Illinois...

[ChicagoClucker]

Today's the calm before the storm. A few weeks ago I set 48 eggs. Not sure what got over me, but they could fit, so they found their way in. The goal was only to set a few eggs from hens that I had just rehomed.

Well only 3 clears & 3 quitters. Oh my! 42 eggs are still going strong. Tonight/tomorrow is lockdown. I guess the good news is that all 3 brooders are empty. I may need them.

LOL, That picture is spot on with the Santa Hat!

WOW, are you and Junibutt in a competition to see who will hatch more chicks this year? Can't wait to see all the babies!

 

[ChicagoClucker]

Had to snap some pics of the baby Chocolate bantam cochins when their mom brought them up on the deck this evening. I am loving the little frizzle boy and the sweet little girl who left the Hershey kiss for me on the deck.

 

[Junibutt]

Today's the calm before the storm. A few weeks ago I set 48 eggs. Not sure what got over me, but they could fit, so they found their way in. The goal was only to set a few eggs from hens that I had just rehomed.

Well only 3 clears & 3 quitters. Oh my! 42 eggs are still going strong. Tonight/tomorrow is lockdown. I guess the good news is that all 3 brooders are empty. I may need them.

Fun time coming. I love when they are so many that they start popping like pop corns.

I just candled the 46 I have in my incubators and only 5 clears- 3 Maybes and 2 blood rings. So at least 36 moving on to Day 6. I haven't checked the ones under the broodies.

Also one broody is scheduled to hatch 4 tomorrow. She has two from Oopsies sister crossed with a Black split to mottled and choc boy and also the same boy crossed with cuckoo marans. So if you want a chick exchange, you are more than welcome. This is another gentle broody which I think will take everything in the world thats given to her. No pecking whatsoever.

Contrary to that I have another broody who was very nice and gentle until she got broody and now she won't even let me get to the eggs under her. Very Protective. She is also the egg stealer!

 

[Faraday40]

@Junibutt
Are the 46 in your incubator part of the HUGE orp egg order?....or are there even more?

I put the eggs you gave me in my back up incubator on Sat afternoon. I tried to candle, but it's too early. I'm forcing myself to wait until Sunday. By Mon I'll be able to put them into the good incubator.

We have a chick we call "Baby Brick." Besides looking just like her Daddy, she's also the dumb one of the bunch. Thankfully, she has 2 lav orp male hatchmates that she can follow. Like the original, she often gets trapped on the outside of the chicken tractor & cries to get in. She either circles & keeps passing the door or paces back & forth on a side that does not have an opening. The 2 lavs are called "Mini Moose" They're both big & remind me of Moose last summer.

Here's Baby Brick next to a real brick. Can you tell the difference? Also some pics of the Mini Moose gang. The other little girl is a silver penciled rock.



Here's Oopsie's & Brick's mauve cuckoo daughter. Another is down the street with a neighbor. Because she's feathering in white, we can't see any of the barring.

Here are 2 chicks I believe are Brick's sons. I believe he'd give choc cuckoo daughters & black cuckoo sons. I can't think of any combo that could make a black barred female.

 

[megpie021]

So the big girls are rounding the corner from week 14 into week 15. Husband and I have been betting on who is going to lay first, husband has Peaches because she is the hybrid. I have had Licorice the EE in there as first because she has been pretty darn red lately. However I opened up the coop a few minutes ago to give the girls a treat, and Pepper suddenly is looking like she wants to be the winner. She has much more noticeable wattles that are RED. Its pretty exciting. I think the nesting box walls will come down this weekend. They have one they have knocked over anyway, and they are still being good chickies and roosting.

There was an incident yesterday when Ginger escaped the the look but dont touch confines. She flew right into Meringue who promptly pecked her. Ginger then ran peeping like crazy to hide with the other bigger chicks who were just looking LIKE WHAT IS HAPPENING? Mostly they really dont seem to care about Poppy and Ginger. Only Meringue shows any real interest in them. She will have to be the one I watch out for I think. I scooped Ginger up and put her back. But now she paces a lot. I think her taste of "freedom" has gotten to her. How much interest is TOO much interest from Meringue? I know once they are free to touch there will be some inspecting that happens, but will it be super obvious if I have a problem? I feel like it will be, but I just want to know since I have never done this.

I dont know how all of you guys have so many chicks all the time. I couldnt handle 40 or more at once. These 10 are a hand full enough haha (okay the big girls arent much at all anymore actually). I am in awe of all that you guys do.

 

[Faraday40]

My look but don't touch stage lasts for a couple days to a week. (Depends on the age of the chicks. I don't open up the divider for chicks younger than 4wks w/o a broody.) My adult hens are easier on younger chicks.

If I'm free ranging, I just open the littles' cage door & allow them out after the big girls are outside. The littles usually wander around the coop/run for the first day and may even go back inside their cage. The big ones don't chase them, but they will give a peck if a young one gets too close. That usually freaks the little ones out enough for them to learn to keep a distance. The young ones should stick together as a group. If I have the space, I just keep the confinement cage in place for a week or 2 in case they want to return. The harder part is getting the new chicks to roost in the coop instead of their confinement cage. The night I take away their cage, I usually have to block the nest boxes & also hand place the new ones on a low roost. Then I must get out there the next day before 7am to reopen the nest boxes . If I'm late, one of my big fat orps pushes her way through the cardboard. LOL The 1st night of integration is always the hardest for you, since you worry about them getting picked on in the morning. I just plan to let them sleep together on a day when I know I'll be up early anyway.

I've never really had any problems with bullies & young chicks. Just a single peck to put them in their place- at bottom of pecking order. I've never added new adults, though. I think that could get bloody.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

Ok, showed husband the funny pic of the Russian Orloff that Faraday posted. He said what is that thing with the beard? I said that is the chick you liked so much.
He says NOT ANYMORE.

 

[Faraday40]

Had a fun time getting everyone inside the coop tonight. We decided to let mama walk her chicks to bed (rather than carry them from the tractor.) They did very well sticking together, but Oopsie wanted to hang out under the big pine tree instead of going straight to bed. No biggie. I took out a broom to gently move her along. It has worked for every other broody. Just walk behind mama with a broom next to her to keep her moving & she calls the chicks to follow.

Well what I didn't realize is that Oopsie HATES & FEARS a broom. She attacked it violently & sounded the alarm call. The roosters came running out of the coop in search of a threat. I grabbed my poor hysterical hen & put her away in hopes that a few chicks might follow. Nope. The chicks were unsure what to do, so they ran to (& under) Brick for comfort. He seemed rather surprised to all of a sudden be stuck with childcare. As he walked away, they followed. (Of course he has a hard time finding the coop each day by himself. There's a reason why he's named Brick.) We ended up just collecting the chicks & putting them in the broody corner with Oopsie.

Here they are all safe in bed.

Oopsie has been such a great mama, that I keep forgetting that it's her 1st time.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

If anyone is interested I have decided to not raise my bantam cochins any longer. I have 5 hens, 4 blue mottled and 1 black mottled but has the 2 chocolate chicks which are 6 weeks old.

 

[Junibutt]

@Junibutt
Are the 46 in your incubator part of the HUGE orp egg order?....or are there even more?

I put the eggs you gave me in my back up incubator on Sat afternoon. I tried to candle, but it's too early. I'm forcing myself to wait until Sunday. By Mon I'll be able to put them into the good incubator.

We have a chick we call "Baby Brick." Besides looking just like her Daddy, she's also the dumb one of the bunch. Thankfully, she has 2 lav orp male hatchmates that she can follow. Like the original, she often gets trapped on the outside of the chicken tractor & cries to get in. She either circles & keeps passing the door or paces back & forth on a side that does not have an opening. The 2 lavs are called "Mini Moose" They're both big & remind me of Moose last summer.

Here's Baby Brick next to a real brick. Can you tell the difference? Also some pics of the Mini Moose gang. The other little girl is a silver penciled rock.
View attachment 1027100View attachment 1027097
View attachment 1027098 View attachment 1027099

Here's Oopsie's & Brick's mauve cuckoo daughter. Another is down the street with a neighbor. Because she's feathering in white, we can't see any of the barring.
View attachment 1027103 View attachment 1027105
Here are 2 chicks I believe are Brick's sons. I believe he'd give choc cuckoo daughters & black cuckoo sons. I can't think of any combo that could make a black barred female.
View attachment 1027108

Yes @Faraday40 the 46 eggs are from the 79 that got shipped to me. Plus 5 are under the broodies who fight over them everyday so I don't think any of them will hatch. They get transferred between nest and get rolled around all over the place like a soccerball. And if any of them does hatch that will be one hyperactive messed up chick.

Are you sure that "Baby Brick" is a she? I see a boy in her eyes

Meanwhile the black cuckoo boys cannot be from Oopsie. They are from Brick and one of your lavender hens or if you have a black hen. If they are from your lavender hen, then they are also special like Oopsie because they will be split for chocolate and lavender.