NY chicken lover!!!!

[myfivegirls]

Yes, we have different opinions about how Rancher responded, and I understand Gramma's point about them being like grand-chicks. It was devastating when I found the empty brooder, and I realized there were warning signs I didn't act upon quick enough.
Though it was a hard lesson, I won't easily forget.
Thank you to all who "put in a good word" for me.
Let's now get back to happy chatting.

I've taken eggs from the incubator & put them under broodies before. If they're committed, it doesn't matter what eggs they have. Sometimes, it's even been on lockdown day & they tuck those eggs right under & hatch them out beautifully.

 

[Metella]

How about moving a broody to a different section in the coop ? Last year I had to fight for 3 weeks to pull all the "new" eggs the other hens insisted on laying ON TOP of the broody. This year I set up a dog crate in the coop, put eggs there to attract the broody - and she still picked the out of the way spot. So I want to move her with out breaking her.

Last year I tried to move a broody (but much further way than just another spot) and it broke her ... she just paced and paced ....

 

[myfivegirls]

How about moving a broody to a different section in the coop ?     Last year I had to fight for 3 weeks to pull all the "new" eggs the other hens insisted on laying ON TOP of the broody.  This year I set up a dog crate in the coop, put eggs there to attract the broody - and she still picked the out of the way spot.    So I want to move her with out breaking her.   

Last year I tried to move a broody (but much further way than just another spot)  and it broke her ... she just paced and paced ....

At night works the best to move a broody & cover the crate with a towel or something to make it dark. Not all broodies accept their new spot, but some will, such as that Spitz broody!

 

[PhoredaBurds]

I can't believe that spitz stayed broody, lol. Moved her the night before into a carrier (not even her nest), gave her a new set of eggs, drove her 2 hours to chickenstock where she hung out w us in that heat. Then Myfive moved her to another carrier & drove her home, where she was moved again to a dog crate. Some are very determined. And supposedly spitz are not broody, ha.

When I have to move a broody, I take the whole nest & bird on her eggs at night to a new location. Let her settle & see if she stays on those eggs for a day or so, then at night I change out the eggs. If the eggs are already partially incubated, I'd put a towel in the dryer to warm it up & then the eggs into the towel for carrying them out to the nest. Fingers crossed for u @Metella

 

[myfivegirls]

I can't believe that spitz stayed broody, lol.
Some are very determined. And supposedly spitz are not broody, ha.

Fingers crossed for u @Metella

Yes, I'm surprised the Spitz stayed broody too, with all those moves & different crates! Especially since you said she'd hatched chicks & you'd just swapped out eggs to keep her broody past the 21 days, right?
I have some that don't even like to be moved to a different nesting box!

I think some of the duck eggs should be hatching soon - candled & air cells huge, some looks to be internally pipped!

 

[horsekeeper]

This was my first year incubating goose eggs. Lucy the goose has tried for 3 years now and doesn't manage to hatch anything, so I collected her eggs and helped her this year. She hates the babies, but Buster (the dad) trails them around all day protecting them.

Here they are at 8 weeks old.

 

[rancher hicks]

it's a shame you are so judgmental about how others house their birds. She is a fantastic flock owner and a good person.

It's a shame your not younger so you can come show us all the proper way to care for and protect our flocks.

I get this a lot and expected it. We are all judgmental given the right situation and subject. If we didn't use judgments our kids would be in sad shape.

But BYC is here for advice. It can be hard for me when I read "my dogs killed my chickens, AGAIN! Huh? (A raccoon got in my coop ONCE! and that due to bad advice. I didn't wait another day to block up the holes)

Or the "I left my quail outside next to the barn in a wire cage and this morning they're all gone."

I am here for you and WE are here for you. Not to give advice after the fact. This is why we have "drivers ed".

The first time my dd had an accident I was sympathetic, the second upset, the third I blew my cork! Her mother telling me calm down, take it easy. Really? What if she'd gotten killed? Sometimes a little yelling can make a person wake up and smell the coffee. We don't seem to mind sport coaches doing it. Yet they get results don't they? Bobby Knight still has a job.

"I'd noticed some were missing Saturday morning," So I'm or was upset.

Now all that said. Some advice.

Worried that something would chew through my coop, I nailed hardware cloth in all the corners where weasels might chew through. When I nailed hardware cloth to the hoops I brought it down over the base so nothing could chew through.

If you're going to keep chicks where rats are then I suggest a chew proof brooder. Perhaps something made of hardware cloth and with a secure closure.

I currently am using something like this, though I do keep chicks in the basement until they're feathered or nearly feathered, then move them to this. TSC had them on sale. Not this exact one mind you. I built a base of plywood and covered two sides with garden cloth as the shavings fall out. Mine had two sections on top. They're hinged so I can hang a heat lamp inside. It's covered with 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Has a door on the side and one end that comes out. I set mine on a table so I don't have to bend over to care for the chicks.

Often I ask for pics of someones set up. I post pics of my own so folks can get an idea or ideas and modify things to their specs to improve on it.

I'll let the "old" crack slide.

Like I said WE are here to help. I'm sure there are others here who can offer advice too.

 

[rancher hicks]

This was my first year incubating goose eggs. Lucy the goose has tried for 3 years now and doesn't manage to hatch anything, so I collected her eggs and helped her this year. She hates the babies, but Buster (the dad) trails them around all day protecting them.

Here they are at 8 weeks old.

Don't temp me. They're so pretty.

As for Lucy. Some hens aren't good at brooding for some reason. I'm sure she has other qualities that are good.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I get this a lot and expected it. We are all judgmental given the right situation and subject. If we didn't use judgments our kids would be in sad shape. 

But BYC is here for advice. It can be hard for me when I read "my dogs killed my chickens, AGAIN!  Huh?  (A raccoon got in my coop ONCE! and that due to bad advice. I didn't wait another day to block up the holes)  

Or the "I left my quail outside next to the barn in a wire cage and this morning they're all gone."  

I am here for you and WE are here for you. Not to give advice after the fact. This is why we have "drivers ed". 

The first time my dd had an accident I was sympathetic, the second upset, the third I blew my cork!  Her mother telling me calm down, take it easy. Really? What if she'd gotten killed? Sometimes a little yelling can make a person wake up and smell the coffee. We don't seem to mind sport coaches doing it. Yet they get results don't they? Bobby Knight still has a job. 

[COLOR=333333]"I'd noticed some were missing Saturday morning,"  So I'm or was upset. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]Now all that said. Some advice. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]Worried that something would chew through my coop, I nailed hardware cloth in all the corners where weasels might chew through. When I nailed hardware cloth to the hoops I brought it down over the base so nothing could chew through. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]If you're going to keep chicks where rats are then I suggest a chew proof brooder. Perhaps something made of hardware cloth and with a secure closure. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]I currently am using something like this, though I do keep chicks in the basement until they're feathered or nearly feathered, then move them to this. TSC had them on sale. Not this exact one mind you. I built a base of plywood and covered two sides with garden cloth as the shavings fall out. Mine had two sections on top. They're hinged so I can hang a heat lamp inside. It's covered with 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Has a door on the side and one end that comes out. I set mine on a table so I don't have to bend over to care for the chicks. [/COLOR]

Often I ask for pics of someones set up. I post pics of my own so folks can get an idea or ideas and modify things to their specs to improve on it. 

I'll let the "old" crack slide.   Like I said WE are here to help. I'm sure there are others here who can offer advice too. 

advice and attitude are completely different things. Give advice not ridicule and rude remarks. I'm done dealing with you.

I apologize to all I offended by this conversation, no worries it won't happen again.

 

[boskelli1571]

Gramma: That would be a good excuse if MyFiveChickens was new to the thread - but we all know she has even developed her own breed. Well - you guys go ahead and accept bad behavior - he has been doing this to established members for YEARS. Past my tolerance level. Glad she didn't take offense. We all are here to learn and share and support, I have nearly busted my bank to get my set up as predator proof as I can - and I think you all know how attached I can be to my chickens when Colo had to be euthanized. I can fuss as good as any mother hen over them all, and I still know there can wire fatigue, a log falling on a fence - many things that can happen before we can see or fix them ... so advice is always welcome - but accusations and assumptions of sloth are not. Non-perfect life circumstances are also no excuse for bad public behavior. But we disagree, and that is OK ! I wouldn't have posted but to just answer you with a differing opinion - and I do respect your stance on it.

I finally have a broody this year .... anyone have experience taking eggs from an incubator and slipping them under a broody ? Wondering because I don't really incubate and this one seems to have a less than 50% hatch rate trying both dry and wet and fan and no fan .... it is an even and low number in it all - and ALL the eggs are fertile - and about 95% start .....

Phodora - the Emily egg is developing !!! ha ha It is like a little surprise birthday gift ... wondering what color mix is going to come out - really crossing my fingers that THAT egg hatches - that is why I was really asking about transferring the eggs - since my broodies have a 99% success rate.

I don't really have much experience at hatching eggs, but I have a broody who is bound and determined to sit! So - I took a couple of the hatching eggs I won and put them under her. She is very content too sit on them so hopefully she will see it through to the end!
Are the ABs' 'flighty'? They run screaming around their pen when I try to pick them up....