Hatching with 2 broodies

[16 paws]

Thanks Farmer Viola,

Yes, I hope they hatch soon as well. The chick is doing good under mama and is coming out to eat.
Penny went back to the nest a few times looking for eggs/chicks but I think her broodiness may be coming to an end. It was interesting as she went over to the other broodys nest and you could tell she knew her chick was in there. I have a screen over the front so she couldnt get in but she was acting like she wanted her chick back.

I have another broody, Pancake, that has been sitting for about a week and Dottie, my Barred Rock basically kicked her right out of the nest and took over her eggs. Pancake is a buff Japanese so she is considerably smaller than Dottie. Pancake has been pacing back and forth in front of her nest box for a more than a day now. So I pulled the Barred Rock off the nest and locked her in another broody pen with some fresh eggs. She is not having anything to do with it....Now she is pacing back and forth and wants back to Pancakes nest. If they wanted to share the nest that is one thing, I would be fine with that, but Dottie just pushes Pancake out and takes the eggs. Now I really dont know what to do to make them both happy.

Any ideas?

 

[Teila]

Hey Team!

Thank you for the kind words regarding my pictures and little bantie flock

16 paws that round little powder puff doll is Cilla, my little feathered beach ball

FV yep, chickens are definitely not the easiest of subjects to capture on camera, the little munchkins rarely stand still!

For those that asked, it is a JujiFilm Digital Camera; Finepix 2500HD model which I believe is a discontinued line and probably another reason it was less than half price but that does not bother me .. got more than my money's worth in fun yesterday! All I have to do now is work out what all the other bells and whistles are for

 

[Teila]

Finally I have some news!!!!

This tiny little egg was laid today by Blondie! Not only her first egg, but the first egg laid here by a girl who was hatched and raised here, so kinda special!

It is pictured next to one of Cilla's eggs, also laid today. OK, it may be one of the smallest little eggs I have ever seen but my baby girl laid it and I am so so proud of her!

 

[Sonya9]

Finally I have some news!!!!

This tiny little egg was laid today by Blondie! Not only her first egg, but the first egg laid here by a girl who was hatched and raised here, so kinda special!

It is pictured next to one of Cilla's eggs, also laid today. OK, it may be one of the smallest little eggs I have ever seen but my baby girl laid it and I am so so proud of her!

Congrats! I am often amazed that the tiny bantam hens can lay such large eggs (relative to their size).

My standard pullet, Dixie, laid her first too! Now I have TWO standards that lay (which is good because I actually had to buy eggs the other day, the chicks get at least 1 scrambled egg a day and we were running out).

To celebrate Dixie's first egg we had an "egg party" for the hens and they all got scrambled egg and yogurt for supper.

 

[16 paws]

Congrats Teila on the cute little egg. I love the bantie eggs. That one is really really small and that makes it twice as special.

Sonya9 congratulations on your egg also. Those girls are spoiled and you are a good chicken mama....Sounds like you throw some good parties!

Happy Sunday all.....
Marie

 

[Sonya9]

I have never used PDZ before.. our entire coop is one big poop shelf. lol! I use sand flooring in the coop, and mix in DE in the summer and wood ash in the winter for dust baths. I also treat it with homemade AEM-1 solution spray, it contains probiotic microbes that help break down the poop and eliminate ammonia smell by actually consuming it!

Commenting on an old post.

If you haven't tried Sweet PDZ you should! It is awesome! I use the granular kind which is very much like sand except it is a desicate so it dries out and kills all of the nasties. It is also a mineral that is completely safe to ingest. Folks generally use it in horse stalls which means it is pretty darn cost effective, and the stuff lasts FOREVER! Just scoop the poop out and the PDZ never gets nasty (unlike sand), it will dry out the ammonia and moisture very very quickly and be as good as new (just scoop the big poop clumps).

The fact it dries out the poop so darn quickly and does not harbor moisture is especially good in the winter if the chickens are spending a lot of time indoors. Honestly you never need to replace it, just use a cat litter scoop to clean it and add more occasionally.

You can read more about it here: http://www.sweetpdz.com/our-products.html

If you try it you will love it (but get it at a farm store, much much cheaper, I ordered my first bag online and the shipping was more than the product itself).

 

[tommysgirl]

Hey peeps I am woefully behind and I don't have the time to catch up. I did catch Marie mentioning that Penny seems to be killing her chicks. I am sorry. There is an article on broodies on the Chicken Chick blog and she discusses the homicidal ones. Odd that she would not bother grafted chicks but maybe she is seeing the hatching chick as a threat to her eggs??? I don't know but agree that she shouldn't get eggs anymore. Glad the chick you took from her is doing fine.

Teila congrats on the egg from your Blondie! That is exciting. I love your pics too. I love the way Lulu's feathers look!

Everyone else congrats on good hatches! Sorry for not so good hatches and especially sorry for mysterious deaths in the coop.


In my news, I brought home the most handsome New Hampshire boy on Friday. pictures are coming soon.

I rehomed the General with a colleague who wants to hatch sex links and have also found a new home for one of my cockerels and three of my pullets that hatched this summer.

Norma hatched 6/6 of her current clutch and the chicks are indistinguishable from one another at this point. The boys will be crele the girls will probably be red with a crele head...

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE MARCH I HAVE NO BROODIES WAITING FOR OR SITTING ON EGGS!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong I have loved every minute of this but it was getting out of hand.

I am thinking I will probably keep most of the pullets until they start to lay and probably sell any extras in early 2015.

Beakface's 3 Ameraucana hatch seems to have netted just pullets. Can you believe that? Here in the home of the cockerel?? I still have two but the third was in the batch I sold yesterday.

My other 2014 pullets are

1 Red Star...Astrid
1 NH Dorking sex link...I need to come up with a name for this mix but the pullet is named Ruby
1 Isbar/Marans...she is a beautiful blue and will be an olive egger...her name is Saphire
2 Birchen Marans girls so far un-named.
1 Silkie/D'Uccle girl Stella
1 Pita Pinta Daphne
2 (I think) Blue Ameraucana Suede and Opal...Opal might become Opie
1 from Norma's second group whom I will call Garnet These are all 1/2 NH 1/4 Cream Legbar 1/4 Crele Penedesenca

One would think I have enough new pullets but I still need to hatch California Greys when one of the silkies decides to be a mother again and I am getting two new Hampshire girls so I will have 25-30 pullets when all is said and done....That will be enough to get us through the winter don't you think hahaha.

I will post pics soon.

Hugs to all!

 

[ShelbyCoral]

Congrats on the new egg!!!!!!!!! More yet to come for you!!!

 

[16 paws]

Hey peeps I am woefully behind and I don't have the time to catch up. I did catch Marie mentioning that Penny seems to be killing her chicks. I am sorry. There is an article on broodies on the Chicken Chick blog and she discusses the homicidal ones. Odd that she would not bother grafted chicks but maybe she is seeing the hatching chick as a threat to her eggs??? I don't know but agree that she shouldn't get eggs anymore. Glad the chick you took from her is doing fine.

Teila congrats on the egg from your Blondie! That is exciting. I love your pics too. I love the way Lulu's feathers look!

Everyone else congrats on good hatches! Sorry for not so good hatches and especially sorry for mysterious deaths in the coop.


In my news, I brought home the most handsome New Hampshire boy on Friday. pictures are coming soon.

I rehomed the General with a colleague who wants to hatch sex links and have also found a new home for one of my cockerels and three of my pullets that hatched this summer.

Norma hatched 6/6 of her current clutch and the chicks are indistinguishable from one another at this point. The boys will be crele the girls will probably be red with a crele head...

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE MARCH I HAVE NO BROODIES WAITING FOR OR SITTING ON EGGS!!!!!!!

Don't get me wrong I have loved every minute of this but it was getting out of hand.

I am thinking I will probably keep most of the pullets until they start to lay and probably sell any extras in early 2015.

Beakface's 3 Ameraucana hatch seems to have netted just pullets. Can you believe that? Here in the home of the cockerel?? I still have two but the third was in the batch I sold yesterday.

My other 2014 pullets are

1 Red Star...Astrid
1 NH Dorking sex link...I need to come up with a name for this mix but the pullet is named Ruby
1 Isbar/Marans...she is a beautiful blue and will be an olive egger...her name is Saphire
2 Birchen Marans girls so far un-named.
1 Silkie/D'Uccle girl Stella
1 Pita Pinta Daphne
1 from Norma's second group whom I will call Garnet These are all 1/2 NH 1/4 Cream Legbar 1/4 Crele Penedesenca

One would think I have enough new pullets but I still need to hatch California Greys when one of the silkies decides to be a mother again and I am getting two new Hampshire girls so I will have 25-30 pullets when all is said and done....That will be enough to get us through the winter don't you think hahaha.

I will post pics soon.

Hugs to all!

So glad you checked in, I was just ready to send an all points bulletin out for you. We havent heard from you in so long.
I really think you are on to something there about Penny perceiving the hatched eggs as a threat. She is such an incredible and attentive mom to the grafted in chicks. That is why I never suspected she would hurt one. I think she was just trying to protect her eggs from an intruder. She has never been a aggressive or mean hen in any way. I think she may of taken her protection instincts too far. Thanks for the insight on that.
Yes, I think that 25-30 pullets should get you thru the winter just fine. haha
I also wanted to let you know that I am giving you a run for your money on the cockerels. Taffy's hatch, our very first hatch here on the property, produced 3 boys and 1 girl.

Hows that for some competition? Anyone need some bantam cochin roo's???????????

 

[sex links]

[/IMG]Finally got some pics of my baby's