Hatching with 2 broodies

[texgardengal]

Quote:
Dang!!! So sorry Liz. How frustrating!!! I know how hard you've been working and stressing over keeping him quiet. I was sure you had a good system with the muted crow and his tolerance to the collar. I hope you get the right collar and the right fit 'til it is just part of ya'lls routine. We are all rooting for you!!!! And SO admire your determination. The things we do for these chickens...lol Hang in there....

So glad Zorro is feeling better and that he was just injured. Not that I'm glad he was injured, just glad it was a temporary thing and not a permanent change....
Quote: I hope this is the end of it! I can count on one hand the times it has snowed enough her to make a proper snowman. Now we have had snow three times this year already along with a fierce ice storm. I know people up north are rolling their eyes....she hasn't seen nothing! and they would be right when it comes to all this cold and snow.
Quote: Quote: Liz, I don't know about it being a common trait. And No, TG at this particular time I didnt want Molly to go broody again, she has proven to be a crummy mom in the cold weather. She did great at first, was extremely protective. She just did a terrible job later in the game.

But I do know Sassy is most definitely broody. I went in to get the eggs and had to fight not one but TWO mad momma hens hollering and pecking the fire out of me....with Bart and George pacing and fretting behind me. I was checking for any new eggs, but both have stopped laying and they have divided the eggs up between them. I had mentioned in another post about the neighbor who has two broody hens, one being a very good momma hen and has raised many of his chickens. The plan was..... That if I let Molly sit on them until just before or right after they hatch, his momma hens would adopt them and raise them until they got big enough. I would get some chicks... and they would be safely raised....I went to look at his set up and he has a very large enclosed barn devoted entirely to his broodys and their chicks. It was very nice they had the whole space to themselves and it was roomy, warm, and dry. Now with Sassy being broody too...

It's still a plan.
I can not figure out why my hens pick the coldest possible time to be broody. Watch.....they will not be broody all spring or summer. I have backwards chickens....
Quote: Thanks TG, this makes me feel a lot better. He was at it again today, just a waving and a swinging that head. He has done this before, but always when he was drinking. Otherwise he is his usual self, being a pig and fussing over the hens. He is huge!! I guess he's feeling particularly cocky lately.....

Day 10 Teila...begin the countdown!!!!

Such a cutie Riseup! Are you sure you didnt paint his toenails??? adorable....

 

[lizgarf]

I miss Britney! My little wrecking ball used to do a great job keeping the weeds under control; I had to pull weeds today for the first time in months!

Aw, poor Britney. I could send Grace your way . . .
I got a great deal on bare root strawberry plants, and just planted about 25 in the backyard, each with their own little wire fence, thanks to Grace the Destroyer.

 

[Teila]

Gooood morning Team Broody

We achieved a small social milestone this morning, Dusty, Suzi and Tina ate breakfast from the same bowl without any angst and chatted away to each other the whole time

Cilla had a munch on the watermelon I popped in the nest with her yesterday. The other three cleaned up theirs pretty quickly and were kind enough to finish off Cilla's left overs when I gave it to them. Luckily there is still some in the fridge for a treat during the week. I have white Silkies with watermelon stained faces

Day 11, over the half way mark! Woo hoo.
Day 17 since Cilla went broody so I hope she is not ticking off the days on her little calendar! lol
Also, 11 days since I touched the eggs. I don the glasses and give them a close inspection when Cilla has a break but nothing else.

I'm curious. Do you gals reckon mumma hen can feel things from the eggs? I did some research and note that they are moving around at this stage; I would say not enough to move the eggs as such. I ask because sometimes when I am watching Cilla she stops talking to me and looks in a downward direction like she notices something from them?

I wonder if that is why they go the extra distance if given the eggs after they have been broody for a while. The general opinion seems to be that mumma hens leaves the unhatched eggs to care for the hatched ones but I wonder if she actually knows they are not viable and that is why she leaves them. Maybe the answer to that would be how long has a broody sat on a ceramic egg in the hopes of it hatching?

I am enjoying this hatch so much more than the first one. With lessons learnt and the huge reduction in stress this time (admittedly most of which was self induced) this hatch has been more of a pleasure and I have had more time to actually be curious about what is happening as opposed to stressing

 

[Teila]

I had to share this .....
This monster got into one of the Australian Thread poster's broody coop and struck out at the mother hen a few times and killed 3 x 1 Day old Maran x's
They rushed out when they heard the commotion, managed to trap it and relocate it out in the bush!

 

[texgardengal]

You guys have some seriously scary predators.....Texas isnt looking too bad right now, with the neighborhood dog, rats, possums....racoons. I would chase any of those off. If I came out and saw this....I love my chickens but I would be scared to death!!! Poor momma hen. How do you fight that!!!!
Quote: LOL watermelon stained Silkies..

I love your posts....such a happy little flock!! I'm so glad this is a stress free hatch. It's a learning process to be sure....
914! We are getting close to that 1000 posts!!!

 

[Teila]

Update on the goanna; the chicks were suspected to be killed but he has since posted ...

YES! All the chicks are fine!!! I can't believe day old chicks managed to survive a Goanna attack!!!
They are all healthy and happy. Broody mum got a few feathers ripped out ( bit of blood ) but apart from that they are fine. Don't see to be in to much shock, although mum and chicks run into their nest boxes when I come in.

 

[Teila]

PS .. Doesn't that tell you a lot about mother hens and not messing with them! What a good mum she is!

 

[tommysgirl]

PS .. Doesn't that tell you a lot about mother hens and not messing with them! What a good mum she is!

I love your posts too. Goannas are scary...I like lizards ...CA lizards that get to be about 10 inches nose to tail. But your wildlife is WILD!

so glad you are having a more stress-free hatch. I have heard that at the end of the hatch when there is an internal pip that the momma will tell the babies who are chirping inside their eggs to hush and I have seen that happen in my own coop. But it wouldn't surprise me to learn that they could sense/feel the activity earlier.

Norma is still not fully committed to being broody. but she makes the buc buc buc groowwwllll at EVERYONE. I think she is waiting until the weather clears. I didn't collect her egg today. I didn't feel like getting down up in the muck to reach under the kennel/coop to get it so I left it. if I keep leaving them maybe she will decide to set then I will have another set of worries.

Norma is the only offspring of my accidental rooster Ray. I did an incubator hatch last spring specifically to get his chicks and she was the only one of eggs fathered by him that hatched. I think he was an American Game Fowl mix. her mama is none other than Beakface...broody extraordinaire. I feel like she will be a good and tenacious mama and It would be great if she could hatch her own so I am going to leave them for a few days and see what happens.

 

[lizgarf]

Oh my goodness, Teila, that is amazing!! So great that the chicks and mum are fine!

So, I have some new kinds of news on the Desi front. I saw what looked to be a successful mating with Rousseau the other morning, so I just candled her egg from today, and there is a round shadow in there, which must mean it's fertile, right? I wasn't really expecting him to be able to fertilize eggs at 16 weeks, but I guess he can! No one is broody, though, so I'll just have to get over my sudden sqeamishness about eating fertile eggs. It wasn't a problem when they were fertile super market eggs, but now that I know the parents, I suddenly feel weird about it! Please help me get over this!

In addition to officially becoming a man, Desi had a pretty adventurous day. He has only been able to crowk with collar #3 (not full crow), so that is a relief. I was not woken up by his crowks and didn't hear them until after I was already awake, around 7:15. It has been pouring rain for the past few days (that's California for you - it doesn't rain, it pours), so they didn't leave the coop much yesterday, but when rain turned to sprinkles in the afternoon, I let them into the yard. They wanted to go back in fairly soon after, but Desi refused to go back inside. Then friends came over, with their dog, and Desi freaked out and flew about 60 feet, down to the creek, which was newly full with rain, and Desi almost let himself flow along with it, but got away from it and took the long way back to the coop where he still refused to go back inside for another hour. He was soaked and sitting alone on the far roost looking out onto the newly appreciated creek when I closed up the run door for the evening.

How you liking the rain, TG? 2 inches here the past few days, I've read it's considerably more further north. Are you getting dumped on?

 

[Teila]

That goanna is scary to me also! If those claws make contact you need stitches. Apparently he was hissing at them also .. gives me the shudders. He was last seen disappearing up a tree after they relocated him.
We have possums but I do not think they are the same as your possums, ours are cute and eat leaves and fruit
Cilla has a lizard living in her run at the moment, he is all of about 3cm long. Each time I change her water he makes an appearance. He won't last long once the chicks hatch or if she stays off the nest long enough to spot him. We have geckos also, they are sweet little things but a bit noisy.

Good luck with Norma TG; I hope she gets the full on broody thing happening for you.

Oh dear Liz, I am not sure I can help with the fertile egg, squeamish dilemma; I would be the same! You shouldn't have candled, ignorance is bliss lol
Seriously, I don't know. Can you talk your yourself into the fact that not all the eggs would be viable? Wracking my brain but I'm sorry; I've got nothing! I think I will have to leave that one up to the gals who have roosters.

That is good news on the crowks

Let's hope that continues to be the case.
Desi's day does sound adventurous .. I wonder if he was feeling a little embarrassed and sorry for himself .. not a good look in front of the ladies!