Hatching with 2 broodies

[Teila]

G'Day Liz

I was just surfing through BYC Threads; found this one and thought of Desi, may be worth researching? https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/829739/rooster-no-crow-necklace/10

 

[lizgarf]

Thanks, Teila! I was actually just looking at her facebook page earlier today.
Desi isn't crowing yet, but it's probably just a matter of time. Here are some new pics, at 11 weeks. He is getting too pretty to give away!


Lucy is starting to get her copper bits, but she is relatively unimpressive in appearance:


They're still a family of four, even on the roost at night. The broodies have shown no interest in getting back to laying.


I hope everyone and their flocks have a happy and healthy 2014!!

 

[texgardengal]

Hi ladies. I have no pics....falling down on the job a bit over here...lol. The chickies have changed a lot! feathers on their wings. I'm amazed how quickly they change. Last night I went out and miss Molly had the chicks ...the babies!! Up on the high roost. She wasn't letting any of the others up there. The Roos and Sassy sitting obediently on the ground. Hahahaha. Tonight I went out and miss Molly on one side and George sitting at the top of the roost blocking the entrance. Haha. Like, I Will Not sit on the ground again. I saw Molly head but him and attempt to push and nudge him to scoot! So the bubbles could get up but he wasn't having it! I can't believe they are on the roost. I hope she is not keeping them up there all night!!! It is getting in the low 20's again and they only have feathers on their wings....only. I'm sure she knows better than me but my friend lost one at a much older age after his mom outgrew him and he thought it was due to the cold. I think Miss Molly is of the extreme like Cilla....get em up and get em off on their own. Lol. They just seem too little for all this. But, what do I know!

Liz, Desi is beautiful!! All yours are. Lucy is so pretty.

We have a stock show this month. Poultry is a big part of the livestock show and I can't wait to see the different chicken varieties! And talk to all the breeders. I plan to take lots and lots of pictures for y'all, I've already decided I'm getting a Brahma. And maybe a couple silkies!! Starting my wish list.

 

[Teila]

My birthday present from Hubby was a day trip to Tangalooma on Moreton Island. It is booked for tomorrow when we are expecting it to be somewhere around 40-42C (104-107F)! Couldn't think of a better day to be on and in the water. Got my 50+ sun screen packed (probably the only person in history to get out of the pool whiter than when she got in! lol). My only concern was that my little girls are going to be so very hot but I came home to a wonderful surprise .. Hubby has installed a mister and timer on their run so every 30 minutes throughout the heat of the day they are going to be treated to a nice cool spray; what a sweetheart!! xoxo
Oh yeah, if we get the predicted afternoon tropical storm, the boat trip back could be fun! Tee hee

 

[lizgarf]

'Morning ladies and happy birthday, Teila! What a lovely surprise from your husband! I hope the girls appreciate it, and it doesn't melt the gremlins.
TGG, I'm not surprised your babies are on the roost. Mine were up there by 4 weeks during the day, but still sleeping in the nest. Maybe check on them at night, but I would suspect Molly will make sure they're warm enough.
I don't know why my broodies won't drop their mama roles. Frida keeps giving her treats away, even to Bettina! Rousseau showed a little of her old vocal self yesterday, so I'm hoping for some of her tiny eggs soon. I'm hearing Bettina's egg song as I'm writing this. Oh, and Grace dug up two tiny seedlings I transplanted the other day, in an area she hasn't ventured into for a long time! I'm going to have to fence everything I plant in the backyard. The run is almost ready, though! It should be theirs to explore by Sunday at the latest!

 

[Teila]

Tee hee Liz, melted gremlins!

Woo hoo on the progress of the run .. looking forward to the pictures!

Gotta scoot, girls to feed and then preparations for my sun and sand day

 

[showinbirds]

It take awhile for a hen to start laying after they set

 

[lizgarf]

The run is done! I spent all day "finishing" it up, and it was too dark in the end to take pictures or let the chickens try it out. Will do so tomorrow! These things are always harder than they seem, but I'm pretty excited about it. I hope it works the way I want it to! More time foraging for them, less time supervising for me, and a safe passage to the backyard. But for now, I'm pooped.

I do have a picture of the crazy bursting batard I baked tonight. I need to improve my shaping techniques:


Any new photos of the growing bubbies, TG and TGG? TGG, is the polar vortex headed to your part of Texas? It sounds very impressive! I love reading about crazy weather patterns, from the relative tranquility of Northern California.

 

[Teila]

Woo hoo Liz, looking forward to the pictures!
Bursting Batard??


"I iz all growed up now":

 

[lizgarf]

And now, the moment that you all (or at least Teila) has all been waiting for . . . the run:


Coop door:


The secret door to the backyard (this is just a temporary set-up, because I have to rebuild the retaining wall here, and this will have to get re-done, so I didn't want to spend too much time on it). The back fence panel is the point where I can enter the run to clean it.


At roughly 40' x 2.5' x 5', it's probably the oddest-shaped run on this website. But, it had to be to serve as a dual-purpose habit trail to the back yard and because of the crazy slope of the yard. It's still more of a climb than a run. I tried to plant a bunch of foraging seeds about a month ago, but we didn't get any rain, and most of the few plants that sprouted got trampled when building the run. Still, there should be some worms and weeds to entertain them for awhile.

Getting the chickens to use it was a bit more challenging than anticipated, but eventually they all tried it out, except Bettina.
Not surprisingly, Grace was the first to check it out:


But, this was as far as she got on her first venture forth (probably because she was fixated on laying her egg):


Bettina never got any further than this:


Rousseau was curious:


But she also didn't get further than this, her first venture out (please admire her fluffy, post-molt self. Unfortunately, her post-broody loud mouth is also back in full swing. People aren't going to be able to hear Desi crow over her, if/when he starts):


It wasn't until the afternoon, their normal foraging time, when I tried to get them in it again with some scratch, and I'm proud to say that shy little Lucy was the first one in the run, leading the fam!






The fam hung out in the run the whole time, while Grace passed them by and headed straight to the backyard to finally lay her egg:




The only glitch was I couldn't get Grace to go back through the run. She decided to head back to the coop from the backyard her own way:


Overall, not too bad for day 1!