Hatching with 2 broodies

[Teila]

I looked up those pobblebonks and tree frogs, how cool!! Very excited to hear how those are doing as well! I think they sell the green tree frogs in pet stores around here.

So, after the rubber egg on Sunday and no egg on Monday, I check the coop one extra time yesterday afternoon… and what do I find? A mini egg!!!! It was so perfect. I flew into the house with it and told my husband "we're grandparents!!!" I don't think he was impressed. Anyhow, cooked that little thing up and had to have a sword battle with my son over who got the last bite. It was AMAZING!!

The big egg is a store bought size large. YAY!!

Off to PT. Have a great day everyone!

G'Day MistyMountain

Baby Pobblebonks are getting fat little bodies and are now swimming around and eating as opposed to just hanging on the side. I will try and get a picture of them on the weekend.

Congratulations on the egg Granny!!

Seriously; well done, very exciting!

Lols at "we're grandparents" and an unimpressed Hubby .. my hubby has the eye-roll perfected! He does the whole tutting and "chickens!" thing but he is actually quite fond of them and I have often found him chatting away to them and he is more than happy to do a shift on the supervised free-range. He loves to sneak up on them, doing the whole monster routine with the raised hands; they just look at him; I have no doubt they are laughing! lol. On the weekends if I have stuff to do inside, he is outside on his computer (workaholic!) and I really think he enjoys the company of the girls. Sometimes he stops work and watches their antics; good therapy for him!!

Ah well, I suppose I should go and start some work ... ... coffee first, spluttered the last cup all over my monitor!!! (See above)

 

[MistyMountain]

If the mini T-Rex was in severe distress, it might sound similar. Honestly, I'm starting to lose it. Rousseau's hollering is so loud and insistent and constant, it's bringing out the worst in me. It's really, really bad. It's the worst when she's trying to lay an egg, but it's bad on the days she doesn't lay too. I don't know how the other hens can stand it, because I can't, and I usually have some walls separating me.

Somehow when I had 5 laying hens, they shared the nests without any fuss. Now 3 hens can't seem to work it out (which seems to have something to do with why Rousseau has been hollering all day). I don't know what do about it, but we need to come up with a solution, because Rousseau is too darn cute to get rid of.

Congrats on the egg, MM! Sounds like there will be plenty in your near future!

Yes, distress describes it better. Floppy went from box to box to corner all while going woooooooaoaaaaahhhhhhhhhhaahhhh. It is a bit much. It really had me thinking she is the one laying. Then number two (there are 4 leghorns, I just tell them apart by their combs) chimed in on a much softer scale. I thought she was the one laying since she was the first one to squat and also one I saw actually sitting in one of the boxes once.
May I ask how you came up with the name Rousseau? She is quite cute.

Mini egg #2 this afternoon. Looks like I have an afternoon layer.

G'Day MistyMountain

Baby Pobblebonks are getting fat little bodies and are now swimming around and eating as opposed to just hanging on the side. I will try and get a picture of them on the weekend.

Congratulations on the egg Granny!!

Seriously; well done, very exciting!

Lols at "we're grandparents" and an unimpressed Hubby .. my hubby has the eye-roll perfected! He does the whole tutting and "chickens!" thing but he is actually quite fond of them and I have often found him chatting away to them and he is more than happy to do a shift on the supervised free-range. He loves to sneak up on them, doing the whole monster routine with the raised hands; they just look at him; I have no doubt they are laughing! lol. On the weekends if I have stuff to do inside, he is outside on his computer (workaholic!) and I really think he enjoys the company of the girls. Sometimes he stops work and watches their antics; good therapy for him!!

Ah well, I suppose I should go and start some work ... ... coffee first, spluttered the last cup all over my monitor!!! (See above)

Can't wait to see them. I probably should have been a zoologist or a vet. I am fascinated by all creatures.

Ah yes, my hubby has the same feelings for the chickens. He was in charge of closing up the coop every night for about two weeks around Christmas. I had knee surgery, so the hike downhill wasn't going to work for me. He would tell me all the details and made sure to tell me that he loved on chica before coming back in. I think those chickens were treated like royalty while I was out of service. He would scour the house for special treats to take them. I agree on the therapy… good for us all I think!

 

[lizgarf]

May I ask how you came up with the name Rousseau? She is quite cute.

Rousseau was named after my aunt's Persian cat, whom we used to care for when I was young. There is a striking resemblance! (between cat and hen, not sure if there also was between cat and philosopher).

I agree they are great therapy, except when they're driving me crazy!

 

[texgardengal]

 

[texgardengal]

 

[texgardengal]

My daughter and her boyfriend came over and had a visit with little cheep cheep. I've tried to leave it outside as much as possible but I just have to bring it in on those bad nights and just whenever I think it needs a visit. He has no friends yes. No feed stores are going to get in chicks until closer to spring so I'm looking round to neighbors. He is so lonely!!!

 

[lizgarf]

Beautiful pictures of the baby and your family! Y'all are doing great! <3

 

[Teila]

Aaaw, poor little cheep cheep!
He is very cute

 

[texgardengal]

Hi everyone. It's been a crazy week. Work has been so busy but I have been keeping up on my car phone. I'm just not very good at messaging. Have to wait til I have time back at home with my laptop. So glad it's Saturday. I'm so glad your little frogs are doing so well. Your little private zoo is coming along nicely Teila. I saw MM had mentioned the tree frogs are sold as pets....I know they go for about 25. bucks a pop around here. And that's just the little White's tree frog. The more exotic..the red eyed tree frog and others are about 75.00. Teila...I'll take a dozen..lol. Your pics of the bubbies...they are so pretty. I understand your worry. These crazy chickens pair up and how in the world could you split them up. (My neighbor came over and wanted to trade for one of my roosters.....I had to say no) I would think after this much time, they would be showing some real rooster like behavior? Wouldnt you? I dont really know but I'm guessing from what your've told me with their interaction with the others... they're hens.

It's been a good week all around, hu! MM congrats on the eggs!!!

You have quite a few hens dont you MM? what are you going to do with all the eggs??? Liz your flock is happy and integrated...and it only took a week. A stressful crazy week but all seems to be going well. How did you get a pic of all 8 of them at one time. lol I'm trying to imagine the noise Rouseau makes? Is it a cluck? I guess mine are a quiet bunch. I hear very little out of them except for the 'alarm' they sound when they see a dog or a hawk or something. What kind of noise does she make? I wish you could tape it...lol Bad Marsha!!!! Jumping on Bettina like that...Give her a whack in the tail feather for me. I like her....

I have been so busy I havent had time to keep a watch over little Cheep (my son named it..) I thought, I guess that will do, until we figure out it's gender...Anyway, it's been warm and dry so Cheep has been kind of on it's own. No harm done though. It's neck is still healed. He has made a hiding spot scratching out a 'hole' under the nesting boxes. I had filled this spot in with hay when the chickies where little so they wouldnt get lost in small spaces and in all the time since it has been pretty packed in with all their scratching around. So he has scratched himself out a little hideaway and he runs out and grabs some bread or whatever and ruuuuunnnns back in with his catch to eat in peace. He's really fast and is now really good at running circles around all their feet before they even know to look for him. He keeps to himself but Bart still stays pretty close to him but I've never seen him protect him from the mean females...until today. And I was the female...ha ha . I went out to feed them and I was really surprised to find George....shocker...and Bart TOTALLY protecting Cheep. They had made a rooster wall in between me and him and I could see they where not moving. NO, you will be not taking him inside....he is staying with us...butt out! lol I guess in his own little way he is a member of the flock. I will leave it be until I see any real danger. I guess my little house chicken is no more. so sad. Oh!!! by the way did ya'll read the story with the picture of the week. What a sweet, funny story. It had me thinking of our dogs, Liz.

 

[lizgarf]

Liz your flock is happy and integrated...and it only took a week. A stressful crazy week but all seems to be going well. How did you get a pic of all 8 of them at one time. lol I'm trying to imagine the noise Rouseau makes? Is it a cluck? I guess mine are a quiet bunch. I hear very little out of them except for the 'alarm' they sound when they see a dog or a hawk or something. What kind of noise does she make? I wish you could tape it...lol Bad Marsha!!!! Jumping on Bettina like that...Give her a whack in the tail feather for me. I like her....

Hi TGG! Yeah, they seem pretty well integrated at this point. I had to fly to LA and back on Thursday, and I was worried about them being stuck together in the coop all day, but they survived, and yesterday they were a bit quieter than before. I was even able to grab Marsha when it was time to put them back in the coop and I had to run somewhere. I may have just gotten lucky, since she was in a dust-bath induced haze, but there is definitely progress all around. For some reason, though, the Bradies have decided to stay on their own far roost, and they can't seem to figure out my automatic waterer. But overall, they seem happy and integrated. Thank goodness!

Rousseau doesn't cluck, she hollers. It's kind of like a barking dog in its intensity and volume. She's still doing it (right this second, actually), but much less than before I went on my trip, so maybe she barked herself out.

How old is Cheep now? If she's over 4 weeks, there's a very good chance she's female, because her comb is still small and yellow, and her shape is pretty pullet-like. She's going to be one tough chicken!

Yeah, crazy story about the dog and that house chicken. Doesn't she miss scratching? The only time Reggie caught one of our chickens, Grace squatted for her, and Reggie was like, what do I do now? I grabbed Grace and she was fine. The Bradies are terrified of Reggie when they see her (they had a crazy Doberman at their old home), and that has made Reggie want to help them to make the run live up to its name, so I'm keeping her away from them as much as possible.