Great. Sorry my PM box is full, I didn't get your latest message in reply to me saying what time we will arrive.
Sdwd
- Thread starter Yard full o' rocks
- Start date
It's *62 here now, chickens are out lovin life before all the rain comes this week.
Instead of my page, which takes soooo long, I decided to update my flickr instead... http://www.flickr.com/photos/53616213@N08/with/5397865951/
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Nick I got the message that you were coming in the afternoon. That's just fine!
Okay!
Cyn, this is hard, we're talking in so many different places, LOL.
Cyn, this is hard, we're talking in so many different places, LOL.
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Hmmppfff! I thought you young pups were supposed to be excellent at multi-tasking?!?
Yeah, it's been one of those mornings! I think I'm just gonna crawl back in bed, pull the covers over my head and not emerge until Spring!
GeeGee was off of her nest this morning when I let the flock out for the day. And by the feel of the eggs, she had been off of them for more than a few minutes at the very least. While they weren't exactly cold, they were a heck of a lot cooler than I would think they could survive. I looked around, and here's miss fluffy butt outside, scratching around, goofing off by the water buckets, striking up a conversation with the boys. Just dragging her feet really about getting back to her nest!
Fortunately for me and the eggs, Vivian was contentedly sitting in the nest box next to GeeGee's. So, I picked her up, whispered sweetly in her ear and begged her to help me with the eggs. "Vivvy, honey, Mama really needs your help here. Can you please sit on these eggs until that ding-a-ling GeeGee gets back and remembers just what the heck she's supposed to be doing? What a sweet girl you are........." And do you know, that angel girl did just as I asked her to. Settled right down on those eggs as though they were hers and it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do.
Now, something I didn't mention before, and you need to know, because it explains how exceptional Vivian is. Just yesterday, GeeGee beat the living daylights out of Vivian just for looking in the nest. Vivian was still standing on the platform out in front of the nest boxes. She hadn't actually gone in, when GeeGee came screaming out at her.
Good thing I had been there, or else I think it might have ended badly for somebody. Probably Vivvy, as she's so sweet and gentle by her very nature.
Anyhow, for Vivian to agree to sitting on the eggs of a known adversary, says a lot about her, don't you agree?
So Vivian sat dutifully on the eggs, I went about my morning cleaning ritual and all was wonderful in the world. The eggs were getting nice and toasty under Vivian and I got the chance to fluff the shavings real good in the coop....until.......
Yes, you guessed it.....GeeGee returned. My back was turned to the door when she came in, or you can be darn sure I would have been more alert to her presence. As it was, I'm just thankful, and so is Vivvy, that I was there.
GeeGee took one look at Vivian on her nest and you'd swear she had discovered an entire pit of snakes in there!
She fluffed up to 4 times her normal size in an instant! Frankly I never would have guessed that she had that much fluff and feathers! Yes, she's one of my fluffier girls, but seriously! FOUR TIMES her normal size at least! I think if she had tried to look any bigger, her feathers would have self ejected from her body!
And oh, the angry clucking from that girl at discovering her arch rival in HER nest! For my part, I thought the whole thing was rather hilarious. Though it was quite evident that Vivian didn't think so. Here she was, trying to be a good girl and do as her Mama asked, and suddenly finds herself cornered in someplace she desperately didn't want to be all of a sudden. So, naturally, I brushed 4X GeeGee aside, scooped up Vivian, and let the grumpy old girl get back on her nest. Bloodshed avoided! Whew!
As a consolation to Vivian, I rounded up all of the other eggs in the coop, placed them in her favorite nest [the one she had been on when I swiped her to sit on GeeGee's] and settled her down on those. Petting her and speaking softly, she soon settled into the idea.
I just adore that little girl. She's as sweet as the day is long. I hope she goes broody at some point in her life, cuz I just know she'd make a great and loving mama.
As for GeeGee's eggs and their future? I don't know. It was below freezing outside this morning, though inside the coop was nice and toasty warm, so it wasn't quite as cold as I feared it might get. But still, those eggs were awfully cool to the touch. I have no idea how long she had been off of them either.
Ya know, for something that was supposed to be less stressful than carrying the full responsibility for the welfare of the eggs myself, this broody business certainly hasn't gone as I expected. I swear, I'm twice as jittery about them as I ever was in using the incubator. There at least, my only real concern was a power outage!
Now I worry that GeeGee might be starting to come out of her broodiness. Oh please Great Spirit, help me keep that silly woman on her nest until the babies hatch!
I've certainly learned one thing from all of this. Take my advice, if you can't isolate your broody from the rest of the world, you may as well kick her off of the nest and not let her continue at all!
It's just too stressful!
Hmmppfff! I thought you young pups were supposed to be excellent at multi-tasking?!?
GeeGee was off of her nest this morning when I let the flock out for the day. And by the feel of the eggs, she had been off of them for more than a few minutes at the very least. While they weren't exactly cold, they were a heck of a lot cooler than I would think they could survive. I looked around, and here's miss fluffy butt outside, scratching around, goofing off by the water buckets, striking up a conversation with the boys. Just dragging her feet really about getting back to her nest!
Fortunately for me and the eggs, Vivian was contentedly sitting in the nest box next to GeeGee's. So, I picked her up, whispered sweetly in her ear and begged her to help me with the eggs. "Vivvy, honey, Mama really needs your help here. Can you please sit on these eggs until that ding-a-ling GeeGee gets back and remembers just what the heck she's supposed to be doing? What a sweet girl you are........." And do you know, that angel girl did just as I asked her to. Settled right down on those eggs as though they were hers and it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do.
Now, something I didn't mention before, and you need to know, because it explains how exceptional Vivian is. Just yesterday, GeeGee beat the living daylights out of Vivian just for looking in the nest. Vivian was still standing on the platform out in front of the nest boxes. She hadn't actually gone in, when GeeGee came screaming out at her.
Anyhow, for Vivian to agree to sitting on the eggs of a known adversary, says a lot about her, don't you agree?
Yes, you guessed it.....GeeGee returned. My back was turned to the door when she came in, or you can be darn sure I would have been more alert to her presence. As it was, I'm just thankful, and so is Vivvy, that I was there.
GeeGee took one look at Vivian on her nest and you'd swear she had discovered an entire pit of snakes in there!
And oh, the angry clucking from that girl at discovering her arch rival in HER nest! For my part, I thought the whole thing was rather hilarious. Though it was quite evident that Vivian didn't think so. Here she was, trying to be a good girl and do as her Mama asked, and suddenly finds herself cornered in someplace she desperately didn't want to be all of a sudden. So, naturally, I brushed 4X GeeGee aside, scooped up Vivian, and let the grumpy old girl get back on her nest. Bloodshed avoided! Whew!
As a consolation to Vivian, I rounded up all of the other eggs in the coop, placed them in her favorite nest [the one she had been on when I swiped her to sit on GeeGee's] and settled her down on those. Petting her and speaking softly, she soon settled into the idea.
As for GeeGee's eggs and their future? I don't know. It was below freezing outside this morning, though inside the coop was nice and toasty warm, so it wasn't quite as cold as I feared it might get. But still, those eggs were awfully cool to the touch. I have no idea how long she had been off of them either.
I've certainly learned one thing from all of this. Take my advice, if you can't isolate your broody from the rest of the world, you may as well kick her off of the nest and not let her continue at all!
Just found Pepper's baby photo. This is from early June. It's gonna be my avatar in a few...
Quote:
How well do they lay? Compared to a Delaware?
How well do they lay? Compared to a Delaware?
Quote:
How well do they lay? Compared to a Delaware?
I just moved them into the layers coop. Only a couple of them have started laying, and I was getting 2 eggs a day for a couple weeks. One is a SLW and one is a BLRW. Still waiting for the others to start laying. I have ALOT of new layers here, that's for sure.
How well do they lay? Compared to a Delaware?
I just moved them into the layers coop. Only a couple of them have started laying, and I was getting 2 eggs a day for a couple weeks. One is a SLW and one is a BLRW. Still waiting for the others to start laying. I have ALOT of new layers here, that's for sure.
Can you all help me out?
I have banded my Barred Rock girls, and I have 3 cockerels. Now, I am taking pictures and setting up a BYC page, so my mentor can look at it and guide me as far as who to pen with who. Ya see, E. B. Thompson (as well as many) did double mating to breed .... that is, one pen to produce female progeny and one pen to produce male progeny. It is key to have a lighter cockerel in the matings to produce exhibition colored females. Fortunately, I do have one. He is #3, the youngest.
Anyway, here is my dilemma. Stupid me, I used all the same color of leg bands. I can not see the numbers in some of the pictures. Can you look at my page, and see the ones with the ? and see if you can tell which pullet is in the picture. Maybe match up the comb to the ones above. I am not having any luck.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=31282-breeding-info
ETA: I keep forgetting to recommend this thread ..... surely you all have pictures you can submit!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=429422
I have banded my Barred Rock girls, and I have 3 cockerels. Now, I am taking pictures and setting up a BYC page, so my mentor can look at it and guide me as far as who to pen with who. Ya see, E. B. Thompson (as well as many) did double mating to breed .... that is, one pen to produce female progeny and one pen to produce male progeny. It is key to have a lighter cockerel in the matings to produce exhibition colored females. Fortunately, I do have one. He is #3, the youngest.
Anyway, here is my dilemma. Stupid me, I used all the same color of leg bands. I can not see the numbers in some of the pictures. Can you look at my page, and see the ones with the ? and see if you can tell which pullet is in the picture. Maybe match up the comb to the ones above. I am not having any luck.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=31282-breeding-info
ETA: I keep forgetting to recommend this thread ..... surely you all have pictures you can submit!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=429422
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