Maine

[dragonmomma]

So crazy weather yesterday power went out and it was move my 3 week silkies from the brooder room down into my pantry near the wood stove but of course my st bernard was very interested in them! thankfully we have one of those super duper baby gates to keep her out of there anyway so all she could do was stare through at the box! in the same room I had a diy incubator with 5 eggs due to hatch this week. So I brought it downstairs near the stove couldn't put jar of hot water in it my hubby gives me the eyeball if I save sauce jars. But the eggs started getting cooler so I stuck them all in the pocket of a sweat shirt hanging near the stove they warned back up good I can still see movement in 3 and still see blood vessels in all 5 so fingers crossed they make it! Tropical storm force winds are not good for brooding babies! My 5 weeks old babies in the barn did fine they have been out in the big brooder for almost 2 weeks now the wind did scare them though welcome to maine weather babies lol.

 

[dowgirl71]

All those eggs make me think broody hen... Does anyone here have experience with silkies and the age the first time they go broody? I'm just wondering how long I have before I need to be ready for that wonderful experience.

I have a Silkie who will be a year old in May & she's gone broody three times already. The first time was October (at about 5 months) but I was able to break her. The second time was November & I wasn't able to break her, so I bought some fertile eggs, just to give her something to do. I set her up in our basement in a rabbit cage and took her off the nest & outside, daily. On January 2nd, she hatched out two sweet little white Silkies. After that, I was hooked & excited for her to go broody again! Mid February, she went broody for the 3rd time, I got more eggs & she hatched out 2 more on March 15th. This Silkie I bought from a local person but also have another one that came from a hatchery. I've heard that the Silkies that come from a hatchery are less apt to go broody and my experience supports this. My other Silkie has shown no interest in being a mom.

 

[CoopChick719]

SCG, I'm the one with the BA cross eggs. If your friend changes her mind, just let me know.

I still have rats. The only thing I've caught in the snap traps was a squirrel which I had to shoot because the trap maimed it. Very disappointed with the Rat Zapper. It kept getting dirt in the bottom which would trip the trap. The rats were kicking dirt into the plastic container i put it in to keep the dirt out! Sneaky little $@$#&'s.

I lost 1 of my very first girls, a little Sizzle named Janice, a couple weeks ago to a fox. Was letting them range on a Sunday, went out to lock up and she was gone. No feathers, nothing! She rarely left the backyard while the others would go 3 yards up. The fox came back the next morning. I saw it's head, thought it was one of my dogs so I called for it to come. It turned tail and was gone into the woods. I caught it on the game cam a few times along with a couple of raccoons always after dark or very early morning. So we've some supervised ranging & some lockdown days.

 

[dragonmomma]

I only let mine out of their enclosed ring when I am going to be home I know there coyote here one got stomped by my neighbors cattle a few weeks ago! I know we have skunks. birds of prey for sure there a huge best near at the top of a tree in a swampy area down the road about 2 miles. A Large brook borders an adjacent field so far no losses. My ladies will be a year in May. Fingers crossed so far voles and move but no rats.

 

[diana507]

Yesterday the other girls decided to keep pecking in the cage when she'd come to the side and grabbing her comb where it was still kind of bloody. Had to put the stop bleed stuff on her cause it wouldn't stop on its own. And put cardboard on the side of her crate that they could reach her on. The other side has the feeder with oyster shell in it. So they can see her but not reach her. Today she looked great with no bleeding and waited for the husband to get home so we could monitor them with her when we let her out. So he got home, I was all excited to let her out with the other 9 and now somehow the back of her comb is bleeding! She didnt even make it out. Only guess is she caught it on something, no idea.Guess her going back out tonight is out of the question.....

 

[diana507]

So she's staying in the cage for the night. Put some more on her and she shakes her head and makes it bleed. Looks like a pin hole in the back point of her comb.

 

[MainerChick]

Wow thats an impressively fast broody streak! Mine are hatchery birds, so I won't expect such a fast attitude shift. Fingers crossed though that it will happen before the year mark.

 

[dodochick92]

my white leghorn hen I think is going broody. They all lay at about 9am and then my RIR and golden comet will come out but she stays in the nesting box almost all day. I have to push her off to get the eggs which leads to some disgruntled clucks and a peck her and there

 

[anyasmifya]

Hey LazyGardener,

The chickens I bought from you last summer are the best! I got 3 black ones and two goldenish ones. Two girls are laying blue eggs, one a green and two brown. They survived the winter impeccably, no frost bite whatsoever. They did lay through the winter not much but enough for me to get by without having to buy eggs. They also have great personalities, very friendly, no mean girl syndrome, no apparent pecking order. Everyone's feathers are beautiful, except for my old polish rooster, I guess he's the low one on the totem pole. And most importantly no health issues! Thank you so much for the wonderful birdies!

 

[justinelee]

Do you think it's a weasel?

Looks like a weasel print to me we lost two hens this winter to one I was not happy