
Red shouldered hawks are supposed to be very vocal, but I don’t think they are so pale underneath.

Hmm... I'm wracking my brain.

Depending on location lots of hawks have a lot of variation in color and pattern. Red tails won't actually always have red tails, and juveniles don't develop that red coloration until they get their adult feathers. There are a lot of subspecies of red tailed hawks. Krider's red tails are very pale, almost completely white sometimes. Harlan's red tails are dark, almost black. Here's the different subspecies in the US.

Red shoulders also have variations in color based on location/subspecies and juveniles are much paler on the belly than adults.

I'm not familiar with all the raptors of NJ. I'm guessing it's a Buteo hawk though. Possibly a juvenile red tail. They have a shrill, squeaky call like that. Listen to around 1:32 in this video and compare:

 

[Ponypoor]

There's an idea for breaking your stubborn silkies

Oh yes, if only they had eggs for me…. Turkey babies are darling!

They have Hmongs also!!! Too bad no eggs from them! They are not laying.

But that lovely gorgeous Polish hen that was the spitting image of Bobs Gucci…..<sigh> …. oh she was a darling! If I had one like her I would see if Bob let me call her Gucci.

Oh if wishes were horses (or in my case Pullets)…….