I Built A Bridge!

[lizgarf]

Argh!!! Someone hurt Lu while I was out! She has a wound on her upper wing, maybe a 1/4 inch wide. I don't know how it happened, but I have my guesses. She seems fine and I applied some liquid bandage and just have to hope for no infection.
Grace is currently on a time-out outside the coop. It could just as easily have been Frida who did it, since she's acting pretty horrible herself, but I think Grace is the main instigator, and maybe Frida will calm down if she's on her own and realizes she's not attached to the top hen.
I don't like doing this to the chicks, whom Grace keeps calling to, to show them what she's digging up in the garden, but maybe this will help in bits. And maybe not. I'm at a loss! I thought things had finally calmed down this morning, but I was wrong!

 

[tommysgirl]

Argh!!! Someone hurt Lu while I was out! She has a wound on her upper wing, maybe a 1/4 inch wide. I don't know how it happened, but I have my guesses. She seems fine and I applied some liquid bandage and just have to hope for no infection.
Grace is currently on a time-out outside the coop. It could just as easily have been Frida who did it, since she's acting pretty horrible herself, but I think Grace is the main instigator, and maybe Frida will calm down if she's on her own and realizes she's not attached to the top hen.
I don't like doing this to the chicks, whom Grace keeps calling to, to show them what she's digging up in the garden, but maybe this will help in bits. And maybe not. I'm at a loss! I thought things had finally calmed down this morning, but I was wrong!

Oh Liz, I feel for you! I wish I had advice and a magic wand. Can you go on CL and look for a small coop with a built in run for The popular kids and Grace and Frida. They could still be together and everyone would be safe from the broodzillas.

I made a call on a movable tractor in Napa that is still available. Here is the listing http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/grd/4654415403.html waiting on pics from the gal so not really sure if it would work for either of us but it is a thought.

Hi there @arkansas55 hope your birds are healthy and happy.

We have drama here too but of a different variety

My aunt and uncle are have a animal husbandry philosophy best described as "keep em and feed em and hope for the best" So she had a broody hen, and like what happened with Gracie Belle in her previous home, other hens were permitted to lay their eggs in her nest and those eggs were left none were marked.

On Saturday, against all odds 3 chicks hatched....they are totally darling but there were still two viable eggs...and several duds... left in the nest. My girls have eggs that are about 3 days apart. These embryos, I am estimating are a week/10 days further along but not close enough to hatching for the mama to continue to sit on them and take care of her new babies too.

Since she had asked me what to do I brought it to a family vote and my husband suggested I fire up the horrible still air incubator and leave them with Gracie and Julie until this weekend then hatch them in the bator and hand raise them if needed.

I was shocked that he suggested it but more than willing to go along so I set it up and gave the eggs to GB and JT to keep until they are a few days closer to hatching.

Enter Willa whose egg I have to keep pulling out of Julie's nest. Yesterday she was just sitting in there with Julie for the longest time then she laid an egg and got up but last night she was back on the nest and Julie was bunking in with Gracie on her eggs. She was still there this morning. Could it be that Willa is going to save the day???? If would be awesome if she stayed on the nest. She could hatch those two EE eggs of my aunt's and raise those two babies.

Stay tuned. I am still at work but you can bet there will be another installment of "The Fun and the Feathered." coming your way soon.

Also I am hoping for a first egg from Aster who just turned 17 weeks. I think that she will be laying this month

Stella is 4 weeks older and should be laying too but she doesn't squat for Cosmo and though he gives it his best shot she is not ready to seal the deal.

@Misty Mountain

@Teila

@ItalyChickie

@16 paws

Hope all the little families are doing well and you all are getting bunches of eggs!

 

[16 paws]

Aw, too cute! Frizzles are fun, even with their occasional bald periods.
Thanks for asking about Frankie. I don't think anyone cornered him/her alone today, but there were some touchy moments - particularly at the end, when I thought maybe I could leave the crate open for the night, and then Grace went in and attacked the whole little sleeping family! I actually spanked Grace, I was so mad! I'll see if I managed to get any good pictures of Frankie lately. She's healing, in that the wounds are closed and don't seem infected, but she looks like she's suffering from male-pattern baldness pretty badly. I don't think anyone is targeting her particularly, but she does stick out, in addition to being the smallest. Definitely an adorable little Frankenstein, if I do say so myself.

LMHO at spanking a chicken.

I am so sorry to laugh about that but the thought of it made me just crack up!!!! I have never thought of spanking a chicken but now that you mention it some of mine need a good swat now and then as well!

I always tell my six little Yorkies that they are getting a spanking, never hardly get around to it but I threaten them all the time.My bark is a lot worse than my bite so they dont even pay attention to me. Guess that is why it gave me such a good chuckle, it reminded me of that.
You tell all of those chookies to leave Frankie alone or I will come over there and have a few words with them myself! I dont live that far away...
Cant wait to see pix of them all...
Marie
Just saw your post about Lu getting hurt, darn it!

 

[Teila]

Goood morning Bridge Club

Ark, thank you, I hope all is well with you also.

Liz Aaaaargh!!
I am so sorry to read about Lu but glad that she seems fine. I have to get my hands on some of that liquid bandage; going to check my online Vet supplier.

The following is just my thoughts based on my limited experience and in no way questioning your integration methods.

With both of my hatches, I have left the integration until they are a bit older and did not start the integration until I have picked out my keepers and the littlies going to other homes had actually left. That way I was not integrating as many and having to integrate chicks that were moving on anyway. They could still see each other through wire dividers. For integration I started off with only supervised free range and when in the coop/run, they were still separated. Full on integration in the coop/run only commenced when it was keepers and they were old enough to eat the same feed as the big gals. Also, being that little bit older, they were less fragile. With Blondie & Tammy (who turned out to be Tommy) I timed it so that Cilla was still protecting them and found that Cilla was having a less hard time of it as she was only having to keep an eye on two little ones.

As I said, just a thought, but leaving it a bit longer may also allow Grace to settle down a bit?

 

[Teila]

Howdy TG and 16 paws, I see that you posted while I was working on my reply to Liz....I am not ignoring you but sadly, work is a little chaotic again this morning. I will read you posts a bit later when it has hopefully calmed down a bit

 

[16 paws]

Hi Tommysgirl,

I am tuned in to The Fun and The Feathered,

Cant wait to see what happens in episode 2!
Good luck with Willa......
Marie

 

[lizgarf]

Hi folks,
I appreciate the suggestions. It must be really tiresome to hear my constant tirade of calamities with this hatch. I know most people isolate broodies and it makes a lot of sense. I just didn't have to do it last year, with the small flock and small hatch, which didn't involve Grace, and I wasn't prepared for a different experience this time around. I thought maybe I'd have to protect the bubbies from Marsha - I didn't expect I'd have to protect everyone from Grace and Frida! Unfortunately, I just can't think of any tolerable solution right now, other than pushing forward with integration. Any additional structure would feel too small for 6 growing chicks and 2 broodies, who are used to a lot of space at this point. With Frida already roosting, I don't think I could move them. I could move Team Rousseau into the run, since they're the only ones that don't require roosts and they're already spending most of their time there, but I'm not sure it's necessary. I can supervise evening reintegration into the coop. That would have gone fine tonight (especially since I kept Grace outside for an hour or so), if I hadn't made the bonehead move of subbing out a smaller carrier for the crate, because I wanted to clean it and have less of an obstacle in there. Team Rousseau kept searching for the crate, and then Rousseau would try the carrier, but the bubbies couldn't figure it out, and then Rousseau would try to make a beeline for the main nest, which they also couldn't figure out (and somehow managed to not get jumped by the Broodzillas, who were already tucked in for the night) and I finally caved and put the crate back in.

So it's a yucky situation, which is partly my fault for giving them too many eggs, and then trying to help all the chicks live, when the broodies didn't want them to, and also partly my fault for being so uncomfortable with confinement that I tried to give them too much space too early on and forced integration on everyone. No doubt, chickens are tough. As are dogs. And people. I think the answer is to try to keep the numbers down for each of them, or not get too down when things inevitably start to go wrong. In the meantime, I'm spending a lot of time in the coop.

 

[tommysgirl]

Hi I am trying to upload a pic straight from my phone but am struggling. Wanted you to know that operation hatch m all seems to be progressing. I have the silkie/ siizzle pair sharing a nest with 8 eggs and my oe willa on the two ee eggs. Still have the bator getting ready just in case. Pic to come. They are sweet

 

[arkansas55]

LIZ
TEILA
TG
16PAWS
MISTY MOUNTAIN
ITALYCHICKIE
hey all,been busy,thank's the chicken's are doing great,LIZ so sorry about LU,sending her lots of love!TEILA,i so hope all is going well with your egg's and the chicken's.TG good luck with the hatch!!!!!!!!!!! 16 PAWS you made me laugh,i'm trying to keep up,hopefully i will get caught up on everyone!MistyMountain and Italychickie,i hope all goes well with your flock's too,

,it was a hot day but still fabulous,i'm tired but so far Buzzy's eye is healing well and miss pecks alot is behavin,they are growing and starting to get red comb's,they might lay an egg or 2 before winter,if not i'll still love em

they are my babie's and thats enough for me,i am sending hugs and prayer's for all,until tomorrow family

 

[Teila]

Hello again!

TG wow, The Fun and the Feathered series at your place is a bit exciting; definitely staying tuned for the next episode and looking forward to the pics

While obviously not my line of thinking, I understand the “keep em and feed em and hope for the best” philosophy but to extend it out as far as having no idea which eggs are due when totally messes with my head

16 paws sounds like those Yorkies have you wrapped around their little paws; same story here with my cats!

Liz NO and NEVER at your “tiresome” comment! We are all here to enjoy the highs, commiserate on the lows and support each other as best we can. I totally understand your reasons for doing things the way you are and we all have different environmental factors that we need to take into consideration. What works for you may not work for someone else and visa versa. Suggestions are just that, suggestions and whatever path any of us go down, unless it is just plain cruel, I believe we will all still support each other. My current ‘Mission Impossible’ being a good example

Ark thank you for the well wishes for Tina’s little nest .. had a peek today when she was off the nest, no touching, but they are looking OK and a quick sniff did not indicate any impending explosions

Looking forward to some ‘first egg’ pictures from your gals also. I hear ya! They are our babies and eggs are just a bonus!