Rusty Bucket Farm

[CoopBoots]

5/11 News:

Ding Dong's group has moved to a neighbor's place for some help controlling ticks on their property. Marshmallow, Peppa, and Blue will be missed for various reasons, but due to escapism and strong personalities I think this is best for them and the flock.

I'm extra glad I'd set one of Blue and Peppa's eggs. Hopefully Ding Dong is the father, so we'll see if any barring pops out. He was an especially good and pretty boy.

In other news, I forgot to mark all of Puffy's eggs and she suddenly has 6. Looking like an unfortunately staggered hatch for her. I've reserved Daisy's to take over whatever she does not hatch... The rest I'll have to leave to nature.

 

[fuzzi]

5/11 News:

Ding Dong's group has moved to a neighbor's place for some help controlling ticks on their property. Marshmallow, Peppa, and Blue will be missed for various reasons, but due to escapism and strong personalities I think this is best for them and the flock.
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I'm extra glad I'd set one of Blue and Peppa's eggs. Hopefully Ding Dong is the father, so we'll see if any barring pops out. He was an especially good and pretty boy.

In other news, I forgot to mark all of Puffy's eggs and she suddenly has 6. Looking like an unfortunately staggered hatch for her. I've reserved Daisy's to take over whatever she does not hatch... The rest I'll have to leave to nature.

I did a staggered hatch last year, and my broody, Martha (RIP), sat for three additional days to hatch the two last eggs. One of those chicks is my Zacchaeus.

 

[CoopBoots]

I did a staggered hatch last year, and my broody, Martha (RIP), sat for three additional days to hatch the two last eggs. One of those chicks is my Zacchaeus.

I hope my girls will perform as well as Martha!! A good mother hen is worth her weight in gold, and she was certainly one of them.

This will be my first ever experience with a staggered hatch as I'm usually very controlling, haha. Puffy is harder to mess with as Rusty has increased his normally aggression since she began sitting in his coop. I wonder if he's doing it for that specific reason!

 

[CoopBoots]

5/15 Updates:

Sorsha has hatched two of her five, with other pips observed with difficulty:

Blue's egg hatched out penguin-ish! Another cute black pullet, I hope, and no headspot, so it isn't barred? In that case, either Yorvir or Ding Dong could be the father...

Daisy's is still drying off; the typical blonde/Buff I've had from her and Yorvir before:

One egg had a misadventure and got trapped inside the leftover shell of Blue's egg. Luckily she moved enough that we spotted it. It was pipping and seemed fine after!

Three to go? No sign of a pip on Noodle's egg, but I haven't had a recent good look. Trying not to be too nosy ><' I used biscuits to bribe mama and soften her up as she is one of my wildest pullets...

 

[CoopBoots]

Black baby is from Blue, white-yellow nearest Sorsha is from Dusty, yellow is from Daisy, and gingerish is from Peppa (I'm still very surprised. Guessing Yorvir is its daddy despite the time spent with Ding Dong...)

Four is our final count! Well, probably. No pip from Noodle's egg, which has been transferred to Daphne nextdoor for a little more time... but I'll toss it tomorrow.

Sorsha has done an amazing job so far. What a surprise from this complete outlier pullet!

Maybe more babies for Daph and Puffy next week?

 

[CoopBoots]

5/23 Updates:

Sorsha's group of 4 is thriving.

Daphne and Puffy, unfortunately, didn't handle hatch day well, so no additional chicks made it. We'd have had 3 hatchlings; 2 of Rusty's eggs were simply infertile and one I still don't know. I gave it a little more time under Daisy but that's wishful thinking. I'll throw it out tomorrow.

Daisy is still on three of Rusty's that could hatch, assuming he's doing his job with Salty. I'm not counting on it of course. Daisy will have to be broken after next weekend passes.

In other news, red wasps are making themselves at home in Rusty's coop! Time to call in husband for extermination!

 

[CoopBoots]

7/1 Updates:

Sorsha is long done with her brood of 4 cockerels... yes, I'm almost certain they are ALL boys. Black is the only questionable one, and only because the red is a bit slower to come in.

Nothing else hatched and I broke Daisy for the first time ever. She was pale; pale as my skin instead of pink in her comb and wattles. She wasn't right even when removed from the nest by force!! No mites that I could find. I checked around for just the nightly mites on the roosts too but no dice. For that first night I thought we might lose her...

With a little extra time and attention and forced removal from her nesting site, she recovered her color and energy, went back into lay, and is broody again now. I immediately gave her eggs because I won't have her sit any overtime this time around. And if she isn't well at any point (she'll be checked DAILY) I plan to break her again before she gets so rough.

Poor thing. I gave her eggs a little bit later than usual and while the eggs weren't past 21 days, she was. I should have been more attentive. She'd have killed herself before giving up on them it seems!

Anyway, she was given all of yesterday's Yorvir-sired eggs, and I might give her all of today's too. No pullets so far to keep us in eggs this winter, and we've sold 6 layers over the course of this Spring and Summer. We also lost Kazooie to an unexpected laying disorder, at a guess. Rough year.

We have to make our hay while the sun shines. Daisy keeps the entire flock going. I have huge respect for her dedication to her motherhood and the legacy she will one day leave behind. But hopefully, not any time soon!!!

 

[CoopBoots]

7/19 Updates:

Early hatch day for Daisy would be tomorrow. More likely Monday.

Her clutch has been split with Sorsha, who butted into broody time and caused all kinds of drama.

We lost three eggs over the course of this incubation period; two with definite babies due to nest fighting. The huge downside to having multiple broodies.

Jubilee, my big red boss hen, is sitting on 8 eggs and no one has dared mess with her.

She's due on the 26th (next Saturday).

New cockerel in quarantine that I purchased today. He's an Easter Egger but no telling if he'll pass anything to his babies. Hopefully we at least get more cute muffs/beard because I LOVE them!!!

He's locked up near the meat boys; yes all of Sorsha's 4 were boys...

Beautiful, but nothing new to offer genetically. If they all stay healthy I'll be more confident that the EE has a clean bill of health. Since they are unfortunately already culls, the risk to flock safety is minimal.

Rusty has been retired to a smaller area with his favored lady, Strawberry, and fence socialization with the entire flock as his other hens are now reintegrated with Yorvir's. Even Gubbles has been released on probation to see if he stresses out any girls or fails to submit to Yorvir. So far, so good, but I'm prepared to backtrack on any changes that prove unhelpful to the collective peace.

 

[fuzzi]

Lovely plumage on the new EE.

 

[CoopBoots]

Mommas were thirsty; I've been allowed to see these three! Daisy may have more but she is not moving around much. Good girl.

There are eggs that were set one day later that should start soon. These are earlier than I expected anyway, possibly due to our high temperatures?