Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fluffycrow]

Yes, but it's usually been to come and sort out the dispute about who lays first.
The important things to notice in such situations is who got the nesting box, who left with Kolovos and what did the senior hen do after making the call?
It's often not the main event that catches ones eye that gives the most information but what the other chickens do while the event is going on and the bit afterwards.

OK, this is what happened. I should say by the way. The hen who was wanting to lay and joined the lead hen in the escort call actually was sitting in the nest before, but when the other hen came she got kicked out. The lead hen saw all this, and after some time sounded the escort call. After Kolovos came the lead hen stopped. The hen that was in the nest box laid the egg, and then the other one wanting to lay squeezed in whith her, at which point Kolovos stopped looking out for her and left with the rest of the hens, minus the lead hen. The lead hen went to the feeder and started eating just after stopping sounding the escort call by the way, although she did glance over a few times

 

[BDutch]

@fluffycrow , perhaps it helps if you put fake eggs in the nest the chickens do not prefer. And no eggs in the favourite nest box. It helped my chickens to switch / lay in both nest-boxes.

 

[fluffycrow]

@fluffycrow , perhaps it helps if you put fake eggs in the nest the chickens do not prefer. And no eggs in the favourite nest box. It helped my chickens to switch / lay in both nest-boxes.

It usually works for most of my other birds, but for some reason they throw them out the nest

 

[TropicalChickies]

Hey folks, what do you do with a broody hen who sat on a broken egg?

Today there was a tussle and one of Dusty's eggs broke. Somehow Rusty got over or around the privacy screen I put around Dusty's nest and got inside. I heard the squawking and screeching and by the time I got over there, Rusty was running out of the area looking mighty suspicious and Dusty was sitting on her two whole eggs and the remains of the broken one (which looked to be developing )and some of Rusty's feathers in her beak.

I think Rusty is trying to sabotage Dusty's hatch. Rusty had the opportunity to sit and messed it up big time. She's a nice enough little hen, but she really doesn't want Dusty to become a mama and pass her in the ranks.

Tomorrow morning I'll make Dusty's nest area more secure.

Question: I cleaned all the eggy sand and soil out of the nest and replaced it with clean material. I carefully wiped the remaining eggs clean with a soft damp rag.

But what do I do with Dusty? I cleaned the sticky egg goo off her belly, but the feathers on her underside still smell eggy. If I give her a proper bath, she'll go back to her nest wet. I don't have a blow dryer so the best I can do is towel dry her. Is that too wet? I imagine there's bacteria on her feathers from the broken egg that isn't great for the eggs she's still sitting on.

 

[Perris]

But what do I do with Dusty?

I'd make a deep dustbath in an appropriate sized box and keep it ready for when she comes off for food and water, then put it very close by her, and perhaps she'll use it after she's eaten and pooped.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Hey folks, what do you do with a broody hen who sat on a broken egg?

Today there was a tussle and one of Dusty's eggs broke. Somehow Rusty got over or around the privacy screen I put around Dusty's nest and got inside. I heard the squawking and screeching and by the time I got over there, Rusty was running out of the area looking mighty suspicious and Dusty was sitting on her two whole eggs and the remains of the broken one (which looked to be developing )and some of Rusty's feathers in her beak.

I think Rusty is trying to sabotage Dusty's hatch. Rusty had the opportunity to sit and messed it up big time. She's a nice enough little hen, but she really doesn't want Dusty to become a mama and pass her in the ranks.

Tomorrow morning I'll make Dusty's nest area more secure.

Question: I cleaned all the eggy sand and soil out of the nest and replaced it with clean material. I carefully wiped the remaining eggs clean with a soft damp rag.

But what do I do with Dusty? I cleaned the sticky egg goo off her belly, but the feathers on her underside still smell eggy. If I give her a proper bath, she'll go back to her nest wet. I don't have a blow dryer so the best I can do is towel dry her. Is that too wet? I imagine there's bacteria on her feathers from the broken egg that isn't great for the eggs she's still sitting on.

I clean nests and wipe eggs, but I don't clean hens. I usually find that they go have a dust bath while I'm cleaning up. Speaking of broodies, I've got 2 broody pullets. Once seems to have decided she'd rather stop than accept brooding in a new location. She was back in the tree this evening. The other has just been moved tonight and she seemed less put out about it. We shall see tomorrow! I prefer not to let pullets sit unless I have an experienced hen also sitting at the same time. I leave the fertile eggs with the good hen and leave fake ones with the pullets until about day 18, then I distribute them. However, with such uncertain summer time hatching, I might just take the opportunity to get started on chick season!

 

[Perris]

Hafod and Whitford are 1 year old today!

 

[fluffycrow]

Hafod and Whitford are 1 year old today!
View attachment 3605809

Happy birthday!

 

[BDutch]

Hafod and Whitford are 1 year old today!

Congrats

@TropicalBabies, so good to hear you son is safe. Wish you all the strength you need to coop with this disaster.

Tax for lurking.
These two came over for a huge cup of tea (rainwater in a plant pot) when I was having my coffee.

Chef, the pile Dutch pullet who could stay. She is starting to get more confident without the others. But still hangs around most of the time with Abby (the other pullet who stayed)

Pearl my 8 year old rusty black Dutch.

 

[Shadrach]

11/08.
Two and a half hours today. Warm, gey with occasional sunny spells, 23C.
When I checked the coop on arrival another egg had been rolled out and the water dish had been turned over.
The rolled out egg wasn't cracked so I slipped it back under Fret.
When I lifeted Fret off her nest and put her down to eat she had a bad limp.
What's more, when I put her on the ground Henry went for Fret; not badly, but her was deffinitely telling her off.
From all this I've assumed that Carbon had gone to lay an egg and a bit of a scrap broke out during which the egg got rolled out and the water tipped. Henry, not being pleased with events made this known to Fret once she was off the nest. A bit of mediation later relations were returned to normal.

Fret has become much more aggressive to the point that when off the nest and eating she attacked a rat that foolishly stuck it's head out of the undergrowth hoping to get some food. Fret got the rat even with her limp.

I looked Fret over and I could see no damage to her feet or legs so I'm hoping it's just a sprain. She was quite capable of digging a dust bath and having a bit of a forage around my plot.
I mentioned in an earlier post I hadn't heard or seen Fret turn her eggs. I was doing some work next to the coop with the nest box lid open shortly after she returned to her nest and she turned the eggs. My experience tells me if a hen truns her eggs at all then she turns them enough.
Does this change in Frets attitude mean she knows she's got live eggs?
Under other circumstances I would close her nest off. This is fine if one is there to make regular checks and encourage other hens to use another nest box. I have put a couple of Carbons eggs in the other box but I doubt she will take the hint.

The imported eggs went under Fret two days after she sat; not ideal because the hatch if it happens will be staggered. It's getting close to the point where Fret may feel movement in the eggs.

I fed them all a similar mix to that in an earlier post. Fret hardly ate any of the mash, Carbon and Henry ate more and there was about half of what I made left over.
My eldest offered me their spare room should I need to get to the allotments more often while Fret hopefully hatches and the chicks get the hang of the ramp etc. I pointed out it could be a couple of weeks and this isn't a problem for her and her husband but could be a problem for me given I like my eldest and her husband and might not want to leave.

Peace restored.

Nothing to suggest this hen is broody in this picture.

Carbon giving Fret a wider berth than normal.

Out and about.