Ribh's D'Coopage

[Ribh]

Talking about cats and chicks…. Are you sure your furry beauties leave the chicks in one piece if they have the chance to follow their hunting instincts?

I wouldn’t trust my neighbour cats with the chicks for sure.

My 1st lot of chicks sorted the cats out. However mine are now indoor cats. It's more the neighbours I have to keep an eye on.

 

[Ribh]

Chavi on babysitting duties for Wrold.

 

[Ribh]

Tootsie has stolen the babies again.

 

[Shadrach]

Thank you and I will let him know

Not me

I can't stand the stuff. I'm not even sure it's that good for me.
Funny how all these different foodstuffs fall in and out of fashion.

 

[RoyalChick]

I can't stand the stuff. I'm not even sure it's that good for me.
Funny how all these different foodstuffs fall in and out of fashion.

I have never tried it, but I think it is only in the West that it is a fashion thing.
Isn’t it a very ancient (like BC) food?

 

[Grammy60]

I just know that in Korea, Kim chi is fermented in crocks in the ground for various lengths of time Definitely an acquired taste

 

[Ribh]

One of Alpia's babies expired overnight. The other isn't looking too good either. Wrold has taken over sitting duties in that box. There are still 2 eggs under her. I removed the dead chick before we could have a repeat of her macabre behaviour.

Alpia is out with everyone. Chavi was in with Tootsie minding Wrold's chicks. I have put her out with Alpia. Wrolds babies are looking good & strong, starting to eat & drink.
I am feeling a little fraught. It is so disheartening to see the girls work so hard & get so little for all their effort. Chavi & Tootsie are so obviously enjoying being mothers. Wrold seems to regard it as a job & Alpia is starting to look like she's had enough of this parenting lark.

Next time I'll give the eggs to Tootsie & Chavi. They've had a trial run now so may do better. They certainly seem more invested. Just hope I end up with @ least 1 chick between everyone!

 

[Shadrach]

One of Alpia's babies expired overnight. The other isn't looking too good either. Wrold has taken over sitting duties in that box. There are still 2 eggs under her. I removed the dead chick before we could have a repeat of her macabre behaviour.

Alpia is out with everyone. Chavi was in with Tootsie minding Wrold's chicks. I have put her out with Alpia. Wrolds babies are looking good & strong, starting to eat & drink.
I am feeling a little fraught. It is so disheartening to see the girls work so hard & get so little for all their effort. Chavi & Tootsie are so obviously enjoying being mothers. Wrold seems to regard it as a job & Alpia is starting to look like she's had enough of this parenting lark.

Next time I'll give the eggs to Tootsie & Chavi. They've had a trial run now so may do better. They certainly seem more invested. Just hope I end up with @ least 1 chick between everyone!

Finding out who makes the best mums and more importantly what makes them best can be a traumatic learning experience for all. Yes it can be very disheartening when things don't go as we would wish. Our expectaions of hatch rates and mums abilities is very high I think.

 

[Ribh]

Finding out who makes the best mums and more importantly what makes them best can be a traumatic learning experience for all. Yes it can be very disheartening when things don't go as we would wish. Our expectaions of hatch rates and mums abilities is very high I think.

I was expecting some losses as that seems to be the norm but @ this point we have lost more chicks than we've kept. I think I need to find a solution to this desire to co~sit & co~parent as it was not a question of the birds having their own eggs & space but of having them all! Both Chavi & Tootsie abandoned their own eggs to hone in on Alpia. I have no idea why, except she had more eggs than they did. She had more eggs because she's a bigger hen & better able to cover the larger number but that didn't seem to occur to my bird brains!

 

[Shadrach]

I was expecting some losses as that seems to be the norm but @ this point we have lost more chicks than we've kept. I think I need to find a solution to this desire to co~sit & co~parent as it was not a question of the birds having their own eggs & space but of having them all! Both Chavi & Tootsie abandoned their own eggs to hone in on Alpia. I have no idea why, except she had more eggs than they did. She had more eggs because she's a bigger hen & better able to cover the larger number but that didn't seem to occur to my bird brains!

My preference is to let the senior hens sit and hatch and only on the eggs they laid if possible. Some hens are happy to take donations but ime the senior hens are less so and even roll the donated eggs out of their nests sometimes. I have had multiple broodies sit and hatch (you may remember Barking Bracket, Hinge and Nolia spread over two nests) That on worked out all right but in the past I've had a lot of egg breakages from guest traffic.
In some nests, tribe coop nests in general I've screened off the nest from the others overnight. Early morning donations proved the most damaging for some reason. Once the rest of the tribe have left the coop in the morning I unblock the nest so the broody can get out and about. There is a reason, a few in fact why junior hens in particular choose given the option to lay their eggs in nests away from the coop. These nests tend to be secret hidden nests and watching these juniors return to their nests it's apparent it's not just me they don't want to know where they are, they don't want the other hens knowing.
You and they are on new territory and the group has undergone some fairly major population changes recently, plus you're playing catch up witth accomodation and experience.
Once you've got to the point that you're being proactive rather than reactive to the changes I'm certain hatch rates will improve. Knowing what makes a good nest in your location can be very mportant and unfortunately the hens as well as you have to learn this.
You're doing okay Ribh. None of it is as straightforward as some would have us believe.