Natural breeding thread

[Perris]

Suppose Janeka or another hen goes off to breed in the wild, what will you do?

I will let them do their natural thing, again. I try to be their facilitator and supporter, not their protector-cum-jailer-for-their-own-good.

Thanks for your consolations; I will pass them on to Janeka next time she comes past

 

[fluffycrow]

I will let them do their natural thing, again. I try to be their facilitator and supporter, not their protector-cum-jailer-for-their-own-good.

I expected a similar answer, and am very happy to read. This approach to chicken tending is quite refreshing.

Very sorry to both Janeka and you for the loss of this nest . It seems my guess was way off. If I’m not mistaken (and please correct me if I am), this is the second hidden nest that has been predated. In this rather sad update, it’s comforting to know that your chickens are both smart enough and agile enough to escape said predator attack untouched. Especially Janeka, who is 6; I’m not sure a six year old here would be just as quick.

The chickens are instinctively driven to make hidden nests, so this might not be the last attempt at a wild nest (as you could probably guess). Probably not from Janeka, though

 

[Perris]

I expect a similar answer, and am very happy to read. This approach to chicken tending is quite refreshing.

Very sorry to both Janeka and you for the loss of this nest . It seems my guess was way off. If I’m not mistaken (and please correct me if I am), this is the second hidden nest that has been predated. In this rather sad update, it’s comforting to know that your chickens are both smart enough and agile enough to escape said predator attack untouched. Especially Janeka, who is 6; I’m not sure a six year old here would be just as quick.

The chickens are instinctively driven to make hidden nests, so this might not be the last attempt at a wild nest (as you could probably guess). Probably not from Janeka, though

You understand and remember well; yes, this is her second secret nest predated, and Janeka isn't the sharpest tool in the box

Her escape may have been aided by the weather - it was really quite wild last night, with a blustery storm and heavy rain creating lots of noise everywhere in the undergrowth as well as the canopy.

Rhondda has laid in the coops since her secret nest was predated last year, so there is hope for the smarter members of the flock

 

[fluffycrow]

You understand and remember well; yes, this is her second secret nest predated, and Janeka isn't the sharpest tool in the box

Her escape may have been aided by the weather - it was really quite wild last night, with a blustery storm and heavy rain creating lots of noise everywhere in the undergrowth as well as the canopy.

Rhondda has laid in the coops since her secret nest was predated last year, so there is hope for the smarter members of the flock

Interesting, thank you for that perspective. If faced with the same scenario, I would have imagined the added noise (combined with limited visibility) to aid the predator, rather than the prey.

Would not have considered the fact that the added noise would not only help confuse the predator, but also help conceal Janeka both before and after her escape. Not to mention the added difficulty of sniffing out prey during a storm, when scents get carried very differently.

I guess Janeka still has agility and great instincts going for her . Hopefully those two are good enough to keep her out of trouble; her age suggests that they might be

 

[fluffycrow]

Habemus broody!

Or I should say, broodies. Cruella and one of her daughters are co-brooding right now as well.

She’s a Galadriel daughter. This might sound stupid/weird, but I had a feeling she would go broody at some point from the time she was a 10 week old pullet. Her feather condition is pretty terrible (she’s by far the worst in the group) but hopefully that won’t hinder her ability to brood.

The plan is 15 eggs; 10 brooded by her, 5 given to the more experienced bantams as backup. Since the bantams don’t range, they will keep 1 or 2 chicks. Please give advice, if you have any. Hope this goes well for this hen. She’s over a year old, so she wouldn’t be a very immature broody, like her mother last year

 

[Perris]

you must be delighted

Sorry to rain on your parade, but personally I would set fewer under her. 10 is a lot to cover and manage well (turning each one every 15 minutes e.g.), and if they all hatch, 10 chicks is even harder to manage well. And she's a novice. So I urge restraint, despite the temptation to seize the opportunity, because what matters for the preservation of a breed is how many make it to breeding maturity, not how many are set or how many hatch.

Good luck!

 

[fluffycrow]

you must be delighted

Sorry to rain on your parade, but personally I would set fewer under her. 10 is a lot to cover and manage well (turning each one every 15 minutes e.g.), and if they all hatch, 10 chicks is even harder to manage well. And she's a novice. So I urge restraint, despite the temptation to seize the opportunity, because what matters for the preservation of a breed is how many make it to breeding maturity, not how many are set or how many hatch.

Good luck!

I am, and am hoping she does well; so far, so good. All the Galadriel daughters have assumed excellent spots in the hierarchy, and it seems like she’s high enough that she has managed to get all the other hens to switch sites. After last year’s situation though, I’ll still block her nest off during hatching time.

I had similar worries, but decided that she will probably be able to handle them. Thank you. Do 7 eggs sound better? You’re right about preservation. She needs to be able to handle them, only then will she be successful.
Should I still consider giving some to the bantams, say, 3? There might not be much of a point, I just really trust Cruella with the brooding process

 

[Perris]

I am, and am hoping she does well; so far, so good. All the Galadriel daughters have assumed excellent spots in the hierarchy, and it seems like she’s high enough that she has managed to get all the other hens to switch sites. After last year’s situation though, I’ll still block her nest off during hatching time.

I had similar worries, but decided that she will probably be able to handle them. Thank you. Do 7 eggs sound better? You’re right about preservation. She needs to be able to handle them, only then will she be successful.
Should I still consider giving some to the bantams, say, 3? There might not be much of a point, I just really trust Cruella with the brooding process

I'd def give some to the bantams, as many as you think they can manage. You are lucky that you can set more eggs under more broodies. As for Habemus, only you can judge really, as only you know her size and how many she can cover properly, to be in contact with her brood patch. I'd make that my max.

It's tempting to think that the more set, the higher the chance of some making it, and that may work for, say, turtles, but I don't think that applies to chickens. A broody is going to invest a significant portion of her year (and therefore her life) in the sitting and raising of her chicks. So she's at the 'have few and invest a lot in them' end of the reproduction strategy spectrum, rather than the 'have lots and hope for the best' end. Fwiw, my most successful broodies have been set on 6 or 7.

 

[fluffycrow]

I'd def give some to the bantams, as many as you think they can manage. You are lucky that you can set more eggs under more broodies. As for Habemus, only you can judge really, as only you know her size and how many she can cover properly, to be in contact with her brood patch. I'd make that my max.

It's tempting to think that the more set, the higher the chance of some making it, and that may work for, say, turtles, but I don't think that applies to chickens. A broody is going to invest a significant portion of her year (and therefore her life) in the sitting and raising of her chicks. So she's at the 'have few and invest a lot in them' end of the reproduction strategy spectrum, rather than the 'have lots and hope for the best' end. Fwiw, my most successful broodies have been set on 6 or 7.

Great! I know Cruella can handle quite a few; her first successful go, she covered 5 with ease. I don’t think I’ll be giving them this many this time round, though. The Galadriel daughters can probably hold more than ten; she’s quite big, even though her feathers are betraying her right now. So 7 for her.

I hadn’t really thought about it like that, and you’re right. They do invest heavily, their whole group contributes to raising them into well-rounded members.

Apologies for the confusion, I meant habemus as the Latin verb (and more as a joke). The hen doesn’t have a name yet, although if she does we’ll, I think she will more than deserve it

 

[fluffycrow]

This is not an update I wanted to make, nor an update I ever excepted to. Moments ago I found Cruella dead in the nest. After removing her, I found almost all the eggs broken, their insides having created a pool. Two tiny embryos as well. I can’t wrap my mind around what could have happened. Cruella’s face was in that pool. I can’t imagine why, or how, but is it possible she could have suffocated?

This morning Ursula and Ocean committed to brooding as well. That made 4 broodies, which were quite close to eachother in a huge nest

. This is the last photo I took of Cruella, taken when I last visited them. Is it possible that Ocean was putting so much pressure on Cruella, she couldn’t breathe? I can’t imagine being sickness-related. If it’s the former, then it’s more so my fault. At least then, I know I could have done something to keep her alive, reacting sooner and removing some of the broodies the moment I saw them.

Words can’t describe how this is. She was my favourite hen, ever. She was the first broody here. She has raised more chicks than all other hens combined. Almost all of the bantam group is related to her in one way or another. It feels so wrong that she died like that