MJ's little flock

[Shadrach]

This Notch, son of Dink, grandson of Cheepy. Notch was so aggressive towards other males and humans he knocked his spurs off. We came to an arrangement.

This is Myth, daughter of Mini Minx. She's a baby killer.

 

[Ribh]

@Shadrach : I'm feeling with you on Donk, just now. These camouflage experts!

 

[Shadrach]

That is an excellent idea. I never thought of using a blow torch. I would never consider using a torch near straw, burning down the coop and all. If I'm cleaning it and there is no straw in it.........Hmmm. do you do the whole coop or just the roosts, etc?

Everything comes out of the coops here Bob. Because I build with ply sheets and the coops are small compared to many I'm left with a few seams in the coop to do. You can see on my coop page.
The nest boxes and perches can be done outside.
So, I do the joints, sometimes the floor if there has been blood or lash egg etc, but mostly if there is a Scaly Leg Mite problem. I haven't burnt one down yet.

 

[Shadrach]

@Shadrach : I'm feeling with you on Donk, just now. These camouflage experts!

It's quite frightening when I have to look for them. I've stepped on a nest before and didn't even notice the hen.
I can tell with most of the hens a couple of days before they decide to sit. Sometimes I can follow them to their nest then. Other times I have to wait for the hen to leave the nest to feed, bath etc. They tend to make quite a lot of noise when they meet other chickens. That constant clucking usually lets me know there is a broody hen around somewhere.
I also have a theory (I'm writing a paper on it) that hens know they are going to sit when they are laying the eggs. I get hens here that lay eggs in the coops for a bit then one day you can't find their egg from then on. I know pretty much which hen lays which egg, they are all different.
What I've found is when they change egg laying location, if you let them be, they will sit on those eggs eventually.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying this is a fact, it's just something else a Finnish chicken keeper and I are working on.
The paper is not going to be well received by much of the chicken world if it gets published, because it implies that a hen may plan her clutch when she lays that first egg. It also implies that the hen makes a risk assessment of her laying site with regard to sitting and hatching.
The 'oh for *** sake it's just a chicken', do not like any higher level of intelligence attributed to a chicken!

 

[Ribh]

It's quite frightening when I have to look for them. I've stepped on a nest before and didn't even notice the hen.
I can tell with most of the hens a couple of days before they decide to sit. Sometimes I can follow them to their nest then. Other times I have to wait for the hen to leave the nest to feed, bath etc. They tend to make quite a lot of noise when they meet other chickens. That constant clucking usually lets me know there is a broody hen around somewhere.
I also have a theory (I'm writing a paper on it) that hens know they are going to sit when they are laying the eggs. I get hens here that lay eggs in the coops for a bit then one day you can't find their egg from then on. I know pretty much which hen lays which egg, they are all different.
What I've found is when they change egg laying location, if you let them be, they will sit on those eggs eventually.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying this is a fact, it's just something else a Finnish chicken keeper and I are working on.
The paper is not going to be well received by much of the chicken world if it gets published, because it implies that a hen may plan her clutch when she lays that first egg. It also implies that the hen makes a risk assessment of her laying site with regard to sitting and hatching.
The 'oh for *** sake it's just a chicken', do not like any higher level of intelligence attributed to a chicken!

My most persistent Barred Rock fusses round with a constant peeping & fluffing before & during her broody phrase. Her sister is not quite so noisy. Ha'penny gave no sign I noticed until she disappeared & sat! How serious she was about it all I'm not sure as she didn't seem upset @ being shuffled unceremoniously back into the run & she didn't try to get back to the nest. When she is noisy is just before laying usually. When she & her sister first came on the lay they used to run round dementedly screeching before dropping eggs randomly. They still tend to be vocal before heading into a nesting box. And they do still occasionally lay random eggs in the pen & run.

 

[Ribh]

It also implies that the hen makes a risk assessment of her laying site with regard to sitting and hatching.

I don't have a lot of experience but the broody the man lost had a brilliant nest. She had made a small burrow deep into long grass & the whole nest was completely hidden even though it was actually out in the open. Ha'penny has tried twice. Her first attempt was a shallow nest @ the back corner of the coop ~ out of the way but not terribly well hidden. Yesterday...!!!! Half under a log, with a beautiful damp depression lined with leaves & really, really hard to spot. I hate to think where she'll try next. She's a clever little hen & learning fast!

 

[Shadrach]

I don't have a lot of experience but the broody the man lost had a brilliant nest. She had made a small burrow deep into long grass & the whole nest was completely hidden even though it was actually out in the open. Ha'penny has tried twice. Her first attempt was a shallow nest @ the back corner of the coop ~ out of the way but not terribly well hidden. Yesterday...!!!! Half under a log, with a beautiful damp depression lined with leaves & really, really hard to spot. I hate to think where she'll try next. She's a clever little hen & learning fast!

The really annoying thing is the nests they make outside are so much better than what we provide for them generally in all but one respect and that is safety.
I have had hens sit and hatch in outside nest; it's nerve wracking. But, they get good hatch rates. What would happen if I didn't help the hen feed them doesn't bear thinking about. I think the loss rate would be very high.
Your run is interesting enough to encourage hens to lay outside imo. It really is a very good run. It's a bit of a shame in a way you don't have a rooster. I would risk an outside sit and hatch assuming the run is secure enough. A couple of the men from the chicken club let their hens sit and hatch outside. They do have very secure outer perimeter fencing though, one to keep their dogs in and two to keep other stuff out.

 

[Ribh]

The really annoying thing is the nests they make outside are so much better than what we provide for them generally in all but one respect and that is safety.
I have had hens sit and hatch in outside nest; it's nerve wracking. But, they get good hatch rates. What would happen if I didn't help the hen feed them doesn't bear thinking about. I think the loss rate would be very high.
Your run is interesting enough to encourage hens to lay outside imo. It really is a very good run. It's a bit of a shame in a way you don't have a rooster. I would risk an outside sit and hatch assuming the run is secure enough. A couple of the men from the chicken club let their hens sit and hatch outside. They do have very secure outer perimeter fencing though, one to keep their dogs in and two to keep other stuff out.

That is very flattering, Shad. I did a lot of reading before putting the run together & though I have limited space & would like some outside roosts, we will be extending it a little as soon as I can nab a lad long enough to get some work out of him. Unfortunately Ha'penny wasn't in either the run or the coop but the yard proper, which is unfenced & really, really insecure!. While we don't have a lot of predators we do have raptors, monitors & snakes ~ all of which have free access to our yard ~ to say nothing of roaming dogs!

 

[LozzyR]

The really annoying thing is the nests they make outside are so much better than what we provide for them generally in all but one respect and that is safety.
I have had hens sit and hatch in outside nest; it's nerve wracking. But, they get good hatch rates. What would happen if I didn't help the hen feed them doesn't bear thinking about. I think the loss rate would be very high.
Your run is interesting enough to encourage hens to lay outside imo. It really is a very good run. It's a bit of a shame in a way you don't have a rooster. I would risk an outside sit and hatch assuming the run is secure enough. A couple of the men from the chicken club let their hens sit and hatch outside. They do have very secure outer perimeter fencing though, one to keep their dogs in and two to keep other stuff out.

I’m impressed with Charlie’s garden nest, I walked right passed her when I was looking for her! She still uses it if the girls are free-ranging and she needs to lay.

 

[Shadrach]

It's pretty incredible what we don't see.