Official Squatch Watchers

[ronott1]

So.....
Ya'll know that my oopster went to live with a couple that are now divorcing.

Hubby was sent a pic of Big Jake.

He grew to be quite handsome.

He is a big black Australorp.

I still cannot bring him here. My neighbors would have a fit.

I sent some of my adult girls off to a place in Esparto California. The new owners did not secure the run and dogs broke in and killed all but one of the 5 hens. She of course was broody-- one of kurts BBS Australorps! Broody is normal for them and good for her!

 

[ronott1]

So ....Day 12 of the Great Eggsperiment!!

It is so exciting.

All 4 mystery (hopefully Lafayette) eggs are rock and rolling!! The lone Serama egg--although 4 or 5 days behind-- is also coming along!

I will post pics/video when hubs comes home, if you like.

My Silkie, Olive, is broody again. She is the one who was broody exactly 6 months ago when I hatched my first ever batch of eggs, and then she quit a few days before they were to hatch. So, I stuck a couple mystery eggs under her today. We'll see what happens!

I've never had a broody hatch chicks before. If she is going strong, I will probably stick all 5 eggs under her and let her hatch them, so I don't have to deal with a smelly chicken brooding room, which I've already done 3 times. Hopefully, she will be a good mom! She just went broody two days or so ago, so I think she should be good. We'll see!

I hope you have a good hatch!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

So ....Day 12 of the Great Eggsperiment!!

It is so exciting.

All 4 mystery (hopefully Lafayette) eggs are rock and rolling!! The lone Serama egg--although 4 or 5 days behind-- is also coming along!

I will post pics/video when hubs comes home, if you like.

My Silkie, Olive, is broody again. She is the one who was broody exactly 6 months ago when I hatched my first ever batch of eggs, and then she quit a few days before they were to hatch. So, I stuck a couple mystery eggs under her today. We'll see what happens!

I've never had a broody hatch chicks before. If she is going strong, I will probably stick all 5 eggs under her and let her hatch them, so I don't have to deal with a smelly chicken brooding room, which I've already done 3 times. Hopefully, she will be a good mom! She just went broody two days or so ago, so I think she should be good. We'll see!

If you’re worried she’ll quit sitting you can keep the incubator warm just in case. Or try to slip new hatchlings under her to raise them.

 

[pitbullmomma]

If you’re worried she’ll quit sitting you can keep the incubator warm just in case. Or try to slip new hatchlings under her to raise them.

Oh, I will definitely slip the incubated hatchlings under her. I have to keep some in the bator, it's so much fun to watch them progress and hatch!

It's funny, my first hatch I was so anal, I kept pages and pages of notes (like a mad scientist, lol) and feverishly noted the humidity levels throughout the day...now I just add half a shot glass of water when the humidity dips down, and don't even mark the temps and humidity anymore.

It seems like hatching chicks--after all the worrying--is kind of a no-brainer. Either that, or I just got lucky, or I have a pretty decent incubator, although it was very cheap.

I'm thinking it's just that hatching is easier than I thought it would be.

 

[pitbullmomma]

I hope you have a good hatch!

Thanks Ron! Even if I don't, that's OK, cuz I really don't have room for 5 more chickens. If they all hatch and thrive, I will definitely be giving some away. I really only wanted a Lafayette clone.

 

[pitbullmomma]

I sent some of my adult girls off to a place in Esparto California. The new owners did not secure the run and dogs broke in and killed all but one of the 5 hens. She of course was broody-- one of kurts BBS Australorps! Broody is normal for them and good for her!

Oh no! I'm so sorry!

I just can't bring myself to "like" this post, cuz I don't.

 

[pitbullmomma]

OK, one of my hens just did something that was kind of gross, and I need one of you more experienced chicken people to tell me what it was. (I've only been at this craziness not quite a year and a half, which is very hard to believe!)

I had all my chooks running around in the yard today. My (usually standoffish) EE, Maya, squatted down so I could scratch her back and pet her. And when I did, she stuck her butt high up in the air, opened her vent up WIDE (it was scary looking), and squirted some goopy liquid out. She did this twice in a row. It was nasty! Was it some kind of mating thing? Was she getting rid of old rooster sperm (I think I heard they can do this)? I'm really curious.

 

[apryl29]

So ....Day 12 of the Great Eggsperiment!!

It is so exciting.

All 4 mystery (hopefully Lafayette) eggs are rock and rolling!! The lone Serama egg--although 4 or 5 days behind-- is also coming along!

I will post pics/video when hubs comes home, if you like.

My Silkie, Olive, is broody again. She is the one who was broody exactly 6 months ago when I hatched my first ever batch of eggs, and then she quit a few days before they were to hatch. So, I stuck a couple mystery eggs under her today. We'll see what happens!

I've never had a broody hatch chicks before. If she is going strong, I will probably stick all 5 eggs under her and let her hatch them, so I don't have to deal with a smelly chicken brooding room, which I've already done 3 times. Hopefully, she will be a good mom! She just went broody two days or so ago, so I think she should be good. We'll see!

Perfect timing! You could even grab the eggs from her and toss them in the bator after your eggs hatch so you don't have to worry about her abandoning the eggs in favor of the chicks.

I sent some of my adult girls off to a place in Esparto California. The new owners did not secure the run and dogs broke in and killed all but one of the 5 hens. She of course was broody-- one of kurts BBS Australorps! Broody is normal for them and good for her!

How sad. I hope they fixed their run situation.

OK, one of my hens just did something that was kind of gross, and I need one of you more experienced chicken people to tell me what it was. (I've only been at this craziness not quite a year and a half, which is very hard to believe!)

I had all my chooks running around in the yard today. My (usually standoffish) EE, Maya, squatted down so I could scratch her back and pet her. And when I did, she stuck her butt high up in the air, opened her vent up WIDE (it was scary looking), and squirted some goopy liquid out. She did this twice in a row. It was nasty! Was it some kind of mating thing? Was she getting rid of old rooster sperm (I think I heard they can do this)? I'm really curious.

No idea, but ew.

 

[pitbullmomma]

@WVduckchick (and the rest of you!) here is a pic I just snapped of my very shy little silkied Serama cockerel, Grumpy, that I hatched from your eggs. He is so sweet, and I really love him. He acts more like a hen than a roo...very submissive and shy. He will jump up on my lap and let me pet him for a minute and then gets scared and hops off. Then, he will jump up and sit behind me and do a quiet little dance. If I pretend I don't see him, he stays.

I love watching chicken behavior. It's fascinating!

Before, when I put my bator eggs under Olive, Flower (my d'Uccle, my fave) went in her nest and bossed her out of there. She rolled those eggs underneath her and sat on them. Even though there are three other nest boxes. When I took her out, she did the same thing, so I left her (luckily, she has never gone broody, and I hope she never does!)

Olive sat in front of her making these pissed-off broody noises. When Flower finally laid her egg--in her preferred nest--she wandered off and let Olive reclaim her eggs.

Goofy chooks!

 

[pitbullmomma]

Perfect timing! You could even grab the eggs from her and toss them in the bator after your eggs hatch so you don't have to worry about her abandoning the eggs in favor of the chicks.


How sad. I hope they fixed their run situation.


No idea, but ew.

That is a great idea! Thank you! I love watching them actually hatch, and that way, I can assist them if they need it.

That goopy stuff, yeah, ewwww. I was thinking maybe she was dumping sperm? but then, Lafayette was my only rooster in that pen, and it has to be like a month and a half or so since he was, um, virile.

Her eggs are perfecty normal and she is acting perfectly normal as well, so I have no idea. Anybody?