Hatching with 2 broodies

[MistyMountain]

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???

Thanks! I am up to 6 eggs total but I think I have another layer now. I found two eggs yesterday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The afternoon was much bigger than the others that had been laid, more like a medium size egg. I have narrowed it down to Number Two as the layer of the small eggs. One of the white leghorns might be the larger egg layer. They sound like pterodactyls out there! I have 15 pullets and a Roo. What I am going to do with the eggs…. well… chicken math got me. I didn't expect them all to survive, honestly. I really only need 8, but yeah. Chicken Math. The entire family (my husband has 5 siblings, all with at least 3 children each) has been informed that they need to start eating eggs. My neighbors have shown interest in some eggs as well. The dog may also start eating eggs. I might need to take up baking on the side. I wonder if I can donate eggs to the local mission? Anybody want some eggs? I just got the call yesterday that the Welsummer pullets and cockerel I had on a waiting list can be added to my April order of 11 chickens. Yahoo! Anyhow, this has become more of a hobby for me than anything else. I have wanted chickens since I made a rooster at the farm where I boarded my horse my "pet." That was probably 15 years ago? I used to carry him around like a little baby after my lessons. Next order of business is to build the big coop and run. Maybe then we can think about some fencing and bringing my horse (same guy, he's 23 now) to our property. Maybe need a couple goats, too. This place is going to be a funny farm before I am done with it!

Cheep is ADORABLE!! What kind is she/he? I will stay optimistic and agree with Liz that Cheep is a she (unless you want a he?). Sad your little house chicken is no longer a house chicken, but excited that she has found a place in the flock and two "big brothers!"

 

[MistyMountain]

Also, we got a dusting of snow last night. Wooo! Willie and Brownie are the only two bold enough to leave the coop. I can only imagine what it will be like if we get more than a dusting before winter is over!

 

[Teila]

Gooood Morning Team Broody!

Hi TGG, not a problem, 1 dozen frogs on their way! Tee hee. I have no idea how many are in the pond but there are a few!

Wow .. who would have guessed tadpoles are more reluctant to strike a pose than chickens! lol One week old today!





Yeah, I may be living in denial but the only concern that Suzi (more than Tina) may be a rooster is comb size and I am not convinced that, at 14 weeks, Suzi's comb is that large. It is difficult because I know they are not good quality Silkies and are supposed to have walnut not single combs. I have looked at heaps of picture of chicken combs over the past few weeks and note that roosters combs have fewer, wider 'points' and hens have more, smaller 'points'. Suzi's comb has a lot of small points. All of their interactions and their personality still say Hen. Anyway, time will tell

Sounds like Cheep is a determined little cookie and a survivor. I love that George and Bart have taken her under their wing ... yeah, for what it is worth, I vote She also

Liz, congratulations on your successful integration; it certainly sounds like thing have settled down now; they can only get better from here on in

MM, we are not huge consumers of eggs in our household (they are just a bonus to having such wonderful pets). Once a week I boil up 3-4 of them and crush them (shells included) so they no longer resemble eggs and feed them to the girls. They love them and apparently, they are very good for them also.

Bantams do not lay every day, sometimes every second day. I am getting 1 egg a day as Cilla and Dusty seem to have worked out a roster system as to whose turn it is to lay

We had a bit of a tragedy on Thursday
We have 3 ponds, top, middle and bottom pond (very original! lol). The pump/filter draws water from the bottom pond up to the top pond which then overflows into a feeder into the middle pond which overflows down a small 'creek' and feeds back into the bottom pond.
On Thursday the the pump/filter sprung a leak and the water pumped from the bottom pond was lost; draining the bottom pond to half full. The goldfish still had enough water but when I got home they were totally spooked and I was missing one of my big goldies; the other goldie was swimming around frantically and did not look well at all, down one side was 'scratched up'. I figured some opportunistic predator had taken to a spot of fishing while the tide was out
Ibis occasionally hang around out the front garden; I have never seen one out the back. Friday morning before work, Hubby mentions there is an Ibis in the back garden and when I went to check him out he was heading straight to the bottom pond ... guess I found the culprit! I chased him off and have not seen him since.
Luckily, my remaining Goldie appears to be hanging in there, even with his injuries but I also had 4 large black goldfish in that pond and I think I am now down to 3

 

[Teila]

Time to dip into the wealth of knowledge which is Team Broody!

As you all know, the sum of my rooster experience is that I may have one; other than that, I have nothing!

As I said, I am not making any decisions until the egg or the crow but I have been watching Tina and Suzi more than usual, even though I did not think that was possible .. I am now officially a Silkie Stalker!

Anyway, Tina is the one I am certain is a pullet and if she turns out to be a rooster you will be able to knock me over with a silkie feather! Cilla is boss! When Cilla is lording it over Dusty, Dusty will cower and submissively freeze, head down .. I am sure you have all seen that before?

This evening I saw Suzi submissively freeze to Tina head down. Now granted I may be grabbing at straws here but if Suzi was a rooster, would she do that?

 

[Pooman]

Dont ya hate when you type out a bunch of stuff then it craps out and doesn't post it..... Anyway

In summary, not sure. With the young ones i would guess its probably a defensive thing. Stay still you cant see me type of thing. On the other hand your chooks are getting bigger now and any roo would be looking to establish himself.... But he hasn't crowed yet... Ahh the chook games lol

 

[Pooman]

Lol teenagers....

Just now, the Poussin (formerly Kiev's) decided that the top of a bottle brush was where they want to sleep tonight....

 

[Pooman]

Can't seem to upload photos just now.... I have a bunch for you all

 

[Pooman]

Great i can upload photos again.

Here we have the chicks that were hatched in the incubator, going real well. I swapped to deep litter in there and the smell has gone, i recommend this if anyone else is going to give it a go. Paper towel was getting scratched up, eaten and they were getting wet icky spots on their chests from sleeping on it, gross. Much better now. These little ones are packing the food away, I'm feeding some earwigs occasionally which they enjoy. Overall i now think i will do it this way again. Of the original 6 in the incubator, 2 were disacrded at about day 5 of incubation with blood rings. The other 4 hatched but one died a day later. 3 now smashing it

 

[Pooman]

Full view in brooder.

Once the chicks are eating and drinking, put the water farthest away and up higher, it has stayed clean ever since. Yay

 

[Pooman]

Before deep litter... Lots of work, smelly and just not healthy i think. But they are all lined up so cute lol