Setting eggs today, 6-30-12...anyone else want to join in the fun???

[InTheJungle]

We don't have a Trader Joe's around here

. The closest to me are way out by Pittsburgh PA. I'm further East in Indiana County PA. But I did go to Walmart today and checked out the egg cartons and none of them say fertile. oh well. maybe it's a crap shoot or none of the companies want to freak out the customers by admitting "hey you're eating a fertile egg there".

I gave my girls some plastic Easter eggs just to see what they would do with them. They pecked at them and then wandered off. They also have one of those Lixit chicken balls that can be filled with food or goodies that fall out as the chickens peck at it.

Hey what is up with this Ground Oyster shells from Tractor supply??? I get this 50 pound bag, open it up and it looks like crushed limestone! I was sooooo not expecting that!!!!

 

[Cats Cradle]

love it!! I designed my coop/nesting areas for broodies and babies too...

You guys are ahead of me, but I need to do the same thing! We haven't had hens go broody but a couple times so far (wrong breeds), but I got a bunch of orpingtons this year that will be laying in a few months, so I'm sure I'll have all the broodies I want next year!

If you have pics of what you've done to accommodate the broodies I'd love to see so I can get ideas!

Glad to have you here Stephanie... I'm in VA too!

 

[Cats Cradle]

We don't have a Trader Joe's around here

. The closest to me are way out by Pittsburgh PA. I'm further East in Indiana County PA. But I did go to Walmart today and checked out the egg cartons and none of them say fertile. oh well. maybe it's a crap shoot or none of the companies want to freak out the customers by admitting "hey you're eating a fertile egg there".

I gave my girls some plastic Easter eggs just to see what they would do with them. They pecked at them and then wandered off. They also have one of those Lixit chicken balls that can be filled with food or goodies that fall out as the chickens peck at it.

Hey what is up with this Ground Oyster shells from Tractor supply??? I get this 50 pound bag, open it up and it looks like crushed limestone! I was sooooo not expecting that!!!!

Yea... I seriously doubt Walmart carries fertile eggs. You need some sort of health store like a Trader Joes, Whole Foods, or even maybe a smaller independent health store. Another place to look is Craig's List. Of course, you can always find fertile eggs here, but then you have the whole shipped eggs problems to deal with.

 

[Stephanie739]

I gave my girls some plastic Easter eggs just to see what they would do with them. They pecked at them and then wandered off. They also have one of those Lixit chicken balls that can be filled with food or goodies that fall out as the chickens peck at it.

I wonder if the chicken balls would encourage the birds to peck at real eggs to see what is inside.....

 

[Stephanie739]

You guys are ahead of me, but I need to do the same thing! We haven't had hens go broody but a couple times so far (wrong breeds), but I got a bunch of orpingtons this year that will be laying in a few months, so I'm sure I'll have all the broodies I want next year!

If you have pics of what you've done to accommodate the broodies I'd love to see so I can get ideas!

Glad to have you here Stephanie... I'm in VA too!

I'm in Blue Ridge area, west of Charlottesville

Glad you asked for pictures! I rearranged my coop (shed) just a few days ago!

Here is the view from the door. I have 27 babies (2-4 weeks of age) sleeping in the dog crate on the right. The broody mom introduced the older ones to the flock, but I have had to contain them since they were wandering on their own when the mom was locked in (my yard, the neighbors yard!)




Here is the view from inside to the left. My first broody began in the cage on the bottom although it was located where the dog crate is now. It is hard to see, but if you look towards the right of the nest area, far in the back, is another box the hens have used to lay their eggs on occasion. I left it since it is secluded and dark. There are also a couple of animal carriers to the left of the nest area, but none of the hens pay much attention to those. I have a small bantam rooster that likes to sleep in one sometimes.



I picked up these crates (for free!) in Roanoke a couple weeks ago. The tall one is a great brooder. The shorter crate is what I used to build the new nest area, turned it sideways, made a shelf with osb board, 2x4, and a 1x3 I had laying around. I set two milk crates on the shelf. I found 3 eggs this morning in one of the milk crates. They like it!



Here is the brooder. I have it close to my furnace room so I can plug in the heat lamp if needed. I have some eggs about to hatch, so I will be using it again soon. The babies stayed here from a few days of age until about a week and a half.


Here is where the babies play during the day. I had the heat lamp plugged in over here one day that was a bit chilly (extension cord)



And finally here is a picture of the entire run...I have a large dog kennel on the other side of my yard that many chickens still like to sleep in. Its more secure than this area, so I am planning to relocate it join it to this chicken area (eventually!) The baby enclosure is over by the wood fence under the green.

 

[joff]

hi i set 6 serama eggs on the 28 hope all goes well for you they are shiped eggs and only 2 wer firtile (
4 day to go cant wait to see my hopefull chicks ohh ye it my first hatch to so realy buzzed cant wait oh i said that once all redy lol
have fun)

 

[InTheJungle]

I wonder if the chicken balls would encourage the birds to peck at real eggs to see what is inside.....

I doubt it, it's bright yellow and larger than a baseball with holes on the ends with two black buttons holding it together by a little bungee cord inside. My kids are pulling out an egg a day now and each one is going into the incubator since someone threw away the empty egg carton after making my son scrambled (store bought) eggs and hot dogs. Wasn't me.

Our first egg arrived on the 9th and I still can't tell if it's fertile because it's so speckled. My experimental white eggs I stole from the fridge are speckled too and I can't tell. On a happy note, I added a second sun conure egg to the incubator, and the first IS showing signs of life!!!!! keeping my fingers crossed!!! I got $400 for the last one i sold.

 

[WyoChickenMamma]

Happy Monday Morning to Everyone! I am super excited for this weekend to hurry up and get here. But at the same time, I am sad because when this hatch is done I can put the incubators away for a bit. I don't have any more eggs coming until sometime probably late August. It was a pre order I did on Ebay, so it very well may be the end of August. When I know when those are coming I am sure I will find some others to put in with that group, since it will only be six eggs. I am sooooo addicted to my chickens.

I did just sell ten of my 16 week old pullets this week, so that is good. I was tossing and turning in my bed last night though worrying about the last 8 I sold. The fella, who found me on craigslist, ironically just lives down around the corner. Well he came last night to pick up 8 Cuckoo Marans. After he paid me and loaded them into his truck he tells me that he has a rottweiler dog that just killed 3 of his other chickens. He says he made the fence better and then "taught his dog a lesson" I just couldn't bring myself to ask exactly what he meant. I treat my chickens like pets and I know most people, especially country people treat them like livestock, not pets. He did tell me that his wife was very upset by the dog getting her chickens, so they are going to be more cautious now. Well I told him that those were expensive birds and to be careful with them. At least I can only see the top of his coop from my house and can't see the yard, or I would be tempted to check on them all the time. I know the reality is that I decided to sell them to help thin down my flock, they are not mine anymore and what people do with them is their business. I just hate the idea them being attacked by a 200 pound dog.

Okay, enough of my ranting about that! I have at least 5, maybe 6 eggs that will be going to lockdown. WOOOT WOOOOT. Can't wait to see what comes out of them.

 

[Kanga77510]

My hen, Chip, is ready for for the eggs to hatch. She's got that look in her eye like "get me outta here!" I will post updates as soon as I see anything in her broody pen.

 

[chickenn@@b]

I think Rosie is ready for hatch day too. I just realized I will be out of town on hatch day. My daughter's softball team got invited to go to regionals at the last minute after I had already set the eggs My oldest daughter will be coming to check on Rosie but I'm going to worry. I haven't candled at all so I have no idea what to expect as far as hatch rate. The marans eggs were so dark I didn't think I'd be able to see anything.