Hatching with 2 broodies

[Teila]

Thanks you guys. It was just the first time it was so obvious you know...Teila I am sorry that you are estranged from your parents. My dad is an alocholic and we go through periods of not interacting any more than we have to but recently he has been easy to be around which makes things nicer for my mom.

I do think Blondie is a pullet and the questionable one looks girly to me too. The two black ones are darling little guys. Sorry you didn't get a mini Cilla but there is always next time. We all need to live vicariously through one another's broody hatches. I have chick envy in a big way!!

DH and I talked about it last night and he helped me remember my desire to only use broodies and why I felt that way...more natural, less hassle and stress and responsibility and guilt. I think I made a mistake the last two hatches by using a variety of types of eggs. Mama gets up with the earlier hatchers and leaves eggs that still need heat. If she is only hatching 1 type of egg they are more likely to hatch within a 24 hour period vs different types of eggs since some hatch more easily and quickly than others.

Anyway I am looking forward to broody fever. Hope it hits soon and hard.

Hey TG, thank you, it is a little sad but after 20 years, I have learnt to live with it! :-D

Phew, another pullet vote for Blondie! lolz.
Already having two blacks (Dusty and Cilla) and two white silkies, I was hoping for a brown feathered beach ball, so while I will miss the little black guys heaps, I am a little excited that I may just get to keep a buff feathered beach ball like her mum
Also, the questionable blue/grey is feathering out dark so you never know
On the plus side, if I only get to keep Blondie, I will still have room for more next time!

Anyway, enough guessing, back to waiting and seeing

Speaking of white silkies, Tina and Suzi are 21 weeks today and no crowing! (Yet) Lots of chicken song, no crows, no flirting, no mounting attempts, no displays of dominance or masculinity, still sweet little shy munchkins who listen to everything their Aunty Dusty tells them

Right now, I think losing one of our chicks or grown girls is the hardest thing to go through but following a close second is waiting to see if they are pullets or roosters! lolz

Quote: "more natural, less hassle and stress and responsibility and guilt"
I agree. If my girls were not pets, I did not have a full time job, I had more room and was seriously into breeding I probably would consider an incubator but right now I would feel guilty that I would not be able to give them the time and attention a broody hen would.
And, to be honest, I wouldn't even know where to start! I would probably end up cooking them! lol

Sending some broody fever positive thoughts your way!

 

[texgardengal]

Hey all. Kicking myself, trying to figure out why I agreed to work this weekend.....It was my weekend off.

TG...so sorry to hear about your mom.... I took care of my grandparents; eventually having to move in to care for my grandfather, they raised my after my mom passed away when I was a teenager. My grandmother had dementia. It was very slow to progress....years. We first noticed it when she started getting our names wrong.....she would call us and realize she was calling the wrong name....Karen...Ginny....Cammye! We would laugh about it and eventually she would laugh about it too. Some days were better than others. The first time it is a realization though it hits you really hard.

But, it's a blessing she has such a supportive family.

Bubbies are doing fine. I'll try and get some pics today. Yesterday was barely freezing and they stayed in their coop with Mom. Mollie was not happy about it but it was raining and cold and I didnt want a repeat of the other day trying to round up littles in the cold rain.

Nope, she can just stay in for the day.lol. today is supposed to be a little warmer and the sun is peeking out so I'm going to let them out and hope it continues to warm up. It's supposed to be in the 70's tomorrow...Crazy Texas weather.....
Well. off to work for a bit....

 

[tommysgirl]

Hey all. Kicking myself, trying to figure out why I agreed to work this weekend.....It was my weekend off.

TG...so sorry to hear about your mom.... I took care of my grandparents; eventually having to move in to care for my grandfather, they raised my after my mom passed away when I was a teenager. My grandmother had dementia. It was very slow to progress....years. We first noticed it when she started getting our names wrong.....she would call us and realize she was calling the wrong name....Karen...Ginny....Cammye! We would laugh about it and eventually she would laugh about it too. Some days were better than others. The first time it is a realization though it hits you really hard.

But, it's a blessing she has such a supportive family.

Bubbies are doing fine. I'll try and get some pics today. Yesterday was barely freezing and they stayed in their coop with Mom. Mollie was not happy about it but it was raining and cold and I didnt want a repeat of the other day trying to round up littles in the cold rain.

Nope, she can just stay in for the day.lol. today is supposed to be a little warmer and the sun is peeking out so I'm going to let them out and hope it continues to warm up. It's supposed to be in the 70's tomorrow...Crazy Texas weather.....
Well. off to work for a bit....

Thank you! I appreciate your thoughts. It must have been terribly hard for you.

 

[tommysgirl]

Hey TG, thank you, it is a little sad but after 20 years, I have learnt to live with it! :-D

Phew, another pullet vote for Blondie! lolz.
Already having two blacks (Dusty and Cilla) and two white silkies, I was hoping for a brown feathered beach ball, so while I will miss the little black guys heaps, I am a little excited that I may just get to keep a buff feathered beach ball like her mum
Also, the questionable blue/grey is feathering out dark so you never know
On the plus side, if I only get to keep Blondie, I will still have room for more next time!

Anyway, enough guessing, back to waiting and seeing

Speaking of white silkies, Tina and Suzi are 21 weeks today and no crowing! (Yet) Lots of chicken song, no crows, no flirting, no mounting attempts, no displays of dominance or masculinity, still sweet little shy munchkins who listen to everything their Aunty Dusty tells them

Right now, I think losing one of our chicks or grown girls is the hardest thing to go through but following a close second is waiting to see if they are pullets or roosters! lolz

Quote: "more natural, less hassle and stress and responsibility and guilt"
I agree. If my girls were not pets, I did not have a full time job, I had more room and was seriously into breeding I probably would consider an incubator but right now I would feel guilty that I would not be able to give them the time and attention a broody hen would.
And, to be honest, I wouldn't even know where to start! I would probably end up cooking them! lol

Sending some broody fever positive thoughts your way!

It is sad but you are right...life goes on. My dad at one point was a threat to my kids...not in a violent sense but in an unpredictable risk taking drunk sense. At that point I stopped allowing him and my mom to take them and that was super hard on her and fairly hard on me. Now that my kids are grown and he is old I find him more annoying than threatening and like I said he has been charming and interesting lately...though you never know.

planning to hang nest box curtains today. I think I will head to a thrift store and look for tea towels or cloth napkins. we were going to finish the coop but it is raining

A gal on the Nor Cal thread hatched 6 mottled Ameraucana and she was going to sell me 1 or 2 extras girls if she had them. She gave them to two broody mamas who seemed to be co-parenting fine but it didn't go well. She is down to 1

I hope it's a girl. She was so excited about those eggs!

I learned today that if I get silkies they shouldn't be in with LF and would have to be in a designated bantam coop.did you guys know that? Have you heard that too?

 

[Teila]

I learned today that if I get silkies they shouldn't be in with LF and would have to be in a designated bantam coop.did you guys know that? Have you heard that too?

Hey TG

I did not know that. I do know other breeds recognise the Silkies as a bit different and sometimes can give them a bit of a hard time, especially if there is only one. My girls are all OK together but then they are bantams.

I am interested now to know if that is actually the case

 

[tommysgirl]

I did an unofficial poll and got 3 responses 1 said T 2 said " I have always had my silkies with my LF" so never mind. I think it depends on the composition of your flock. If it is mellow and peaceful, they will be fine if you have bullies...better separate.

 

[lizgarf]

Hi Team!
Yeah, TG, I would think silkie-bullying would be a flock-specific problem. I have seen silkies in flocks with bigger birds with no problems. Like everything else chicken, I think making sure there's plenty of space and access to food/water/nests/roosts makes the biggest difference.

TGG, I'm getting impatient - any updated shots of your 10 fuzzy butts?

The hen saddle arrived on Saturday and I think Rousseau might actually like it! I hope it helps her heal quickly - her backside really took a hit.
It's nice to see her getting to be cute again:


Fermented scratch and yogurt time:

 

[Teila]

OMG! She looks so cute!!

Definitely her colour

 

[tommysgirl]

Hi Team!
Yeah, TG, I would think silkie-bullying would be a flock-specific problem. I have seen silkies in flocks with bigger birds with no problems. Like everything else chicken, I think making sure there's plenty of space and access to food/water/nests/roosts makes the biggest difference.

TGG, I'm getting impatient - any updated shots of your 10 fuzzy butts?

The hen saddle arrived on Saturday and I think Rousseau might actually like it! I hope it helps her heal quickly - her backside really took a hit.
It's nice to see her getting to be cute again:


Fermented scratch and yogurt time:

Very funny that you should mention fermented feed and a saddle. I had to put a saddle on my girl Blanche this weekend. Did Rousseau flop over like a fish on a dock and moonwalk when you put it on her? Blanche went all loopy and I had to separate her. Also started my first batch of fermented feed on Friday. I haven't tried it with them yet because I am not sure it is "done" What process do you use liz?

So we didn't work on the coop this weekend. Sat had other committments and it rained yesterday. Hopefully with the longer days we will get it done this coming weekend. I want to get it in the pen so that it is ready for whoemever needs it. I think I am going to put an exterior nesting box on it and add a bit to the footprint.

I want to take a felfie for you guys but my camera on my phone is pathetic at them. I guess I might have to go lower tech and use my camera.

 

[lizgarf]

Very funny that you should mention fermented feed and a saddle. I had to put a saddle on my girl Blanche this weekend. Did Rousseau flop over like a fish on a dock and moonwalk when you put it on her? Blanche went all loopy and I had to separate her. Also started my first batch of fermented feed on Friday. I haven't tried it with them yet because I am not sure it is "done" What process do you use liz?

She struggled a bit when I was putting the saddle on her, but once I got it on, she seemed happy as can be. Maybe it makes her feel special? Or protected? I was worried the other hens would bother her about it, but no seems to notice. It's a butterfly-style saddle, so it's pretty inconspicuous, yet adorable. I need to post better pics.
I hope no one else starts needing one. Desi tried to mate with Bettina 3 times w/in 5 minutes of getting out of his man cave this morning. He has got to reign it in.

I just ferment scratch in a jar every few days. Fermenting feed strikes me as too messy. I fill a jar of water about half full, and then fill it up with scratch (slightly below the rim, it will expand) and a glug of ACV. I start using it within about 2 days and the jar is used up within about 3 more days, as I just give them a couple big spoonfuls once a day. I'm not at all scientific about it, but that seems a good balance for getting the fermentation going, but not for too long.