Hatching with 2 broodies

[MistyMountain]

Hi Friends

Stopping by for a quick visit. Love all the pics. Day 15 for Momma MJ today. I have plans to tighten up the maternity ward so that it is all ready for babies this weekend. My hubby and I have a date to see Travis Tritt and The Charlie Daniels Band on Saturday, which is day 20 so if there are any early arrivals we won't get to see them. That is probably a good thing because I would get all caught up in the coop and forget my chores in the house! So, big day is Sunday. lots of work then, too, so hopefully I can give them some privacy (riiiiight). My little man has his 4th b-day party the next weekend, so got to clean this place up. Lots of cousins so it will mostly be outside. We'll have the slip-n-slides going and a bucket of squirt guns at the bottom of the driveway. No one is off limits here!

I am really reconsidering the number of chickens that I have right now. All these leghorns lay eggs like crazy, but I am not overly fond of them. I am thinking about selling them to make more room for the girls in the grow out coop. My husband is not too keen on that idea, since we have put so much money (food) into them, but I find they do not free range well enough. They always linger around the feeder for more food. Decisions. I added another roost to the big coop. I might attempt to integrate the pullets in about a week leaving the rowdy leghorn cockerels in the grow out coop for now. Wait. That's an idea. I can sell the leghorns as pairs!! Hah! Honestly, I can not even give those food monsters away. They are going to eat me out of house and home.

 

[Farmer Viola]

I usually candle at 1 week to see if there are duds then I do it again on Day 18 so I know if there are any I should be tossing then too But this time I did it at 14 days too b/c one was iffy. I also ID the eggs that are supposed to be hatching so that I can tell if anyone has snuck extra eggs in. I like candling b/c it hightens my excitement while keeping me realistic. I have chicks due to hatch on Thursday...started out with 9 eggs took out 4 at the first candling. There one questionable so I candled that one a week later and tossed it...now I have 4. two ee and two AM hoping to break my boy streak and get nothing but pullets

luckily i did have the foresight to write the dates on the 12 eggs I set under her, oh and they're white and tan, but nearly all my layers are marans and welsummers so they lay a very dark egg that would be super obvious only my lone wyandotte hen could slip one in undetected by color... now that I think about it, I didn't get an egg from her the last 2 days... hmm!

 

[tommysgirl]

@tommysgirl
Wow that makes it so easy!! You can clearly see who is silver and who is pumpkiney...Oh I hope that it is true for you! They are all so lovely

I just went and tok a couple photos of Chipmunk...they NEVER STOP MOVING!!!

what a cutie! did you see we simulposted

Hi Friends

Stopping by for a quick visit. Love all the pics. Day 15 for Momma MJ today. I have plans to tighten up the maternity ward so that it is all ready for babies this weekend. My hubby and I have a date to see Travis Tritt and The Charlie Daniels Band on Saturday, which is day 20 so if there are any early arrivals we won't get to see them. That is probably a good thing because I would get all caught up in the coop and forget my chores in the house! So, big day is Sunday. lots of work then, too, so hopefully I can give them some privacy (riiiiight). My little man has his 4th b-day party the next weekend, so got to clean this place up. Lots of cousins so it will mostly be outside. We'll have the slip-n-slides going and a bucket of squirt guns at the bottom of the driveway. No one is off limits here!

I am really reconsidering the number of chickens that I have right now. All these leghorns lay eggs like crazy, but I am not overly fond of them. I am thinking about selling them to make more room for the girls in the grow out coop. My husband is not too keen on that idea, since we have put so much money (food) into them, but I find they do not free range well enough. They always linger around the feeder for more food. Decisions. I added another roost to the big coop. I might attempt to integrate the pullets in about a week leaving the rowdy leghorn cockerels in the grow out coop for now. Wait. That's an idea. I can sell the leghorns as pairs!! Hah! Honestly, I can not even give those food monsters away. They are going to eat me out of house and home.

your son's b'day party sounds fun. We had a great one like that for my son when he was about 6-7. Squirt guns and water balloons and mayhem!

Laying hens around here fetch about 20.00+ each. People who want the instant gratification of a sexually mature hen probably just want the eggs and don't care so much about the process/journey of chicken keeping. So they might not care that they are flighty and trough hogs. Seems like you could sell them for enough that your H could see the dual benefit of not having to feed them anymore plus having their selling price absorb some of the cost of feeding them in the first place.

 

[tommysgirl]

luckily i did have the foresight to write the dates on the 12 eggs I set under her, oh and they're white and tan, but nearly all my layers are marans and welsummers so they lay a very dark egg that would be super obvious only my lone wyandotte hen could slip one in undetected by color... now that I think about it, I didn't get an egg from her the last 2 days... hmm!

Yep I didn't mark this set either b/c they are blue eggs and she is nesting in what is currently the brown egg layer pen. That helps. Let us know if your Wy snuck one in.

 

[16 paws]

Hi team broody!

I love all the pictures!

Italychickie,

Loved the group shot of mom and all her babies, she looks so proud, like Yes, I hatched out all of these kids, too cute.

Tommysgirl,
Have to say that Stella is so beautiful!

 

[Pooman]

Just a quick drop in too. Love all the new chickies

Good news, Trixy has started laying again after a 2 month egg strike. So now have Trixy, Betty, Charlotte and Bluey laying. I'll be hatching some more eggs soon. Also Wilma seems to have ditched her chicks finally and has been sniffing around the nest boxes a bit. So she will be back soon im sure.

Been checking Bettys eggs and they are hit and miss with fertility, some are ok, some not. Trixy looks be be fertile the first egg back, they are both with Rocky. So that might explain my recent wipeout in the new incubator. (Betty eggs)

Still have not obtained a thermometer and hygrometer to check the thing....

The Main coop is now hectic. There's 18 chooks in there hahahaaaa. All, except the top line in my singnature. There is,a bit of pecking going on, but plenty of room and 3 separate feeding spots so the little ones can escape and find food elsewhere. I bought 4 extra step on feeders after trying 2 designs out. They now have a different design to the one they were trained on now so they seem to have to relearn completely. Frustrating. The sparrows and pigeons will be done for soon. The feeder they used to have will be for younger chicks as its steel not aluminium so i can easily add magnets to adjust the closure on it. Ive modified it too so its hard for little chickens to get heads stuck

 

[16 paws]

I have a question for anyone that keeps more than 1 roo.

I have 3 roos and I have to keep them separate. They kind of grew up together but after a while they started fighting. I came home one day to find the 2 banty cochin roos all bloody. They are brothers and I thought they were going to fight till one died. My other roo is a polish. He fights both of them. It is funny because they are not aggressive to people at all, just each other.
How do you guys keep your roos from fighting? Any hope for keeping them together someday?
thanks for any advice...
Marie

 

[missnu01]

I have a question for anyone that keeps more than 1 roo.

I have 3 roos and I have to keep them separate. They kind of grew up together but after a while they started fighting. I came home one day to find the 2 banty cochin roos all bloody. They are brothers and I thought they were going to fight till one died. My other roo is a polish. He fights both of them. It is funny because they are not aggressive to people at all, just each other.
How do you guys keep your roos from fighting? Any hope for keeping them together someday?
thanks for any advice...
Marie

I have 4 adult roosters and every once in awhile one will have a couple of spots on their comb like maybe they fought, but I've never seen it happen, and we've had no actual injuries...they all know the big orange rooster is the boss... and there's no trouble. Every once in awhile the big roo will charge after one of the others for messing with "his" ladies... but nothing serious. I'm not sure what makes some fight and some not. But some do and some dont. Are your chickens penned? Because penned chickens are more likely to get into full on fights

 

[MistyMountain]

your son's b'day party sounds fun. We had a great one like that for my son when he was about 6-7. Squirt guns and water balloons and mayhem!

Laying hens around here fetch about 20.00+ each. People who want the instant gratification of a sexually mature hen probably just want the eggs and don't care so much about the process/journey of chicken keeping. So they might not care that they are flighty and trough hogs. Seems like you could sell them for enough that your H could see the dual benefit of not having to feed them anymore plus having their selling price absorb some of the cost of feeding them in the first place.

That's what I am going for… maybe asking $25 but willing to go down. Who knows, I may have just what someone is looking for! I noticed an ad today for a hatchery BR and a BR/Cochin cross. Both laying, both $25 each. Certainly my super laying large and jumbo chickens could hold their own there! Funny thing is, the leghorn ladies are more tame than the EE! I can pet them, pick them up on occasion (they are almost cat like. If they want your attention you can give them your attention. If not, you're outta luck).

My competition is that the local feed store sold 18wk pullets for $8 this spring. Production reds, or similar.

Anyhow, trying to log on with my phone to show a new pic of Cielo. He is getting handsome!!

 

[MistyMountain]

Cielo <3

Elsa and Anna