Peeps in Europe!

[abpatchy]

I set my first bantam eggs yesterday. 25 eggs from 4 hens. The last hen laying laid one egg for me just the day before! Good girl!!
I also set 40 bantam Barnevelder for a friend. So exciting! I am wondering how those bantam will be compared to the LF.

 

[chickengr]

I set my first bantam eggs yesterday. 25 eggs from 4 hens. The last hen laying laid one egg for me just the day before! Good girl!!
I also set 40 bantam Barnevelder for a friend. So exciting! I am wondering how those bantam will be compared to the LF.

good luck!

 

[Skyle]

I set my first bantam eggs yesterday. 25 eggs from 4 hens. The last hen laying laid one egg for me just the day before! Good girl!!
I also set 40 bantam Barnevelder for a friend. So exciting! I am wondering how those bantam will be compared to the LF.

Good luck!

 

[BDutch]

I set my first bantam eggs yesterday. 25 eggs from 4 hens. The last hen laying laid one egg for me just the day before! Good girl!!
I also set 40 bantam Barnevelder for a friend. So exciting! I am wondering how those bantam will be compared to the LF.

How did it go Abpatchy?

Anyone else with new projects?

 

[abpatchy]

Oh, sorry. I never did an update!
It went really really well. I set 25 eggs. 2 were not fertilized. One died off. The rest hatched! I have never had such a great hatch before! One I had to cull because it kept looking up, couldn't keep it's balance. Tried some Vitamine D complex but it didn't help.
The next hatch is happening this Thursday. And then in Thursday in 2 weeks the next. Then I am done.
One hen keeps laying infertile eggs. Good thing I was able to keep the 4 hens apart so I know which one. She is laying almost 50% less eggs than the others and infertile. Unless things improve I will sell her or give her away.
If the hatches go as the first one I should have about 80 chicks... from 3 hens. That is not bad.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

I am very tempted to hatch some eggs, but… got no broody hen ( they now start in May ) and baby chickens are a lot of work, cos of all the predators, so I can’t afford to be away until they are at least 3 months old, so, I have a few dates I will be away for at least 3 days, kids are almost all not living at home anymore ( one of these dates would be going on vacation with the oldest son and the 2 grandkids) so, I fear, no baby chickens for me, if I set the eggs later ( August) it will be so hot it won’t be pleasant for the hen, and no green grass for the babies to grow up with

 

[chickengr]

Oh, sorry. I never did an update!
It went really really well. I set 25 eggs. 2 were not fertilized. One died off. The rest hatched! I have never had such a great hatch before! One I had to cull because it kept looking up, couldn't keep it's balance. Tried some Vitamine D complex but it didn't help.
The next hatch is happening this Thursday. And then in Thursday in 2 weeks the next. Then I am done.
One hen keeps laying infertile eggs. Good thing I was able to keep the 4 hens apart so I know which one. She is laying almost 50% less eggs than the others and infertile. Unless things improve I will sell her or give her away.
If the hatches go as the first one I should have about 80 chicks... from 3 hens. That is not bad.

congrats!

 

[maceleneo]

Hi you all, long time no see!
I recently lost most of my chickens (included the couple in my avatar, which were my favourite) killed by a fox. It was heartbreaking: I don't eat meat, so chickens are pets to me and those Marans were 5 years old: they had arrived in 2020 a few days before the COVID lockdown so I spent a lot of time with them while I couldn't go out.
Anyway, I always let them free-range and this is a price I was prepared to pay for their freedom. I guess we can say they had a happy life... and since life goes on (at least mine does!), I recently got 10 new chicks, but still no Marans because it felt like a betrayal (aehm, I'm crazy, I know!). They are supposed to be Araucanas, Olive eggers and Legbars... hope they will grow up fine. They're under the lamp for now, not sure how soon I'll be able to let them free-range again, but for the moment they are fine in their nursery: it's still pretty cold where I live!

Congratulations for the hatch, @abpatchy!

 

[BDutch]

Thank you all for the updates. Congrats moments and lesser moments are often near with chickens.

This season I have no plans to hatch, but with chickens I just don’t know for sure if
I need to change plans.

My eldest (Ini mini getting 11 in May) is getting less active and it wouldn’t surprise me if this is her last season. On the other side of the spectrum, in age and size are the 2 pullets Gin&Tonic who act and look strong like bulldozers, laying 5-6 eggs each week.

 

[chickengr]

Hi you all, long time no see!
I recently lost most of my chickens (included the couple in my avatar, which were my favourite) killed by a fox. It was heartbreaking: I don't eat meat, so chickens are pets to me and those Marans were 5 years old: they had arrived in 2020 a few days before the COVID lockdown so I spent a lot of time with them while I couldn't go out.
Anyway, I always let them free-range and this is a price I was prepared to pay for their freedom. I guess we can say they had a happy life... and since life goes on (at least mine does!), I recently got 10 new chicks, but still no Marans because it felt like a betrayal (aehm, I'm crazy, I know!). They are supposed to be Araucanas, Olive eggers and Legbars... hope they will grow up fine. They're under the lamp for now, not sure how soon I'll be able to let them free-range again, but for the moment they are fine in their nursery: it's still pretty cold where I live!

Congratulations for the hatch, @abpatchy!

sorry for your loss and congrats for the new babies. araucanas should be good in escaping predators. egyptian fayoumis are almost predatorproof.