MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

She probably had a very ugly chick-hood. Respect you are such a loving and caring person.

Thanks!

I'm grateful to you for bringing up this topic because it gave me the idea that it might be good for Peggy to live with a cockerel for a while. It might change her mind about who she is.

 

[MaryJanet]

@Shadrach If you don't mind, I have a question about cockerels. Do they crow before they start mating or is it roughly at the same time (this is what I imagine) or do they start mating before they start crowing?

 

[Shadrach]

@Shadrach If you don't mind, I have a question about cockerels. Do they crow before they start mating or is it roughly at the same time (this is what I imagine) or do they start mating before they start crowing?

Crow before taking an active interest in mating in my experience. Biologically I believe it all comes roughly at the same time, at least the interest does. With multi generational groups it may not seem at all clear cut because a junior rooster may be discouraged from crowing near the group by a senior rooster. The juniors may do all the I've found food body language but not crow or call because it attracts the seniors attention. Senior roosters seem to vary in their tolerance of mating behaviour from juniors. Henry for example isn't overly bothered until a junior makes a grab for his current favourites. Major on the other hand would rush the juniors if they crowed around him.

 

[MaryJanet]

Crow before taking an active interest in mating in my experience. Biologically I believe it all comes roughly at the same time, at least the interest does. With multi generational groups it may not seem at all clear cut because a junior rooster may be discouraged from crowing near the group by a senior rooster. The juniors may do all the I've found food body language but not crow or call because it attracts the seniors attention. Senior roosters seem to very in their tolerance of mating behaviour from juniors. Henry for example isn't overly bothered until a junior makes a grab for his current favourites. Major on the other hand would rush the juniors if they crowed around him.

Thanks so much.I appreciate the detail.

 

[MaryJanet]

@RoyalChick I thought you'd appreciate this teapot

 

[BY Bob]

She probably feels safer in the nestbox. Relocating broodies is often a no go.
If Mary doesn’t accept the new location I would put the sand, bedding and eggs in the nestbox again after you added the plywood on top of the original bottom.

I agree with this. I could not move Sydney. She would have none of it.

 

[BY Bob]

I used to move broody hens from the nest box in my house to a matenity coop with a small enclosed run on a regular basis. I also moved hens from outside nests to more secure nests in coops.
Moving hens from outside nests worked best if done at night. The advantage is they are locked in for some hours and most settle on their eggs eventually. Occaasionaly a hen would return to her original nest site the next day, but most took to the new site without problems.
Moving from my hoouse nest site during the day did pose some problems with the hen returning to the house nest box and just sitting in an empty nest. Sometimes it took a few goes of picking the hen up and dumping her back in the new nest site. I think I spent a morning doing this with a couple of broodies before they settled. I've had a couple that just abandoned the eggs and wold not accept the new site but this was rare.
Moving at the begining of a sit.
I tried to wait for three days. This period is where the egg turning is critical for preventing the embryo from sticking to the inside of the shell. Most moves after three days wait were successful.
Moving on day 17 to a site where the hatchlings would have access to natural ground from day one was never a problem.
Moving on the day the hen showed she had finished hatching was never a problem either.

The opposite of my experience but you have moved many more than I have.

 

[BY Bob]

Unboxing the eggs was a delight!

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@Perris you were asking about the colour of the Welsummer eggs. These seem quite dark to me. If a pullet hatches and goes on to lay eggs this colour, I'll be able to tell them apart from Katie's and she's the only other layer of dark brown eggs. And the choc orpington eggs are tiny!

Wonderful.

 

[BY Bob]

One minute...

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Next minute...

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So, that's the Orpington eggs underway!

 

[BY Bob]

Maybe Mary will become more assertive if she has chicks to defend.

Hopefully she does not need to be.