NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

Big doings in the coop. When I went out to the coop everyone came pouring out to sample the wheat sprouts, eggcept Fawn who was occupied in a nest box. But wait, she is in there head first. She was having a fresh egg for breakfast. She had her head in a broken open and mostly empty egg, and there was egg on her beak. I plucked her up and carried her into the basement protesting her innocence the whole way. She is in solitary, but I imagine she'll come up with some cockamamie excuse for her actions.

I suppose it's to late to put some wooden eggs in the nest boxes. I don't think chickens are as stupid as they'd have us believe. A few pecks on the wooden egg and they might get the idea ALL eggs are to hard to crack open.

I won't say I've never had eggs eaten but not to often. The last time was when a broody had eggs on the floor under a nest box.

I had brooded eggs disappear too, but I'm not sure why or who. I think hens can tell a bad egg and dispose of it. No sign of an egg at all. Just like it disappeared. I've had broody's push the wooden egg to the side and the same with duds.

Right now I think Frenchy has a dud as it looked as though it was pushed aside. I'll candle her eggs tonight.

Got an egg from the BR coop today. I hope that's a good sign. There is that back door that is covered by only the tarp hanging down and it might be too cold in there. I just don't know why, if it is the rooster has no frost bite. They're from Kathy in MO and gorgeous looking birds. The best I have IMO. They just started laying this past spring.

 

[rancher hicks]

The Young and the Roostless is a fav around here. (Grin)

Very funny.

Can you think of any for "Dark Shadows" and "The Edge of Night" ? I remember The Edge of Night coming on in the middle of the day when I was 3 or 4 yrs old and in the hospital.

 

[Adoravachick]

You guys are just to much.

Pharm - I had a Dominique sitting on eggs once and she didnt' get off to feed cuz I fed her by hand. It was below zero then and she hatch 2/2.

I've got eggs due to hatch Saturday but I swear I heard a peep today. It would not surprise me in the least. Next hatch is going to be Dels, Orps and CR's.

I strung some white Christmas lights in the BR run last night. I also found an egg on the floor of the run the day before, so there may be hope after all. It dawned on me that DW went through a lot of scratch while I was gone so perhaps the girls are just to fat. Fat hens don't lay well, so easy on those treats. I've lightened up on their morning scratch.

The SDWD thread is dying so it looks like the Delaware breed may go back on the "endangered" list. Not that many on the thread even have Delaware. I personally think it's a hard breed to work with and people are just to darn lazy to deal with it.

I have no idea what the draw is for Silkies. They go broody at the drop of an egg, lay small eggs, don't roost so that means more cleaning and need extra winter care. Not to mention they are ugly. The pair I had the rooster would not shut up.
I suppose one benefit is if one dies you can use it as a Swiffer Duster. Come to think of it, it doesn't even have to die. Just pick it up and dust the coop.

Well they say snows a coming but it's not much IMO 6 - 8 inches here is a dusting. In Oswego I expect it's even less.

Take care folks and don't be to upset by my Silky tirade, I'm just miffed that all the Del folks have abandoned me.

Rancher the Grouch.

Hugs from the silkies lover.

 

[Cass]

Very funny.

Can you think of any for "Dark Shadows" and "The Edge of Night" ? I remember The Edge of Night coming on in the middle of the day when I was 3 or 4 yrs old and in the hospital.

"Dark Feathers" And "The Egg of Night" ?

How about "Little Coop on the Pairie" and "Roonanza"? Of course if they have TVLand channel down there they might be watching "The Partridge Family" LOL Or "The Broody Bunch"

 

[Cass]

I had brooded eggs disappear too, but I'm not sure why or who. I think hens can tell a bad egg and dispose of it. No sign of an egg at all. Just like it disappeared. I've had broody's push the wooden egg to the side and the same with duds.

That has happened around here too. Since I have no way of knowing who is laying good eggs and who is laying bad eggs I just put them under and cross my fingers. I have had several brooded eggs just dissappear. POOF! Just gone with no trace. The rest of the eggs in the batch hatched, so maybe momma hen does know which are duds and which are viable and somehow dissappears the bad eggs.

 

[Snob Doctor]

Hi I'm Mallory! I'm about 25 minutes south from Syracuse, and I need to add some broody hens to my flock.. I want some chicks this spring and apparently my hens aren't particularly broody breeds. So I'm looking to buy some cochins or silkies (I already have a silkie rooster.) If anyone has any suggestions, they'd be much appreciated!

 

[Adoravachick]

Speaking of silkies...I have been trying to talk one of my hens, Julia, into going broody. She's been thinking about it, but she still hasn't quite committed to the job. So, Julia has been laying, but I haven't been collecting her eggs from the box. I've been catching her sitting on them for the last couple of days. I marked the eggs by date and put them back in the box, she keeps pushing one of them out. Is she trying to tell me something? My show hens are laying now, they always seem to lay when I have eggs in the incubator, this time the timing was perfect and I set their eggs last night. I still have a few more eggs I'd like to set, especially from my dark splash hen. I think I need to go and have another talk with Julia about hatching and raising babies.

My show hen Isabel's chick is 4 months old now and looks like a pullet, looks just like mom, only prettier! She is in need of a name. My blue ladies all begin with the letter I. Isabel, Ingrid, Iris, Irina.
Any thoughts on a name?

 

[Glasshen]

Rancher, I have 4 BR, Stewie and the three Gabbys. Stewie is the oldest, and of the eggs that I have been getting, I think only one BR is laying. I bet it's Stewie. The Gabbys were chicks last Spring or early Summer. Maybe the young ones are taking a while to get going. Maybe next year they will be earlier to start, like Stewie. Stewie is back to pecking my leg when I wear blue jeans, never does it when I wear black pants. I think my SS hen lays the lightest creamy colored egg. Today, after Fawn was apprehended, I found a creamy colored egg in a nest box. All the other eggs like it have been in strange places. Poor thing, her hatch mates were both roos, so she had to learn about eggs all by herself, the older hens don't seem to be too helpful. The sussex eggs are infrequent, or maybe they are Fawn's favorites.

Vm, don't you ferment feed too? Perhaps the lentils could go into that. I'd like to learn about that sometime. Probably after I master this type of sprouting. Used to sprout for the family years ago, so this didn't seem too much of a stretch.

I think I heard that filling an eggshell with mustard was a way to break a chicken of egg eating. ???

 

[larry529]

"I did have words with Captain Morgan, my chief rooster. He kept giving me stinkeye, and then rushed up to me, grabbed the front of my skirt with his beak and tried flogging me. I usually wear ankle-length skirts because they're comfortable, so he only got a beakful of cloth, and was sent off-balance when I stepped backwards. I shoved him away none too gently with my foot, deflected another attempted bite with the corner of my jacket, and then stalked him all over the yard for a while until he ran like he had devils on his tailfeathers every time I approached him. Respect mah authoritah, rooster! "

lmfao, sounds like a dinner chicken

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

Speaking of silkies...I have been trying to talk one of my hens, Julia, into going broody. She's been thinking about it, but she still hasn't quite committed to the job. So, Julia has been laying, but I haven't been collecting her eggs from the box. I've been catching her sitting on them for the last couple of days. I marked the eggs by date and put them back in the box, she keeps pushing one of them out. Is she trying to tell me something? My show hens are laying now, they always seem to lay when I have eggs in the incubator, this time the timing was perfect and I set their eggs last night. I still have a few more eggs I'd like to set, especially from my dark splash hen. I think I need to go and have another talk with Julia about hatching and raising babies.

My show hen Isabel's chick is 4 months old now and looks like a pullet, looks just like mom, only prettier! She is in need of a name. My blue ladies all begin with the letter I. Isabel, Ingrid, Iris, Irina.
Any thoughts on a name?

How about Isis ?