Michigan Hatchers! What'cha got cookin?

[LisaLouHoo]

Quick question,
I just purchased some guineas from Townline. We counted them, and all seemed fine, but one was walking around in circles.
We found it strange, but not any other signs of illness or injury.
Now we have figured out the problem, its blind! We purchased it to eat ticks, but if its blind, it serves no purpose.
What should I do?

I know what the humane thing to do would be. Sorry, but the poor thing would probably end up being a predator's meal and why give them the taste?

 

[gladahmae]

Well we are "downsizing" our flock so we don't have soooo many birds to feed in the white months. This of course means I have 16 isa Browns from tractor supply growing out in one coop and 2 dozen eggs in the incubator. And that's on top of the 30ish birds we already have.....oops!

 

[iamfivewire]

this is what we got from our hatch under a couple broodie hens (2 EEs & 3 Iowa Blues):

 

[RTFchickens]

iamfivewire,
Cute chicks!

 

[RTFchickens]

We had a hen escape her run every day for almost a month, then one night when we locked everyone up, she was missing. After being gone nearly a month, and no sign of her, we figured a predator got her.

Friday my husband called me to tell me that he found her. I asked how much of her was left?
He said "all of her and then some"
She had 14 chicks with her!!! He told me that he had found her nest, and there were many unhatched eggs still in it.
Being curious, I checked it out, and found a newly hatched chick clinging on to life. It was wet and cold, and abandoned.
Today she is warm, fluffy, eating and drinking.
Coolest thing I've seen yet from my chickens!!!

 

[LisaLouHoo]

We had a hen escape her run every day for almost a month, then one night when we locked everyone up, she was missing. After being gone nearly a month, and no sign of her, we figured a predator got her.

Friday my husband called me to tell me that he found her. I asked how much of her was left?
He said "all of her and then some"
She had 14 chicks with her!!! He told me that he had found her nest, and there were many unhatched eggs still in it.
Being curious, I checked it out, and found a newly hatched chick clinging on to life. It was wet and cold, and abandoned.
Today she is warm, fluffy, eating and drinking.
Coolest thing I've seen yet from my chickens!!!

Love that story! That's a big brood, too. I have 3 mamas with chicks right now and only 7, 7, and 4 each.

 

[gladahmae]

I have 2 hens doing really good impressions of broody behavior right now. One is proven....she hatched around 10 out for me last year. Tomorrow is lockdown and I have a staggered hatch going on so I'm quite tempted to shove eggs under them. Decisions decisions.

 

[RTFchickens]

I still cannot believe my broody hatched 14! If you are considering giving your broody some incubator eggs, I would do it... My broody is raising 16 chicks at the moment. 14 of hers, and 2 adopted chicks...

 

[LisaLouHoo]

I have 2 hens doing really good impressions of broody behavior right now. One is proven....she hatched around 10 out for me last year. Tomorrow is lockdown and I have a staggered hatch going on so I'm quite tempted to shove eggs under them. Decisions decisions.

Do it. Makes sense to me to put them under her if you have a staggered hatch going in your bator. I have two broodies with chicks right now and one was proven and not the other. Both are doing great!

I still cannot believe my broody hatched 14! If you are considering giving your broody some incubator eggs, I would do it... My broody is raising 16 chicks at the moment. 14 of hers, and 2 adopted chicks...

That mama is amazing. Both my broodies only have 7 chicks each and that seems like plenty. Good for her!!

 

[RTFchickens]

Personally, I would have NEVER given my broody so many eggs!!!
She did this all on her own, lol