Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Pathfinders]

I find sand is the best thing to use to prevent muddy eggs (need more of it in fact.) Any way you can put a walkway of sand in front of the coop/nest boxes so they have to walk over that before they get in them?

 

[RiddleMe]

Shortened quote for brevity
A few of my hens have actually gone broody more than once this year...they make great incubators...making keeping them  worth the feed they consume.

I am curious what the opinion is wrt how much is "too broody"? I have a hen, late spring 2012 hatch, that went broody 4 times this year. Hatched her first chicks in early Mar and her last in Oct (I broke her one time and let her hatch three times). Each time she mothered until they were fully feathered then took a couple weeks break and went broody again. I kept an eye on her weight and condition and she's doing well, but are there other possible health issues with her spending that much time brooding/raising chicks?

 

[Wisher1000]

Ship her to me!

 

[RiddleMe]

Ship her to me!

She stays here, she's a great mother, nobody messes with her chicks, and she's one of the first out and last back for free ranging, so she teaches them good habits.

 

[Lacy Blues]

She's a keeper then. If you don't mind her being broody, and she doesn't lose too much condition she is a valuable asset to raising birds. You can choose the eggs that go under her and have her raise your better birds. However, if you let her hatch very many of her own eggs, you may end up with a flock of broodies and get no eggs for eating... which is a pain!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I have an EE hen who seems to have found her niche in the flock by being a constant mother. She is a devoted broody and a fierce guardian of her chicks ... until she's done with them (a little earlier than other broodies), then she returns to the roost with the rest of the flock for a little bit, then she goes broody again. As much as I would love her green/blue eggs, I adore her broody service even more! We stopped giving her eggs at the end of summer, so I hope she decides to go broody again next year. She seems to be staying in fine shape.

 

[Fentress]

I find sand is the best thing to use to prevent muddy eggs (need more of it in fact.) Any way you can put a walkway of sand in front of the coop/nest boxes so they have to walk over that before they get in them?

That's a good idea. Sometimes we have protracted wet weather combined with a high water table, that could justify the expense of putting some sand down.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

That's a good idea. Sometimes we have protracted wet weather combined with a high water table, that could justify the expense of putting some sand down.

I really want to do a large bed of sand right outside the coop door. That's where it gets the most nasty/muddy. Muddy feet do make dirty eggs. Dirty eggs make for much egg washing. I'd like to be able to offer unwashed eggs, but don't think people would understand the footprints ...

 

[juststruttin]

I'll look into shade cloth/wind screen for walls... could be.

Thanks for the points on the roses. Hadn't thought about the effect of thorns... unless this is a thornless variety? Do those exist? I'll be sure and look them up. Maybe I could plant them outside the run because I really wound like something hardy that grew lots of rose hips.

Another good shade plant that grows fast are sun chokes. They will get up to 10' tall in 2-3 months and die back in the winter to allow the sun to warm the coop. Be careful with them tho. Sun Chokes are very prolific and will take over. They are best grown in a raised bed. Sun Chokes are not climbers so they will not provide shade over a roof, but they provide good shade from the sides.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Aren't sun chokes, Jerusalem artichokes? I think I looked those up before. Thanks for the tip, I had no idea they got that tall. I tried to grow sunflowers this year to provide relief from the afternoon sun. I started late but I really expected them to get taller than 36". I used some of my black oil sunflower seeds. They grew well, just not big enough to make a difference.