NY chicken lover!!!!

[JLaw]

Stupid question, but since other hens will surely lay eggs in her nest, does it disturb her too much to remove those other eggs every night? I have her 4 eggs marked with sharpie so I can quickly spot them. My mother-in-law insists I can't do that because I will accidentally turn her good eggs and could kill them. Thoughts?

From what I read everyone else takes the eggs. I don't see how turning them a little more than what she does would kill them. Maybe if they are about to hatch and you flip them upside down is all I can think of. If worried just let her be when it's close to hatch time so she can set them up how she wants. I'm sure people with more experience than me will be answering you though : ) best of luck

 

[Breella]

Any idea what kind of berries these are? they grow on a tree, they are green now but I think they get very dark later in the summer. I'm not sure if they're native to NY or if my grandfather in law loved them so much that he planted them all over the yard. I have four of these trees! I ask because there is one tree that drops berries into the area where I will have my run.

 

[Cass]

Ugh.. Well, the one baby, two mamas thing did NOT work out. I am having the worst luck this year. I think I have a cannibal chicken and not sure who it is. Probably the white leghorn who squashed the babies. I never separate my moms and babies and they do fine every year but not this one!

Problem is, no room for separation. My one chick with two mamas was found pecked to death today and mamas are still wandering around clucking and finding food for it. Argh! I have chicks today, but I don't know if they will accept them. Going to have to ponder on this one a bit, I think, as there's no room to put broodies and chicks separate. Hmm.

ETA: Ok, I made room in the barn. Put two nestboxes I got from javagirl in there, food and water and a chicken wire separator. now time to play musical chickens.. broodies in the barn, teens move to the coops next week, etc. Only my good broodies get a barn spot . Let's see if that works.

Going to put two hens sitting on eggs (together) in the barn. Anyone think the two broodies who lost a days old chick would take a younger one? or will they not accept anything but 'that baby' since they had already started taking it around outside?

Yes, I think that the broody that lost her chick will accept another one. I would start with just 2 and see if they both survive. Then maybe add more. I had one of my eggs hatch days later and so it was out with the "crew" the first day of it's life. Had no choice, cuz the momma took the older 2 out, so it went with them.

 

[ChickPrincess]

From what I read everyone else takes the eggs. I don't see how turning them a little more than what she does would kill them. Maybe if they are about to hatch and you flip them upside down is all I can think of. If worried just let her be when it's close to hatch time so she can set them up how she wants. I'm sure people with more experience than me will be answering you though : ) best of luck

That's what I was leaning towards, too. Thanks!
MIL also feeds layer feed to the 9 week old chicks... "Aw. they'll be fine!".

 

[Cass]

Any idea what kind of berries these are? they grow on a tree, they are green now but I think they get very dark later in the summer. I'm not sure if they're native to NY or if my grandfather in law loved them so much that he planted them all over the yard. I have four of these trees! I ask because there is one tree that drops berries into the area where I will have my run.

The leaves look like Mulberry leaves and the berries like unripe Mulberrys. (And you thought the nursery rhyme people made up that whole "mulberry bush" thing.)

The mulberries are very yummy, but full of water, so they don't make good, well, almost anything. Great straight up tho. The chickens will love them and you will have Technicolor poop until they are all gone.

They taste best when fully ripe. Deep purple is fully ripe, but your mouth will tell you best.

Some people make mulberry wine. Others make them into Jam. I just eat them as they ripen, so I never have enough to try to make something with.

 

[Cass]

Stupid question, but since other hens will surely lay eggs in her nest, does it disturb her too much to remove those other eggs every night? I have her 4 eggs marked with sharpie so I can quickly spot them. My mother-in-law insists I can't do that because I will accidentally turn her good eggs and could kill them. Thoughts?

I'm sitting in front of the A/C so I'll take a sec to type my thoughts on listening to your MIL regarding ANYTHING. LOL

If you do not take the eggs the other chickens lay in the nest your hen is broody in she will not be able to turn them and they will not all hatch. (Mark the ones you want to hatch however, so you don't remove one of them by mistake. Ewww, when you crack that one open some morning)

Case in point---friend of a friend had hen sitting on 27 eggs. Yeah, she really did. Only 9 of them hatched. I can only speculate as to why that happened, but I don't think a TURKEY could cover 27 eggs and keep them all warm, turned and spread out so they can actually crack the shell and get out of it without having another egg roll on top of them. So there you have it. Too many eggs under a broody does not make for higher hatch numbers.

Now the act of actually removing those extra eggs daily? Wear gloves. Or armor. LOL I have one wonderful broody that trusts me to watch her eggs when she goes out to stretch and poop. That's when I grab the extra eggs. The other broodies I have had I either wear gloves or use something (like a towel) to keep their head from getting around and taking out pieces of flesh.

 

[Coupe]

I'm sitting in front of the A/C so I'll take a sec to type my thoughts on listening to your MIL regarding ANYTHING.  LOL

If you do not take the eggs the other chickens lay in the nest your hen is broody in she will not be able to turn them and they will not all hatch.  (Mark the ones you want to hatch however, so you don't remove one of them by mistake.  Ewww, when you crack that one open some morning)

Case in point---friend of a friend had hen sitting on 27 eggs.   Yeah, she really did.   Only 9 of them hatched.   I can only speculate as to why that happened, but I don't think a TURKEY could cover 27 eggs and keep them all warm, turned and spread out so they can actually crack the shell and get out of it without having another egg roll on top of them.  So there you have it.  Too many eggs under a broody does not make for higher hatch numbers.  

Now the act of actually removing those extra eggs daily?   Wear gloves.  Or armor.  LOL    I have one wonderful broody that trusts me to watch her eggs when she goes out to stretch and poop.  That's when I grab the extra eggs.   The other broodies I have had I either wear gloves or use something (like a towel) to keep their head from getting around and taking out pieces of flesh.

Turkeys will sit on 20 somthing eggs and hatch them. Turkeys lay until their nests are full and then incubates them.

 

[Lapeerian]

Been to Tully and back already this morning to get the eggs for the broody! Got 4 each of Welsummer, Specked Sussex, and Partidge Rock. She threw in an extra Welsummer and Sussex too. Got home and it downpoured. Collected today's eggs (3 under broody, 3 in litter box) and put all 14 eggs under Luna. I switched her to sitting in an old muck bucket that has half a side broken out a few days ago and seems content with the arrangement. I worry about eggs getting broken, but there is a very thick bed of hay in the bucket and with the open top she has an easier time climbing in and out. Her back feathers are starting to come in without the boys lovin on her, but she is missing a hunk of neck feathers where one of the boys grabbed hold and she fought.
Will be taking out the head GLW boy for a dinner date with the Amish. When Little Girl was in the barn with me to collect eggs, he got up close to her and was staring her down. She isn't much taller than he is. This is the second time I have seen him do this, run right up to her to see is she will run away or fight him.

I chased him off, he never bothers me, but don't want a rooster even thinking of attacking a 3-year-old child. I like having the roos for protecting the flock, but that is enough of him. I still have the other GLW boy and the outcast EE roo. The EE may join the dinner too because he crows constantly. I have a nice Golden Blue Cuckoo Maran young roo from Tab & Trav that will be coming up. The young Del roo is named dinner.

 

[Lynzi777]

Lap - where abouts in Tully? Do you know someone here or did you find them when searching for eggs?

 

[Lapeerian]

Lap - where abouts in Tully? Do you know someone here or did you find them when searching for eggs?

I met her at the Nice & Easy in Tully for the pick-up point. She lives in Pompey. GlassHen gave me her number and I also found her ad on Craigslist back in April. Besides the Welsummer, SS and PRocks, she also had Buff Orp and EE listed in the CL ad. She may have some others, not sure. This is where GlassHen got her SS and BO chicks from. I'll send you a PM with her number.
I'm going to more than double my flock size this year. Between the 2 roadkill hens and now the naughty GLW boy, I'll be down to 12 chickens (11 if the EE goes). I have 12 March chicks growing out currently. And now however many hatch from the 14 eggs. I'm sure it won't be all 14, I will be over-run with chicks if they do!