Hatching with 2 broodies

[Teila]

Tee hee 16 paws, I had this sneaking suspicion that I was not the only hopeless one

Oh yeah, could not imagine what I would do without my girls .. life just would not be the same.

I have decided that if Cilla goes broody, as hard as it is going to be, I am going to try and break her, she has had two hatches and I really think I should wait a bit longer and give one of the youngsters a chance. Having said that, don't quote me on it! lol. No guarantees that if she gives me 'that look' that I will be able to resist.

Dusty is 18 months old and while giving broodiness a try for a total of 10-15 minutes on a couple of occasions, not her cup of tea I'm thinking.

Now, if Tina becomes broody, I'm sort of swaying towards not giving her any eggs as she can tend to be a bit 'flighty' and I am just not sure if she is cut out for motherhood.

At the moment LuLu definitely is not cut out for motherhood, she is way toooo silly

Maybe it will be Blondie?

Anyways, that is all way down the future track and for now, as you mention, it would just be nice to have someone lay an egg! lol.

 

[Pooman]

Wilma has just cut the cord. I'm not sure what age they are now but quite old, they still hang around with her, but when she is eating now she doesnt invite the little ones and pecks them if they get in the way. I'm guessing they might be 4 months, I'd have to check the calendar tho be sure

 

[missnu01]

Ok... I'm going to give my woods broody another week to come down with chick's and the I'm going to try and catch her when she comes down...maybe I can break her that way. Pen her in a dog crate in the coop for awhile til she gives up... because she won't stop setting until she has chicks. If I could find her I would give her a few to take care of if she doesn't hatch her own, but I still don't know where she is setting at...for all I know something stole all her eggs last week and she's just been setting on dirt since.

 

[Teila]

Just waffling now because I am getting very close to my 1,000th post and I most definitely what it to be in this thread and also, quiet day at work

The pecking order here should be Cilla, Dusty, Tina and Blondie and LuLu pretty much on a par .. not so much!

Cilla and Dusty are cemented in their IC and 2IC roles but the three youngsters are still squabbling over who should be where.

No-one argues with Cilla.
Dusty gently keeps Tina, Blondie and LuLu in line.
Tina bows down to Cilla and Dusty but takes no nonsense from Blondie.
Blondie, however, lets LuLu know that she thinks she is higher up the ladder.
Poor silly LuLu has no idea what is going on and if she is in a 'mood' takes on Blondie, Tina AND Dusty

 

[Teila]

Ok... I'm going to give my woods broody another week to come down with chick's and the I'm going to try and catch her when she comes down...maybe I can break her that way. Pen her in a dog crate in the coop for awhile til she gives up... because she won't stop setting until she has chicks. If I could find her I would give her a few to take care of if she doesn't hatch her own, but I still don't know where she is setting at...for all I know something stole all her eggs last week and she's just been setting on dirt since.

Woo hooo MN01, thank you for giving me a reason to post my 1,000th post .. I know, very silly, but it keeps me amused

I was jokingly going to suggest a tracking device but that would be a tad on the over-kill side. Then I had a maybe not so silly idea?

Does she visit in the afternoon for some food? Could you get your hands on one of those 'glow in the dark bracelets". We have them in Aus; straw-like thing that you 'snap' which turns it luminous and then clips into a bracelet .. you could pop one of those around her neck and try and find her at dusk?

That is just an off the top of my head thought and there may be risks with it catching on something or making her more visible to predators if you do not find her?

I just have this irrational fear that if you catch and keep her, some bubbies may be left out there all alone because, for some reason, they did not follow her in?

A little 'glow in the dark' coat?

Maybe my silliness will give someone else some ideas on tracking/finding her?

 

[Teila]

Oh look, I have gone from 'Overrun with Chickens' to 'Chicken Obsessed' on my profile .. how appropriate!

 

[Pooman]

The pecking orders are funny. I took my 2 boys out, the brothers Rocky II and Blacky. They were being constant twerps in the morning and i got sick of watching it. So chucked em in by themselves..... Well Blacky decides that he just has to try and break out and cuts his comb to shreds on a bit of wire poking out the back of the door....... Bugger me blood everywhere. So i fixed that and moved em to a different coop and run (so glad i have several options) where they can see everyone better. Blacky's comb seems to be healing ok and they have calmed down a bit now and loving finding treats for each other.... And Rocky, the dad, through the fence lol silly young boys.

The main flock is a lot calmer now and the young ones are getting used to the step on feeders i have for them now, without being harassed constantly. So 2 left in there, Stripey the young Plymouth Rock and Rambo. 2 young brothers Orpingtons by themselves and Rocky the dad with his 5 girls.

New coop on the way to make it 6 areas (coop and run) I'll have lols. I'm going to split of Stripey and put him with some girls when he matures, including Wilma the other Plymouth i have. So really want to get some of those eggs hatching when Stripey works out how to do it. Until,then she can stay with Rambo so we she starts laying we will hatch those and see what type of birds they turn into. Fun times soon

 

[missnu01]

Ok... I'm going to give my woods broody another week to come down with chick's and the I'm going to try and catch her when she comes down...maybe I can break her that way. Pen her in a dog crate in the coop for awhile til she gives up... because she won't stop setting until she has chicks. If I could find her I would give her a few to take care of if she doesn't hatch her own, but I still don't know where she is setting at...for all I know something stole all her eggs last week and she's just been setting on dirt since.

Woo hooo MN01, thank you for giving me a reason to post my 1,000th post .. I know, very silly, but it keeps me amused 

I was jokingly going to suggest a tracking device but that would be a tad on the over-kill side.  Then I had a maybe not so silly idea?

Does she visit in the afternoon for some food?  Could you get your hands on one of those 'glow in the dark bracelets".  We have them in Aus; straw-like thing that you 'snap' which turns it luminous and then clips into a bracelet .. you could pop one of those around her neck and try and find her at dusk?

That is just an off the top of my head thought and there may be risks with it catching on something or making her more visible to predators if you do not find her?

I just have this irrational fear that if you catch and keep her, some bubbies may be left out there all alone because, for some reason, they did not follow her in?

A little 'glow in the dark' coat?

Maybe my silliness will give someone else some ideas on tracking/finding her?

well I won't lie...I've thought about robbing some place and getting one of those video cat collars and attaching it around her midsection. At this point I would tape a Tom Tom to her back...lol. Surely it of she hatches chick's they will follow her around because if she is such a terrible mother she leaves day Olds all alone in the woods I will just get rid of her. Can't have such an inept mother sneaking off to have chicks whenever she feels like it.
Last year she had some issues with the hatching part, but the single chick that hatched out of 16 eggs (2 tries of 8 between 2 hens. Each getting 8) her and her sister managed to hatch one chick out of a combined 32 eggs... but something was stealing the eggs out from under them.. which is why I think she decided to set in the woods this year... but surely if something will rob eggs from the coop they will rob eggs from a nest in the woods..but she is perfectly shaded and patterned to disappear here. Thus how she's spent at least close to 3 weeks if not longer without going missing. Everyday she comes takes a really gross poo, dustbathes, and eats then disappears again so she's got to he well hidden... either way I know for a fact she will set on nothing until a chick pops out...I mean her and her sister sat last year for around 11 weeks... so she won't give up, ever... and that worries me. Because if something did eat the eggs she won't just consider it a wash and come home..maybe I could trap her in the dog crate and give her a couple eggs to set...that way I can watch her. Heck I would stuff stuff the dog crate in the woods if that would make her more comfortable... I just want something I can securely close her in whilst she is trying to set eggs... because she might be awful at it. She seems to be doing a good job so far, I say that because on days that are a little chilly, 65-70 we don't see her, but on hot days she comes down during the hottest part of the day which I would think is for her to take a break and also to keep the eggs from overheating, or she feels comfortable leaving the nest only when it is really hot outside...

 

[16 paws]

Congratulation Teila on being chicken obsessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cant wait until I become chicken obsessed,

Oh wait a minute,

I ALREADY AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Teila]

Quote: "well I won't lie...I've thought about robbing some place and getting one of those video cat collars and attaching it around her midsection. At this point I would tape a Tom Tom to her back...lol."

Funny!

You are right, if she has chicks, they would surely follow her back and it sounds like you have definitely given her enough time so that if you do catch her it would probably not be on the same day that the chicks decided to hatch. If it has been three weeks, then hopefully any day soon those bubbies will stroll out of the woods full of business and, of course, we want pictures of those little wildlife adventurers.

Your original suggestion of one more week sounds perfect. Like you, I would also worry that she will keep this up for a ridiculous amount of time taking risks with her health and of course, the longer she is out there, the more chance of something not so nice finding her.

The fact that she is timing her leaving the eggs and sticking it out so long in the woods definitely qualifies her in my books as Broody of the Year and I so hope it works out OK for her

and of course you too ... I know if it was me, I would be extremely worried also.