MClean417
Songster
- Feb 11, 2019
- 40
- 117
- 109
The last couple weeks of April one of my Silver Laced Polish hens, (we call all our silver lace hens Tina though the Thunderdome hairstyle of Tina Turner at the time was really a blonde mix but then our Buffs we call Phyllis and Ms. Diller's hair at the time was mostly white) decided she wanted to sit on eggs. She was polite when we took her off the nest and put her on the ground but after a bit she'd be back up on it. Finally on mothers day with 8 eggs tucked under her we marked them all with pencil and told her to have fun. After a very limited search we had only found a couple of posts saying they had luck with a polish hen hatching the eggs but only one was a good mother and the other just wandered away from the chicks after a day or so. That I can handle as I have raised plenty with no moms at all. So we marked the calendar for the 30th and went through the usual tricks. There was once 11 eggs in her nest, there was a time when she was sitting in the nexting box next to her nest etc. etc. We would remove the extra unmarked eggs and she'd go back on the nest.
We lost some eggs before the 2nd week. One was stepped on or whatever. However, the egg didn't have anything but yoke in it. I candled the other eggs and found one that was also inert. Pitched that one, the rest showed solid masses with air pockets. On the 27th I assembled the brooder box in my large run and moved her egg box and her into it. 3 days later, we had a couple of babies
And the next day, another
.
The two older chicks flew the coup, errr, nesting box. I cut the front out so they could get back in. Momma had jumped out of the next, away from her new chick to keep the others warm. That chick didn't look so good. With the new hole in the box and everyone back in he was showing improvement and I put it down to We had just walked in right after it hatched and again after it had done some straining to start moving. In the morning, it was new born next to the old soldiers that were a whole day ahead of it. Mom had rolled two of the other eggs out and the third was stone cold. I pitched the eggs and figured we had three chicks.
It wasn't easy. My wife was texting me at work telling me they were all doing good. Mom was fine until she'd open the brooder lid and pick up a baby, then she'd start chirping and countring the three she had. I was having my eyes dilated scheming. After the yearly exam I drove to the farm store to make sure they had gotten their new load of chicks in then drove home and told my wife, "I don't feel like doing anything thanks to these eye drops. We still need chicken food and more starter food now that we know we have chicks. Lets go get the food, grab some drive through and get back inside" which she agreed to. And my trap was laid. "Oh Look honey, new chicks! They're the same size as ours and they're garunteed pullets or you get free roos! Don't want the kids to be excited about new chicks only to find out mid summer we have chicken soup to eat." OK, but she gets antsy when we mess with her chicks. But I talked her into three and had the attendant come get us the birds. He looked up and said "you know, they're only 95% certain they're pullets?" "Better hedge our bets and get one extra" Got the chicks, got the drive through and went home. Well, now we just wait till roosting time and slip em in. NO! My wife wanted them in the brooder, now. I think she was trying to teach me a lesson. I had put a heating plate out for the chicks to get under in case she decided to give up on motherhood. At this point she's a benefit but, not really necessary. So I opened the brooder, picked up a couple of her chicks, looked at them then put them under the plate THEN dipped the new birds beaks in the waterer and put them in one by one and put them under the plate. All the birds would spend a couple seconds under the plate and then go running out. Now we had a surprised mom who was scratching her head trying to figure out this new chicken math.
We watched for a bit then went and ate. An hour later she was showing them the food.
And at dusk, they were all getting comfy, and snuggling.
Surprisingly, they still fit all underneath her.
So far, so cute. So, Polish don't go broody very often. There was limited info on them. I'm not surprised at our hatch rate as we have too many mommas that all have to use the same nest, but she went broody at the right time and we could supplement her hatch rate. Lord knows what mix we have as we're not really breeding true. We've an Orlaff male who generally stays to his orlaff hens. A Lavendar Orp who was kind of the new run till last years brood gave us another one more roo. And last years roo is part polish, part something or a lot of things other. Our first hatch this year came out of an Olive egger egg, the second came from a polish egg and has a cottonball head and the last one came from a smaller brown egg. Our Hens are Orlaff, Americauna, Easter Egger, Silver Lace and Buff polish, Lavander Orp, Black Sexlink, a couple mixed from last year and mostly friendly. One of the Buff Polish used to walk right up and demand to be picked up. Now, she's usually just happy if you give her back a pet while she's doing her chicken business. She doesn't usually mind being picked up and inspected. Long as your hit all the places she might have itches.
Will update with final success rates.
We lost some eggs before the 2nd week. One was stepped on or whatever. However, the egg didn't have anything but yoke in it. I candled the other eggs and found one that was also inert. Pitched that one, the rest showed solid masses with air pockets. On the 27th I assembled the brooder box in my large run and moved her egg box and her into it. 3 days later, we had a couple of babies
The two older chicks flew the coup, errr, nesting box. I cut the front out so they could get back in. Momma had jumped out of the next, away from her new chick to keep the others warm. That chick didn't look so good. With the new hole in the box and everyone back in he was showing improvement and I put it down to We had just walked in right after it hatched and again after it had done some straining to start moving. In the morning, it was new born next to the old soldiers that were a whole day ahead of it. Mom had rolled two of the other eggs out and the third was stone cold. I pitched the eggs and figured we had three chicks.
It wasn't easy. My wife was texting me at work telling me they were all doing good. Mom was fine until she'd open the brooder lid and pick up a baby, then she'd start chirping and countring the three she had. I was having my eyes dilated scheming. After the yearly exam I drove to the farm store to make sure they had gotten their new load of chicks in then drove home and told my wife, "I don't feel like doing anything thanks to these eye drops. We still need chicken food and more starter food now that we know we have chicks. Lets go get the food, grab some drive through and get back inside" which she agreed to. And my trap was laid. "Oh Look honey, new chicks! They're the same size as ours and they're garunteed pullets or you get free roos! Don't want the kids to be excited about new chicks only to find out mid summer we have chicken soup to eat." OK, but she gets antsy when we mess with her chicks. But I talked her into three and had the attendant come get us the birds. He looked up and said "you know, they're only 95% certain they're pullets?" "Better hedge our bets and get one extra" Got the chicks, got the drive through and went home. Well, now we just wait till roosting time and slip em in. NO! My wife wanted them in the brooder, now. I think she was trying to teach me a lesson. I had put a heating plate out for the chicks to get under in case she decided to give up on motherhood. At this point she's a benefit but, not really necessary. So I opened the brooder, picked up a couple of her chicks, looked at them then put them under the plate THEN dipped the new birds beaks in the waterer and put them in one by one and put them under the plate. All the birds would spend a couple seconds under the plate and then go running out. Now we had a surprised mom who was scratching her head trying to figure out this new chicken math.
We watched for a bit then went and ate. An hour later she was showing them the food.
And at dusk, they were all getting comfy, and snuggling.
Surprisingly, they still fit all underneath her.
So far, so cute. So, Polish don't go broody very often. There was limited info on them. I'm not surprised at our hatch rate as we have too many mommas that all have to use the same nest, but she went broody at the right time and we could supplement her hatch rate. Lord knows what mix we have as we're not really breeding true. We've an Orlaff male who generally stays to his orlaff hens. A Lavendar Orp who was kind of the new run till last years brood gave us another one more roo. And last years roo is part polish, part something or a lot of things other. Our first hatch this year came out of an Olive egger egg, the second came from a polish egg and has a cottonball head and the last one came from a smaller brown egg. Our Hens are Orlaff, Americauna, Easter Egger, Silver Lace and Buff polish, Lavander Orp, Black Sexlink, a couple mixed from last year and mostly friendly. One of the Buff Polish used to walk right up and demand to be picked up. Now, she's usually just happy if you give her back a pet while she's doing her chicken business. She doesn't usually mind being picked up and inspected. Long as your hit all the places she might have itches.
Will update with final success rates.
But, that's probably best as I would need to build on to keep more chickens! 
. She is sitting again now on a new clutch for me.
I trimmed her crest presented all ten 2 day old chicks under her two hours after I picked them up from the post office. Within four hours, I had slipped all ten chicks under her bare hot belly and she miraculously accepted all ten very nicely. 
Yay!!! Only two died within the first week from Failure to thrive.
All 8 are running, flapping, dust bathing, taking a ride on Da Mamas back and scratching the dirt at 3 weeks old. I am proudly happy she has taken 110% EXCELLENT care of her babies and protects them from the others. 
I am so pleased with how she is able to maintain control and safety of all 8 chicks plus she makes sure they all make it back into the coop at night.
and two coops!!! 
