Hatching with 2 broodies

[tommysgirl]

Great!! I am so excited for you!! Are the eggs going to be from this type? Any certain colors? You will definitely have to keep me updated on how they do!! My husband has put it all out there building this mini coop. That thing is more sturdy than most houses!! It is a bit sad that I am only going to use it as a broody house once a year…. but I can always use it as an over flow coop or sick bay I suppose… Or if I ever think I want to pen up some purebred chickens… hmm.

Tom is the BEST!!

I am just so excited for you!! I think my hubby is coming around to the idea of more chickens as well. I talked about selling eggs and he said oh, you don't have enough chickens to sell eggs, do you? He has also been talking to one of his colleagues at work who has many many chickens. This could be good. My neighbor wants to start buying eggs from me, but I told him we don't charge neighbors and sent 3-1/2 dozen over to his house today. They will go in potato salad for a party tomorrow. We are invited over for ribs. That is enough payment, I think!! His wife worked on a chicken farm when she was younger. She saw first hand how sad the lives of those chickens can be. They like to see ours out wandering around and knowing what goes into them. They don't mind if the flock hangs out in their field either. Now, I don't do organic feed, but the feed I do buy is local. This time of year they forage a lot anyhow, and all that is probably as organic as anything on this earth can be anymore. Surely there is a market (on my little dead end road at least) for some free range eggs. At least to offset some feed costs for this little "flock of chickens in the yard" dream I have.

He does kind of rock.

Are these the same neighbors that helped you take care of the stray dogs? I bet there is a market for your eggs too. I put a status about selling eggs on fb and now I have more customers than I can take care of.

In honor of mother's day look who showed up





This morning there are two chicks. There are 5 more eggs so it is the waiting game now. but I did get a look at two of them and no pips yet...

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers of humans and animals! My mom is coming over for a late lunch today not sure what we are doing for my MIL. My kids are all OOT but I did get text messages from the girls. They compete every year to send me the first one of the day. My son will figure it out probably when his girl friend ask him what he did for me. I don't care. I know he loves his mama.

 

[tommysgirl]

Tommy's girl- thank you for the welcome. It sounds like you've got loads of hatching experience! I think On the basis of what you said when (and if) my eggs hatch, I,all keep them all in a confined area for a bit so the hen is less likely to leave the nest and desert the other eggs.

Hope I didn't sound like a know it all

I only have had the 5 broody experiences because I have what many people would call...an inordinate number of chickens

Howdy Team Broody

Apologies if anyone was concerned that I might have dropped off the planet. I found out on Thursday that my shift was being changed from 7am – 3pm to 8am – 4pm and because this would mean I would not get home in time to let the girls have a free range, or even feed them before dark (in winter), the boss suggested I work from home. So, we have been flat out getting good internet into my office for the VOIP phone and while we were at it, decided to move the lounge room around and then we had to go into the office and bring home the computer, monitors, drawers and all my reference material and get everything set up for tomorrow morning. Anyway, we got it done and I am now set up to work from home. Can’t really think of any cons (except distraction but I am sure I can adjust). Pros = still ‘get home’ at the same time and basically walk out the back door and let the girls out at 4pm; no more standing at freezing cold bus stops, waiting for a bus which is not on time and of course, savings on daily bus fares; partially subsidised internet to home; get to wear causal/comfy clothes and most importantly, sleep in an extra hour and a quarter each morning; instead of getting up at 04:45am, I do not have to get up until 6am! Bonus!!


TG, thank you for sharing your critters with us (humans included). I agree, the feral peacocks are beautiful to look at but I can imagine they are a bit of a pain. The Blue Black Splash Ameraucanas are gorgeous! Good to read that it sounds like it is a goer and yes, Tom sounds like a great hubby. Aaaw, poor Norma; I think she will be a little sad.



All good at Casa Del Chookie; Cilla has quit the security detail and is back to her sweet self but she is still being mumma to Blondie. I finally have a happy family of 5, all ranging together, watching out for each other and no real squabbles. Tina is still playing mumma to Lulu and they are so cute to watch together. Tina is constantly calling Lulu to share bugs that she catches. Now that Tina has a 'baby' I think her first egg is probably going to be even further down the track. Has anyone ever heard of a similar situation? A 7 month old who has not laid her first egg taking on motherhood of a 4 month old?

The FF experiment is pretty much no longer an experiment and more of an achievement/success. Dusty actually dove into the FF to get all the good bits before she had some hamburger and tomato!! I only have one more breakfast of the grain/pellet mix and already have two jars of the coarse grain I bought (no pellets) on the go … I am pretty sure they are going to love it! It looks much tastier without the soggy, disintegrated pellets.

Hopefully now I have my home office ready, I will not be away from the team for 4 days and will be able to keep up with news regularly. The girls dipped out a little bit this weekend because of all the work we had to get done but I made sure they had a good range this afternoon for quite a few hours; I missed spending time with them on Saturday!. Next weekend I will try and get some more pictures; especially of Dusty who now has all her feathers again! Oh yeah, still no eggs!

The egg that breaks the drought is going to be nearly as exciting as that first egg! lol

So happy for you! Where on Earth do you find a job that re adjusts your work parameters so you can keep you chickens happy???

I have a silkie friend who has talked to me about how dedicated they are as moms. I think it is unusual but not totally surprising and it is beyond sweet

I feel badly about Norma. I will never do that again. I will always leave mama with at least 2 chicks until she is done with them. She seems OK now but she was distraught for awhile and confused for awhile longer. I don't know what possessed me...sigh Poor girl.

Good Luck on egg watch...would this be a bad time to tell you that Julie laid her first egg on friday. I think she is about 7 mos old..but she doesn't have a 7 week old little friend to mother so I am sure that is the big difference between her and Tina.

My molty girls for the most part waited till the solstice to start laying again...hope yours don't wait THAT long.

 

[ItalyChickie]

And thank you for the welcome Lesa Mae and Italy Chickie . I'm definitely looking forward to throwing a whole load of questions at you. I didn't realise it could all be so stressful- even when I'm attempting to let nature take it's course!

Yep! That's what I thought too at first, that it would all be smooth sailing... before I started waking up at crazy hours worried about things that can go wrong, lol. But I think that I do worry less as time goes by and I trust my broodies more... hope it's not too stressful for you, and feel free to throw whatever questions you have my way - always with a "no expert" disclaimer, but I will do my best to answer based on my experience.

This is their first time outside. They calmed down after a while, but I did have to sit with them for a bit. One of the little BO's kept sneaking through the fence!

Anna's colors are getting so pretty. Elsa is staying a pretty light lavenderish gray. Love it!

This should be the whole crew. Those little roosters are already growing big pink combs!!

Cielo. I can not wait to see what color he decides to be in the end!

Sally and Anna, with Elsa right behind and an unnamed welsummer. I have a feeling the welsummer I lost was the little Roo. The two remaining are feathering in identical.

They are adorable!!! I LOOOOOVE Cielo!!

Elsa seems a similar color to my gray/blue/lavender one, whatever (s)he decides to become. (don't really dare hope for a girl, seems the most likely boy candidate...)

Great Picture! I love big dogs...and yes! no 1/2 chickens

Thank you! I think I'll have to count Isabel as a whole chicken to get to 13... she's a bantam Brahma, but she's the same size as my Red Stars (the other bantam Brahma, Pallina, is much much smaller). At least for now, anyway. One of the babies might be a banty, taking after dad instead of mom - so I'll wait for my half chicken, not really planning to get new ones for a few months at least.

TG-- https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/827543/silkied-ameraucana-project I used to follow this thread until I changed my mind about them… I just don't want to risk an expensive bird when there is always a chance of Mother Nature visiting to collect her tax. NO Silkie influence, all genetic stuff. I think they had a rough start but have strengthened their genes and stuff now.

Wow! Those are some gorgeous chickens! But yeah... I don't have silkies for that same reason; they are just too delicate for my flock. Not that there is any possibility I could get those silkied ameraucanas over here, anyway.

Oh and Tom said to me last night "As long as they have enough room to be happy and comfortable I don't care how many chickens we have." He is the BEST!!!

LOVE that!

My hubby is rooting for more chickens, actually... he's been selling eggs (he works in Rome, and even though we're so near by, it's very much a city), and the demand is rising. YAY! (The girls totally earn their feed.)

ItalyChickie,
Such a great shot of you and your big babies!
No wonder your chickens are safe with them.
Yes, I will be excited to see just eggs in your pictures.
Bring them on

Marie

Lol! I'll take pictures of the eggs next time I open the bator, and/or catch Bonnie off her nest. Would you accept a picture of Bonnie for the moment? 6 of the eggs are under this:



"Step away from the nest!"

Ebony (the original broody hen wandered around for a bit, ate, drank and then went back to the nest. I didn't see the change over but next time I looked she was back on the eggs and my other hen was out in the garden. I just hope she didn't add another egg to the nest and that no eggs were broken in the swap over.
16 paws- thank you as well. I think I've decided to leave my broody where she is. In fact my lovely husband is working out a way to build new living quarters for the other hens to make things easier. More living space= possibility of more chickens so it's all good

You can still mark the eggs so you can identify any new additions and remove them later. (I just put a small x with a pencil normally) Sure, you will still have a staggered hatch, but maybe less so if new eggs aren't added.
YAY for new living quarters and more chickens!!! Gotta love chicken math.

Howdy Team Broody

Apologies if anyone was concerned that I might have dropped off the planet. I found out on Thursday that my shift was being changed from 7am – 3pm to 8am – 4pm and because this would mean I would not get home in time to let the girls have a free range, or even feed them before dark (in winter), the boss suggested I work from home. So, we have been flat out getting good internet into my office for the VOIP phone and while we were at it, decided to move the lounge room around and then we had to go into the office and bring home the computer, monitors, drawers and all my reference material and get everything set up for tomorrow morning. Anyway, we got it done and I am now set up to work from home. Can’t really think of any cons (except distraction but I am sure I can adjust). Pros = still ‘get home’ at the same time and basically walk out the back door and let the girls out at 4pm; no more standing at freezing cold bus stops, waiting for a bus which is not on time and of course, savings on daily bus fares; partially subsidised internet to home; get to wear causal/comfy clothes and most importantly, sleep in an extra hour and a quarter each morning; instead of getting up at 04:45am, I do not have to get up until 6am! Bonus!!


Welcome to the Team DeborahOBE, lovely to meet you. Got everything crossed for a successful hatch for you and more Team Broody bubbies for us! I may be biased but Team Broody rock! Fire away with the questions and we will do our upmost to help out .. and, of course, we look forward to hearing your stories and tips from you also. The best bit, no such thing as a silly question and no judgements or lectures


Ooooh IC, how exciting, having the Cochin and Orp eggs! Hhhhm, I understand I can’t have ½ a chicken but sadly, I do not want to squish everyone up too much; so Cilla is going to have to count as a whole, not a ½; she throws her weight around enough to count as a whole

Thank you for sharing your critters also; beautiful, beautiful puppies!

Teila, that is WONDERFUL news!!! Congratulations! Your boss is so understanding! Hey, your chickens might be happier with you around more, and you never know, that might mean eggs sooner. Well, I hope so anyway.

I understand on not adding 1/2 chickens... had to make an excuse myself, lol. For the moment anyway. Really hoping for a successful hatch with those eggs, and possibly a Cenere clone. (The cochin eggs are blue/black/splash; the orps are buff, blue and lavender(!!!) with a couple of unknowns thrown in, possibly red orp or another breed altogether.)

He does kind of rock.

Are these the same neighbors that helped you take care of the stray dogs? I bet there is a market for your eggs too. I put a status about selling eggs on fb and now I have more customers than I can take care of.

In honor of mother's day look who showed up





This morning there are two chicks. There are 5 more eggs so it is the waiting game now. but I did get a look at two of them and no pips yet...

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers of humans and animals! My mom is coming over for a late lunch today not sure what we are doing for my MIL. My kids are all OOT but I did get text messages from the girls. They compete every year to send me the first one of the day. My son will figure it out probably when his girl friend ask him what he did for me. I don't care. I know he loves his mama.

OH SO CUTE!!! No better way to start Mother's Day. Looking forward to more pics.

I hope I didn't miss anyone, lots to catch up with!

Here come some pics of our weekend - as anticipated, the kindergarten area is now officially open so they can go in and out as they please. (The dogs are not allowed in the back portion for the moment, unless supervised - they won't do anything to the chicks, I just worry they'll scare them and make them hide in places hard to get back out of... so far, supervised visits went well.)

Exploring the freshly plowed yard area





break time back in kindergarten





synchronized grooming

getting to know one of the dads

 

[chickencrazy999]

Heya Team,
Well I have some very sad news On Saturday night Mr Fox came for a visit and took my beautiful pair of silkie bantams Muppet and Maddy he also took Gold my Gold star hen I have been quite upset but I am just glad I have you guys and the other chickens to cheer me up. the fox is now delt with and all is well . Today I went and picked up another pair of silkie bantams and have renamed them Muppet #2 and Maddy #2 those two will be remembered R.I.P Muppet #1 and Maddy #1 and also Gold. The eggs that Muffin is sitting are on day 10ish and I candled them and it looks like 3/8 are fertile and have chicks in them and also Maddy is acting Broody all ready of only hours of her being here is is sitting on eggs that the other girls laid and is growling a bit.
oh we'll I hope all is well with everyone
Ella

 

[16 paws]

Heya Team,
Well I have some very sad news On Saturday night Mr Fox came for a visit and took my beautiful pair of silkie bantams Muppet and Maddy he also took Gold my Gold star hen I have been quite upset but I am just glad I have you guys and the other chickens to cheer me up. the fox is now delt with and all is well . Today I went and picked up another pair of silkie bantams and have renamed them Muppet #2 and Maddy #2 those two will be remembered R.I.P Muppet #1 and Maddy #1 and also Gold. The eggs that Muffin is sitting are on day 10ish and I candled them and it looks like 3/8 are fertile and have chicks in them and also Maddy is acting Broody all ready of only hours of her being here is is sitting on eggs that the other girls laid and is growling a bit.
oh we'll I hope all is well with everyone
Ella

Oh Ella,

I am so very sorry to hear that. I wish I had something great to say to comfort you... Just know that all of us are mourning right along with you.

Glad that Muffin is ok.
Hang in there....
Marie

 

[16 paws]

Yep! That's what I thought too at first, that it would all be smooth sailing... before I started waking up at crazy hours worried about things that can go wrong, lol. But I think that I do worry less as time goes by and I trust my broodies more... hope it's not too stressful for you, and feel free to throw whatever questions you have my way - always with a "no expert" disclaimer, but I will do my best to answer based on my experience.


They are adorable!!! I LOOOOOVE Cielo!!

Elsa seems a similar color to my gray/blue/lavender one, whatever (s)he decides to become. (don't really dare hope for a girl, seems the most likely boy candidate...)


Thank you! I think I'll have to count Isabel as a whole chicken to get to 13... she's a bantam Brahma, but she's the same size as my Red Stars (the other bantam Brahma, Pallina, is much much smaller). At least for now, anyway. One of the babies might be a banty, taking after dad instead of mom - so I'll wait for my half chicken, not really planning to get new ones for a few months at least.


Wow! Those are some gorgeous chickens! But yeah... I don't have silkies for that same reason; they are just too delicate for my flock. Not that there is any possibility I could get those silkied ameraucanas over here, anyway.


LOVE that!

My hubby is rooting for more chickens, actually... he's been selling eggs (he works in Rome, and even though we're so near by, it's very much a city), and the demand is rising. YAY! (The girls totally earn their feed.)

Lol! I'll take pictures of the eggs next time I open the bator, and/or catch Bonnie off her nest. Would you accept a picture of Bonnie for the moment? 6 of the eggs are under this:



"Step away from the nest!"






You can still mark the eggs so you can identify any new additions and remove them later. (I just put a small x with a pencil normally) Sure, you will still have a staggered hatch, but maybe less so if new eggs aren't added.
YAY for new living quarters and more chickens!!! Gotta love chicken math.

Teila, that is WONDERFUL news!!! Congratulations! Your boss is so understanding! Hey, your chickens might be happier with you around more, and you never know, that might mean eggs sooner. Well, I hope so anyway.

I understand on not adding 1/2 chickens... had to make an excuse myself, lol. For the moment anyway. Really hoping for a successful hatch with those eggs, and possibly a Cenere clone. (The cochin eggs are blue/black/splash; the orps are buff, blue and lavender(!!!) with a couple of unknowns thrown in, possibly red orp or another breed altogether.)


OH SO CUTE!!! No better way to start Mother's Day. Looking forward to more pics.

I hope I didn't miss anyone, lots to catch up with!

Here come some pics of our weekend - as anticipated, the kindergarten area is now officially open so they can go in and out as they please. (The dogs are not allowed in the back portion for the moment, unless supervised - they won't do anything to the chicks, I just worry they'll scare them and make them hide in places hard to get back out of... so far, supervised visits went well.)

Exploring the freshly plowed yard area





break time back in kindergarten





synchronized grooming

getting to know one of the dads

Love the picture of Bonnie. That is a great shot!
The babies are cuter than bugs!
Was the plan to give Bonnie the chicks that hatch in the bator?
Marie

 

[Lesa Mae]

Oh Ella,

I am so very sorry to hear that. I wish I had something great to say to comfort you... Just know that all of us are mourning right along with you.
Glad that Muffin is ok. 
Hang in there....
Marie

My heart is breaking for you, such a sad time!

 

[chickencrazy999]

Oh Ella,

I am so very sorry to hear that. I wish I had something great to say to comfort you... Just know that all of us are mourning right along with you.
Glad that Muffin is ok. 
Hang in there....
Marie

Thanks so much

 

[chickencrazy999]

My heart is breaking for you, such a sad time!

Thank you

 

[chickencrazy999]

Okay Hello Team broody,
so we have shared together so many ups and downs with are chickens and I am just glad I have this thread to talk to u guys.
well now Maddy has decided she wants to got broody and is sitting in my coop on some fake eggs with only hours of her being here! lol