Sdwd

[Cetawin]

Quote:
It could have worked. LOL You do not want to go South...it is hotter down there and you do not like the heat. Come North hehehehe

 

[speckledhen]

I fear I'm stuck right here. I hate heat, I hate snow, I hate humidity. Is there no place on the planet for me?

 

[Serrin]

I'm beginning to think there is something in the air that causes all of these girls to be going broody. I'm also convinced that whatever is in the air, started in the south, and has finally circumnavigated the globe and has arrived here, cuz guess what!? Yup! I gots me a broody!!

GeeGee has been sitting tight for two consecutive days now. And oooooohhhh does she ever get hostile when I try to take any eggs from her! Liked to remove my fingers yesterday!!

In light of that, I've got a couple of questions that y'all will most certainly know the answers to. First, do you guys think these eggs are even going to be fertile? Chief has been out of the flock since 1-2-11. That's almost 2 whole weeks. How long is his last mating good for?

I'm honestly kind of hoping that none of these are viable and that I can just keep taking all but one or two eggs from her every day. The first day, that crazy woman had something like 14 or 16 eggs of her sisters under her!

I had forgotten to pick up eggs the day before. As cold as it has been, we certainly don't need to worry about refrigeration right now.

My next question concerns diagnosing broodiness in the first place. Does it count if she was all puffed up, protective and argumentative on one nest, one day, and the next day was in the nest box next to the one that she was sitting on previously. Kind of like she forgot just which one she was supposed to be sitting on. Does that still count as broody? Or do I just have one silly hen trying to get away with being lazy?

Last but not least, If I take away all of the eggs now, and continue to do so regardless of her attitude, and break her of this broody spell, will she ever want to go broody again? I'd really hate to discourage her. She's such a pretty girl and I can't help but feel that being a mama would do wonders for GeeGee's overall attitude. She's really good around the twins, acting every inch of the Auntie towards them.

My problem is simply in her timing. I have nowhere to put her to serve out her entire incubation time in peace and solitude, nor do I have the time to build something right this very moment. If it were at the very least spring time, I could just let nature take its course and see what happens. But not in the dead of winter!

Your thoughts, as always, are very much welcome!

 

[Braclin]

Quote:
OMG LH!! I'm gonna have to put you in a padded room along with my mother, lol. Glad you are ok! Tell Sarah that I got my first egg from the Lav. pair I bought from her today!!

 

[kathyinmo]

Amy .....
http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_long_hens.html

Time hens continue to produce fertile eggs.....

If the rooster in a flock dies, or is removed, the hens will continue to produce fertile eggs for up to four weeks, depending on bird species. This is because there are "sperm nest" areas located in the oviduct of hens that collect and store semen for later fertilization of eggs. This is a natural survival mechanism for the production of a series of fertile hatching eggs even after the male is not available.

The period of time that fertile eggs can be produced without additional matings can extend to several weeks. If a rooster is removed from the flock and replaced by another, it may require 3 weeks before it can be assured that all eggs will produce chicks sired by the new rooster. The proportion of chicks sired by the new rooster will increase during this period, but some chicks sired by the old rooster may hatch. Birds like turkeys and waterfowl have longer periods during which fertile eggs can be produced without matings.

Yes, a broody hen will switch nests. They are stupid.

They don't care what eggs they are on. They just want to set. If she puffs up and growls at you, she is likely broody. If you want to allow her to set, just partition her off an area. Some have done it in a box, or in a rubbermaid plastic tub-tote, a little dog house, or anything will do. It doesn't take much room for a nest to set on. The thing is, you don't want her to get up into the "wrong," nest, and you don't want the other girls to keep adding eggs to her clutch. The eggs should all be set at the same time (to be due at the same time). Broodies usually get up off the nest once a day, to go poop, eat, drink, etc.

Amy, just set her in a box in your bedroom. Yeah, that should work.....​

 

[Cetawin]

LOL Brandon that might work...might I shall tell her, she has her DH working on the barn at their place so she can get her birds sooner than Spring...she misses them. I am glad she is going to take Boone back because he will be well cared for and beats selling him to someone and not knowing. YAY By the way, she said she did not get a reply to her second message to her...you may want to try sending again if you sent her a reply.

Kathy yeah a broody in the bedroom would thrill Denny to pieces I am so sure. NOT hahahaha

 

[Braclin]

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Thats cool!! I just sent her another pm. I may have forgotten to reply never know, lol.

 

[Serrin]

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I am thoroughly and completely convinced woman. You have utterly gone 'round the bend!

I'm just glad you seem to have retained your knack for looking up just the right snippet of information when I need it the most. Thank you dear!

*sigh* I guess I'll just quietly take the eggs from her until she passes out of this broodiness business. Poor little girl. I bet she'd make an awesome mama!

This is GeeGee to the left of Chief. Not the best pic, I know, but it's the most recent one of her.

 

[speckledhen]

I interrupt your regularly scheduled gabfest to announce that it was 5 degrees at my place this morning. We've had temps like that on very rare occasions, even lower, but not after weeks of night temps in the teens. We can't even get out of the driveway gate to go to town for shavings, straw, feed, prescriptions, etc. Snow is frozen all around the gate and Tom has to squeeze through to walk to get the mail.

 

[NellaBean]

Cyn, this is for you.