Illinois...

[jnckids]

cute!

I like that my roo came to watch over them. Hard to believe that there's nearly 10 birds in that picture. Lol

 

[Faraday40]

Don't know how she does it, but Cookie has over 20 LF chicks under her! She's a bantam..... but what a spread!

Here's DD with Darth Layer & her new Silkie chick. (The 4 wk olds moved into the coop last week with a mama heating pad & protection barrier. The flock was used to them within 2 days, but I'm keeping the barrier up for a while.)

 

[ChicagoClucker]

While I was outside this afternoon, I noticed a large pile up in the bantams coop. The 3 original girls had been kicked off the nest, I assumed, and another broody hen took over. The 3 others trying to work their way back in. Uggg, and since tomorrow is hatch day for the 1 and only cuckoo egg that made it this far, I decided to pull the egg and put it in the incubator. I don't want the chick getting stepped on by fighting broody mamas. The broody hens still have some bantam eggs to sit with and I was planning on slipping next weeks hatch under them. My only problem it the humidity in the incubator. I have 10 orpington eggs due next weekend in there. Could I try and keep humidity around 50%? Would that be too little for the egg due to hatch tomorrow? Has anyone ever done something similar or a staggered hatch in the same incubator before?

 

[Faraday40]

@ChicagoClucker
Staggered hatches usually don't go well, but 50% wouldn't be too high for the other eggs. You can always decrease the humidity a little more next week to make up for it.. I've heard of people forgetting about their incubator &/or hatch date, then finding chicks in the egg turner. So if I had to do it, that's about where I'd set the humidity (maybe crank it up to 60% once you see the pip & then back down after hatching. I agree that fighting broodies may kill it, especially after a clumsy rooster killed mine. Do you have anyone near you that has a spare incubator? (You can borrow my old Hovabator if you wish, but I'm not very close.)

I have the opposite here. Cookie could really use some back up. I also have the 4 wk olds transitioning into the coop without a mama to help them. (I was kind of hoping one hen would sort of look after them, but none have volunteered.) At least the flock isn't trying to peck them through the baby gate. They're pretty used to chicks by now. Today was the 4 wk olds' first day out in the grass. They seemed OK without a heater, so I just gave them a "huddle house" to use if they got chilly. They are almost fully feathered, so they only really use the heating pad at night anyway.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

@ChicagoClucker
Staggered hatches usually don't go well, but 50% wouldn't be too high for the other eggs. You can always decrease the humidity a little more next week to make up for it.. I've heard of people forgetting about their incubator &/or hatch date, then finding chicks in the egg turner. So if I had to do it, that's about where I'd set the humidity (maybe crank it up to 60% once you see the pip & then back down after hatching. I agree that fighting broodies may kill it, especially after a clumsy rooster killed mine. Do you have anyone near you that has a spare incubator? (You can borrow my old Hovabator if you wish, but I'm not very close.)

I have the opposite here. Cookie could really use some back up. I also have the 4 wk olds transitioning into the coop without a mama to help them. (I was kind of hoping one hen would sort of look after them, but none have volunteered.) At least the flock isn't trying to peck them through the baby gate. They're pretty used to chicks by now. Today was the 4 wk olds' first day out in the grass. They seemed OK without a heater, so I just gave them a "huddle house" to use if they got chilly. They are almost fully feathered, so they only really use the heating pad at night anyway.

The 1 cuckoo egg is due to hatch tomorrow, and I pulled it out around 1pm today. So perhaps I will take your advice and I will just try to keep it at 50% and then up it once I see it has pipped. Then lower the humidity a day next week for the remaining eggs. Thank you

And Cookie must be a Super Mama, with over 20 chicks. LOL, I would be ripping my hair out!

 

[jnckids]

I have 3 10 week old Mille bantams and today was their first day in my tractor with my 7 month old roo. He became their protector. Lol

 

[Junibutt]

The 1 cuckoo egg is due to hatch tomorrow, and I pulled it out around 1pm today. So perhaps I will take your advice and I will just try to keep it at 50% and then up it once I see it has pipped. Then lower the humidity a day next week for the remaining eggs. Thank you

And Cookie must be a Super Mama, with over 20 chicks. LOL, I would be ripping my hair out!

How is the lonely choc cuckoo egg doing? Hatched?

My broodies are trying again so I gave them a separate coop and nest, so far they have not liked it but I will check in the morning if they took the bait (some store eggs). Meanwhile my incubator is full with 21 eggs. Since they are shipped eggs anything higher than 50% will be a success. Day 4 just started so I will candle them tomorrow night before giving the broodies.

One of the broodies is at the bottom of the pecking order so I am just keeping her as a back-up plan only. I feel bad for her but she is not capable of defending her chicks.

Meanwhile, I let me chicken out yesterday for an hour and all of a sudden a hawk swooped down. All the girls ran for cover plus the hawk got scared by our presence as well so ony came down to about 6 ft level. 3 of the hens took cover under my car and did not come out for 45 minutes or so. I hope it doesn't effect egg production. The hawk looked too small to be able to carry any of the girls accept my Legbar. Maybe that is one of the reasons it gave up. Its underside was almost completely white except for the tail. Maybe a juvenile?

 

[Faraday40]

How is the lonely choc cuckoo egg doing? Hatched?

My broodies are trying again so I gave them a separate coop and nest, so far they have not liked it but I will check in the morning if they took the bait (some store eggs). Meanwhile my incubator is full with 21 eggs. Since they are shipped eggs anything higher than 50% will be a success. Day 4 just started so I will candle them tomorrow night before giving the broodies.

One of the broodies is at the bottom of the pecking order so I am just keeping her as a back-up plan only. I feel bad for her but she is not capable of defending her chicks.

Meanwhile, I let me chicken out yesterday for an hour and all of a sudden a hawk swooped down. All the girls ran for cover plus the hawk got scared by our presence as well so ony came down to about 6 ft level. 3 of the hens took cover under my car and did not come out for 45 minutes or so. I hope it doesn't effect egg production. The hawk looked too small to be able to carry any of the girls accept my Legbar. Maybe that is one of the reasons it gave up. Its underside was almost completely white except for the tail. Maybe a juvenile?

The same thing happened here yesterday. Just as I was walking back into the house I heard a scuffle & alarm squawking. I turned back & as I ran I saw the hawk flying away. There were about 1 dozen plucked feathers with gray barring all over the patio. I stayed out & helped guide the chickens back into the coop/run. Everyone was present. Both the CCL & Biele had rooster feather loss - but they both already had some from the roosters.

I've been putting the 4 wk old babies babies outside in the tractor. I also made them a huddle house. They have finally caught on & are using it on a regular basis. I hope to take down the baby gates in a few days but keep the huddle house as a chick retreat.

Peeking out of the huddle house

Little Cookie's BIG family.
Often I'm not seeing any chicks under the back up Mama Heating Pad. They're all squeezing under Cookie. It reminds me of the Nutcracker's Lady with the big skirt. The chicks are under, on top of, or running around her.


With all the standing water out back, my chickens have turned into ducks. Everyone's feet look like this:



@ChicagoClucker
Sending hatching vibes your way!

If you don't have a broody to adopt the lonely only chick & are in need of a buddy let me know. ..... I have a few spares. LOL

 

[megpie021]

We had an interesting weekend around here. Oreo and Brownie were so red by friday there was no denying they were boys. They hit the full five week mark and were like yep, cockerels. We decided it would be easier to make a break with them sooner than later. I posted them and within hours they were gone. I was pretty upset to see them go, so the decision was made to get two new little ones that we could add to our bigger four eventually. So we went to the Farm and Fleet in Woodstock, picked up two new babies. One little light grey/blue EE and an Austra-White with one large black spot on her rump. Everything seemed fine the first night, and then things quickly went down hill to where the little easter egger was buried this morning, and we had to run get another chick so that the other one wasnt lonely. It was stressful and I tried so hard to get the little one to eat and drink, but she couldnt handle it. So now instead of the very nice varied eggs and flock I wanted I have two Austra-whites who are loud and spunky! They have very different markings, so they are easily told apart. There is such a learning curve to this whole thing. I am amazed how often I am searching this forum for help, and can usually find it. The in laws are visiting next week and I am hoping they will help the husband come around to some chicken math so I can get another EE or maybe a Welsummer for that variety

It would only be ONE extra, unless I can get my hands on a pullet silkie haha. And our neighbors are pretty relaxed so I doubt we would be tattled on, and our property has some pretty intense privacy bushes so they would be hard pressed to count the chickens..

As of now, the big four are Pepper the SLW, Peaches the Amberlink, Cinnamon the Buff Orpington, and Licorice an EE (we joke she is part hawk, she is all red and grey and looks wild). Pepper is my favorite, always wanting attention and likes to try to get on my shoulder any time she thinks she can. I have had a few good scares from her launching for my face so far. Peaches and Cinnamon are so easily picked up I worry about them if a predator situation ever does arise, but they are nice, quiet and calm. Licorice is the bird that can not be tamed. Her personality is matching her wild looking feathering.

Faraday: I was telling my husband about the quails, and he wants to know why keep them? He likes them and thinks they are cute so he wants to know if they have benefits beyond cuteness.

 

[Faraday40]

Faraday: I was telling my husband about the quails, and he wants to know why keep them? He likes them and thinks they are cute so he wants to know if they have benefits beyond cuteness.

Sounds like chicken math has struck your house. It's terribly hard to fight it. LOL

Female Quail lay almost an egg a day- starting at only 6.5-7.5 weeks old! The male can be eaten at that age, so it's not like you have to spend a lot of time growing them out. I have to add that the meat tastes amazing. I can't say anyone enjoys processing their birds, but I did my best not to get attached. Emotionally it was difficult, but physically it was easy enough for me to do by myself. That's a good thing b/c DH can't help help with such things.

They are similar but also very diff than chickens. I enjoy all the cute little speckled eggs, which can add up very fast. I've been finding all sorts of fun uses for them. ( Hard boiled kid snacks, garnish for fancy salads, appetizers, a tiny bit of egg wash when baking breads, and great for changing serving size in recipes. (You know when you need 1/2 an egg....) Incubation & grow out time is very short. They double in size in their 1st week alone and are just about adult size by 4 wks. They are so quiet & take up very little space, so no one knows you even have them. Then there's the cute factor.

Cons: They are tiny, can crawl into small gaps, and I worry I'm going to accidentally throw one out when I clean the brooder. They require a higher protein %, so we have to purchase an extra type of feed. They are seasonal layers - unless you give them supplemental light. They are not as social & loving as chickens. (My chickens come running up to me as soon as they spot me, follow me around the yard, & constantly chatter away as I do my chores. They will fight over who gets to sit in my lap & enjoy snuggles.) The quail are OK and can be handled, the male will even hop into my hand when called, but it's not the same. They are more cats when compared to an in-your-face, loyal dog.