Just joined

[izzie]

Hi
As a newbie I'd like to share my first success
I had broody so took 4 eggs about 6 days old kept in the kitchen put them under her didn't know if I would b successful day 20 first chick 21 2 more 23 unfertilised egg mum and chicks healthy and happy

However I had another hen who I thought had escaped found her 4 days later tucked away under a nesting box how she got under I don't know had to take thing down retrieved her and 8 eggs!!! So put her on her own safely with eggs but she did leave eggs 5 hours but put her back where's she's stayed fingers crossed I might b successful again day 20 today

 

[gander007]

Alright

great to have you joining the BYC flock

BYC has a very useful learning center

Sounds like you are doing well with your broody's

My worst offender of being broody


Her early July hatch ...





Here she is checking on some new chicks to steel ...





Her first flock ..






Now her second hatch for the year Sep 2014 ..





Funny she is only 35 weeks old now ....







Good luck with your poultry ventures .....
















gander007

 

[izzie]

Wow she's done u proud I am besotted with my chicks just hoping my second broody can hatch but I am concerned she left them and not sure if they were even fertile although she was with bongo our cockrel .. Named by my granddaughter time will tell .. Nice to meet u

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. Congratulations! It's always exciting to get a hatch. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your next hatch.

 

[izzie]

Thankyou

 

[theoldchick]

Congratulations on your new flock!

 

[Michael OShay]

Thankyou

You're welcome.

 

[basit778]

Just joined

 

[basit778]

Can u tell me when my pulets will start laying eggs

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us! Both of you

@izzie Congrats on the hatch! Fingers crossed the next one will be successful too. I have a broody momma running around the garden with her brood at the moment and another hen just went broody yesterday. She will get some eggs to hatch soon. Broody hatches are the best!

@basit778 A good sign of a pullet approaching lay is the colour of her comb. If her comb turns a bright red colour she's ready. The reason for the colour change is to show the rooster that she is ready to start laying fertile eggs. Her pelvis will be wider and if you look at her vent it will be moist and pink. Often pullets would also squat when you approach them, or stroke them, as they would for a cockerel, to allow him to mate with them. When approaching POL my pullets start showing signs of anxiety and a lot of interest in the nest boxes, especially when a more experienced hen is in there, laying.

There is also a simple test you can do to check if your hen is laying/ready. Hold the hen firmly and turn her on her back. Put your fingers on her breast bone and work your way down to her vent area. You should feel 2 bones sticking up. These are her pelvic bones. If you can fit only 1 finger upright between her pelvic bones she's still roughly 4 weeks off laying, 1 and 1/2 fingers means she's a little closer, 2/3 weeks and 2 or more fingers means she's either close to or laying already.