May hatch-a-long

[KateGoad]

Mine have mostly been named after book characters, tv characters, or historical figures.

Mine are a variety of puns, references, or inside jokes.

Older girls:
Noah, Aracauna Roo (inside joke)
Susan Dey, Partridge Rock
Senorita Dottie, Colombian Wyandotte
Buffy the Wormslayer, Buff Orpington
Violet, Aracauna (my husband named her)

Big chicks (not sexed yet):
Martha Washington, Americauna
Betsy Ross, Americauna
Kaley, Cuckoo Maran (Kaley Cuoco)
Chanel, Cuckoo Maran (Coco Chanel)
Indigo, Rainbow

Hatchlings (not sexed yet)
Meggan (styled mEGGan)
Petrie (named by my coworker for Land Before Time dino)
Moe (not sure where this came from)
Four unnamed chickens.

 

[chickenmama109]

My 11 feed store chicks (6 wks old) that just went out to the chicken run have a small coop with roosts and an open ladder to the coop. They use the ladder as roosts during the day but still huddle in a pile at night


Most of my fed store chicks did not learn to roost until nearly laying. Though most could and would get up on the roosts during the day I feel before maturity they are tolerated in the flock but not considered full members (ie not allowed to roost with the big girls). My chicks have a roosting bar in thier brooder but only use it occasionally usually to nap during the day once they get a few wks old. I think chicks also tend to roost less in general at night becuase they need to retain their heat more which is better accomplished by a flat floor or corner

thanks for the info i was wondering about something my three chicks sleep outside but they sleep in a tote on the floor while the big chickens roost the chicks have been sleeping outside for almost two weeks when do i take the tote away so they will learn to rooster they are almost 13 weeks old

 

[sawilliams]

Omg I just did a total chicken head count. Not the currents but in all. Our first hen was back in 2015. I have owned or cared for a total of 43 chickens in that time. That a lot of dang chickens. At current there are 34 total including the 7 new chicks. 3 have been rehomed in the past 5 hens lost to illness and 1 feed store chick.

I think I'm going to have to cut myself off after this second hatch for a little while...

 

[sawilliams]

thanks for the info i was wondering about something my three chicks sleep outside but they sleep in a tote on the floor while the big chickens roost the chicks have been sleeping outside for almost two weeks when do i take the tote away so they will learn to rooster they are almost 13 weeks old

Its the coop big enough?

Personally I would probably just leave they for now. But you could do it either way. Either remove the bin completely and hopefully they will move into the coop though pullets tend to go for the nests or the floor. Out leave the bin for now as a common area but at night's pick up and place the pullets on the roosts. Don't expect them to stay on the roosts yet they will likely get down and find the floor or a nest but if there is enough room they will stay staying the the roosts. If you have one start laying for more then a week and they still aren't roosting you likely don't have enough roosting space despite the fact that visually there should be more then enough room

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I forgot to collect eggs yesterday. Apparently that plus spring weather is all the encouragement needed for this Splash Marans hen to possibly go broody. She popped out when I tossed some scratch grain then went right back on the eggs. I might have two May hatches!



False alarm on the Marans. She was just laying an egg But I'm pretty sure this Bantam Cochin means business! She's got that I-eat-egg-thieves-for- breakfast vibe going. Puffed up and growling. She only had 1 egg under her so I set a couple more beside her. Looks like she's adopted them.

 

[chickenmama109]

I forgot to collect eggs yesterday. Apparently that plus spring weather is all the encouragement needed for this Splash Marans hen to possibly go broody. She popped out when I tossed some scratch grain then went right back on the eggs. I might have two May hatches!

View attachment 1356814 View attachment 1356815

False alarm on the Marans. She was just laying an egg But I'm pretty sure this Bantam Cochin means business! She's got that I-eat-egg-thieves-for- breakfast vibe going. Puffed up and growling. She only had 1 egg under her so I set a couple more beside her. Looks like she's adopted them.

View attachment 1356917

im hoping my silkie chick that i have is a girl i want a broody hen so much but my d,uccle keeps going brooding and then breaking every time ive had an rir go broody once but that same night a dog got her i know there is no way to make a hen broody but is there any ways to help her want to go broody

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

im hoping my silkie chick that i have is a girl i want a broody hen so much but my d,uccle keeps going brooding and then breaking every time ive had an rir go broody once but that same night a dog got her i know there is no way to make a hen broody but is there any ways to help her want to go broody

We lost our broody too She was a special hen and is still missed. Her loss is what started me incubating.

Back to your question. I've read the best way is to choose from a broody breed (which silkies definitely are) or chicks from broody hen (predisposed to go broody). I've also read that leaving eggs in the nest will trigger a broody hen. Something about the pressure on her chest will release hormones and encourage broodiness.

I went the broody breed and naturally hatched chick route. I've got Marans and Bantam Cochins. Plus 2 Silkie/EE crosses that came from a broody hen. All these birds are still pretty young but I'm hopeful.

 

[sawilliams]

im hoping my silkie chick that i have is a girl i want a broody hen so much but my d,uccle keeps going brooding and then breaking every time ive had an rir go broody once but that same night a dog got her i know there is no way to make a hen broody but is there any ways to help her want to go broody

Fake eggs and time. You could put 1-2 fake eggs in every day till you get close to the number you want a hen to sit on. Some people say hens don't count but i think they have an idea of how many they want to sit on. Unfortunatly, I've never had a hen go broody in purpose is usually went i least want then to and then i have to break them. This is the first year i can let them sit if I chose too. By this time next year i should have at least a few in the feed store chicks willing to go broody

 

[KathryninQuebec]

OK, I just looked at my calendar and realized I'm at day 15!
It's candling day and i'm happy to report that the side saddle egg has corrected it'self. The scotch tape baby is alive and kickin as are all the other remaining eggs.

Captains Log: Day 15
17 shipped Canadian Bresse Eggs viable
11 home grown Bantam Wyandotte GL Eggs viable
Total 28 eggs still in the running

Well we are in the final countdown here. I did my final candle tonight. 2 of the Bresse (one of them being the scotch tape baby) seem to have died in late development . I just took them out of their cradles and laid them on the floor of the incubator. I also raised the humidity to 70%. Here is hoping for at least a 50% hatch for the shipped Bresse.

Captains Log: Day 18
15 shipped Canadian Bresse Eggs viable (1 of those eh?)
11 home grown Bantam Wyandotte GL Eggs still viable
Total 26 eggs still in the running and in lockdown

 

[aliciaplus3]

NOT GOOD....Has anyone here done safety holes on their eggs???

Happy everything is going well with you. Don't forget to update us.

I tend to do safety holes when I know they have been internally piped for a while and I am concerned about them running out of oxygen(up here at 6000 feet above sea level oxygen is already scarce)