Illinois...

[Molpet]

How cool is the reindeer! Your kids sure are active in lots of stuff..
Any pips?

and I realize with the broody hatches, (9-6-11=26 new birds since I built the last coop this summer) I need to start another hoop coop. Got the 8x8 base done, the 2 cattle panels in and the end supports yesterday. "just" have to put all the HC on and make doors.
Yesterday one of the new yellow chicks went and ran with the halloween chicks, when I went to put it back the halloween broody drew blood protecting it.... This morning all chicks were where they should be.. a couple of hours later I found a new yellow one laying in the coop I stuffed him in my shirt and by the time I got the heating pad cave warmed up he was peeping... will see if he makes it...
eta he will not quit peeping unless he is with me ... I will have to bring another in

 

[cavemanrich]

Molpet.. Consider getting a set of these.

 

[Molpet]

Molpet.. Consider getting a set of these.

your are right
I do have a pair of kevlar gloves, just never thought about needing them around broodies

 

[Faraday40]

How cool is the reindeer! Your kids sure are active in lots of stuff..
Any pips?
View attachment 1198578

Our town is great for kids. We live near the center of it all & can walk to all of the parades & festivals. That's one of the main reasons why we're still here after 20 years. I still want more land for more chickens, bigger gardens, fruit trees, & maybe goats, but I'm already doing most of those things here.

Besides 4H, DD is very involved with music & dance. She plays the clarinet but also a few other things like chimes, singing in the choir, and recorder. What's hard is that none of these activities are recognized in any of the awards ceremonies. It's all about sports! I really wish the school would give out an award to all the band kids who get to school 1 hour early (4 days a week - all year round). Instead the coaches give long speeches with slide shows about how much the team improved / worked over a few months and then call each child up for an award with individual applause. (Followed by a group photo) The group of kids who make high honor roll all year long just have their names read aloud with group applause. They pick up a certificate the next day at school.

The band played at a Veteran's Day service. DD had a great solo. Keep in mind this is a grade school band - not high school. Some of the kids (like DD) are in their 3rd year & others just started in August.

I'm definitely having ups & downs with this winter hatch!

Set 4 eggs under Cookie (one was a silkie pullet egg which I doubted was fertile)
Went to candle & found 5 eggs. ????? Three were developing, so I tossed 2.
Around day 12, Cookie got off nest for 5 hours b/c she returned to wrong nest. (Temp was around 35'F !)
Candled at 2 weeks & all 3 orp eggs looked OK.
Then the "Cookie crumbled". She got off the nest & never returned.... but our inexperienced broody silkie pullet took over.
Tues was day 21 = Nothing (Not surprised)
Wed morning, I saw a pip. BUT Eggs were cold & the silkie was walking around.
I put her back on the eggs and hoped for the best. Last night I heard peeping but still felt 3 eggs.

This morning = one black orp chick
+ 1 pip hmm Perhaps the same egg as yesterday) + 1 egg
My silkie pullet stayed on the nest this morning, so I'm hoping for more hatching later today.

 

[Faraday40]

Checked on the coop. Both eggs are pipped- one of them was peeping - and one happy chick.

 

[Faraday40]

Still trying to figure out the genders from my last hatch.
Sept 22; Almost 10 weeks old!
Any guess would be appreciated!

I nicknamed them by colors. I sold Black & Green, so I have 5 left.
Here they are: (You can click to enlarge pics)

BLUE
??? gender



PINK
??? gender



PURPLE
I think male.



Teal
possible male?



White
*This one is from another hen. The mama (Jewel) had very large wattles & pink comb as a chick. "White" has always looked & acted like a female. The comb is pale.
Leaning toward female.



You can click on pics to make them larger.
One problem I keep having (besides all being lavs) is that they can look completely diff from one second to the next.

Here's what I mean:
See the possible male walking along the fence? Now look at the chick, front left. See how the wattles hang down?

One second later, you can see the same 3 chicks...... But where did those wattles go?

 

[Molpet]

Still trying to figure out the genders from my last hatch.
Sept 22; Almost 10 weeks old!
Any guess would be appreciated!

I nicknamed them by colors. I sold Black & Green, so I have 5 left.
Here they are: (You can click to enlarge pics)

BLUE
??? gender



PINK
??? gender



PURPLE
I think male.



Teal
possible male?



White
*This one is from another hen. The mama (Jewel) had very large wattles & pink comb as a chick. "White" has always looked & acted like a female. The comb is pale.
Leaning toward female.



You can click on pics to make them larger.
One problem I keep having (besides all being lavs) is that they can look completely diff from one second to the next.

Here's what I mean:
See the possible male walking along the fence? Now look at the chick, front left. See how the wattles hang down?

One second later, you can see the same 3 chicks...... But where did those wattles go?

Oh wow I see the problem...looks like different chicks..I am clueless LOL
I have some from halloween that are easier to tell than your oprps
Very talented kids
Glad you have some pips and a chick. Amazing how they can survive.

I put my chick back under mama last night and they are all fine today.

I was cleaning the coop some today and putting in fresh leaves, apparently that upset the broodies...Both broodies decided they didn't like the box they were using
The one that Hatched Sat/Sun was trying to get her chicks to fly up 2', they said no way. She looked at several boxes and went back to the one they had been using.
The Halloween broody was trying to move her brood out of the coop at dusk.. she looked at a couple different nest boxes first.. When I herded her back in she went back to the box they had been in.

 

[Justso]

Happy Turkey day they say.. since they made this cut LOL
View attachment 1193954

Did you keep any from Teri?

 

[Molpet]

Did you keep any from Teri?

so far I have kept all from Teri... in the pic only the nari tom ( 2nd from right) is not from Teri... the bronze was the only hen so I will need to do something with most of the boys

 

[Faraday40]

So here's a funny one:
For the 1st 8 weeks, I thought male.

Around 10 weeks my opinion changed to female. (even coloring & rounded crest)

At 6 mo, my silkie began to lay eggs.


At 6.5 months, my silkie went broody.

She just hatched some chicks:


....... and now she started crowing.

BTW- She now has 2 black orps & 1 pipped egg under her.