Hatching with 2 broodies

[tommysgirl]

Luv your avatar TG!
Yep, I am in awe! I am definitely what you might call 'small potatoes' in comparison. Just got the 5 little girls and staying with that for a while. Maybe if I had more room and was allowed to have a rooster I would get into the whole 'plan/breeding' thing but right now I am content to learn as much as I can from the gurus in the Team
The issue with your dishes, I have the same thing here with the washing; every couple of days I show it how to wash itself, peg itself out and bring itself back in but it just doesn’t seem to get it!

You are sweet. I think I am addicted to eggs as much as anything. I want ALL of the colors and now multiple sizes in my basket and of course I love to watch and interact with my birds.

Anyway, this is something i dont know, how long they stop laying for.

It depends...typically within a week or two of weaning chicks, but after a molt it is anyone's guess. I have people who swear that the solstice is the kick off point for girls that didn't lay during the winter so you are less than a couple of weeks away

Ok get ready, here's Rambo. Solid Muscle

Stud Muffin

Don't worry...She will get up when she needs to but I do put a little dish of wet fermented feed and a small waterer in close to my broodies.

TG, Let me know if your dishes ever figure out how to wash themselves… I holding out hope that mine will catch on some day.

No news at Sycamore Springs. Quiet, hot… We skipped spring and went right to summer. Last day of school is tomorrow!! I will scoot MJ off the nest tomorrow for her appointment at the spa and close the coop up to candle the eggs once my oldest gets home from school. I can't wait!!

Good Luck with the candle! I will keep you posted on the dish situation

Cosmo is a cutie! He is trying to teach Stella to not be afraid of the treat lady and he is starting to come when called. She waits until she is sure I mean no harm and them she joins him but she is nervous and is a perimeter treat retriever. He is front row and out of my hand. He is so much smaller he can get under the hens to get to me

 

[Pooman]

Thanks tg

Have seen the ex mums go back on the lay after having a clutch. On was laying for a few weeks while still looking after the young chooks. Just had most of the main flock stop as we were going into winter, they all,had a bit of a moult and the feathers have now grown back, but still no eggs, except,for Betty who never stopped and Charlotte and Bluey have started laying (first birds raised here to lay

).

We will see

 

[Teila]

Good morning from me on an overcast, rainy work day

Wow Pooman! That is one impressive looking rooster .. Rambo definitely suits him!

FV, she could have hopped off the nest while you were not looking. TG and Pooman are right that you probably should not worry. Having said that, some broodies need some encouragement to take a break. Cilla would not leave the nest and I had to move her once a day to ensure she got some exercise; but then Cilla is not normal

. I used to bring her a drink on those hotter days and also feed her some treats while she was on the nest.

TG, eggs? Of what do you speak? Going to have to Google that one! lolz

MM, good luck with the candling; can’t wait to hear the results!

Ah well, better go earn some dollars for chicken feed and cat biscuits .. enjoy your day Team

 

[16 paws]

Hello everyone!! It's been afew weeks since I've been able to touch base I've been really busy with he beginning of summer and all the gardening, finally all caught up and I've managed to catch up on everyone's posts.

SC what came of your twin egg ??? Hope that worked out well

As for an update on my girls, I had reported the case of the vanishing chick (it has never been found! A real mystery)

My other 2 broodies have decided they are going to try this mommy thing again they have gone broody together and are sharing a nest with 8 eggs so I guess I will leave them hatch these, maybe they will break their broody after they get to raise some babies!!!

Momma and her babies are doing great they are growing so fast they look like chickens now no more fuzzy butts ( I am secretly looking forward to some little fuzziness again!!)
Here is yet again a blurry pic of momma and her teenagers

What a great postcard that would be. I love silkies! They are beautiful

How old are the babies?
Marie

 

[Lesa Mae]

What a great postcard that would be. I love silkies! They are beautiful
How old are the babies?
Marie

They are 8 wks old and momma is showing no signs of sending them off on their own any time soon! I'm afraid they may the children that never leave home ! There is no egg drought here she is laying again and 2 other broodies are sitting on 8 eggs so in 16 days or so there will be a lot of action around here

 

[missnu01]

Somewhat unrelated, but we used to have a mallard duck that was amazing when it came to brooding and then laying again. She hatched 15/16 eggs and then a week later started laying again...amazing

 

[halfbakedtulip]

Hello Team Broody!!

I am going to go back and catch up on all the posts I missed. I swear I have been outside hovering nonstop as Banty decided on day 3 (I think?) to start taking the babies out on the lawn!

I have a dilemma and would love some thoughts...

It has been a little over a week now and the chicks are doing very very well. My problem now is Momma. I had had the wire/mesh down in front of the nesting box which seemed to make Momma more secure. At night I pulled it down and secured it with bricks so there was no chance of any in or out. Well for the last 2 mornings I have gotten up to find Momma wandering around the coop and the babies in the box still. She managed to squeeze through a 3 inch or probably even less than that gap at the top of the nesting box side. Our nesting boxes are actually one big box with dividers in. How she managed it I will never know. So this morning I thought fine and took the mesh down as clearly it isn't good to have her running around with the babies trapped. Come tonight and I had gotten hubby to gather them up and put them in the coop (They can't seem to figure out how to get UP the ramp...down is no problem!) Anyway I went to lock the others up and there is Momma with babes underneath in one of the frizzles spots under the roost. There was a kerfuffle and at one point Banty went and got a drink and left the babies sitting there with the frizzle. I grabbed the babies and Mom and put them in the nesting box. No screen and now I am worrying...could she be trying to leave them already? What if she decides she wants to go roost? IF and that is a big hope the other hens leave the babies alone would they be ok without her? I was thinking of grabbing the dog kennel and putting everyone in it in the coop.


Am I being crazy? I am still so very green and don't want to find dead chicks. Am I overreacting? What are everyones thoughts on this?

 

[missnu01]

Mostly the chick's will follow her. It is part of the process. If the chick's are warm they will sometimes allow mama eat or drink in peace. It's all good. Relax. As long as she's in the ground she isn't leaving them. If you go and see her on the roost and them peeping like mad on the ground then she is leaving them. I had to remind one of my hens she had a check last year. Luckily I could hear it's frantic peeping and went to check to see what the trouble was. And mama had roosted leaving poor chick on the ground. So I grabbed her down and as soon as she hit the ground the chick came running over to her and it's like she remembered.
Actually it wasn't her fault. I think her and her sister just hadn't gotten the broody schedule figured out. Her and her sister went broody at the same time on 8 eggs each. A lot of shells found but only ever saw 2 chicks, and only saw one of them one time. So one remaining chick was brooded by both hens. They seemed to take turns and I think that night there was some error in communication. Anyway as long as she isn't going to roost leaving the chicks behind then it is all alright. She won't follow the chicks they will have to follow her it is all part of the process

 

[halfbakedtulip]

Thank you @missnu01 I am going to go keep checking to make sure she hasn't gone up. I was so flabbergasted when she was just casually laying in the frizzles spot LOL It was very odd! You have put my mind at ease some

 

[Teila]

Hey there HBT

I totally agree with MN01. If the chicks have not followed her and can easily do so, then nothing to worry about. If she had left the chicks somewhere where they could not follow her and they were getting upset she would most likely go back to them to see what all the fuss was about. If she had left them, they were getting upset and she did not go back, then I would worry. They were probably nice and warm and she knew exactly where they were

I do not think you are over reacting and definitely not crazy ... trust me, it does not hurt to ask. Better to ask and have it not be a drama than not ask and find yourself with dramas.

Enjoy your bubbies; they are such a beautiful experience