Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[stake]

Today has been the best egg day I've ever had! 24 eggs so far today....of course, the fact that I found a hidden nest with 15 eggs in it under my shed contributed. Apparently, a few more of my ameraucanas are laying now than I thought and they all followed Sky under the shed. I'm not sure what her issue is but she insists on laying anywhere but where she's supposed to. I swear, she actively seeks out anywhere other than nest boxes to lay.

A man's opinion, some girls are just shy.....maybe you could pen her for a bit to force the nesting box, once she's there your gold..(also could be a broody thing going on an the girl is quitting..)

 

[stake]

Well, I guess two hens are better than one...
Our hens Watson and Buffy were due late tomorrow evening, so of course they started this morning instead!



And of course Mindy was keeping close watch on the progress ...

Fisher:

Amazing....100% cooperation ....your flock has good karma!!!!!

 

[sharron]

Has anyone made their own ACV? https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1023387/anyone-made-their-own-acv#post_15886751

Thanks!

we have but not on purpose, we made apple cider, put it into a old refri. and didn't drink it, really forgot about it since we didn't go into the refri that much, anyway, first it turned into hard cider or applejack the vinegar. still have some applejack from last fall that hasn't turned into vinegar yet

 

[OneMountainAcres]

A man's opinion, some girls are just shy.....maybe you could pen her for a bit to force the nesting box, once she's there your gold..(also could be a broody thing going on an the girl is quitting..)

It's possible. She does make the broody noises but how many eggs would she be waiting for? I threw all 15 eggs from the hidden nest into the turkey coop nest just to get her to sit there and lay and she was still indecisive about it! She'll lay in the nest boxes no problem when she confined. This isn't the first time she's gone rogue though. Her first egg was in my coop shed. Then she laid in the next boxes for a while. Then the turkeys moved to the shed so she started laying in there. Then suddenly I stopped finding eggs in there (was about 3 a day) and today I found the monster pile under the shed. I followed her around this morning and figured out what was going on. She seems to have a fan club though since my ameraucanas keep following her to lay where she lays lol. Maybe she doesn't want to share? What's crazy is, I got her from dheltzel and he told me that he's never had a CCL go broody.

 

[stake]

It's possible. She does make the broody noises but how many eggs would she be waiting for? I threw all 15 eggs from the hidden nest into the turkey coop nest just to get her to sit there and lay and she was still indecisive about it! She'll lay in the nest boxes no problem when she confined. This isn't the first time she's gone rogue though. Her first egg was in my coop shed. Then she laid in the next boxes for a while. Then the turkeys moved to the shed so she started laying in there. Then suddenly I stopped finding eggs in there (was about 3 a day) and today I found the monster pile under the shed. I followed her around this morning and figured out what was going on. She seems to have a fan club though since my ameraucanas keep following her to lay where she lays lol. Maybe she doesn't want to share? What's crazy is, I got her from dheltzel and he told me that he's never had a CCL go broody.

Auro:
I can confirm CCL girls going broody....and hatching...maybe a fluke...or not....IDK....if a breed didn't go broody. there wouldn't be a breed...my two cents

 

[dheltzel]

Auro:
I can confirm CCL girls going broody....and hatching...maybe a fluke...or not....IDK....if a breed didn't go broody. there wouldn't be a breed...my two cents

I've only had CCL's for a year and never an older hen, so they might go broody. I don't get a lot of broodies in my pens, except the bantam cochins and silkies. Even my BCM's have never gone broody. I did have a black Ameracuana and a Welsummer go broody earlier in the year, the Am set tightly, but the Wellie gave up after a week or 2.

Some breeds are bred for production, not broodiness, commercial leghorns are a great example. If you kept a large enough group of them, surely 1 would go broody, but I sure wouldn't count on it in a group of 20. Some breeds are known for broodiness (Orpingtons, Cochins, Marans, etc) but there are still hens in those breeds that never go broody, or give it a go for a few days and decide it's "not for them". There is certainly a genetic component, but also an individual personality involved. I think CCL's are not known for broodiness and it is generally regarded as undesirable, since they are meant to be layers, not mothers.

Even among hens that go broody often, some are much better mothers than others. We have some free ranging black hens that are fantastic. They hatch chicks somewhere in the hay and get them all down and out into the world with no help and rarely any losses. Then we have others that seem unable to account for all the chicks they hatch and only raise 1 or 2 in the end. I think our free ranging mixes tend to select for good mothering instincts, as well as aloofness around other animals (cows or predators). That is not at all what I select for in the pens as breeders, but the ones that I allow to escape to join the wild flock often revert to act like them quickly. Not always, some are lost of course, but it's rewarding to see happy birds running loose.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I've only had CCL's for a year and never an older hen, so they might go broody. I don't get a lot of broodies in my pens, except the bantam cochins and silkies. Even my BCM's have never gone broody. I did have a black Ameracuana and a Welsummer go broody earlier in the year, the Am set tightly, but the Wellie gave up after a week or 2.

Some breeds are bred for production, not broodiness, commercial leghorns are a great example. If you kept a large enough group of them, surely 1 would go broody, but I sure wouldn't count on it in a group of 20. Some breeds are known for broodiness (Orpingtons, Cochins, Marans, etc) but there are still hens in those breeds that never go broody, or give it a go for a few days and decide it's "not for them". There is certainly a genetic component, but also an individual personality involved. I think CCL's are not known for broodiness and it is generally regarded as undesirable, since they are meant to be layers, not mothers.

Even among hens that go broody often, some are much better mothers than others. We have some free ranging black hens that are fantastic. They hatch chicks somewhere in the hay and get them all down and out into the world with no help and rarely any losses. Then we have others that seem unable to account for all the chicks they hatch and only raise 1 or 2 in the end. I think our free ranging mixes tend to select for good mothering instincts, as well as aloofness around other animals (cows or predators). That is not at all what I select for in the pens as breeders, but the ones that I allow to escape to join the wild flock often revert to act like them quickly. Not always, some are lost of course, but it's rewarding to see happy birds running loose.

Oh, i thought you'd had them longer than that. Speaking of CCLs, the babies from you are still doing good the one little CCL is the runt of the group. She's very meek and tiny but she's still doing good. I think I'll name her Flora. She's like a delicate flower

@Fisherlady, cookie is still doing wonderful with the babies. She has them out all day, every day

 

[fisherlady]

Oh, i thought you'd had them longer than that. Speaking of CCLs, the babies from you are still doing good

the one little CCL is the runt of the group. She's very meek and tiny but she's still doing good. I think I'll name her Flora. She's like a delicate flower

@Fisherlady , cookie is still doing wonderful with the babies. She has them out all day, every day

I'm glad they are a happy little family, cute pictures!

 

[emorems0]

I can usually figure out breed abbreviations, but CCL just isn't coming to me... what is it? I'm dying to Google the breed with all this talk about them!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I can usually figure out breed abbreviations, but CCL just isn't coming to me... what is it? I'm dying to Google the breed with all this talk about them!

CCL is cream crested legbars. They're rather popular right now. They are auto sexing at hatch and lay blue eggs