Hatching with 2 broodies

[MistyMountain]

If the deal goes through I will be paying 65.00 for 6 eggs...it's a lot but when you consider that with shipping. I paid more than that for my first 8 girls it looks a little better...at least that is what I am tellling myself.

I spent a bit of time on that thread today thanks for the link. It is interesting and I plan to keep returning to it. Genetics makes my head hurt. I just like pretty.

Oh and Tom said to me last night "As long as they have enough room to be happy and comfortable I don't care how many chickens we have." He is the BEST!!!

Great!! I am so excited for you!! Are the eggs going to be from this type? Any certain colors? You will definitely have to keep me updated on how they do!! My husband has put it all out there building this mini coop. That thing is more sturdy than most houses!! It is a bit sad that I am only going to use it as a broody house once a year…. but I can always use it as an over flow coop or sick bay I suppose… Or if I ever think I want to pen up some purebred chickens… hmm.

Tom is the BEST!!

I am just so excited for you!! I think my hubby is coming around to the idea of more chickens as well. I talked about selling eggs and he said oh, you don't have enough chickens to sell eggs, do you? He has also been talking to one of his colleagues at work who has many many chickens. This could be good. My neighbor wants to start buying eggs from me, but I told him we don't charge neighbors and sent 3-1/2 dozen over to his house today. They will go in potato salad for a party tomorrow. We are invited over for ribs. That is enough payment, I think!! His wife worked on a chicken farm when she was younger. She saw first hand how sad the lives of those chickens can be. They like to see ours out wandering around and knowing what goes into them. They don't mind if the flock hangs out in their field either. Now, I don't do organic feed, but the feed I do buy is local. This time of year they forage a lot anyhow, and all that is probably as organic as anything on this earth can be anymore. Surely there is a market (on my little dead end road at least) for some free range eggs. At least to offset some feed costs for this little "flock of chickens in the yard" dream I have.

 

[16 paws]

Hi everyone,
I have just spent three days reading through this thread and it's been emotional. You guys have been through lots of tears and happiness together!
I live in the UK and I have 8 chickens in my back garden- 2 pekin hens, 2 buff laced wyandotte hens, 2 silver spangled Hamburg hens, a lavender pekin cockerel and a random frizzle cockerel of unknown origin. About nine days ago, one of the pekins went broody and is sat on 12 eggs- some hers, some belonging to other chickens in the flock.
All seems to be well and she's not leaving the nest much, except about once a day (I know because I see the massive poo in the run). During the day I have taken to shutting her section of the hen house so the other chickens can't get in. This was mainly because the other chickens kept laying in her box (hence the 12 eggs). The other chickens have taken to laying eggs in all sorts of random places in the garden and even eating a few. I've tried to discourage this by placing rubber eggs in a nest box in their run and also filling a blown egg with mustard and chilli. For now it seems to have worked.....
I'm very nervous about this whole process and it's been a real help to read through all your experiences. Any advice you could give would be gratefully received- this is all new to me!
Thank you for reading,
Deb

Welcome aboard Deb,

This is one of the best threads on byc imho.!
Good idea about filling the egg with mustard and chili.
We are all kind of trying new things here together and we all wish each other the best outcome.

It is hard to say what is right or wrong about separating a broody. Last month I separated my JG Penny and she abandoned the eggs. Went back to her original spot and let the other eggs get cold. Had to throw out the whole batch.

You just never know what a broody is going to do.

I have 2 broodys right now sharing their eggs. They even switch them around some. Go figure!

Let us know how things are coming along would you?

Marie

 

[16 paws]

MistyMountain,
I love the pictures, so many cuties!
Marie

 

[16 paws]

ItalyChickie,
Such a great shot of you and your big babies!
No wonder your chickens are safe with them.
Yes, I will be excited to see just eggs in your pictures.
Bring them on

Marie

 

[16 paws]

By the way,
I dont think anyone responded....
Do Polish count as half or 1?

Marie

 

[threequarter]

I'm on my first brooding/hatching adventure, as well. My buff orpingtons found their spot and molly decided to start sitting. Molly is the only one of my hens who has shown a personality, so she's the only one named. She has always been more people friendly, and spent more time looking through the window longingly into the house. She's now sitting around 22 hours a day, we've been easing food near her nest so she doesn't get far from her babies. She started with seven, which I marked so I could remove the new eggs for consumption. She crushed one, it was removed and discarded. I awoke at 7 this morning to find her and "supper" fighting over another broken egg. It seems the little hen decided she wanted to eat it...

At any rate, I'm down to five eggs, but hopeful. If supper makes another move for the eggs, she'll live up to her namesake. I'm sorry if I've offended any pet chicken parents, but although I love my flock, I started them for the pure reason of sustainable food supply.


I don't feed oyster shell, but I do feed cooked eggs and shells to the girls for protein and calcium(they share with my great pyrenees pup, rocky the german shepherd won't eat egg shells though his hips crave calcium). I figured that was enough with cracked corn,scraps and free range now that its spring. They have a spring to get clean water from, and 2 acres of field, 47 of woods if they want. They pulled up one of my goldenseal sprout, but haven't bothered much else.

 

[Lesa Mae]

I'm on my first brooding/hatching adventure, as well. My buff orpingtons found their spot and molly decided to start sitting. Molly is the only one of my hens who has shown a personality, so she's the only one named. She has always been more people friendly, and spent more time looking through the window longingly into the house. She's now sitting around 22 hours a day, we've been easing food near her nest so she doesn't get far from her babies. She started with seven, which I marked so I could remove the new eggs for consumption. She crushed one, it was removed and discarded. I awoke at 7 this morning to find her and "supper" fighting over another broken egg. It seems the little hen decided she wanted to eat it...

At any rate, I'm down to five eggs, but hopeful. If supper makes another move for the eggs, she'll live up to her namesake. I'm sorry if I've offended any pet chicken parents, but although I love my flock, I started them for the pure reason of sustainable food supply.


I don't feed oyster shell, but I do feed cooked eggs and shells to the girls for protein and calcium(they share with my great pyrenees pup, rocky the german shepherd won't eat egg shells though his hips crave calcium). I figured that was enough with cracked corn,scraps and free range now that its spring. They have a spring to get clean water from, and 2 acres of field, 47 of woods if they want. They pulled up one of my goldenseal sprout, but haven't bothered much else.

Sounds like you are already on quite an adventure, hoping all goes well with the remaining eggs!!

 

[tommysgirl]

By the way,
I dont think anyone responded....
Do Polish count as half or 1?

Marie

I would say 1/2 they are small LF and don't eat much

I'm on my first brooding/hatching adventure, as well. My buff orpingtons found their spot and molly decided to start sitting. Molly is the only one of my hens who has shown a personality, so she's the only one named. She has always been more people friendly, and spent more time looking through the window longingly into the house. She's now sitting around 22 hours a day, we've been easing food near her nest so she doesn't get far from her babies. She started with seven, which I marked so I could remove the new eggs for consumption. She crushed one, it was removed and discarded. I awoke at 7 this morning to find her and "supper" fighting over another broken egg. It seems the little hen decided she wanted to eat it...

At any rate, I'm down to five eggs, but hopeful. If supper makes another move for the eggs, she'll live up to her namesake. I'm sorry if I've offended any pet chicken parents, but although I love my flock, I started them for the pure reason of sustainable food supply.


I don't feed oyster shell, but I do feed cooked eggs and shells to the girls for protein and calcium(they share with my great pyrenees pup, rocky the german shepherd won't eat egg shells though his hips crave calcium). I figured that was enough with cracked corn,scraps and free range now that its spring. They have a spring to get clean water from, and 2 acres of field, 47 of woods if they want. They pulled up one of my goldenseal sprout, but haven't bothered much else.

Welcome! hope your hatch goes well!

 

[DeborahOBE]

Morning everyone! Well, iit's morning here in the UK anyway . I hope everyone's chickens are hard at work and all is going smoothly. Lesa Mae- yes only one of my hens is broody, although this morning she was off the nest and my other Pekin hen was sat on the eggs in her place. Ebony (the original broody hen wandered around for a bit, ate, drank and then went back to the nest. I didn't see the change over but next time I looked she was back on the eggs and my other hen was out in the garden. I just hope she didn't add another egg to the nest and that no eggs were broken in the swap over.
Tommy's girl- thank you for the welcome. It sounds like you've got loads of hatching experience! I think On the basis of what you said when (and if) my eggs hatch, I,all keep them all in a confined area for a bit so the hen is less likely to leave the nest and desert the other eggs.
16 paws- thank you as well. I think I've decided to leave my broody where she is. In fact my lovely husband is working out a way to build new living quarters for the other hens to make things easier. More living space= possibility of more chickens so it's all good
Threequarter- I've had similar problems with them eating eggs, but not out of the nest. I put rubber eggs in the run and a blown egg filled with mustard and chilli paste and that seems to have helped. Good luck with your hatching adventure!

 

[Teila]

Howdy Team Broody

Apologies if anyone was concerned that I might have dropped off the planet. I found out on Thursday that my shift was being changed from 7am – 3pm to 8am – 4pm and because this would mean I would not get home in time to let the girls have a free range, or even feed them before dark (in winter), the boss suggested I work from home. So, we have been flat out getting good internet into my office for the VOIP phone and while we were at it, decided to move the lounge room around and then we had to go into the office and bring home the computer, monitors, drawers and all my reference material and get everything set up for tomorrow morning. Anyway, we got it done and I am now set up to work from home. Can’t really think of any cons (except distraction but I am sure I can adjust). Pros = still ‘get home’ at the same time and basically walk out the back door and let the girls out at 4pm; no more standing at freezing cold bus stops, waiting for a bus which is not on time and of course, savings on daily bus fares; partially subsidised internet to home; get to wear causal/comfy clothes and most importantly, sleep in an extra hour and a quarter each morning; instead of getting up at 04:45am, I do not have to get up until 6am! Bonus!!

Now, time to catch up on 4 pages of posts!!

16 paws, (or should I say 24 paws? Lol) aaaw, love your puppies, they are adorable!

LM, good to hear that the integration went well.

Randerson846, aaaaw, sad to read that your earlier integration was not good; it is always sad to lose a chicken but somehow it seems sadder when they are young, taken so brutally and did not even have a chance to enjoy life to the fullest

Looking forward to the pictures of your baby ducks and chicks, not long now!

TG, thank you for sharing your critters with us (humans included). I agree, the feral peacocks are beautiful to look at but I can imagine they are a bit of a pain. The Blue Black Splash Ameraucanas are gorgeous! Good to read that it sounds like it is a goer and yes, Tom sounds like a great hubby. Aaaw, poor Norma; I think she will be a little sad.

Welcome to the Team DeborahOBE, lovely to meet you. Got everything crossed for a successful hatch for you and more Team Broody bubbies for us! I may be biased but Team Broody rock! Fire away with the questions and we will do our upmost to help out .. and, of course, we look forward to hearing your stories and tips from you also. The best bit, no such thing as a silly question and no judgements or lectures

Welcome threequarter, lovely to meet you also. I hope you and Molly do not lose any more of those precious bubbies and the remaining 5 hatch successfully and of course, we get pictures!

Ooooh IC, how exciting, having the Cochin and Orp eggs! Hhhhm, I understand I can’t have ½ a chicken but sadly, I do not want to squish everyone up too much; so Cilla is going to have to count as a whole, not a ½; she throws her weight around enough to count as a whole

Thank you for sharing your critters also; beautiful, beautiful puppies!

Aaaw MM, you bubbies are so so sweet and haven’t they grown!!

Sorry if I missed anyone.

All good at Casa Del Chookie; Cilla has quit the security detail and is back to her sweet self but she is still being mumma to Blondie. I finally have a happy family of 5, all ranging together, watching out for each other and no real squabbles. Tina is still playing mumma to Lulu and they are so cute to watch together. Tina is constantly calling Lulu to share bugs that she catches. Now that Tina has a 'baby' I think her first egg is probably going to be even further down the track. Has anyone ever heard of a similar situation? A 7 month old who has not laid her first egg taking on motherhood of a 4 month old?

The FF experiment is pretty much no longer an experiment and more of an achievement/success. Dusty actually dove into the FF to get all the good bits before she had some hamburger and tomato!! I only have one more breakfast of the grain/pellet mix and already have two jars of the coarse grain I bought (no pellets) on the go … I am pretty sure they are going to love it! It looks much tastier without the soggy, disintegrated pellets.

Hopefully now I have my home office ready, I will not be away from the team for 4 days and will be able to keep up with news regularly. The girls dipped out a little bit this weekend because of all the work we had to get done but I made sure they had a good range this afternoon for quite a few hours; I missed spending time with them on Saturday!. Next weekend I will try and get some more pictures; especially of Dusty who now has all her feathers again! Oh yeah, still no eggs!

The egg that breaks the drought is going to be nearly as exciting as that first egg! lol