Peeps in Europe!

[BDutch]

Ah ok about the genes. This man spoke from experience, he didn't even know the word 'gene'
As for the cats - I have never had problems with cats before. Only once several months ago - another neighbor's cat ate one of my chicks, but I cougth the cat, gave it to the dog, the dog didn't harm the cat but scared it enough that it never came back. I think this time was a combination of irresponsible neighbors who left the mother and kittens without food for days (they could've asked me to feed them) and the fact that it is a mother cat trying to feed her little ones. All my chicken are free range and especially with broodies (which I have a lot) I cannot fill up my garden with cages. I already made one cage for the pheasants, they are not happy... It will be cheaper and easier to buy a large rat trap for the cat than to make another cage (plus my worker is sick now)... Any other ideas are appreciated.

Other ideas:
1. A free range area (very large run) with a high fence with electric wiring on top . Or a fence around you’re garden. Broodies can’t prevent casualties among chicks if there are hungry cats.
2. Feed the cat and her baby’s. If the cat thinks the chicks are part of her family , she might not harm them.

We have 3 hunting cats who come into our garden every day. The cats catch wild birds like pigeons ( Dutch are the same size ) , baby ducks, mice and rats, but they leave my Bantams alone. But I wouldn’t trust them with chicks until the chicks are about 10 weeks old. So I kept them confined or was supervising until that age. If these neighbours are on a holiday I feed the cats. So they know I’m a neighbour friend.

 

[LoreWalker]

Our one broody hen, Kaatje/Katey is broody once again.
I've put her in "broody jail" (a dog crate in the indoor run) several times now. Every time she quits, then gets right back at it the second we let her back out. It's gotten to the point where the other 4 adult hens have been permanently kicked out of "her" nesting box. Maybe I should just let her attempt to hatch some eggs?

What's a couple more chicks, right? Maybe I'll have more luck with the pullet-cockerel-ratio with the ones she might hatch

Speaking of the other chicks, I finally did make a thread for them. The jury's still out on this one! I'm hoping for about 50-50 (more like 6-7) pullets and cockerels, but time will tell.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sexing-9w-o-wyandottes-and-orpingtons.1483234/
They're roaming with the adults in the indoor run now and it seems to be going well! Tomorrow's plan is finishing the covered outdoor run, so they can safely explore the great outdoors all day, too. The adults we've only let roam the yard when one of us was at home, so some days only a couple hours at a time. Them having a safe space to be in daily for as long as they want, will probably make them a lot happier!

 

[BDutch]

Our one broody hen, Kaatje/Katey is broody once again.
I've put her in "broody jail" (a dog crate in the indoor run) several times now, but every time she keeps getting right back at it the second we let her out. It's gotten to the point where the other 4 adult hens have been permanently kicked out of "her" nesting box. Maybe I should just let her attempt to hatch some eggs?

What's a couple more chicks, right? Maybe I'll have more luck with the pullet-cockerel-ratio with the ones she might hatch

You never know what you get. My outcomes:
#1 3 girls and 3 boys ( my own eggs )
#2 2 girls , 1 boy (10 eggs - transported on a warm day)
#3 1 girls, 4 boys (7 eggs - my own)
#4 2 girls, 1 boy ( 10 eggs - transported and fuzzy broodies)

 

[Maiahr]

@BDutch I have a fence around the garden, but the cat jumps over it. And the neighbors are back, they are feeding the cat and despite, she keeps coming, even this morning. So my hen with one left chick is in a cage now, as well as my pheasants... Not happy...
@LoreWalker why don't you want more chicks? I also have different ratios, you never know but don't you eat the cockerels?
I have two more broodies, need to find eggs for them. One of them is broody second time this summer. First time 3 out of 3 eggs, all pullets.

 

[LoreWalker]

USER=583686]@LoreWalker[/USER] why don't you want more chicks? I also have different ratios, you never know but don't you eat the cockerels?
I have two more broodies, need to find eggs for them. One of them is broody second time this summer. First time 3 out of 3 eggs, all pullets.

We had initially intended for her to try and hatch some of our current chicks, but she lost interest in brooding completely, a day before we got our eggs. She came to us a little underweight, so I wanted to let her gain some more weight first and then try to have her hatch some eggs next year.
At this point I'm so "over" her constantly being broody without me being able to break it that I may as well just let her do her thing and see if anything hatches from the eggs.

We do plan to eat the cockerels, yes. But I still hope for some pretty, large wyandotte and orpington hens from the bunch for our brahma rooster. Our current biggest chicken is a silkieXbarnevelder and the other 4 are wyandotte bantams they're a bit small for our big boy Duts.

 

[LoreWalker]

Kaatje/Katy is very angry.

We moved her into her own private suite (the dog crate/broody jail) with the two eggs that she was sitting on (our Silkie x Barnevelder Emmy's eggs). No idea if they are fertile. I cherish my fingers too much to try and take them for candling.

And our outdoor run is done! All covered in nets above and with wire mesh dug in. We have to make a larger door in the wall though. Duts is a bit too big for the current one, and so will the chicks be, eventually... But then they can be safe and still enjoy the outdoors daily!

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

Morning everyone!

I have two hens became broody at the same time. One is quite seriously broody, another one is still laying egg (but I have already broken her broodiness earlier this year). We already have 6 chicks hatched by another broody hen, can't have more. Do you have the experience and how would you handle this, should I seperate them in two cages?

Thanks in advance.

 

[abpatchy]

I wanted to take some nice pictures of the cockerels today.... but I forgot to charge my cell phone this morning. Oh well. The boys are coming along nicely and I am very hopeful for a few of them.

 

[LoreWalker]

@abpatchy handsome boys!!!

@Phaedra Geiermann I have one broody hen, she is separated in a wire dog crate. It's easier to make sure she's eating and drinking despite her broodiness that way (has her own food and water available) she started out with 2 eggs, now she has 5 or 6. This Sunday and next Tuesday I'll candle them to check their development, if any.

If you don't want them to hatch chicks, I would probably crate them all the same and take their eggs away daily.

 

[Maiahr]

@Phaedra Geiermann I didn't understand - do you want to break them from being broody or you want to hatch?
Here is my 'mothernity' ward - I have 3 broody hens and one turkey.. all at the same time. It is going to be fun when they all hatch the same day. 70 eggs in total.