Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[LizardCat]

Hello. Just introducing myself. I'm Julie from Wallingford, Pa. We just got 3 Easter eggers. Bellina, Wickett, & Salacious. They are 18 days today.

Hello from just up the road in Swarthmore. 4 Easter Eggers here, one of whom is doing her best broody. Congrats!

 

[LizardCat]

Does any one have welsummers or cream legbars for sale in eastern PA?

Last week when I was up at Pickering Valley, they had some Cream Legbars for sale. Buy a hen, get the roo for free. Might be worth a look.

 

[LizardCat]

So I posted a picture of my broody easter egger Simba earlier this week. Silly girl isn't even a year old. She's not ready to be a mommy! Kids these days...

But Simba doesn't know that. And I don't have the heart to brake her just yet. So last Saturday the DO and I went out to the local Giant and bought a dozen "Fertile" eggs. Picked the batch with the latest expiration date. We waited till after dark, threw a rag over her head, and did a swapper. Out came 9 of our own eggs, and in went a dozen of the Giant eggs.

On Thursday, I spotted her eating and drinking, and figured I'd go look and see what was up with the eggs. I peeked into the nest box and saw...

...13 eggs. Thankfully I had marked the Giant eggs, so it wasn't too tough to find the one that the other girls had snuck in on her.

It's been a week now. I know it's supposed to be 21 days to hatch for a chicken egg, so there's still plenty of time for stuff to go wrong. The eggs are brown, and I don't think I have a sufficiently strong flashlight to candle the eggs, so I'm probably gonna just let things take their course.

Other than not disturbing mommy-to-be, is there anything else I should be doing to try to make her hatch successful?

 

[fisherlady]

Let's see, my day,

Get feed.

Decide to try to mow waist high grass in field.
Stall tractor, won't restart.

Get lawn tractor stuck in mud.

Decide to cut wood. Lose oil cap to saw.

Give up, take nap.

Find oil cap from old saw that fits. Cut more wood.

Remember to feed animals.

Drive car into field, pull out lawn tractor. Cut some grass in the field with lawn tractor.

Some days I should have stayed in bed.

Yep, that sounds like a big blanket day for sure... hope your tomorrow works out better for you!

Bump?

Chippy, I am not a fan of leaving a chick by itself if it can be at all avoided... they are social little critters and although it may do very well it may also do poorly and there is no guarantee that it will bond with the new ones hatching next week either... so for my 2 cents... I would keep a buddy with it and brood them separately (or try getting both of them to mix in with the new hatch after they are a week or so old). Put up with the extra mess and sell the extra chick later.

 

[fisherlady]

So I posted a picture of my broody easter egger Simba earlier this week. Silly girl isn't even a year old. She's not ready to be a mommy! Kids these days...

But Simba doesn't know that. And I don't have the heart to brake her just yet. So last Saturday the DO and I went out to the local Giant and bought a dozen "Fertile" eggs. Picked the batch with the latest expiration date. We waited till after dark, threw a rag over her head, and did a swapper. Out came 9 of our own eggs, and in went a dozen of the Giant eggs.

On Thursday, I spotted her eating and drinking, and figured I'd go look and see what was up with the eggs. I peeked into the nest box and saw...

...13 eggs. Thankfully I had marked the Giant eggs, so it wasn't too tough to find the one that the other girls had snuck in on her.

It's been a week now. I know it's supposed to be 21 days to hatch for a chicken egg, so there's still plenty of time for stuff to go wrong. The eggs are brown, and I don't think I have a sufficiently strong flashlight to candle the eggs, so I'm probably gonna just let things take their course.

Other than not disturbing mommy-to-be, is there anything else I should be doing to try to make her hatch successful?

Hens are pretty self sufficient, but you could offer her treats a couple of times a day (healthy, good protein type stuff) to keep her body condition up. And on warm days we offer our broodies drinks of water while they are on the nest. If a waterer can be placed within her reach while she is on the nest then that is great, but even just taking a small dish with water and offering it to her by hand once or twice a day can be enough. Some hens are fine with the extras, some turn up their snooty little beaks at the offers but makes me feel better to know at least we offered.

 

[chippysmom327]

Let's see, my day,


Get feed.


Decide to try to mow waist high grass in field.

Stall tractor, won't restart.


Get lawn tractor stuck in mud.


Decide to cut wood. Lose oil cap to saw.


Give up, take nap.


Find oil cap from old saw that fits. Cut more wood.


Remember to feed animals.


Drive car into field, pull out lawn tractor. Cut some grass in the field with lawn tractor.


Some days I should have stayed in bed.

Yep, that sounds like a big blanket day for sure... hope your tomorrow works out better for you!

Bump?

Chippy,  I am not a fan of leaving a chick by itself if it can be at all avoided... they are social little critters and although it may do very well it may also do poorly and there is no guarantee that it will bond with the new ones hatching next week either... so for my 2 cents... I would keep a buddy with it and brood them separately (or try getting both of them to mix in with the new hatch after they are a week or so old).  Put up with the extra mess and sell the extra chick later. 

Bump?

I have ZERO experience, however... if it were me (after reading your situation), I would sell the 4 chicks before they become members of the family, ya know?! Someone will appreciate them because there are those of us who aren't in a position to "start from scratch" as it were lol .

Thanks! I'm gonna probably sell the 3 if one of my friends from school can't take them. She has TONS of chickens and ducks and geese. So they'll have a happy life if they live there. That also means that I can keep an extra chick and then hand it over whenever the time is right.

However, if she doesn't I'll probably sell the 3 and hopefully the serama will be good.

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

I heard a bit of peeping, and the hole is bigger now and I can see it's beak move and the other one I saw moving has also pipped and I had candles the 3rd one and it has internally pipped

...congrats!!! Continued Good Luck!!

Hi all, Lancaster County here... FINALLY found you guys haha! I need to get my chickens and, thankfully, someone mentioned the Green Dragon "Special Sale" for today!! We were going to go last night, but just too much going on plus I didn't want to deal with the mud after the downpour

.

We have the coop almost finished (built from all repurposed materials yay), just need to insulate the last wall and close up the nesting boxes. Then we need to enclose the run and tarp the top. We have a fairly roomy rabbit cage we were planning on keeping the future girls in for transport. Do you think they'll be ok in there for a few ours till we finish the work? We want to get 5, Green Dragon Saturdays don't happen often and I don't want to miss the opportunity to get better quality girls!

Anyone know what time it starts? Gotta wake hubby and the boys... my 10 yr old is going to be soooo excited, just like his momma!

Hello & Welcome

..i know i am a little late on that, but been kinda busy myself.....Your coop is looking great, it is always a bonus when DH is handy & supportive!! You are very lucky to have a landlord/neighbor that is also excited for you to have hens!! Nothing works better to keep things "nice & cool" between neighbors than handing them a dozen fresh eggs very now & then!!

...There are lots of great folks here that have some of the nicest birds you can find!! Just let everyone what exactly your looking for and I am positive someone here will be able to help you out!! Good luck on your hen-search!!

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

So I posted a picture of my broody easter egger Simba earlier this week. Silly girl isn't even a year old. She's not ready to be a mommy! Kids these days...

But Simba doesn't know that. And I don't have the heart to brake her just yet. So last Saturday the DO and I went out to the local Giant and bought a dozen "Fertile" eggs. Picked the batch with the latest expiration date. We waited till after dark, threw a rag over her head, and did a swapper. Out came 9 of our own eggs, and in went a dozen of the Giant eggs.

On Thursday, I spotted her eating and drinking, and figured I'd go look and see what was up with the eggs. I peeked into the nest box and saw...

...13 eggs. Thankfully I had marked the Giant eggs, so it wasn't too tough to find the one that the other girls had snuck in on her.

It's been a week now. I know it's supposed to be 21 days to hatch for a chicken egg, so there's still plenty of time for stuff to go wrong. The eggs are brown, and I don't think I have a sufficiently strong flashlight to candle the eggs, so I'm probably gonna just let things take their course.

Other than not disturbing mommy-to-be, is there anything else I should be doing to try to make her hatch successful?

Totally agree with *Fisherlady!!
I have two broodies right now, one of which is going to be "converted" back to a laying hen shortly

! What I have learned is that once they set their minds on doing this "mommy" thing, there is not too you have to do for them...they have it covered(so to speak!), pretty amazing animals really...very devoted to doing what nature has planned. Good Luck with your broody!!

 

[KlingKlan]

Grrrrr, I am so (not patiently) waiting to have my own chickens to post about!!!

When we finish everything tomorrow it's just going to be worse... I'm already, responsibly, obesessed lmao!!!

 

[stake]

Last week when I was up at Pickering Valley, they had some Cream Legbars for sale. Buy a hen, get the roo for free. Might be worth a look.

LC:

Are you sure...not listed on the web site...need to talk to Randy......