Hatching with 2 broodies

[16 paws]

Hello team broody,
Liz, have fun on your trip!
Tommysgirl, so glad you got to rescue that poor hen...I think she is in good hands now.
Teila, good to know that Dusty is just molting and nothing more serious.
ItalyChickie, So it is true, hardly any predators? No wonder I have always wanted to live there! I live in southern Calif. in San Diego County.




Love your pictures.....
I have a blue cochin named Layla. Here are some pictures of her.
She is a real sweetheart

 

[Teila]

Good morning Team Broody!

So, I got home yesterday and Dusty has big bare patches all over her chest .. I have to get a picture of her this weekend; poor little munchkin!

Liz, I do remember Bettina’s butt pictures, just don’t remember if I sympathised or laughed (lol) . Like TGG, I didn’t realise that it happened so quickly, I thought it was a gradual thing .. it was such a shock to come home and see Dusty about half the size she was from when I left in the morning and feathers everywhere

She had egg for dinner last night and breakfast this morning had some tuna in it. Thanks for the tip on the chick-start, I still have some and will incorporate that as well

Yippee, I have eggs! Uuuummm, OK, I had to buy them but I do have eggs in the fridge! Wow, forgot how much bigger than bantam eggs the LF eggs are. Of course I bought free range/roost eggs which were twice the price of others.

TGG aaaaw what a beautiful picture of Rider Roo.
Your girls have such sweet expressions, Abigail is a poser! lol

TG .. what a horrible story! Gracie Belle is so lucky that you found her and her life is now going to turn around completely. I am sure she is going to repay you with lots of love and reasons to smile.

Of course, the following are just my thoughts:
I would also be worried about her condition and reluctant to start her at the beginning of 21 days. Having said that, after all she has been through, she deserves the opportunity to be a mumma.

If the candling does not go well and there are no viables, I would be inclined to just leave her a couple of eggs, probably fresh duds or ceramics, wouldn’t trust the ones you have, no idea how old they are (ticking time bombs). If she hangs in there for 7 more days, I would swap the eggs out then for a couple of Petunia’s, by then only 2 days to go.

I know they drop weight while they are broody but in her case, resting on eggs is probably better than running around burning up energy it sounds like she may not have and it would be a good opportunity to get some good stuff into her.

ItalyChickie and 16 paws .. aaaagh, I have to have a Blue Cochin now!! Layla is beautiful also.

ItalyChickie, Tammy and Blondie are 7 weeks and 2 days old. Yep, Blondie is definitely a girl. Tammy is still not displaying any rooster traits except for that largish comb so I am still patiently waiting. I will get some more pictures this weekend.

Beautiful pictures .. does Cenere spend a lot of time head-hiding or do you just have a knack for catching her at just the right moment?

Not long now!

Gotta scoot and do some work I guess.. TGIF!

 

[ItalyChickie]

Marie, oh my goodness, Layla looks like Cenere's long lost twin!!! I swear for a moment I thought those were my pics of Cenere when I first checked the thread this morning (I had just woken up though... so that would explain the confusion.) Gorgeous, and also a poser judging by the pics!

Yes, it's definitely true, no predators ever sighted near our house in all 12 years that I have lived here. Just field mice and hedgehogs.

Teila, all cochins are gorgeous, not just blue! You just wait until yours turn into a different colored fluff balls, then we'll all be saying how we want one of those.

For what it's worth - I'm certainly no expert, but I have been able to correctly guess gender with all of mine (except the very first chicks we got when just starting, but I hadn't read anything about gender signs back then), starting at 5-6 weeks, and it was never based on comb size. Rather, it was the posture/behavior that gave it away. Though of course Cochins are generally very mild-mannered, even roos, still, I think you will notice subtle differences if there are any... at least it's true in my experience.

And no, Cenere doesn't spend a lot of time hiding her head usually, only when she is broody. She's actually preening her very big and very fluffy feet, which she can only do when off the nest, so that's why I've been catching her in those weird poses lately. (And I swear she fell and rolled over a couple of times, because for some reason she insists on doing that in a fully vertical position... )

Well, only a day or two to go until the first fluffy butts arrive! SO excited I can't sit still!

Not certain if that first day counts or not, but I think I'll try convincing myself that it doesn't and try being patient tomorrow, otherwise I'll drive myself and the girls crazy checking every 10 minutes... (since it's a Saturday, and I have no other plans than cleaning/prepping the outside kindergarten area...)

 

[16 paws]

Marie, oh my goodness, Layla looks like Cenere's long lost twin!!! I swear for a moment I thought those were my pics of Cenere when I first checked the thread this morning (I had just woken up though... so that would explain the confusion.) Gorgeous, and also a poser judging by the pics!

Yes, it's definitely true, no predators ever sighted near our house in all 12 years that I have lived here. Just field mice and hedgehogs.

Teila, all cochins are gorgeous, not just blue! You just wait until yours turn into a different colored fluff balls, then we'll all be saying how we want one of those.

For what it's worth - I'm certainly no expert, but I have been able to correctly guess gender with all of mine (except the very first chicks we got when just starting, but I hadn't read anything about gender signs back then), starting at 5-6 weeks, and it was never based on comb size. Rather, it was the posture/behavior that gave it away. Though of course Cochins are generally very mild-mannered, even roos, still, I think you will notice subtle differences if there are any... at least it's true in my experience.

And no, Cenere doesn't spend a lot of time hiding her head usually, only when she is broody. She's actually preening her very big and very fluffy feet, which she can only do when off the nest, so that's why I've been catching her in those weird poses lately. (And I swear she fell and rolled over a couple of times, because for some reason she insists on doing that in a fully vertical position... )

Well, only a day or two to go until the first fluffy butts arrive! SO excited I can't sit still!

Not certain if that first day counts or not, but I think I'll try convincing myself that it doesn't and try being patient tomorrow, otherwise I'll drive myself and the girls crazy checking every 10 minutes... (since it's a Saturday, and I have no other plans than cleaning/prepping the outside kindergarten area...)

Hi ItalyChickie,
Isnt that funny about Cenere and Layla. I thought the same thing when I looked at your pictures!
I am glad that we have you as a go-to now for sexing! It sounds like you have a real gift for figuring out the boys from the girls.

When you get a chance....I know you are going to be on chick alert for a few days....would you mind taking a couple pictures of your kindergarten set-up? I am intrigued as to your set-up. I love getting new ideas.
Have fun stalking the broodys! Cant wait to see what happens

Marie

 

[ItalyChickie]

Hi Marie! It is uncanny how much alike Cenere and Layla are, poses and everything! I wish we lived closer so we could introduce them to each other!

Oh, I am not a sexing expert... To be honest, I think my secret is I spend far too much time staring at chickens and especially baby chicks. I can certainly try to make a guess from the pictures, but I think it's more the observation of behavior/interactions that usually gives me good clues. That said, I'll be happy to put my gift to the test with any of the team's chicks!

I have been stalking the broodies... I swear they're looking at me and going "How about you leave us along and we'll tell you when someone hatches?"

The kindergarten setup is truly nothing special, just a fenced area in the backyard, next to the big girls' and boys' sleeping quarters, with a very hastily built "3-bedroom" wooden structure (there used to be one from last year, but obviously that wouldn't have been enough for 4 broodies) - mostly fashioned out of whatever was laying around the place, e.g. the "doors" to two of the bedrooms are old window shutters. We're on standby with extra fence, so if any of the families decide not to get along, they can have separate roaming/scratching areas. I hope it won't be needed though. The actual inside space is nothing special - so far, in my experience, they only spend the first day (while everybody hatches) inside, and then only go there to sleep. There's a bit of an extra roof on the structure, and we'll probably also cover another part of the area for shade or rain - was needed last summer for shade, though it's not quite that hot yet.

The best part is that I can see it from the window and deck (it's a two-story house, downstairs belongs to my brother-in-law, but he doesn't live here). Here's a quickie picture for you, taken from upstairs - ignore the mess, tomorrow is the clean up/finish up/put in chick feeders etc. day. But like I said, very improvised and nothing special...

 

[Teila]

Good morning Team

Yawn, stretch .. it's early Saturday morning.

The plan for today is to get these lawns mowed; can't remember the last time I left them this long; too many distractions

While the girls love the fresh lawn clippings they are definitely not fans of the edger and lawn mower .. I try to get it done as quickly as I can and also try very hard not to look at them while I am doing it .. one look at them trying to find somewhere to hide and looking at their scared little faces and I would never mow the lawn again! lol

Bring on the bubbies!!!

Took this one yesterday; word is getting around the local parrot population that I put seed out for them every afternoon .......



One of Dusty's nick names is 'feather duster' .. won't be able to call her that soon! My poor little girl; not the prettiest chicken in the coop right now!


I will try and get some more piccies of everyone today

 

[lizgarf]

Hi Team!
I'm back from a truly wonderful, if too quick, Sierra get-away. I don't think I've seen Reggie that excited since we were last in the mountains together, which was way too long ago. I really need to go more often! I took tons of pictures, of course, but I'll just post a couple (at Teila's request, right?). We hiked on the cross-country ski trails, which had just enough snow for her to roll and play in, and visited the lake, which was lower than I thought possible, due to a combination of the drought and the fact that it is dammed, and they let water flow this time of year. We also visited my old camp, and Reggie was at least as excited when we arrived as I used to be when I was a kid (and still am). We stayed at a lovely place, where we were greeted by a huge Bernese Mtn. dog. I couldn't have felt more at home.

I got back in time today to let the hens out for their afternoon range and was pleased to find Grace broken from her broodiness, but Frida had taken over the nest, setting on 7 eggs. So, now I'm breaking Frida. It's ok; my broody breaking technique isn't too barbaric (just remove them from the coop as much as possible and close off the nest when I leave the house), and I'll let them have a go at it in a few months. I've just been feeling pretty overwhelmed by life on the farm lately, so I can't take on a hatch and chicks at the moment.

Teila, gorgeous parrots! The real proof you're on another continent!
Marie, I think you managed a felfie, with you in the mirror! Leyla doesn't make a mess in the house?
Impressive work, Italychick! I love seeing Italy in your pictures.

Dodge Ridge (closed for the season)



Pinecrest Lake (at about 1/6 capacity?):


Resting by the creek:

 

[Teila]

Welcome back Liz

So glad you had a good time, albeit short.
Reggie looks very happy; that is a beautiful picture of her with Pinecrest Lake in the background. Actually, they are all beautiful pictures!

I subscribe to the same broody-breaking technique as you; it might take a bit longer but it is definitely kinder I think; I couldn't bring myself to use ice baths or wire cages. I just lock Cilla out of the nest box as much as I can and pop her on the roost if she tries to sleep in the nest box .. sigh, won't be long, she will be broody again

Got the lawns done and took heaps of pictures .. here are some of Dusty; she is going to pop these in her port folio for 'Hard Molt Poster Girl':









Tammy and Blondie are 7 and a half weeks old. I am half expecting comments along the lines of Tammy being Tommy but as mentioned on previous posts .. we shall see

I thought this was cute .. still not too big to snuggle under mumma




These bubbies have some serious clown shoes going on!

 

[chickencrazy999]

Welcome back Liz

So glad you had a good time, albeit short.
Reggie looks very happy; that is a beautiful picture of her with Pinecrest Lake in the background. Actually, they are all beautiful pictures!

I subscribe to the same broody-breaking technique as you; it might take a bit longer but it is definitely kinder I think; I couldn't bring myself to use ice baths or wire cages. I just lock Cilla out of the nest box as much as I can and pop her on the roost if she tries to sleep in the nest box .. sigh, won't be long, she will be broody again

Got the lawns done and took heaps of pictures .. here are some of Dusty; she is going to pop these in her port folio for 'Hard Molt Poster Girl':









Tammy and Blondie are 7 and a half weeks old. I am half expecting comments along the lines of Tammy being Tommy but as mentioned on previous posts .. we shall see

I thought this was cute .. still not too big to snuggle under mumma




These bubbies have some serious clown shoes going on!

What beautiful pics teila they are just gorgeous I have a couple of pekin bantams as well here they are :

Alice (Top) and Tilly (Bottom) Tilly has all ready been broody once but had to break her as it was in January when it was just to cold for little peeps to be running around

 

[chickencrazy999]

Hey Team Broody,
Hope all is well Millie Is doing great with her chickies and is putting on some weight quite fast all though I just had to treat her for red mite and am going to give her a bath today will try and post some more pics of her later here are some old pics of the flock and some random pics Lol :
Broody Muffin










My dogs Millie,Rudy,Cookie,Daisy